| CODE | SHG5600 | ||||||
| TITLE | Spiritual Authenticity: Ways of Reading Scripture | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sacred Scripture, Hebrew and Greek | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will introduce the students to the person of Jesus Christ as portrayed in the New Testament. It will examine the central issues portrayed through two dominant methods commonly found in the New Testament literature: the narrative and the historical approaches. It also seeks to illustrate how Jesus' mission was not to serve others, but above all to lead them to God and to their own spiritual well-being. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims to provide students with the necessary tools to perceive how the Gospels (in particular the Gospel of John) and the life and letters of Paul display a self-conscious use of symbolism and its religious function. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe the main methods/approaches of Biblical interpretation, namely the Historical-Critical Method, the Narrative and Canonical Approaches; - Identify the figure of Jesus Christ as depicted in the Gospel of John and the Letters of the Apostle Paul; - Illustrate how, in order to understand John's Gospel and Paul's Letters, it is not enough to describe questions related to its author, date, and the historical reality in which they were written, but one must also understand their language; - Summarize the figurative and relational language that extend across the narrative of the Fourth Gospel; - Demonstrate how Paul's Letters convey an imitative Gospel. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Compare and contrast the Historical-Critical Method with the Narrative and Canonical Approaches in Biblical interpretation; - Appraise the Gospel of John and the Letters of Paul; - Integrate the literary, historical, and theological facets of John's Gospel and the Pauline Letters; - Formulate an overview of key contributions in Johannine and Pauline scholarship. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, Vatican City 1993. - Grelot Pierre. The Language of Symbolism. Biblical Theology, Semantics, and Exegesis, Peabody 2006. - Aletti Jean-Noël. New Approaches for Interpreting the Letters of Saint Paul. Collected Essays. Rhetoric, Soteriology, Christology and Ecclesiology. (Subsidia Biblica 43), (translated from the French by Peggy Manning Meyer), Rome 2012. Supplementary Readings: INTERPRETATION METHODS & APPROACHES: - Ratzinger Joseph, Jesus of Nazareth. From the Baptism in the River Jordan to the Transfiguration (Foreword and Introduction), London 2007, xi-8. - Gorman Michael J. Elements of Biblical Exegesis. A Guide for Students and Preachers, Grand Rapids 2010. - Soulen Richard N. – Soulen R. Kendall. Handbook of Biblical Criticism, Louisville 2011. GOSPEL OF JOHN: - Coloe Mary L. God Dwells with us. Temple Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, Collegeville / MN 2001. - Culpepper Alan R. Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel. A Study in Literary Design, Philadelphia 1983. - Koester Craig R. Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, Meaning , Mystery, Community, Minneapoils 1995. - Lee Dorothy. Flesh and Glory, Symbolism, Gender and Theology in the Gospel of John, New York 2002. - Schneiders Sandra M. Written that you May Believe. Encountering Jesus in the Fourth Gospel, Revised and Expanded Edition, New York 2003. PAULINE LITERATURE: - Barclay John M.G. “Jesus and Paul”, in Dictionary of Paul and his Letters, edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne – Ralph P. Martin, Downers Grove/IL 1993, 492-503. - Bassler Jouette M.. Navigating Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts, Louisville – London 2003. - Bruce Frederick F. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, Grand Rapids/MI – Cambridge 2000. - Gorman Michael J. Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and his Letters, Grand Rapids/MI – Cambridge 2004. - Kim Seyoon. “Jesus, sayings of”, in Dictionary of Paul and his Letters, edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne – Ralph P. Martin, Downers Grove/IL 1993, 474-492; - Wenham David. Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity?, Grand Rapids/MI – Cambridge 1995. - Wright Norman T. Paul: Fresh Perspectives, London 2005. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Stefan Attard Martin F. Micallef Paul Sciberras |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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