University Seminar:  Theology
Theo 180G-08
The Bible and Christian Discipleship
  Fall, 2002
Professor Matthew Ashley

  Welcome to the on-line syllabus for the Theology University Seminar.  Here you will find all the information in the syllabus as well as an regularly updated schedule for the course, detailed notes and guides for the readings, and links to other sites of interest for the study of the Bible and early Christianity.
 
 

Course syllabus
Regularly updated schedule for this course.  If you want to go directly to the schedule for the course, with links to reading guides and written assignments, follow the links below:
For the schedule of readings, reading-guides,and written assignments for September, go here.
For the schedule of readings, reading-guides,and written assignments for October, go here .
For a schedule of readings, reading-guides, and written assignments for November, go here .
For a schedule of readings, reading-guides, and written assignments for December, go here.
Go here for grading criteria and proofreading marks for the short essays.
Go here for a guide for writing the final course essay
electronic reserves with on-line readings for the course
links to helpful resources for Bible and early Christianity
For a student's guide to using classroom resources on the web go to the OIT's on-line tutorial.

 
 

Syllabus:

Instructor: Professor Matthew Ashley: 442 Malloy; ashley.2@nd.edu; 631-7077
Office Hours: I am often in my office, and am available for appointments with only a day or two of advance notice.  In adition, on Mondays & Tuesdays I will be in my office with the door open from 1:30 - 2:30.  I encourage you to phone or e-mail me to set up an appointment if these times are not convenient.
Class Meetings: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:30-10:45; 218 Administration
 

Course Description and Requirements:

Texts:

  (1) The New Jerusalem Bible, edited by Henry Wansbrough.  Doubleday.  ISBN: 0-385-14264-1.
          (If you buy this book independently, make sure that it is the hard cover edition that has all the notes
          and reference-materials in the margins.  There are “reader’s editions” that have the text without the
          introductory materials and the extensive (and very helpful) notes.
  (2)  Introduction to the Old Testament , revised edition, by Anthony Ceresko.  Orbis.  ISBN: 1-57075-348-2
  (3)  The Historical Figure of Jesus , by E.P. Sanders.  Penguin.  ISBN: 0-14-014499-4
  (4)  Christ in the Gospels of the Oridnary Sundays , by Raymond E. Brown.  Liturgical Press.  ISBN: 0-8146-
2542-8

Additional materials will be put on reserve at the Hesburgh Library.  All of them will be available via “e-
reserves .  If this link doesn't work, you can get there by going to the University Libraries homepage and then using the pop-up menu of popular links to get to ereserves.  


 
 

Course Mechanics:

Final Grade

 The final grade will be assigned based on the followin components
 
 
Class participation
30%
Short Papers
30%
Final Paper
40%


 

 A.  Class Participation                       30% of final grade

               This is a seminar course.  According to the university’s guidelines a University Seminar is to “foster
     intense interaction between faculty and students.”  This will not happen unless each of us prepares for class
     and participates actively.  Otherwise, it becomes a performance with a few actors (say, the instructor and
     one or two students) and the rest “out in the audience.”  To encourage your preparation for and
     participation in seminar discussion class participation will be a factor in your final grade in three ways:
                          1. General quality of class discussion .  This principle here is that good discussion is
               everyone’s responsibility. For some of us this will mean stretching the boundaries of one’s
               “comfort zone” and entering the discussion despite shyness or lack of complete ease with the
               material.  For others of us this will mean being quiet sometimes rather than dominating the
               conversation.  Or it will mean helping another member of the seminar articulate his or her ideas
               more clearly, or drawing out someone who has not yet participated.  This is particularly important
               insofar as some members of the seminar will have had substantial prior contact with the Bible,
               while for some this may be the first time at studying this material.  At all times it is necessary to
               participate in such a way that the seminar is an open place where we can try out ideas and advance
               both individually and together toward a deeper understanding of the material.  At the end of the
               semester when I assign class participation grades everyone’s grade will tend to be somewhat higher
               if the quality of the discussion as a whole has been good, according to these criteria (a rising tide
               does lift all boats in this case).

                          2. Group Work: Students will be divided into six groups of three persons each.  Three groups will
               have different responsibilities for conducting the class on each day.  Groups will rotate so that
               every group will have some responsibilities once each week.  Each group should find some time
               each week to meet to go over their responsibility for that week.  Some of this can be done by phone
               or e-mail, so that you should be able to coordinate the rest of your work in about ½ hour or so.  I
               will evaluate the performance of the group as a whole, and the resulting grade will be ⅓ of each
               individual member’s participation grade.

                     3. Individual Participation :
                                    a) Individual notebook ( approximately ⅓ of final participation grade): You are to keep a spiral
                    notebook in which you record your on-going reactions to the course readings (both from the
                    Bible and extra-biblical readings).  Sometimes I will give you focus-questions on readings
                    which I will ask you to prepare for the next class.  At other times you simply record your
                    reactions to the readings, or to material covered in the course discussions.  I will collect this
                    notebook at midterm and at the end of the course and grade it based on the degree of thoughtful
                    engagement with the course material is reflected in it.
                                    b) Individual Participation ( approximately ⅓ of participation grade):  You will receive a
                    participation grade for each week (see appendix 2: participation grading policy).  At the end of
                    the semester I will drop the two low participation grades.  The average of the remaining
                    participation grades will make up the other half of your class participation grade.

                Absence Policy: Each absence will result in the loss of one of the “grade drops” for individual
          participation.  After that, each absence will result in an individual participation grade of “0" for that
          week.  Thus, in effect, you can miss two classes without major penalty, but after that your class
          participation grade will begin to drop.  Furthermore, when you reach six absences (almost 25% of class
          time) you must withdraw from the course or take an F.  I will do my best to notify you by e-mail when
          you reach four absences, but it is your responsibility to keep track of your absences.  Obviously,
          excused absences (properly documented by your Dean) are not counted in this policy. I will also make
          exceptions in the case of illness, if accompanied by documentation from a doctor and a note from your
          residence hall rector.

B. Short Papers                                30% of final grade

                In the course of the semester there will be seven assignments of papers of between 3 and 4 pages
     (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 point font) in length, of which you are to choose five on which to write.
     This is designed to give you the chance to adjust your work-load in the course (at times when you are
     particularly busy in other courses), so think ahead!  If you foresee that one week during your semester will
     be especially overloaded with work, then set the assignment for that week as one of the ones you will not
     do.  The papers you do choose to write are due at the beginning of class on the day assigned.  Papers will be
     accepted for up to one week with a 1-grade penalty.  These papers are generally intended to give you
     practice on a particular skill in theological reflection on Scripture and in fine-tuning the mechanics of your
     writing. 




C. Final Paper                             40% of the final grade

        Students will write a ten to fifteen page final paper on one of three topics.  The first draft
of this paper will be due on December 3.  During the week that follows students will meet with the instructor to
discuss the drafts, after which they will rewrite the paper.  The final draft is due at noon on December 18.  For further information go to the final paper guide .
 

Schedule

This schedule will be updated regularly so that it covers material and classes at least two weeks in advance of the current date.   Any changes announced in class will be reflected on this schedule.  If you are in doubt about a change that was announced in class or you missed class, consult this schedule.  Note that an asterisk after readings indicates that the reading is available on electronic reserves from the Library, or you can go the Reserve Room on the first floor of Hesburgh and get it the old fashioned way.

Date                                Readings & Written Assignments
Class 1
August 27		 none:  course introduction
Class 2
August 29		 Jesus / Eucharist / Scripture
Readings : NJB:  Lk 24; Acts 8:26-40; I Cor 11:17-34
                     NJB, 1607; Brown, 58-62; Sanders, 10-14, 276-81
Class 3
September 3		 What is a Gospel
Readings : Brown, 1-15; Sanders, 1-9, 57-77
Class 4
 September 5		 The Kingdom of God
Readings :  NJB:  Mk 1:14-15 & ∥
                      Sanders, 169-88 + cited scripture passages
Class 5
September 10		 Jesus' Context
Readings :   Sanders, 15-47; 98-111;
                       William R. Herzog, “The World of Agrarian Societies and Traditional
                    Aristocratic Empires,” from Parables as Subversive Speech , pp. 53-
                    73.*
Class 6
September 12		 Jesus' Method:  Parables I
Readings :  Perkins, Hearing the Parables of Jesus: 35-75* and parables discussed
                        therein
Class 7
September 17		 Jesus' Method:  Parables II
Readings :  NJB:  Mt 18
                              Herzog, 131-49; Sanders, 78-97
                                         written assignment #2 due
Class 8
September 19		 Life in the Kingdom of Heaven:  The Sermon on the Mount
Readings :  NJB:  Mt 5-8; Lk 6:20-49
                      Sanders, 196-204
Class 9
September 24
 The Ancestors of Israel
Readings :  Ceresko, chap. 4 {40 - 55}
                       NJB: Gen 12 - 50
Class 10
September 26 		 The Composition of the Pentateuch
Readings :  Ceresko, chap 5-6 {57-78)
                      NJB: Gen 12 - 50, esp. 18:1-5
Class 11
October 1
 Exodus & Covenant
Readings :  Ceresko, chap 7 - 8 {79-92)
                       NJB: Ex 1 - 24:
Class 12
 October 3		 Monarchy
Readings :  Ceresko, chap 12 - 14 {137-78)
                      NJB:  1 Sam 1-12; 16-19; 2 Sam 5-7; 9-12; 1 Kg 1-2; 5-7; 9-12;
Class 13
October 8		 Isaiah
Readings :  Ceresko: chapter 17 {209 - 222}
                      NJB: 2 Kgs 16-20, Is 1-12; 28-32
Class 14
October 10		 Destruction, Exile & Reestablishment
Readings :  Ceresko, first part of chapter 19 {241-249} & chap.  21 {271-79)
                       NJB: Lamentations 1, 5; Ezra 1; 3-10; Neh 1-2; 4:1-7:4; Gen 1:1-2:4
Class 15
October 15		 The Deuteronomist
Readings :  Ceresko, chap 11 {123-136}& conclusion of chapter 21 {279-281}
                       NJB: Dt 1-11 , 15-17; 2Kg 22
Class 16
October 17
 2nd Isaiah
Readings :  Ceresko: chapter 20 [257-269]
                      NJB: Is 40-45, 49-55

Autumn Break

Date                                Readings & Written Assignments
Class 17
October 29		 Job
Readings :  Ceresko, pp. 304-15,
                      Gustavo Gutiérrez, God of Life, pp.  xi-xvii, 145-63*
                      NJB:  Job 1-7, 29-31, 38-42
Class 18
October 31		 Apocalypticism I
Readings :  Ceresko, chap 25 {331 - 340}
                      NJB:  Dan 1-3, 6-7 ; Is 58, 65-66
Class 19
November 5		 Apocalypticism II
Readings :   NJB:  Mk 13 ∥
                      Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins, Are We Living in the End Times? : ix-xi, 3-7,
                    21-31*
Class 20
November 7		 Controversy & Enmity
Readings :  NJB:  Mk 2:1 - 3:6; Jn 2; Mt 13 - 25
                      Sanders, 205-37

Class 21
November 12		 Jesus' Passion & Death I
Readings :  NJB:  Mt 26 - 27; Mk 14-15; Lk 22-23; Jn 18-19
                      Sanders, 249-275
Class 22
November 14		 Passion & Death II
Readings :  NJB:  1 Cor 1:17 - 4:21; 2 Cor 5-8; Jn 3
                      Jon Sobrino, Jesus the Liberator, pp. 219-46*
Class 23
November 19		 Jesus' Resurrection I
Readings :  NJB:  Mt 28:1-10∥; 1 Cor 15:1-34; Mt 28:16-20; Mk 16:9-20; Lk 24:36-
                      53; Jn 20:19 - 21:25
                              Jon Sobrino, Christ the Liberator, pp. 54-65
Class 24
November 21		 Jesus' Resurrection II
Readings :  NJB:  1 Cor 15:35-58; Acts 2-5
                      Jon Sobrino, Christ the Liberator, pp. 66-78
Class 25
November 26		 Spirituality & the New Testament
Readings :  Sandra Schneiders, “Scripture and Spirituality,” in Christian Spirituality:
                       Origins to the Twelfth Century , ed. Bernard McGinn, John
                       Meyendorff, and Jean Leclercq, 1-20
November 28
Class 26
December 3
 Art & the New Testament
Readings :

First Draft of Final Paper Due Today
Class 27
December 5		 The Early Christian Community
Readings :  John Zizioulas, “The Early Christian Community,” Christian Spirituality ,
                        pp. 23-43
                      The Didache
Class  28

 December 10		 Conclusions
Readings :
Thursday, December 19
FINAL PAPER DUE BY NOON
No papers will be accepted after 5pm, Friday December 20.

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