1.271 - Opening the Scriptures: The Old Testament in the New

SCHEDULE

September 7

• Introduction to course and review of Ancient Documents and Topics of Study
• What do we mean by Scripture? Why is the use of the OT in the NT relevant? >> Ps 22.1 and Mark 15.34
• Introductory Exercises:
  • Greek Numbers.pdf
  • Barnabas9.6 318Men.pdf
  • Download site for OT Quotes and Allusions in the NT for BW and Logos
    In BW7, after downloading the ZIP file, unzip the contents into your \Program Files\BibleWorks7\init\ directory. You can access the Synopsis files by opening the Synopsis tool, then using File>Open and choosing 
    In Logos, after downloading the ZIP file, unzip the contents into your \My Documents\Libronix\ParallelPassages\ directory. (If this subdirectory does not exist, you may need to create it.) In Logos, use Tools>Bible Comparison>Parallel Passages and Harmonies. Click on the "Source" button to choose the synopsis you want to see.
  • Psalm 22.1 and Mark 15.34.pdf

September 14

• Choose a topic of study upon which you will present and also write your final paper
• Choose an Ancient Document upon which you will report. UPDATE: Note assignments
• Read the first half of Early Biblical Interpretation (the part by Kugel)
• History of Biblical Versions.pdf
• History of Versions of the Psalter.pdf
• Exercises (handed out in class)
  • Acts 4
  • Isaiah 53.4 & Matthew 8.17 and Isaiah 42 and Matthew 12.17-21  

September 21

• Topics of Study: Assigned

Dot	Use of Psalm 31.5 in Luke 23.46	Nov 9
Maureen	Romans 9.25-26 and Hosea 2.23; 1.10	Nov 2
Seth	Isaiah 43.19 in Revelation 21.5 and 2 Corinthians 5.17	Oct 26
Anda	Acts 4.11-12 and Psalm 118.22	Oct 26
Anne	Jeremiah 31.31-33 - New Covenant	Nov 2
Ben	The Sign of Jonah	Nov 9
Karen	Melchizedek in Hebrews 5-7	Nov 9
Sadie	Leviticus 19.18 in the NT	Oct 26
Mary	Use of Scripture in Luke 1: 54-55	Nov 2
Jason	~ Isaiah 53	Nov 2

• Read the second half of Early Biblical Interpretation (the part by Greer)
• Rabbinic Literature
  • A Brief Survey of Ancient Jewish Literature  (mgvh)
  • Targum Information.pdf (mgvh)
  • An Initial Guide into the Rabbinic Literature (mgvh)
  • Rabbinic Midrash Rules.pdf
  • Examples of Midrashic Method and Rules
  • And check the other links here
• Library Tour - Library BooksLayout
• Ancient Documents Presentation
  • Wisdom of Solomon: Dot
  • Joseph and Asenath: Maureen

September 28

• Readings: If you are reading Speigel (The Last Trial), finish the book. If you are reading Kugel (Bible As It Was), at least be through p178.
• Akedah Exercise
• OT in NT Exercises - We will do these in class as we have time, but take a look at them in advance and see if you can work through them.
• Ancient Documents Presentation
  • Pseudo-Philo: Seth
  • Psalms of Solomon: Anda

October 5

• Read Juel, Messianic Exegesis, pages 1-58
• See what you can do with this exercise: The Following Rock of 1 Corinthians 10. (You will not be turning this in. It's an attempt to help you track down resources. Spend about a half hour or so total on it.)
  • Following Rock used in class
• Ancient Documents Presentation
  • Anne: Enoch
  • Ben: Genesis Apochryphon
  • Sadie: JM's Dialogue with Trypho

October 12

• Read Juel, Messianic Exegesis, pages 59-118
• 4Q252 Commentary on Genesis Fr2
• Matthew 19 and Gen 1&2.pdf
• OT in the NT - Matthew 4.4 (this has been posted for a while, but we will work through it in class)
• Ancient Documents Presentation
  • Karen: Gospel of Peter
  • Mary: Eusebius'  Proof of the Gospel
  • Jason: Jerome and the Vulgate

October 19 - NO CLASS

October 26

• Read Juel, Messianic Exegesis, pages 119-179
• Topic Presentations - From the syllabus: "The best presentations will help the other members of the class understand the issues involved with your text or topic and the preliminary ways you are working with it. The presenter should keep in mind that a final paper will yet be written on this topic, and so feedback should be solicited that will contribute to that paper." Presentations should be about 25 minutes long.
  • Seth, Anda, Karen

November 2

• Recounting the History of Israel - Spend no more than an hour working through this sheet so that we talk about it in class.
• Topic Presentations
  • Maureen, Mary, Jason, Anne

November 9

• NOTE: Final Paper is due Dec 7. By Nov 30, please submit a working thesis sentence to me. I will review it and help keep you from too much work or any dead ends.
• Kaplan presentation
• Topic Presentations
  • Dot, Ben, Sadie

November 16

• Class rep!
• Luke 20.27-40 - The question of the resurrection
• References to Servant Texts in NT
• Scripture Catena in the Epistle of Barnabas 
  • Psalm 119 (LXX 118): 120 [DOC files]
• Recounting the History of Israel - If you haven't already done so, spend no more than an hour working through this sheet so that we talk about it in class.

November 23 - NO CLASS

November 30

• Messiah Texts and also Psalm 89 (LXX 88)
• On two Messiahs... (read with some caution and awareness of background)

December 7

• From the syllabus: Final Paper: Based on the topic chosen, this paper will be 7-12 pages long. (one inch margins, double-spaced, 12pt font) The best papers will have a strong thesis statement that clearly defines the issue involved with the chosen topic and a proposal for how it should be handled. Interaction with appropriate resources (both primary and secondary) is expected, and the conclusion should indicate how this topic fits within the larger scope of early Christian attempts to interpret Scripture. This paper will be due on Friday, December 7, 2007.
• Opening sections of the Gospels and the OT

December 14 - NOTE: Class meets at 10:30 (not 8:45)

• Concluding comments

As time allows...

• OT in NT Exercises - We will do these in class as we have time, but take a look at them in advance and see if you can work through them.
• Scripture Catena in the Epistle of Barnabas
• Gematria - in the NT, cf: Matthew 1.17 (value of David in Hebrew times number of letters in his name) or Rev 13.18
• Why does Matthew's gospel begin with βιβλος? >> The importance of letters and Genesis 1.1

Advance Preparation: Technically, none! There are a few things you can do in advance to make your semester easier later on, however.

• Technical Aspects
  • If you have not already done so, get your computer ready to go with Unicode Greek.
    • Greek Tools Proficiencies Part 1A - Setting up your system
    • Greek Tools Proficiencies Part 1B – Keyboard Exercise (DOC file - download / open in your word processor)
    • Greek Fonts - If you don't use the Tyndale Unicode Font Kit described in Part 1A, you will need to check this out and follow the directions for obtaining the fonts that will be used.
  • Adobe Reader - Download - You will need this if you don't already have it. Latest version of Adobe Reader is 8.0.
  • Bible Software and other Digital Resources - We will be doing a lot with BibleWorks7, Logos, and other digital resources. If you already have BibleWorks or Logos, please go to this Bible Software page and follow the directions there to get everything set. If you do not have software and are interested in getting it, that page has some recommendations. LTSG will be offering a special 'buying window' for LTSG students in September to get BW or Logos at significant price reductions.
  • We will be able to use FishersNet for online discussion, but I have also set up a Blog for this course. YOU are the editors. Send me a preferred email, and I will get you signed in. Go ahead and start playing with this now. You can't hurt it.
• Ancient Document Presentation: According to the syllabus: Students will report on an ancient document selected from the list provided or in consultation with the instructor. Presentations will be made at a scheduled time during September and October. The best presentations will likely include a distributable guide of some kind for the members of the class and pointers to other resources, and they will provide background to the document and reasons why they are significant for a study of the OT in the NT. These presentations are intended to be brief introductions to the document and be 5-10 minutes long. >> Decisions for your choice will be finalized on Sept. 14.
• Topics of Study: Students will select a topic that will become the focus of their work from the list provided or in consultation with the instructor. Presentations on the preliminary work accomplished will be scheduled in October and November. The best presentations will help the other members of the class understand the issues involved with your text or topic and the preliminary ways you are working with it. The presenter should keep in mind that a final paper will yet be written on this topic, and so feedback should be solicited that will contribute to that paper. Depending on the number of students in the course, these presentations will be 20-30 minutes long.You might want to start thinking about this now. Decisions for topics will be finalized on Sept. 14.
• Readings: Check the syllabus linked above. The Early Biblical Interpretation and the Messianic Exegesis books are both in the bookstore. I will set up a schedule for reading, but the idea is to finish reading these as soon as possible so that they may serve as background for our class discussions. Read the Early Biblical Interpretation book first. I will be 'frontloading' the readings so that as the semester progresses, you won't have to deal with that and instead be working with the weekly texts and with your presentation topic/paper. Also note that you are required to read either Speigel's The Last Trial or Kugel's The Bible As It Was. These are intended to be 'leisurely' reading. I.e., don't focus on the details. Read them quickly simply to get a sense of how biblical interpretation is working in these Jewish/rabbinic contexts. I think you will find them to be fascinating reading.