At Ohio Valley University, we seek
to transform lives in a Christ-centered academic community
that integrates higher learning, biblical faith, and service to God and
humanity.
| Class days/times: MWF 9:00-9:50am Location: Stotts, Room #326 Instructor: Bruce Terry Office: Room 311 Phone: (304) 865-6120 (office); (304) 295-6486 (home) E-mail: bruce.terry@ovu.edu; Web site: http://bterry.com |
Office hours: M 10:45-11:45am; 1-2pm; 3:30-5:00pm T 3:00-3:30 pm W 10:45-11:45am; 1-2pm; 3:30-5:00pm Th 3:00-3:30 pm F 10:45-11:45am; 1-2pm |
BIB 347 Scripture Interpretation (3 credits) A study of the history of hermeneutics focused on understanding the various theories of Biblical interpretation and interpreting the biblical text using historical-grammatical exegesis. A doctrinal and historical studies course. A writing-enhanced course. Offered fall.
This course will focus on the discipline of hermeneutics as it relates to a study of scripture. It will include elements such as the theory and history of interpretation, the practice of textual criticism, the practice of historical-grammatical exegesis, discourse, theological, and genre‚ analysis, and the application of interpretation to modern practice.
This course addresses the following objectives of the Bible program:
Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (ESV). Consequently, this class will use biblical texts and references to texts to help the student grow in faith. But simply hearing is not enough. Jesus told those who believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32 ESV). So it is necessary to keep doing what we learn. In light of this, this course will also contain references to application of principles learned. One of the objectives is a faith objective. It will not be assessed for a grade, but life is such that it will be assessed, one way or another. My prayer is that you will pass that test of life.
There are no national standards for undergraduate study of the Bible. At OVU, we emphasize the biblical text and its application in our lives.
At the School of Biblical Studies, we seek to transform lives in a Christ-centered academic community by encouraging biblical faith to produce life-long truth-seekers who serve God in His kingdom throughout the world.
Assessment of whether the objectives have been met will be based on the student's performance on homework and tests assigned by the teacher and on the student's ability to do relevant analysis on his or her own in papers described below. Academic abilities assessed include reading with understanding skills as evidenced by a reading reports and classroom discussion; writing skills as evidenced by reading reports; and memory organization and retention as evidenced by major exams.
Your grade for the class will be based on three major exams (including a comprehensive final exam), a six-page typewritten exegesis, seven one-page typewritten exegetical method studies, a three-page book report on the book The Origin of the Bible, eight one-page chapter reports on the book Hermeneutics, and attendance and participation in class. Exam questions can come from the lectures or assigned readings from either the textbooks or the New Testament. The final exam will cover material from the whole course.
The papers should be typed. The number of pages listed for the typed papers refer to full pages, not counting the cover sheet (required) and bibliography (also required for the exegesis with at least six entries, most of which are from books or print journals; internet sources are acceptable only if they are from scholarly or reprint sites). One page is defined as 27 double-spaced typewritten lines (counting the title, but not your name or page numbers) with 1" margins. The typed papers should be written using the Turabian style guide.
For each of the chapters in Virkler's Hermeneutics, write a one-page report giving a summary and any reaction you might have to the reading. A report that is short or of little substance will be accepted only for half-credit. Since this is a writing enhanced course, a minimum of 20 pages, eight of which are graded, must be written to pass with a C.
Class will be excused for students attending the World Missions Workshop. Students will be expected to attend at least a one hour class for each hour missed and turn in a one-page report on the class attended. The reports will count as attendance grades.
Ten points will be given for attendance. One point will be deducted for each class missed, including those missed for illness. The only exception to this will be those who miss on official school business and have an official notice to this effect; up to five such absences will not count against the student's grade if the student has no unexcused absences. Two grace days will be given to all students to allow for absences due to illness and excused absences for official school business. Note well: Grace days will be applied first to excused absences.
Additional readings/quizzes/essays/maps may be assigned.
All work is expected to be turned in on time. If for some reason you cannot make the due date, please ask my permission to turn the work in late. Late homework is accepted for only half credit, since the answers will often be given in class. The typed papers turned in late will dock the paper grade by one-third letter (3-1/3%) per class period late.
No paper will be accepted that is more than two weeks late. A paper that is more than one week late may not be rewritten, except in unusual circumstances. A paper must be at least 75% of assigned length in order to be rewritten. The grade on a paper which is rewritten may be increased on content, length, and mechanical errors. No grade will be given to a paper which contains enough mechanical errors to dock the score by a letter grade (i.e., 40 mechanical errors). It will be turned back without a score and the rewrite counted as late. Be sure to proofread and spell check! The English proficiency test sets the minimum standard for college papers.
Students who are absent on exam days with good reason may schedule a make-up exam within the next week. You must ask to take a make-up exam.
Students who score less than a 70 on a major exam may petition to retake the exam within a week after grades are returned on it. The highest grade on any retake exam will be 70. Once again, you must ask to retake an exam. There will be no retakes on the final exam. Study hard for it.
The final grade will be based on your work in the following way:
Attendance 10%
Book Report 6%
Chapter Reports 8%
Method Studies 14%
Exegesis 10%
Major Tests 32%
Final Exam 20%
Extra credit in these areas will not be allowed to exceed these percentages. Extra credit in the course will be given for up to three one-page reports on the pages (1-100, 100-200, 200+) in Metzger not assigned in class. Your final grade will be A, B, C, D, or F. An A will be given for an average of 100-90, a B for 89-80, a C for 79-70, a D for 69-60, and an F for any average below 60.
Because Ohio Valley University expects students to follow the highest standards of honorable conduct in all areas of life, it is essential that students maintain high standards of academic integrity. Cheating, plagiarizing (whether intentionally misrepresenting another's work as one's own or failing to follow appropriate requirements of documentation), and helping others to cheat or plagiarize are all violations of these standards. Students who engage in these behaviors will face appropriate consequences, which could include failing the assignment in question, failing the course, or being dismissed from the University. A student who believes that he or she is being treated unjustly may file an appeal with the VPAA; the student must initiate the appeal within 48 hours after receiving notification of the consequence. Appeal procedures are available in the office of the VPAA.
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's work as your own, whether you mean to or not. Copying or paraphrasing passages from another writer's work without acknowledging that you've done so is plagiarism. Translating passages from another writer's work in another language without acknowledging that you've done so is plagiarism. Copying another writer's work without putting the material in quotation marks is plagiarism, even if credit is given. Allowing another writer to write any part of your essay is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a serious crime. The maximum penalty at OVU is expulsion from the University.
Plagiarism is easy to avoid. Simply acknowledge the source of any words, phrases, or ideas that you use. If you're not sure how to quote or paraphrase a source or if you need help with the format of endnotes or bibliographies, check with me. While you can (and in fact should) seek the help and advice of friends, classmates, and tutors, be sure that your written work is completely your own.
Regular class attendance is most important. Instructors are responsible for recording and reporting attendance in each of their classes. Attendance at 75% of the scheduled class meeting is required to receive credit for a given course; in other words, if a student misses 25% or more class sessions including both excused and unexcused absences, the student will fail the course.
Attendance in class is mandatory; it will be part of the basis for the grade given. If you cannot attend for good reason, either notify me beforehand or as soon as possible afterward. This applies even if you have an excused absence. You will be expected to do all work of any classes missed, except for pop quizzes. If you do not intend to attend regularly, kindly withdraw from the class now.
Do NOT miss class simply because you do not have an assignment finished. Do NOT miss class if you can possibly come; save any absences for sickness or death in the family. If you have an extended illness, please contact me to let me know.
Kindly try to be a class on time. If you are consistently tardy for no good reason, I reserve the right to count three tardies as an absence. I do count half absences.
If you have to leave early, please inform me before class. Do not schedule extra work, doctor's appointments, etc. during class time if at all possible. If you are too frequent in leaving early, I reserve the right to count early departures as a partial absence, adversely affecting your grade.
Absences may be excused if you bring me documentation that you were hospitalized, ill with a contagious disease, involved in an accident, on school business (up to five hours), or there was a death in the immediate family. More than five hours of absences which include three hours of unexcused absence will result in your being dropped from the course with either a W or an F at my discretion. You may pay a fine and petition to be reinstated. Additional unexcused absences will result in your being dropped without future reinstatement. No credit will be given for a course in which absences, both excused and unexcused, total more than 25% of the hours of the course (i.e., as many as 12 class hours, counting each class as 1 hour). Should you approach this limit, you will be asked to withdraw from the course (if possible). I reserve the right to drop you from the course as a warning once you have at least 6 total absences. If you are dropped for any reason, reinstatement is not guaranteed and will be granted only if a plan for success is presented. Note well: Absences may adversely affect your grade, as outlined above under the topic Course Requirements. A drop from your only Bible course may affect your ability to enroll in the next semester.
Please turn off cell phones before entering class. If you should have wireless service in the classroom, do not use your messaging service on your laptop or PDA. I reserve the right to count you absent should you disregard this. Cell phone use for voice or text during a test will result in failure of that test.
If you have a diagnosed disability and need special accommodations, please notify the Office of the VPAA before or immediately after your first scheduled class meeting. After your disability has been verified, inform your instructor and your instructor will work with you and the Office of the VPAA to insure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in the course.
MAJOR EXAM DATES: Exam 1 -- Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Exam 2 -- Monday, October 29, 2007
Final Exam -- Wednesday, December 12, 2007
8:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.
WEEK ONE:
8/22/07 -- Introduction to the Course
homework: write introduction of self (extra credit)
read Harvey's Writing with Sources
read in Comfort
8/24/07 -- Frame Theory
WEEK TWO: Hermeneutics
homework: read in Comfort
8/27/07 -- The Bible's Teaching on Hermeneutics
homework: finish handouts worked on in class
read in Comfort
8/29/07 -- The Bible's Teaching on Hermeneutics
homework: read Virkler, pp. 15-31 and in Comfort
8/31/07 -- Overview Issues
WEEK THREE: Inspiration and Authority
9/ 3/07 -- Labor Day (no class)
homework: read Virkler, pp. 31-46 and in Comfort
write report on chapter 1 of Virkler
9/ 5/07 -- Inspiration and Inerrancy
homework: read in Comfort
9/ 7/07 -- Authority of the Bible
WEEK FOUR: Interpretation
homework: read in Comfort
9/10/07 -- Presuppositions and World View
homework: finish reading Comfort
read Virkler, chap. 2
write report on chapter 2 of Virkler
9/12/07 -- History of Interpretation
homework: attend Inman Forum for extra credit
(not session one at 9am; that's class)
write 3-page book report on Comfort's
Origin of the Bible
homework: read Bacon's The Four Idols <http://www.uiowa.edu/~c036090/idols.html>
9/14/07 -- Bacon's Four Idols and Post-Modern Views
WEEK FIVE: Exegesis/Language
homework: read Fee, chap. I
choose passage for exegesis
9/17/07 -- Overview of Exegesis
homework: read Silva, chap. 4
9/19/07 -- Biblical Languages
homework: read Danker, chaps. 2 & 3
9/21/07 -- Greek and Hebrew Testaments
WEEK SIX: Translation/Textual Criticism
homework: read Silva, pp. 273-276
read Danker, pp. 177-195
9/24/07 -- Translation Theory and English Translations
homework: study for exam
9/26/07 -- Major Exam
homework: write method paper on translations
read Fee, chap. II, section 2
read Metzger on Erasmus, Tischendorf,
Westcott & Hort, Streeter, Nestle
3rd ed: pp. 98-103, 126-127,
129-135, 169-173, 144-146
4th ed: pp. 142-149, 172-173,
174-181, 214-218, 190-194
9/28/07 -- Overview and History of Textual Criticism
WEEK SEVEN: Textual Criticism
homework: read Metzger, pp. 36-81 (3rd ed.)
pp. 52-114 (4th ed.)
10/ 1/07 -- Biblical Manuscripts
homework: write method paper on passage problems
read Metzger, pp. 186-207 (3rd ed.)
pp. 250-271 (4th ed.)
10/ 3/07 -- Causes of Errors in Copying
homework: read Metzger, pp. 207-221 (3rd ed.)
pp. 300-317 (4th ed.)
10/ 5/07 -- Types of Evidence and Text Families
WEEK EIGHT: Textual Criticism
homework: read Metzger, pp. 223-229, 234-239 (3rd)
pp. 319-326, 331-336 (4th)
10/ 8/07 -- Examples of Textual Criticism
homework: read "Another Look at the Ending of Mark"
10/10/07 -- Examples of Textual Criticism
homework: write method paper on text criticism
read Danker, chap. 1 (required)
10/12/07 -- Use of Concordances
WEEK NINE: Word Study
homework: read Virkler, chap. 4
write report on chapter 4 of Virkler
read Fee, chap. II, section 4
10/15/07 -- Word Studies
homework: read Fee, chap. II, section 3
read Silva, chap. 5
write method paper on word studies
10/17/07 -- Verbal and Phrase Significance
homework: read Fee, chap. II, section 1
read Silva, chap. 6
10/19/07 -- Clause and Sentence Structure
WEEK TEN: Grammar
homework: read Fee, chap. IV
read Danker, chaps. 6, 7, & 8
10/22/07 -- Use of Lexicons and Grammars
homework: read Silva, chap. 1 (required)
write method paper on grammatical insights
10/24/07 -- How NOT to Do an Exegesis
homework: read Danker, chap. 4 & F.F. Bruce handout
10/26/07 -- Septuagint
World Mission Workshop
WEEK ELEVEN: Discourse
homework: study for test
10/29/07 -- Major Exam
homework: read handout from Terry's Discourse
Analysis of First Corinthians
10/31/07 -- Texttypes, Verb Salience, Macrostructures
homework: read Fee, chap. II, section 6
11/ 2/07 -- Macrosegmentation, Paragraphs, Chiastic/Cyclic Struc.
WEEK TWELVE: Discourse/Background
homework: as assigned in class
11/ 5/07 -- Peak, Participant Tracking, Intertextuality
homework: read Virkler, chap. 3
write report on chapter 3 of Virkler
11/ 7/07 -- Historical Background
homework: read Fee, chap. II, section 5
write method paper on context and discourse
11/ 9/07 -- Cultural Background
Last Day to Drop a Class with a "W"--Stick with it to the end!
WEEK THIRTEEN: Theology
homework: as assigned in class
11/12/07 -- Critical Studies
homework: read Virkler, chap. 5
write report on chapter 5 of Virkler
11/14/07 -- Biblical and Systematic Theology
homework: write method paper on culture, history, and
theology
11/16/07 -- Relationship of the Old and New Testaments
THANKSGIVING BREAK
WEEK FOURTEEN: More Considerations
homework: as assigned in class
11/26/07 -- Prejudice from Tradition, Dispensationalism, etc.
homework: read Virkler, pp. 183-190, 190-207
write report on chapter 7 of Virkler
11/28/07 -- Apocalyptic
homework: read Virkler, chap. 6
write report on chapter 6 of Virkler
write 6-page exegesis
11/30/07 -- Parables, Types, and Allegories
WEEK FIFTEEN: Applications
homework: read Virkler, chap. 8
write report on chapter 8 of Virkler
12/ 3/07 -- Principles and Conflicting Principles
homework: read Fee, chap. III
12/ 5/07 -- Cultural Items
homework: read Virkler, Epilogue
12/ 7/07 -- Commands, Examples, and Inferences
WEEK SIXTEEN: Final Exam Week
homework: study for final exam
12/12/07 -- Final Exam (8:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.)
N. B.: Homework is listed before the class for which it is due!
THIS SYLLABUS MAY BE MODIFIED AS THE TEACHER FEELS NECESSARY!
