Introduction to Sacred Scripture - 5101A
Room 108
Wednesdays, 9:30-12:30
Instructor: Prof. Andrea Di Giovanni
Email: adigiov2@uwo.ca
Office hours: Room 328, Wednesdays 1pm-2pm, or by appointment.
A. Course Description
This course deals with introductory issues such as the history and environment of the Scriptures, the different types of biblical literature, the scientific methods of exploring the Scriptures and the development of new methods of scriptural interpretation. (3 hours per week; antirequisite: the former Biblical Studies 136b)
B. Goals and Objectives
Knowledge
- To introduce students to Church’s teaching on Scripture as revealed and inspired texts.
- To introduce students to the main (critical) methods, tools, and resources for the study of Scripture
- To introduce students to the main themes and genres of literature found in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Skills
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify and use the important tools and resources for the study of Scripture.
- Research a passage of scripture using the abovementioned tools and resources in order to come to an understanding of the historical context of the passage.
- To present written work in a coherent and thoughtful manner, following standard citation formats for referencing material.
- To translate exegetical material into a format accessible to the average lay parishioner in a ministry setting.
Attitudes
- A love for the Sacred Scripture as interpreted in the life and mission of the Church.
- A open-minded willingness to explore new meanings within the Old and New Testaments by approaching scripture exegetically.
- A respect for, and understanding of, the work of exegetes and other biblical scholars.
- A desire to make appropriate use of Scripture and contemporary scholarship in the service of evangelization.
Expectations
In addition to regular attendance and the completion of assignments, the following elements are required for the successful completion of this course.
- For every hour of class time, students should expect to spend (minimally) 2 hours in preparation. Thus, for a 3 hour class, at least 6 hours of reading and reflection are required per week on average. It is virtually impossible to submit high-quality assignments if readings and assignments are left until the last minute.
- Students must ensure they have access to the library. If your schedule does not permit you to visit the A. P. Mahoney Library at St. Peter’s Seminary, many of the same resources are available at the Cardinal Carter Library at King’s University College, which has slightly different hours of operation.
- Students must ensure they have access to the internet and to their UWO email account. Class announcements and some resources will be posted using the university’s OWL/SAKAI portal, and many good articles can be accessed online through the library system.
- Students are expected to keep careful track of assignments and due dates. The assignments are spaced in order to give students adequate time for completion. It is each student’s responsibility to keep due dates in mind and to plan well ahead.
- Exploring the Bible in a critical manner generates lots of questions. Questions are good! However, during a lecture students are asked to note their questions and wait until a suitable pause, rather than interrupting the instructor. This allows the instructor to cover material in an organized fashion – and sometimes you will find that your question will be addressed along the way!
C. Assessment
- Participation and Attendance, 10%: The following comprise your participation and attendance grade:
- Attendance: Weekly attendance is mandatory. Seminarians must provide a valid excuse for all absences (e.g., significant illness).
- Participation: Preparation for, and active and informed participation in class discussion is a major aspect of this component of your grade. Since students interact with material in different ways, various kinds of participation will be noted towards your grade. For example, listening attentively, asking questions (even by email), and making comments are all good ways to demonstrate that you are thinking critically about the material. Participation marks are lost when it is clear that a student has not done the readings, and, though perhaps physically present, is not engaged with the material or class discussion. Participation marks are also lost when a student engages in disruptive or distracting behaviours (e.g., multiple interruptions, derailing the flow of discussion, ‘hijacking’ other students’ comments, etc.)
Please note: Texting and all other forms of social networking are not appropriate during class time as they are distracting to the student, the instructor, and fellow classmates. Students who engage in these forms of socializing during class will be marked as absent. - Meeting with the Instructor: All students must schedule a 10 minute meeting with the instructor before the Mid-term Exam in order to “touch base” about the endeavour of biblical studies and to reflect on the journey thus far.
- Weekly Discussion Questions (10%): Each week the instructor will issue questions or exercises to guide your reading. Written responses to these questions must be brought to the next class. And the instructor will collect these responses at random at five points throughout the semester. Responses should be type-written, double spaced, and no more than 2 pages in length. They will be marked based on comprehension, clarity, and depth of critical thinking.
- Library Research Assignment (15%) Due Oct. 1, 2014: The goal of this assignment is to expose you to the wealth of resources available to biblical studies through the library system. Students are asked to select a single biblical passage of no more than 10 verses and find 4-5 resources in the library system that pertain to this passage. Your chosen materials must include at least one of the following types of resources: 1 article or essay, 1 biblical commentary, 1 encyclopedia or dictionary entry, and 1 book.
Part 1: Using these resources, you will provide an annotated bibliography, briefly describing why each resource is relevant to your chosen passage (3-4 lines). Bibliographic citations must follow the conventions of the SBL Handbook of Style (found on the course’s OWL site).
Part 2: Students will employ their chosen resources to provide a brief response using the “3 Worlds Approach”.
Assignments should be type-written, double-spaced, 12 pt font and no more than 5-6 pages in length. Guidance for using the library system and the “3 Worlds Approach” will be provided in class. - Midterm Exam (20%), October 22, 2014: This will be a mixed format exam (multiple choice, definitions, short answer, passage identification) that will evaluate students on the material covered from Sept. 10 to Oct 15 inclusive. The exam will be approximately 1.5 hrs long and will be followed by a lecture period.
- Sunday Lectionary Analysis (20%), Dec 3, 2014: Students will choose from the Sunday readings from Ordinary Time in Year B and submit a written response of no more than 6 pages. Your analysis will consist of two parts:
Part 1: A brief outline and discussion of the readings that demonstrates an engagement with reliable secondary sources, and
Part 2: A description of how you would present this material to a pastoral group of your choice (i.e., congregants at mass, a children’s program, a parish study group). That is, what is desired is not the text of your homily or presentation, but rather a description of how you would distill the exegetical, scholarly, information into something your audience could understand and learn from. What strategies will you use? What materials might you employ? What questions do you think your audience might have? How would you address them?
More guidance for this assignment will be provided in class. - Final Exam, 30%: A final, in-class, written examination in mixed formats (multiple choice, definitions, passage identification, short answer, essay). The examination will be held during the examination period after the end of classes and will be on the date set by the Dean of Theology.
D. Readings or Textbooks
Students are required to have the following resources:
- The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Fully Revised Fourth Edition, Michael D. Coogan, editor (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).
N.B. While students may already own a copy of the Bible, this edition of the Bible is required for the course since it contains essays and tables that will be used throughout the semester. You can never have too many bibles! - Brown, Raymond E., Roland E. Murphy and Joseph A. Fitzmyer. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Study Hardback. ISBN 978-2-89646-373-2. This will be referred to below as NJBC.
- Timothy R. Carmody, Reading the Bible: A Study Guide. New York and Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2004.
- Throughout the semester the instructor will distribute or assign additional resources via OWL/SAKAI. Please ensure your UWO email address is active and able to receive messages (i.e. not full!), since OWL/SAKAI sends notices to UWO addresses only.
E. Schedule of Topics and Readings
| Week 1 - Sept. 10 | |
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| Week 8 - Oct. 29 | |
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| Week 10 - Nov. 12 | |
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| Week 12 - Nov. 26 | |
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| Week 13 - Dec. 3 | |
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F. University Regulations
Students are responsible for knowing the University's academic policies and regulations and any particularities of their own course of study. These can all be found at the University's website (http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf). Ignorance of these policies is not an excuse for any violation thereof. The following policies are particularly important to note:
Submission of Assignments: It is the responsibility of the student to organize his or her work so that the assignments are completed on time. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment will be deducted for each day it is overdue without permission.
Plagiarism: Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt by quotation marks and/or footnotes. Plagiarism is a major academic offense.
Selection and Registration of Courses: Students are responsible for ensuring that their selection of courses is appropriate and accurately recorded, that all prerequisite course(s) have been successfully completed, and that they are aware of any anti-requisite course(s) that they have taken.
G. Bibliography
Papal and Magisterial Documents on Biblical Studies
Béchard, Dean P., ed. The Scripture Documents: An Anthology of Official Catholic Teachings. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002.
Benedict XVI, Pope. Verbum Domini: The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. Ottawa: CCCB Publications Service, 2010.
Lysik, David A. ed. The Bible Documents: A Parish Resource with Commentary and Index. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2001.
Catholic Approaches to Biblical Studies
Bergant, Dianne. Scripture: History and Interpretation. Engaging Theology: Catholic Perspectives. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2008
Brettler, Marc Zvi, Peter Enns and Daniel J. Harrington. The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religously. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. (NB. This text presents Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant perspectives on the bible and is a valuable resource for examining the bible with interreligious concerns in mind.)
Brown, Raymond E. 101 Questions and Answers on The Bible. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1990.
Gaillardetz, Richard R. By What Authority? A Primer on Scripture, the Magisterium, and the Sense of the Faithful. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003.
Harrington, Daniel J. How Do Catholics Read the Bible? Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2005.
Old Testament Resources
Boadt, Lawrence. Edited by Richard Clifford and Daniel Harrington. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction. Second Edition. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2012.
Duggan, Michael W. The Consuming Fire: A Christian Guide to the Old Testament. Updated and Revised. Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2010.
New Testament Resources
Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland: Doubleday, 1997
Harrington, Daniel J. and Christopher R. Matthews, eds. Encountering Jesus in the Scriptures. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2012
McMahon, Christopher. Reading the Gospels: Biblical Interpretation in the Catholic Tradition. Winona: Anselm Academic, 2012.
Perkins, Pheme. Reading the New Testament. Third Edition. New York/Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2012.
Scholtz, Daniel J. Jesus in the Gospels and Acts: Introducing the New Testament. Winona: Anselm Academic, 2012.