REL 113: Old Testament Faith and History,
spring 2005. SYLLABUS.
RJDKnauth
Class time MWF 10:15-11:20 in B307.
Office hours T/TH 9:30-11:30 in D-320.
Tel: 321-4298(GAYT), home: 326-3822; Email: knauth@lycoming.edu.
The primary purpose of this course is for you to (1) READ THE ENTIRE OLD TESTAMENT and (2) be introduced to some tools and historical background that will help you to understand it.
Note:
Primary
Text: The Bible.
Any version is fine, but a good study Bible with notes and historical
background is helpful. The
bookstore will carry the Harper Collins Study Bible (NRSV).
Secondary
Texts: A Survey of the
Old Testament (2nd ed.), Hill & Walton (“Hill” in syllabus)
Who Wrote the Bible? R. Friedman
note historical outline p. 333)
4. Wisdom Literature
("Writings")
1)
Attendance and informed participation (readings having been completed) at all
class sessions will be expected (worth 10% of the final grade).
The attendance policy for this course is that there are no excused
absences without a written note from a doctor or parent/guardian regarding a
serious family or medical emergency (e.g. requiring hospitalization).
Each set of 3 absences lowers your final grade 1%.
2)
Weekly
Quizzes on the readings for that week (worth 10% of the final grade) will take
place at the beginning of class each Wednesday as listed in this syllabus, so be
sure to complete the readings by Wednesday of each week.
Of 12 quizzes, the lowest 2 will be dropped from the average.
3)
Weekly Written
Assignments, exercises or
reflections on the readings as specified in the syllabus (worth 10% of the final
grade) will be collected in class most Fridays, and will be the basis for class
discussion on those days.
Instructor may call on students at random.
Assignments should be 1 page, typed in 12-point,
Times New Roman font, single spaced, with 1-inch margins all around. Late
assignments will be penalized.
4)
Students wishing to make up for absences or missed quizzes may submit Chapter Outline Summaries
5)
There will be 3 short (1 hour, non-cumulative) Tests
(each worth 10% of the final grade) on each of the first three sections of the
course, covering relevant historical background, scholarly theories and content.
Review sheets will be handed out in advance.
6) A short (6 pg.) Exegesis Project (worth 20% of the final grade, due on Friday, April 1st) will be required, giving a close thematic analysis of an Old Testament text (or texts) concerning some major issue discussed in class, plus some personal reflection and application of that text. Your preliminary paper proposal (see the Exegesis Project Guidelines proposal form), including a statement of your primary biblical text, topic, thesis, and bibliography as specified in the guidelines, will be due on Friday, Feb. 18th. Your revised proposal plus a 1-pg summary description of your proposed argument in substantive outline form will be due in class on Wednesday, March 9th, and will count as your "written assignment" for that week. Rough drafts will be accepted until this date. Prior to turning the completed project in, each student must visit the writing center once (no paper will be accepted without documentation of a visit to the ARC), and solicit one peer review. Copies of your sources, the original and revised proposals, the peer review (signed by your reviewer) and your "self evaluation" (on the proposal form, including the date of your visit to the writing center) will be turned in along with the final project, which should include an adequate bibliography as specified in the guidelines, on April 1st. Turn in a hard copy to the instructor's mailbox (outside D-320), and an electronic copy at http://www.turnitin.com (class ID 20604, enrollment password "otfh01").
7)
A Final Exam (2 hours, worth
20% of the final grade), covering the entire course, will be given during exam
period. The exam will be essay
format (with some choice) and issue oriented.
8)
Extra Credit will be granted at the instructor's discretion for the
following:
a) Chapter Outline Summaries
from the textbook as specified above.
b) Sets of I.D. flashcards for learning names, dates and
books of the Bible, etc.
c) Creative cartoons, limericks, etc. that capture the
message of a particular story or character in the Bible in association with the
name (include an explanation) - to be shared with the class. For example,
picture two garden hoses lovingly entwined - one (labeled "Hosea")
looks up to heaven; the other with big eyelashes (labeled
"wife/Israel") stretches away. Explanation: God commanded
Hosea to take an adulterous wife (symbolic of unfaithful Israel), whom he
repeatedly wooed back despite her infidelity - an example of "prophetic
symbolism" representing God's unconditional love for Israel.
d) Watching "Biblical" movies relating to the Old
Testament and submitting points of disagreement with the actual biblical account
(citing chapter and verse). To get credit, the student must also submit
movie ticket stubs with theater and date, video receipt with date and time
watched, or TV schedule including channel and time watched. I know you
watch these. Get out your Bibles and check up on them for credit!
Schedule
of Classes:
Section 1: The
Pentateuch (Torah)
Week
1: Introduction, Genesis
I: Primeval History
Read Genesis 1-11; Hill pp. 18-80, 146-166, 290-303, 384-399,
571-587; Friedman Intro. + ch. 2;
OTP
pp. 9-18, 25-28 (total 168 pgs).
M (Jan. 10)- Introduction:
"Salvation History," Genres, ANE context, "distinctiveness."
W (Jan. 12)- "Primeval History:" creation, fall, redemption.
F (Jan. 14)- Pentateuchal
Criticism: J, E, P, D and all that, issues of dating and authorship.
*Asst. 1
(handout, due Fri): Exercise on
evaluating multiple sources in Gen. 1-11 (J vs. P).
Week
2: Genesis
II: Patriarchs – Inheritance of the Promise
Read Genesis 12-50; Hill ch. 2; Friedman ch. 1-4; OTP
66-75; Pritchard selections** (total 160 pgs).
M (Jan. 17)- The story of family, problem of heirs. Discuss Abram's call and the
binding of Isaac.
W (Jan. 19)- Sweeping drama of feuding brothers. Discuss Esau/Jacob. Religion. *Quiz
1: Genesis.
F (Jan. 21)- Joseph cycle –
“You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good!” Discuss.
Historicity.
*Asst. 2: Compare the biblical story of Joseph to
Pritchard's "Joseph parallels" in
ANET pp. 12-16, 24-27, 183-184 (on
Electronic Reserve
and at library).
Do you think they
are related? What do you see as the main point of the Joseph story?
Week
3: Exodus
– Liberation and Covenant
Read Exodus; Hill ch. 3; Friedman ch. 5-7, 11; OTP 85,
101-109 (total 166 pgs).
M (Jan. 24)- The identity of a nation. Liberation, Sinai, covenant. ANE theme
pattern, imagery.
W (Jan. 26)- Moses – legendary charismatic leader, intercessor, law-giver.
*Quiz 2: Exodus.
F (Jan. 28)- Discussion on the
Plagues, the Red Sea, the Golden Calf. Sources?
*Asst. 3: What
happened at the Red Sea? According to whom? Do you see any
contradiction?
Use Friedman's source appendix to split up the sources and
read each account separately.
Week
4: From Covenant to Edge of
Promised Land: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Read (skim) Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Hill ch. 4-6, OTP
124-126 (total 210 pgs).
M (Jan. 30)- Leviticus: holiness, sacrifice, covenant. Jubilee!
W (Feb. 2)- Numbers: wanderings
and conflict stories, name lists and boundaries. *Quiz 3.
*Asst. 4: Due
Wed! Discuss the differing views of Balaam in: Num 22-25, 31; OTP
124-126;
Deut 23:3-6; Josh 13:22, 24:9-10; Neh 13:1-3; Mic 6:5; 2Pet 2:15-16; Jude
11; Rev 2:14.
F (Feb. 4)- Deuteronomy: nature of
biblical law, ANE context, continuity and distinctiveness.
Week
5: Pentateuch
Review and Test
Read Friedman ch. 8-14 (i.e. the rest of the book = 96 pgs).
Review Hill 1-6 + Appendix, and Pentateuch.
M (Feb. 7)- Source Criticism (J, E, D, P), formation of epic.
*Hand out Review Sheets for Test.*
W (Feb. 9)- Review for Test on Pentateuch (no quiz, no written assignment).
Bible Jeopardy!
F (Feb. 11)- *Test
1 on the Pentateuch, Hill ch. 1-6+App., Friedman, Parallels (10% of grade).
Section 2: The Historical
Books (“Former Prophets”)
Week
6: The Tribal League
Read Joshua, Judges; Hill ch.7-9; OTP 91-93, 141-144,
333-337; review Friedman ch.1 (total 138 pgs).
M (Feb. 14)- Issues of conquest/settlement, archaeology – fulfillment of
promise!
*Assign skit groups.
*Discuss the nature of the Exegesis Project,
bibliography.*
W (Feb. 16)- The tribal league, local hero stories, unity/disunity. Skits!
*Quiz 4.
F
(Feb. 18)- Anti-kingship vs. pro-kingship. Discussion/Debate.
*Asst. 5:
Is the Book of Judges primarily anti-monarchic or pro-monarchic? Give
your evidence.
*Initial Exegesis Proposal due (see Exegesis
Project Guidelines proposal form), including
your topic, primary
biblical text, proposed thesis, and preliminary bibliography. Do *not*
outline.
Week
7: The United
Monarchy, “Golden Age” of Israel
Read Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1Kings
1-11, Hill ch. 10-11, OTP 145-146 (total 148
pgs).
M (Feb. 21)- Samuel, Ark Narrative, Philistines and Kingship. *Discuss Exegesis
"outline" expectations.
W (Feb. 23)- Saul, David (rise/succession narratives), Solomon.
Character Eval (small groups). *Quiz 5.
EXTRA CREDIT: 2/23, 7:30 pm, Black History Month speaker Dr. Poussaint
F
(Feb. 25)- Discuss "Absalom's Rebellion" and the historian's
presentation of
David's character.
*Asst. 6:
Discuss "Absalom's Rebellion" in relation to the Bathsheba affair and how it reflects on David.
SPRING
BREAK!
Feb 26 - March 6. Read
Psalms (141 pages), work out your Exegesis proposal!
Week
8: The Divided
Monarchy into the Exile: Deuteronomistic History
Read 1-2 Kings, Hill ch. 12, OTP 155-190
(total 122 pgs). Review Friedman ch. 4-7 (60 pgs). Politics
handout.
M (Mar. 7)- Politics of rebellion, kingship ideology. Elijah cycle: prophetic
corrective to kingship.
W (Mar. 9)- Fall of North, Sennacherib
invasion: conflicting sources, differing
perspectives. *Quiz 6.
*Asst. 7: Revised
Exegesis
Project Proposal due Wed. in class. Use provided form plus
1 pg.
summary description of your proposed argument in substantive outline form.*
F (Mar. 11)- Josiah vs. Manasseh,
theological crisis of exile, reshaping history. Jeremiah & Ezra.
Week
9: Exile and Restoration.
The Chronicler’s History.
Read 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah; Hill ch. 13-14
(total 153 pgs). Review Friedman ch. 8, 13 (28 pgs).
M (Mar. 14)- The Chronicler- starting over again. Discussion. *Review
Sheets handed out.*
*Asst. 8: Due
Mon! Look at the way Manasseh is presented in Kings vs. in Chronicles.
Discuss how the differences could best be explained.
W (Mar. 16)- Historical Review, Review for Test 2
on Historical Books. Bible Jeopardy
II. *Quiz 7.
F (Mar. 18)- *Test 2 on Historical Books, Hill ch. 7-14 (10% of final grade).
Section 3: The
Prophets (Writing Prophets)
Week
10: Prophets in the Assyrian
Crisis
Read Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum; Hill ch. 22-23, 28, 30,
33-34 (total 190 pgs).
M (Mar. 21)- Introduction to Prophets. Amos and Hosea.
W (Mar. 23)- Politics of Assyrian Crisis. Isaiah of Jerusalem, Micah,
Nahum, Jonah. *Quiz 8.
Discussion re Isaiah's "Call." Servant songs and Messianic prophecy.
**Optional Make-up Assignment (due Wed.):
Reflect on Isaiah’s “call” in Isaiah ch. 6.
Week
11: Major Prophets in the
Crisis of Exile and Restoration Prophets
Read Jeremiah+Lamentations, Ezekiel; Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi; Hill ch. 24-26,
37-39 (198 pgs).
M (Mar. 28)- Jeremiah (two versions!), connect w/ Deuteronomistic History
(Friedman ch. 5-7).
Controversy over the
unity of Isaiah (focus on Isa 40). 2nd Isaiah as hope for restoration from exile.
W (Mar. 30)- Ezekiel: “Can these bones live?”
Prophetic symbolism, exile (small groups). *Quiz 9.
F (Apr. 1)- Politics of Restoration, Restoration
Prophets - Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
**Exegesis Projects Due (20% of grade. Deadline Friday midnight,
Instructor’s box at office D-320)!
Week
12: Minor Prophets Overview, Review and Test
Read Joel,
Obadiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Jonah. Read/Review Hill ch.
28-39
(total 118 pgs).
Review Amos, Hosea, Micah, Nahum; Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.
M (Apr. 4)- The Book of the Twelve, prophetic survey (small
groups). *Quiz 10. *Prophets
Review
Sheet*
W (Apr. 6)- Test 3 Review (Bible Jeopardy III).
Section 4: Wisdom
Literature ("Writings")
Week
13: Praise, Lamentation
and Love; Traditional Wisdom and Anti-Wisdom
Read Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job; Review Psalms
(esp. Ps. 19),
already read over
spring break; Read Hill ch.
16-21, OTP 208-214 (total 190 pgs).
M
(Apr. 11)- Psalms - hymns for worship, prayer, lament. Lamentations and Song of Songs.
**Optional
Make-up assignment: Reflect
on the form and message of the Song of Songs.
W (Apr. 13)-
F (Apr. 15)- Job and the dilemma of the righteous sufferer -
discussion.**
*Asst. 9: Discuss
the guilt/innocence of Job in his
challenge to God.
Week
14: Daniel and Esther - Hero Stories
and Apocalyptic; Review.
Read Daniel, Esther, 1Macc 1-4, 2Macc 5-10; Hill ch. 15, 27
(total 77 pgs).
M (Apr. 18)- Daniel and apocalyptic. "Apocrypha" and the Maccabean
period. *Review
sheets.*
W (Apr. 20)- Esther (+Jonah).
Wisdom tales, hero stories, and humor. *Quiz 12.
**Asst. 10 (due Wed!): Reflect on the view of Persian authority presented in
Esther (vs. Ezra).
F (Apr. 22)- Review
for final exam, essay format. Come
with questions!
A
two-hour Final Exam will follow
during Exam Period (4/25-29, worth 20% of the final grade).
The exam is cumulative, covering the entire course, and will consist of quote
interpretations and essay questions concerning
broader themes and concepts from the entire course, for which there will be some
choice.
NOTES:
*Assignments
are due on Fridays in class, unless otherwise noted in the syllabus.
*Save backups of all your work to your “H” drive space, backed up by ITS each night.
*The Pritchard Reserve Readings on "Joseph Parallels" for week 2 are available on-line in the "Electronic Reserves" as well as in the library at the circulation desk.
Instructions for
Electronic Reserves:
Supplemental course readings have been placed on
electronic reserve through
WebCT at
http://lycoapps.lycoming.edu:8900/webct/public/home.pl.
Your username is the same as your Novell login. The password is initially set
to the last six digits of your Social Security number. Full instructions are
available on the library Web site at
http://www.lycoming.edu/library/reserves/index.htm. Contact Martha
Ashenfelder (x4150) or Diana Cleveland (x4160) in
ITS about forgotten passwords. For other problems or questions, contact Joanna Holcombe (x4087) or Gail Spencer
(x4053) in the library or use the help
form at
http://www.lycoming.edu/library/reserves/ereshelp.htm.
**Papers
are officially due on Friday at midnight. The
office doors are locked around 5:00pm. Papers
delivered after 5:00 will obviously not be retrieved until the following Monday,
so any papers found in the mailbox on Monday morning will be accepted as being
"on time." Please do
not come with last minute excuses asking for a short extension.
Just get it in the box by Monday morning.
Any papers not yet turned in by first thing Monday morning, short of a
major illness (with a note from the doctor), family emergency (with a note from
parents), or other serious problem, will be penalized at the discretion of the
instructor.
All papers must be submitted electronically at http://turnitin.com
(class ID 20604, enrollment password “otfh01”).
Hard copies should also be submitted in my box along with your original
and revised proposals, an adequate bibliography as specified in the guidelines,
a self-evaluation (including the date of your visit to the writing center,
required for all students), a peer review, and copies of your sources.
A Note on Academic Dishonesty: Academic Dishonesty is a serious offense at Lycoming College and in this class. Academic Dishonesty includes failing to give credit to sources used (otherwise known as Plagiarism). This would include copying material from a book, article or web site without citing your source. "Paraphrasing" is not sufficient. If you are using someone else's words you must put the material in quotation marks as well as citing your source. Even if you paraphrase or summarize, if you are using someone else's *ideas,* you must cite your source, giving specific page numbers, as well as listing the source in your bibliography. See the Library web pages on the mechanics of how to properly cite sources. Plagiarism also includes copying material from one of your classmates or from previous students – whether on a formal paper or a short assignment. You are allowed to discuss assignments together, but when it comes to writing out your answers, you must do your own work and use your own words. If I receive two assignments (or chapter outline summaries) containing a majority of identical wording, BOTH will receive an “F.” If I receive papers containing substantial amounts of material copied from any source (books, articles, web sites, other student papers, etc.) without the proper citation and credit being given, that student will receive an “F” on the project and will be reported to the Dean. Keep in mind that I have a very good memory, keep my own file of past papers, and also have a web browser. In addition, all papers will be handed in electronically at http://www.turnitin.com, where Lycoming has a college-wide account. This site will check all papers against the internet and other resources, as well as against papers previously submitted to this and other classes. Over the past several years I have discovered a number of instances of plagiarism in my classes. According to school policy, a second infraction of this type in any course at Lycoming College can result in expulsion from the school. If you do not clearly understand what this means or what plagiarism is, please come and talk to me about it and I will be glad to explain. Remember: the difference between plagiarism and good research is only proper citation!
A
Note on Workload:
This is not high school! College
courses require preparation!
The standard at Lycoming College is 6-9 hours of preparation per week per
course, not including class time. That’s 2-3 hours of preparation for
every 1 hour in class. For this
course in general you should plan on spending 6 hours each week just reading
(average 150 pages/week; at 25 pages/hour or 2½ min. per page, this would come
to 6 hours/wk), plus 1 hour to study for the quiz and 1-2 hours working on the
written assignment. By the way, you
should know that introductory 100-level courses such as this, while they do not
assume prior knowledge of the subject area, are generally MORE WORK than upper
level courses. This is because the
breadth and volume of material covered is greater, and the instructor cannot
assume any prior knowledge and therefore cannot just leave things out.
If you want to be successful in this course, then plan to schedule in
your study time!