Pauline Literature
Module Code: 607TPL Credits: 10 Contact Hours: 30 Level: 6 Lecturer:
Syllabus
Building on the foundations laid in Introduction to the New Testament and Synoptic Gospels and Acts, and the increasing experience and competence of students in encountering biblical and related materials, this course will examine the authentic Pauline letters in order to construct from those letters a description of Christian life as it may be discerned therein.
The module will deliver the following units:
- paul’s origins, background, education and religious affiliation.
- the Jesus community, The Jerusalem and Pauline outreach to gentiles.
- paul’s understanding of the Gospel of God.
- pauline letters: Form: 1 Thessalonians.
- paul the Pastor: Letter to Philemon.
- ‘ in Christ’ – The basis of Christian Life.
- the community of Christians.
- marriage, slavery, civil authority.
- the Parousia.
Each unti will involve the exegesis of selected texts so that the study is rooted in the text of the seven letters of Paul which are universally acknowledged to be authentic. Post-Pauline material, the acts of the apostles and other Biblical material will be consulted where deemed relevant to the aims and objectives of the modules.
Aims
- this module, part of the biblical content of the programme, seeks to engage students more closely with texts which, once written, became formative and normative in christian theological discourse, historically understood.
- the form and content of the (generally regarded) authentic Pauline letters will be examined, selected texts will be subjected to close exegesis, and their theological and pastoral strategies will be identified and critically evaluated.
- a clear picture of the Christian life as envisaged in the Pauline corpus will emerge.
Assessment
The module will be assessed by an essay of no less than 3,000 words.
Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of this module:
- students will appreciate the nature of Pauline study by way of understanding the opportunities and constraints on research due to the letter format of the Pauline corpus, the problematic nature of The Acts of the Apostles, the fluidity of the earliest Christian traditions, and the extreme paucity of knowledge concerning early Christianity, its beliefs, forms, and extent.
- students will have acquired a critical understanding of Paul, becoming aware of diverse approaches to the Pauline corpus.
- students will appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of old and new perspectives in Pauline studies.
Transferable Skills
Exposing students to the difficulties inherent in Pauline study and the delicate tools which must be mastered in order to be creditable will promote not only knowledge of the texts themselves but also develop further those skills necessary to evaluate ancient theological material at levels appropriate to undergraduate studies, while, at the same time, cementing into place those perceptions and skills which will serve academic research.
Analytical and literary skills will be developed by engagement with texts, understanding enhanced by exposure to secondary literature, and critical faculties strengthened by assessment requiring judicious use of acquired skills. Critical engagement with historical, theological, and ecclesial matters which concern contemporary scholarship will equip students to move to research in and beyond immediate study.
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