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Abstract/Syllabus:
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This material was created or adapted from material created by Notre Dame OCW faculty member, Gary Anderson, Associate Professor, 2005. Copyright © 2006, Gary Anderson.
Foundations of Theology: Biblical and Historical
Fall 2005
Statue of Mary in County Kerry, Ireland.
Image courtesy of Bradley C. Gregory
Course Description
This is an introductory course to the Bible and historical Christianity that aims to familiarize the student with the contents of the Bible and the development of the early Church. Special emphasis is placed on theological themes of perennial interest and the significance of the Bible for Christian thought and practice as well as the relationship of Christianity to Judaism.
About the Professor
Professor Anderson's research interests concern the role of ritual and sacrifice in biblical religion, the reception of the Bible in early Judaism and in Christianity, and the theological task of relating modern approaches to the study of biblical texts to the tradition of the church. He has had particular interest in the way apocryphal and pseudepigraphic texts, as well as early Christian and Jewish art, can be used as sources for early biblical commentary. He has recently completed a book on early Jewish and Christian interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve, The Genesis of Perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian Imagination.
Syllabus
THEO 10001
Foundations of Theology
MWF at 12:50
Hesburgh Library 107
Prof. Gary A. Anderson
Office hours: by appointment
Graduate Assistant: Mr. Bradley Gregory
Purpose of the course:
To familiarize the student with the contents of the Bible and the development of the early Church. Special emphasis will be placed on theological themes of perennial interest and significance of the Bible for Christian thought and practice as well as the relationship of Christianity to Judaism.
Required texts:
The HarperCollins Study Bible : New Revised Standard Version With the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1997).
Other readings:
Various secondary readings will also be required and can be found in the appended bibliography (internet links are provided for documents in the public domain). These readings will be listed as author with the title of the article or book. For example, for the tenth session of this course you will find the reading Levenson, Sinai and Zion, 23-36.
Formal requirements:
Regular attendance at all required sessions.
For the homework assignments, students will turn in a substantial paragraph (not to exceed one page) that answers a question that the instructor will pose about the reading. These answers should demonstrate a thoughtful consideration of both the Biblical text and the assigned secondary reading when applicable.
Grading
| Component |
Percentage |
| Homework Assignments |
15% |
| Periodic Quizzes |
60% |
| Final Examination |
25% |
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100% |
Calendar
| Session |
Topic |
Readings (Biblical and Secondary) |
Key Dates |
| 1 |
Introduction |
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| 2 |
How to Read the Bible |
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| 3 |
Primeval History |
Genesis 1-11 |
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| 4 |
Call of Abram |
Genesis 11-13; Levenson, Death, 82-88 |
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| 5 |
Quiz #1 |
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Quiz #1 |
| 6 |
Life of Abraham |
Genesis 13-24; 25:12-28; 29:31-30:24; Levenson, Death, 88-110 |
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| 7 |
Joseph, Part I |
Genesis 37-50 (skim 25-36); Levenson, Death, 143-156 |
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| 8 |
Optional Session: The Bible & Prayer |
Casey, "Lectio Divina" |
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| 9 |
Joseph, Part II |
Genesis 37-50; Levenson, Death, 161-169 |
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| 10 |
Covenant Formulary |
Exodus 1-5; 12:1-36; 13:17-15:21; 19-21; Joshua 24; Levenson, Sinai and Zion, 22-36 |
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| 11 |
Quiz #2 |
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Quiz #2 |
| 12 |
The Law |
Exodus 20:1-17; Leviticus 19:9-10; 25:23-25; Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Sirach 3:1-16; Levenson, Sinai and Zion, 56-70 |
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| 13 |
Ruth |
Ruth |
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| 14 |
No Class |
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| 15 |
Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah |
Genesis 6-9; 18-19 |
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| 16 |
The Golden Calf |
Exodus 32-34; Numbers 13-14 |
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| 17 |
Optional Session: Catholic and Protestant Bibles |
Harper Collins Study Bible, xxxvii-xl; Vatican II: "Dei Verbum" |
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| 18 |
Jonah, Part I |
Jonah; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Nehemiah 9:17 |
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| 19 |
Jonah, Part II |
Jonah; Simon, Jonah, 22-38 |
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| 20 |
Quiz #3 |
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Quiz #3 |
| 21 |
The Exile and Eschatology |
Read these pairs in tandem: Jeremiah 25:1-14 and Daniel 9; 2 Chronicles 36 and Ezra 1-3; Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8; Isaiah 2:1-4; Daniel 7; McBride, "Biblical Literature in Historical Context" |
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| 22 |
Jesus, The Exile, and the Gospel of Mark |
Mark 1:1-8:21 |
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| 23 |
No Class |
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| 24 |
The Passion in the Gospel of Mark |
Mark 8:22-10:52 |
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| 25 |
Jesus and Chosenness |
Mark 11:1-16:8 |
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| 26 |
Quiz #4 |
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Quiz #4 |
| 27 |
Resurrection |
Ezekiel 36-37; Matthew 28; Luke 24; Acts 1:1-11; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15 |
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| 28 |
Jewish Law and Early Christianity |
Genesis 17; Matthew 5:17-48; Acts 15; Galatians 5:2-15 |
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| 29 |
Optional Session: the Immaculate Conception |
Luke 1 |
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| 30 |
The Season of Advent |
Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37; Seitz, "Isaiah in the New Testament"; Pontifical Biblical Commision |
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| 31 |
Doctrine of Original Sin |
Romans 5:12-21; Anderson, "Biblical Origins and the Problem of the Fall" |
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| 32 |
Quiz #5 |
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Quiz #5 |
| 33 |
Doctrine of Creation |
Genesis 1:1-2:4; Proverbs 8:22-31; Sirach 24; John 1:1-18 |
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| 34 |
Doctrine of Atonement |
Athanasius, "On the Incarnation," pp. 55-65 |
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| 35 |
Optional Review Session |
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| 36 |
Quiz #6 |
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Quiz #6 |
| 37 |
No Class |
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| 38 |
Handing Jesus over to Death |
Mark 14-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Anderson, "Joseph and the Passion of our Lord"; Ackley, "Christ Presented to the People" |
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| 39 |
Poverty of Spirit (Johannes Baptist Metz) |
Genesis 2-3; Matthew 4:1-11; Philippians 2:6-11; Metz, Poverty of Spirit; Percy, Lost in the Cosmos, 10-17 (optional) |
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| 40 |
Optional Session: The Blessed Virgin Mary |
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| 41 |
The Creed |
Philippians 2:6-11; The Nicene Creed; Steinmetz, "Uncovering a Second Narrative" |
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| 42 |
The Creed (continued) |
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Further Reading:
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Readings
The New American Bible.
Ackley, Clifford. “Christ Presented to the People.” Pages 255-59 in Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher. Boston: MFA Publications, 2003.
Anderson, Gary A. “Biblical Origins and the Problem of the Fall.” Pro Ecclesia 10/1 (2001): 17-30. Reprinted in The Genesis of Perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian Imagination. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001, pages 197-210.
Anderson, Gary A. “Joseph and the Passion of Our Lord.” Pages 198-215 in The Art of Reading Scripture. Edited by E. Davis and R. Hayes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
Athanasius. “On the Incarnation of the Word.” Pages 55-86 in volume 3 of Christology of the Later Fathers. Edited by Edward Hardy. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1977. The whole document may be found here:
Casey, Michael. “Seven Principles of Lectio Divina.” Pages 4-9 in The Undivided Heart: The Western Monastic Approach to Contemplation. Petersham, MA: St. Bedes Publications, 1994.
Levenson, Jon D. The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
Levenson, Jon D. Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible. Minneapolis: Winston Press, 1985.
McBride, S. Dean. “Biblical Literature in Its Historical Context: The Old Testament.” Pages 28-38 in The HarperCollins Bible Commentary. Edited by James L. Mays. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1988.
Metz, Johannes Baptist. Poverty of Spirit. Translated by John Drury. New York: Paulist Press, 1998.
Percy, Walker. Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. Washington Square Press, 1983. Pages 10-17.
Seitz, Christopher. “Isaiah in the New Testament, the Lectionary, and the Pulpit.” Pages 224-28 in Word Without End: The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
Simon, Uriel. Jonah: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the new JPS Translation. Translated by Lenn J. Schramm. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1999.
Steinmetz, David C. “Uncovering a Second Narrative.” Pages 54-65 in The Art of Reading Scripture. Edited by E. Davis and R. Hayes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
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Webliography:
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This material was created or adapted from material created by Notre Dame OCW faculty member, Gary Anderson, Associate Professor, 2005. Copyright © 2006, Gary Anderson.
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