The Old Testament part of this course offers a study of the Book of Leviticus focusing on exegesis of selected texts and related topics, particularly the sacrificial system of Israel.
The New Testament part of this course offers an in-depth study of the Gospel of Mark and the Letter to the Romans, focusing on their origin, genre, structure, and theological themes. Students will explore scholarly methods, hermeneutical questions, and the relationship between Mark and the Synoptic Gospels as well as Romans within Pauline theology.
Through detailed Greek exegesis, students will apply linguistic, historical, and literary methods, critically discuss biblical-theological issues, and evaluate alternative interpretations with methodological and hermeneutical reflection.
The course consists of the following modules:
- Leviticus (8 ECTS)
- The Gospel of Mark (5,5 ECTS)
- Paul’s Letter to the Romans (6,5 ECTS)
The teaching is organized with both online and session-based modules.
The online modules usually contain reading guides for the course literature, instructional texts for the online lessons, as well as audio or video lectures.
The session-based teaching amounts to 28 hours of instruction divided between two gatherings, one on campus and one digital.
Knowledge
The students have:
- knowledge of the origin, genre, linguistic and literary structure, and content of the Book of Leviticus, the Gospel of Mark and the Letter to the Romans.
- knowledge of scholarly methods and hermeneutical questions relevant to the study of the Book of Leviticus, the Gospel of Mark and the Letter to the Romans.
- knowledge of selected topics in the Book of Leviticus.
- knowledge of important topics in Pauline theology and different perspectives on Paul.
- knowledge of the textual apparatus of the Novum Testamentum Graece.
Skills
The students can:
- conduct detailed exegesis of selected texts from to the Gospel of Mark and the Letter to the Romans in the original Greek.
- conduct an exegesis of selected texts in translation from the Book of Leviticus.
- discuss biblical-theological questions related to the Gospel of Mark and the Letter to the Romans.
- critically argue for and against alternative interpretations in a methodologically and hermeneutically reflective manner.
General Competence
The students can:
- communicate their views in various settings, both orally and in writing.
- can critically engage with scholarly work in the field of exegesis and biblical theology.
Exam and Assessment
All course requirements and exams are individual and are submitted digitally.
Course Requirements:
To receive final assessment, you must:
- Attend the two gatherings (both on campus and digital) and a minimum of 70 % of the lectures (cf. chap. 5.5) *
- A paper on a text-critical case. The assignment should include an account of the external evidence of the text-critical alternatives and an assessment of which variant most likely represents the original text (750 words).
- An exegetical paper on a given passage (2000 words).
Deadline for submission is given at the start of the semester but notice that the requirements must be completed not later than two weeks before the exam date.
Final Assessment:
| Form of assessment | Duration | Grading scale | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Exam | 6 hours | A-F |
Final assessment is based on the exam. The course and the exam will be graded A-E for pass and F for fail.
Some readings are available digitally on the school’s learning management system (LMS) and are marked with *.
Leviticus
Eberhart, C. A. (2017). To Atone or Not to Atone, in: H. L. Wiley & C. A. Eberhart (Eds.), Sacrifice, Cult and Atonement in Early Judaism and Christianity: Constituents and Critque (pp. 197-232). SBL Press.
Gudme, A. K. de Hemmer (2023). Acts that Work, Texts that Work: Ritual in the Hebrew Bible, in T & T Clark Handbook of the Anthropology and the Hebrew Bible (p. 395-419). T & T Clark.
Klawans, J. (2000). Impurity and Sin in Ancient Judaism. Oxford University Press, pp. 21-42.
Lemos, T. M. (2013). Where there is Dirt, Is there System? Revisiting Biblical Purity Constructions. In Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 37 (3), 265-294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309089213475397
Milgrom, J. (1976). Israel’s Sanctuary: The Priestly ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’. Revue Biblique, 83 (3), 390-399.
Sklar, J. (2023). Leviticus: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (Zondervan Exegetical commentary on the Old Testament). Zondervan Academic, pp. 1-69, 71-182, 251-305, 307-414, 415-443.
The Gospel of Mark
Strauss, M. L. (2014). Mark. (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Zondervan, pp. 17-51 and 733-747 (in addition pages relevant for the texts in discussion).
Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Barclay, J. M. G. (2020). Paul and the Power of Grace. Eerdmans (160 pages).
Bauckham, R. (2022). “Christology” Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies. Oxford Univ Press, pp. 406-421.
Gathercole, S. (2022). “Justification by Faith” Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies. Oxford Univ Press, pp. 422-440.
Horrell, D. G. (2022). “Ethos and Community” Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies. Oxford Univ Press, pp. 488-506.
Moo, D. (2014). Encountering the Book of Romans. Baker. (220 pages).
Rosner, B. (2003). “Paul’s Ethics” The Cambridge Companion to St Paul. Cambridge Univ Press, pp. 212-223.
Schnabel, E. J. (2022). «Paul the Missionary” Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies. Oxford Univ Press, pp. 54-70.
Watson, W. (2022). “Paul and Scripture” Oxford Handbook of Pauline Studies. Oxford Univ Press, pp. 357-370.
