The Theo-Epic of Salvation: An Introduction to the Holy Scriptures

For this introductory course on the Bible, we shall consider the Scriptures through several non-competing lenses. Students will deepen their understanding of the plots, characters, themes, conflicts, and movement of the Scriptures. This is especially necessary for the Old Testament. As Christians, our grasp of the Old Testament, that is, the very Scriptures to which Jesus and Paul refer, seems to be slipping more and more with each decade. If we lose our grip altogether, the hold we have on the New Testament will falter. The Old and New Testaments provide not an encyclopedia of all things divine and human; rather, they relay to us in a variety of literary genres the greatest epic of all: salvation. The Triune God is setting things right.

We will read the Scriptures through the lenses of the covenants, prophecies partially fulfilled and fulfilled, the temple motif, and the Exodus theme. The Old Testament will be read as Hebrew Scripture in its original context -- and Christologically. Attention will be paid to typology as well as the promise and peril of allegory. The coming of the God-man into history does not supersede the Hebrew Scriptures but fulfills them. Ultimately, all Scripture points to Christ.

Students will read from the English Standard and King James Versions of the Bible (though primarily the former), as well as a selection of theological and interpretative works. Students will be assessed by a variety of means: objective tests using Google Forms; essay tests; a final (primarily essay) at the end of each semester; short and longer essays (in a variety of rhetorical modes); a Journal (for note-taking and smaller assignments); and some memory work.

Course Objectives:

1. Understand the main characters, plots, genres, themes, conflicts, and movement of the Bible.
2. Demonstrate proficiency in the close-reading of texts, using multiple strategies.
3. Understand the relationship between the Old and the New Testaments through a variety of hermeneutical and theological lenses.
4. Understand and appreciate how all Scripture points and leads to Christ.
5. Engage in meaningful, respectful conversations on texts through interpretive questions.
6. Write effectively in a variety of rhetorical modes (comparison/contrast, analytical, reflective, argument, formal, and informal).
7. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the Chicago Style for academic writing.

Course Format:

Every week students will view and take notes upon a taped lecture of 60-90 minutes; students will read the assigned material; and students and instructor will gather for 75 minutes once a week for discussion and questions.

Texts:

• ESV Bible
• KJV Bible
• Journeys with Jesus: Every Path in the Bible Leads Us to Christ by Dennis E. Johnson (ISBN: 1629955388)
• The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament by Sandra L. Richter (ISBN: 0830825770)
• The Bedrock of Christianity: The Unalterable Facts of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection by Justin W. Bass. (ISBN: 168359360X)
• Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption Through Scripture by Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson. (ISBN: 1433557983)
• God Dwells Among us: Expanding Eden to the End of the World by G.K. Beale and Mitchell Kim. (ISBN: 0830844147)
• On Pascha by Melito of Sardis, Popular Patristics Series. 2nd ed. (ISBN: 0881415545)