Files
Download Full Text (55 KB)
Summary
COURSE PROCEDURE This is an intensive class (four hours a day, for two weeks) and will include the following components: 1) 50 minutes of introductory lecture followed by 15 min. Q&A; 2) 30 minutes of translation of primary source texts, by the students; 3) 45 minutes of short reports on assignments from the required reading. Each student will sign up for at least one short report before July 1. The reports should include a summary of the thesis of the text and a summary of the author’s main arguments and supporting evidence. At the end the student should give some evaluation of the author’s thesis and argument and how useful it is for our study of early Christianity and the interpretation of Scripture and the formation of the canon. Although a written copy of the report should be given to each member of the class, the oral presentation (15-20 min) should take the form of a mini-lecture, just as if one were teaching the text to a class of students. 4) 1 hour and 30 min discussion of the text assigned as “Common Reading for Discussion” together with the primary sources assigned as “Common Reading for Lecture” by the class and the professors. Each student is responsible for presenting an introduction to the “Common Reading for Discussion” once during the two weeks. The introduction (15 min.) should provide a) summary of the thesis of the text, b) summary of the key arguments that the author uses to support his thesis, and c) 5 questions about the author’s argument to jump start our discussion of the text. The questions would be in the following form: “On pages 72-3, McMullen claims X, Y, and Z. However, the textual evidence for claim Y is doubtful because of A and B. If we reject claim Y, do we also have to reject claims X and Z?” Sign up for the presentation by July 1. 5) During the second week of the class, instead of short papers on the assigned readings, each student will be responsible for presenting a major paper (15 pages) on some topic germane to the persons and issued covered in this class, followed by discussion. Papers as presented are not expected to be the final product, but an advanced draft. Then in the week following the class, the student should revise the paper in light of our conversation about the paper in class. Email the final copy to me (wsmith@div.duke.edu) by July 25.
Publication Date
January 2008
Publisher
Asbury Theological Seminary
Keywords
NT, 805, THE, EARLY, CHURCH, FATHERS, AND, THE, FORMATION, OF, THE, CANON, SU2, 08
Language
English