Module Level
8 (Undergraduate)
Time Allowance
Lectures: 24 hours Tutorials: 3 hours
Assessment
Continuous assessment: 50% Final Examination 50%
Module Aims
To explore early Christian theology through the critical study of sections from the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Paul against their Jewish and Hellenistic backgrounds and within an Imperial Roman context and to develop exegetical skills.
Indicative syllabus:
Paul’s role in the formation of the New Testament
Paul the Pharisee: world view and religious expression
Paul’s Gospel in an Imperial Context
Luke’s portrait of Paul and Paul’s portrait of himself
Reading a Pauline letter: methodological considerations
Exegesis of selected passages in Protopauline letters
Key elements of Pauline theology: covenantal, cruciform, pneumatic, apocalyptic
Pauline ethics
Reception and Reaction: key readings of Paul
Learning Outcomes
- — Situate Paul and his proclamation within Jewish, Hellenistic and Imperial Roman contexts.
- — Compare Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles as sources for the life of Paul.
- — Apply appropriate methods of textual interpretation to selected texts from the Pauline corpus.
- — Explain key concepts in Pauline theology.
- — Relate central aspects of Paul's theology, ethics and spirituality to the present-day context.
Bibliography
- — Michael J. Gorman, Reading Paul, Eugene OR: Cascade Books, 2008.
- — Michael J. Gorman, Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and his Letters, 2nd Ed, Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2016.
- — Mark Allan Powell, Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary and Theological Survey, 2nd Ed, Ada MI: Baker Academic, 2018.