This introductory unit will acquaint students with the literature and theology of the New Testament. It seeks to explore varied literary genres and forms of the NT and its historical setting. It introduces the students to the specific messages of individual writings, their inter-relationship as well as the development of theological ideas. Special attention will be given to the relationship between the two Testaments of the Bible, the formation of the Gospels, and the exegetical methodologies necessary for scriptural study.

Prerequisites:
none

Requirements:
3 hours per week

Assessment:

• one 1,000 word short assignment - 20%
• one 1,500 word seminar paper - 30%
• one 3,500 word essay - 50%

• Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
• Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the New Testament. Translated by John Bowden. London: SCM, 1982.
• Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
• Freyne, Sean. The World of the New Testament. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1980.
• Holladay, Carl R. A Critical Introduction to the New Testament: Interpreting the Message and Meaning of Jesus Christ. Nashville: Abingdon, 2005.
• Johnson, Luke T. The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1999.
• McDonald, Lee M., and Stanley E. Porter. Early Christianity and its Sacred Literature. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2000.
• Moloney, Francis J. The Living Voice of the Gospel: The Gospels Today. 2nd ed. Melbourne: Collins Dove, 2006.
• Pregeant, Russell. Engaging the New Testament: An Interdisciplinary Introduction. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995.
• Theissen, Gerd. The New Testament: History, Literature, Religion. London: T. & T. Clark, 2003.

• Vatican Council II. Dei verbum. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. 18 November 1965. In Vatican II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, edited by A. Flannery. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1980.
• Pontifical Biblical Commission. Instruction Concerning the Historical Truth of the Gospels. 1964.
• Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. 1993.
• Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible. 2001.