Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course…
1. The student will be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the content of the New Testament.
2. The student will be able to apply writing skills concerning the Bible in the contemporary world.
3. The student will be able to recognize, evaluate, and apply different critical approaches in your
interpretation of the Bible.
4. The student will be able to apply biblical research tools to assist in study of the Bible.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Fourth ed., New Revised Standard Version. Oxford: Oxford UP.
Harris, Stephen L. Exploring the Bible. 2nd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014..
Welcome to Introduction to the Bible II: From the Gospels to Revelation! As described in the College catalogue, this course surveys the New Testament Christian scriptures from the Gospels to Revelation, focusing on the mysterious, miracle-working Jesus of Nazareth whom Christians worship as messiah and savior. Guiding our study will be such questions as: What led early Christians to conclude that Jesus was not merely the messiah, but God in the flesh? What did Jesus teach about God and God’s kingdom, about war, treatment of the poor, the sick, the stranger or the immigrant? What does Jesus have to teach about sexual relationships, and was he married, as suggested by gospels that were censored from the Christian Bible? Did Jesus and his followers predict the end of the world?
Course Goals
This course will:
- Introduce the major themes, events, people, and issues in the New Testament
- Survey and explain current scholarly perspectives on the study of the New Testament
- Examine the place and use of the Bible in faith communities
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the content of the New Testament
- Think and write clearly about the Bible in the contemporary world
- Recognize, evaluate, and apply different critical approaches in your interpretation of the Bible
- Use biblical research tools to assist your study of the Bible
Global Education Goals
With reference to Wilmington College’s mission, vision, core values, and queries, students will gain a greater understanding of
- the perspectives of cultures other than their own;
- global issues, especially as they relate to peace, social justice, and/or ecology;
- and the interconnectedness of the world and their own roles as engaged members of a global community.
Schedule of Topics and Readings (Subject to change)
Week 1
W 10/21 Introduction and Orientation HW: Harris 248-253/Daniel Ch.’s 1-3; Ch.’s 6-8/Ch. 12
F 10/23 Daniel and Apocalyptic Literature HW: Harris Ch. 28
Short Response Essay #1: Describe the Dead Sea Scrolls in a sentence or so. Name three parallels between the Qumran community’s beliefs and practices, and those of early Christianity, as revealed in the Dead Sea Scrolls. (Harris 288-289) Due Monday, October 26 by 9:00 AM, 150 words minimum, submitted as a Microsoft Word document on Blackboard.
Week 2
M 10/26 Greco-Roman Religion HW: Harris Ch. 29
W 10/28 Christianity’s Jewish Roots HW: Harris 10-12; 23-27
F 10/30 The New Testament: Overview HW: Harris 295-304/Mark Ch.’s 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7
Week 3
M 11/2 Mark: Jesus as Miracle-Working Messiah
HW: Harris 304-309/Mark Ch.’s 8, 10, 12:28-34, Ch. 13, Ch. 14:3-9, and 15:25-16:8
W 11/4 Mark: Jesus as Suffering Messiah HW: Harris 311-320/Matthew Ch.’s 1-4
F 11/6 Matthew: Jesus as 2nd Moses HW: Harris 320-327/Matthew Ch.’s 5-7/Ch. 10/20:1-16/
21:23-32/25:31-46/Ch.’s 27-28
Short Response Essay #2: Due Monday, Nov. 9 by 9:00 AM. Answer ONE of the following TWO questions in an essay of 150 words minimum, submitted on Blackboard as a Microsoft Word document, making sure to quote the highlighted verse(s) in your essay:
What do Mk 8:34 and Mk 10:45 reveal about Mark's understanding of Jesus as messiah (Mark’s Christology/Jesus portrait)? How does Mark reverse the traditional understanding of Israel’s messiah?
Based on Jesus' famous sayings in Mk 10:25 and Mt 6.24, how does God's basileia differ from earthly kingdoms in terms of the importance placed on wealth and material possessions?
Week 4
M 11/9 Matthew: Sermon on the Mount. HW: Harris 329-334/Luke Ch.’s 1-4
W 11/11 Luke: Jesus as Prophet HW: Harris 334-339/Luke 7:36-50/10:25-37/Ch. 15/22:47-71/23:18- 24:52/Harris 193-194 & the Book of Jonah (Old Testament)
F 11/13 Luke: Jesus and Prodigal Love HW: Harris 340-346/John 1:1-2:12/3:1-10/4:7-26/8:1-12/Ch. 9
Short Response Essay #3: Due Monday, Nov. 16 by 9:00 AM. Answer ONE of the following TWO questions in an essay of 150 words minimum, submitted on Blackboard as a Microsoft Word document, making sure to quote the highlighted verses in your essay:
Summarize the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37). What lesson about God's basileia expressed in Lk 6:27 and Lk 6:36 is Jesus seeking to teach the legal scholar?
What is the deeper meaning of John’s portrait of Jesus as the Word in Jn 1.1 and Jn 1.14? With whom/what is Jesus being identified besides God?
Week 5
M 11/16 John: Jesus as Divine Wisdom HW: Harris 346-352/John 11:1-44/12:1-8/13:1-20/14:1-15:17/ Ch.’s 19-21
W 11/18 John: Jesus, the Paraclete, and the Beloved Disciple HW: Harris 414-415/I John 1:1-4/ I John 2:18-19/Ch. 4
F 11/20 Love, Antichrists, the Gospel of Thomas and Gnosticism
HW: God Image Reflection Paper (submit on Blackboard as a Microsoft Word document, due Monday, November 23 by 9:00 AM)
Week 6
M 11/23 God Image Paper Due!/Jesus of History and Christ of Faith
HW: Harris Ch. 34/Acts Ch.’s 1-2 and Ch.’s 6-9; Ch. 15
WF 11/25-27 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Week 7
M 11/30 Pentecost and Apostles HW: Harris 367-378/I Cor. Ch.’s 7, 8, 12-15
W 12/2 Paul and His Churches: Corinth
HW: Harris 383-388; 402-403; Romans Ch.’s 3-6/I Timothy 2:1-4:5/10 Terms + 3 Short Answer Questions for Final Exam Quiz Bowl
F 12/4 Romans, I Timothy and Women in the Early Church
HW: Harris 417-422/ Revelation Ch.’s 1,4, and 6
Short Response Essay #4: Due Monday, Dec. 7 by 9:00 AM. Answer the following question in an essay of 150 words minimum, submitted on Blackboard as a Microsoft Word document, making sure to quote at least two complete verses from the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and/or John to support your answer:
What Wilmington College Core Values listed below do you see reflected in God’s basileia as Jesus presented it? Please explain your answer, including at least two complete verses from the Gospels in your essay.
- Peace and Social Justice e. Integrity
- Community f. Diversity
- Excellence g. Respect for all Persons
- Service and Civic Engagement
Week 8
M 12/7 Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature
HW: Harris 422-427/Revelation Ch.’s 12, 13, 16, 17, and 19:11-21:21
W 12/9 Last Day of Class/Final Quiz Bowl Prep/Imperial Beasts and the New Jerusalem
Week 9
M 12/14 FINAL EXAM 8:00-10:00 AM
The major requirements for this course are four Short Response Essays, a 750 word (minimum) God Image Reflection Paper and the final exam. You will have the opportunity to participate in the design of the final exam, which will take the form of a quiz bowl. The final exam for this course will be held on Monday, December 14 from 8:00-10:00.
Four Short Response Essays (150 words each, minimum, typed, double-spaced)
At the beginning of various weeks throughout this course, you will submit a short essay, written in response to a question provided for discussion in class the previous Friday. These short essays will allow you to review and take stock of important points and information covered in class that week, and are due Monday morning by 9:00 AM.
To receive an A on these essays, you must at a minimum 1) answer all parts of the question; 2) quote directly from the Bible and/or Harris to support your points; 3) meet the length requirement; 4) list the Harris textbook and Bible in a bibliographic entry; and 5) submit your essay on time.
Important Note: Essays written using generative AI will receive a zero—I want to know what you think, not AI!
God Image Reflection Paper (750 words minimum, typed, double-spaced, due Monday, Nov. 23)
The God Image Reflection Paper will ask you to compare and contrast the two different images/portraits of God contained in the Old Testament Book of Jonah, and Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. I will provide a handout to guide you in writing this paper, whose themes we will also discuss and clarify in class discussion. This assignment does not require you to use any sources outside of the Bible itself, but if you do use any other sources, whether websites or print resources (books, articles, etc.), you must cite these sources in your text and list them in a bibliography at the end of your paper. Copying and pasting text from a website and integrating it into your paper without proper citation and use of quotation marks is plagiarism, a serious violation of the academic conduct code which could result in a zero for the paper and a failing grade for the course.
Evaluation of God Image Reflection Paper
The Reflection Paper will be evaluated based on 1) how well you develop and organize your ideas; 2) how effectively you use and integrate evidence (quotations from the Bible and Harris) to support your conclusions; 3) organization, coherence, and consistency of your argument; 4) accuracy of information; 5) creativity and originality of ideas and approach; and 6) proper acknowledgement and citation of all terms, ideas, concepts, and words not your own.
As with the short response essays, you must also answer all parts of the question. This assignment does not require you to use any sources outside of Harris and the Bible itself, but if you do use any other sources, whether websites or print resources (books, articles, etc.), you must cite these sources (in addition to the Bible and Harris) in your text and list them in a bibliography at the end of your paper. Copying and pasting text from a website and integrating it into your paper without proper citation and use of quotation marks is plagiarism, a serious violation of the academic conduct code which could result in a zero for the paper and a failing grade for the course. Again, essays and papers written using generative AI will receive a zero—I want to know what you think and feel, not a computer!
General Criteria for Evaluation of Papers and Essays
More generally, papers and essays will be evaluated based on 1) how well you develop and organize your ideas; 2) how effectively you use and integrate evidence from class readings, lectures, and other source materials to support your conclusions; 3) organization, coherence, and consistency of your argument; 4) accuracy of information; 5) creativity and originality of ideas and approach; and 6) for the paper, proper citation of all sources. As with any test question or assignment, you must also answer all parts of a question to receive full credit.
Schedule of Requirements Course Grade Breakdown
- Four Short Response Essays 4 Essays: 40%
- Monday, Nov. 23: God Image Refl. Due Refl. Paper: 40%
- Monday, Dec. 14: Final Exam Final Exam: 10%
- Participation: 10%_______________________________
Total: 100%
Grading ScaleA=90-100 B=80-90 C=70-80 D=60-70 F=59 or less
Instructor Course Policies
and attend every class will generally receive a full ten points for participation. To succeed in this course, you must attend all classes, but I will not reduce your grade unless you accumulate more than one week of unexcused absences. Please see the current Student Handbook for the College’s attendance policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences.
Please let me know (in person, or by phone/email) as soon as possible if you must miss a class. If you have scheduling conflicts due to athletic competition or other collegiate activities, please let me know right away.
No make-up exams will be allowed except in the rarest of circumstances. For make-up exams to be approved, they must be arranged in advance, and must be taken within one week of the originally scheduled date. Make-up exams will be significantly more demanding and comprehensive than regularly scheduled ones. In the interest of fairness, late papers will be docked a fraction of a grade for each class period they are late.
Students engaging in academic misconduct (cheating on a test, turning in another person’s work as your own, using generative AI) will receive a zero for the assignment and possibly fail the course. Please see the current Student Handbook for the College’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |