Religion 314
PAUL: APOSTLE OR APOSTATE?
RELIGION 314
J. W. Aageson
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday and Wednesday 1:30-3:00
Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-2:30
e-mail: aageson@cord.edu
web page: http://www.cord.edu/faculty/aageson/JWAageson.html
And by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Paul is one of the most important people in the formation of early Christianity. He has also left us some of the most significant documents in the New Testament, the Pauline Epistles. This course will focus on the historical circumstances of Paul, the religious and theological significance of his epistles, and his legacy for the Christian church. Paul, however, was not appreciated by many of his contemporaries or by many people in the church since his time. He has been a figure of much controversy historically, and this course will explore why that is the case. In light of this, the following are the four levels that this course will address as we seek to become responsibly engaged in the world.
Disciplinary Engagement with the World of Paul and Religion
In this course we will engage the following:
1. The history of early Judaism and the social and religious world into which Paul came.
2. The development and function of the various aspects and features of the New Testament Pauline literature.
3. The varied and changing treatment of significant Pauline themes within biblical and post-biblical tradition.
4. The continuing reflection on Paul's thought in the post-biblical communities of faith.
Intellectual Engagement with the World of Religion and the Liberal Arts
In this course we will seek:
1. To give rational and cogent explanation of religion and religious phenomena.
2. To observe in the study of religion the interaction between method and the material of religion.
3. To understand that, in the study of religion and the methods appropriate to the study of religion, we
arrive at only penultimate conclusions and that inquiry into religion is invariably open-ended.
4. To develop an intellectual skepticism which drives intellectual inquiry, encourages curiosity, and prevents
the collapse into cynicism.
5. To understand that religion is not primarily a private or personal matter but is corporate and public and
therefore open to observation.
6. To observe that religion is not simply a way of believing or thinking but is a way of living, doing, and
behaving.
7. To see that religion was, is, and will be a prime force in the formation of culture, social and political
organization, and thus of civilization itself.
8. To perceive that religion--both past and present--functions on the level of an ethnos, (a people),
ethos (a world view), and ethics (a way of living).
Ethical Engagement with the World of Paul and the Study of Paul
In this course we will:
1. Raise issues with an ethical concern, e.g. Christian anti-Semitism,
justice andjustification, religious absolutism and/or relativism.
2. Make the point that theologies and religious ideas, no matter how
deeply held orwell-intentioned,have consequences. (What are those
consequences,and what are their moralimplications? Hence, religious
ideas and convictions are personal, but they are also public andrequire
accountability).
3. Claim that religious people, and others as well, are under a moral
imperative toensure that religions pursue their most noble virtues and not be
derailed by sinister and perverse forces.
Personal Engagement with the world of Paul and the study of Paul
1. For those, who are or wish to be Christian men and women,
his course will help you engage the Christian tradition and theology in an
informed and responsible way
2. For those who are not and do not wish to be Christian, this
course will help you understand one of the most important people in the
development of the Christian tradition,arguably the argest religion in the
world today.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Primary Text:
Harper Collins Study Bible NRSV (mandatory)
Secondary Texts:
In the Beginning: Critical Concepts for the Study of the Bible by
James W. Aageson
The Letters of Paul: Conversations in Context by Calvin Roetzel
Navigating Paul by Jouette M. Bassler
Paul and the Gentile Women by Tatha Wiley
The Moral Teaching of Paul by Victor Paul Furnish
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Study of the assigned texts in the Bible and the secondary sources. (This includes class participation. Coming to class
unprepared, without the appropriate books or without having read the assignment will be considered an absence. Doing work
during this class related to other courses or activities will also be cause to receive an absence for the day.)
2. Three examinations.
3. Three Quizzes
3. Research paper.
4. More than three absences for the semester will result in a 30% reduction in the
participation and attendance grade. More than five absences for the semester
will result in a 60% reduction in the participation and attendance (exceptions
will be made for extreme situations such as severe illness, death in the
family etc.)
6. All Assignments must be completed for a passing grade
COURSE EVALUATION:
1. Examination # 1 15 percent
2. Examinations # 2 & 3 40 percent (20 percent each)
3. Three Quizzes 10 percent (total)
4. Research Paper 25 percent
5. Attendance and Participation 10 percent
DUE DATES:
Exams Paper Quizzes
September 8 November 24 September 26
October 31 October 17
Finals Week November 14
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Students are expected to be guided by the highest expressions of academic integrity in completing course requirements. These expectations are set forth in Academic Integrity at Concordia College. Students who show a disregard for academic integrity and are detected should expect to be penalized by receiving failing grades (in such cases make-up is not possible). Each violation of academic integrity will be reported to the Academic Dean's Office and the offender will be placed on probationary status for one year.
Violations of academic integrity include cheating, plagiarism, falsification, facilitating others' violations and impeding. These violations are fully defined in Academic Integrity at Concordia College, pp. 11-13 and should be carefully studied.
These definitions were developed in a North American cultural context. Other cultures define forms of academic dishonesty differently. International students studying at Concordia, however, are expected to be guided by North American norms of academic integrity. Any student who is unclear about the application of these norms in the completion of a particular assignment should consult the course instructor.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Week 1: August 29
Introduction to the Course
Week 2: September 1, 3, 5
The Critical Study of the Bible
Read: In the Beginning, pp. 1-144
Week 3: September 8, 10, 12
Exam # 1-Monday
The World of Paul
View Paul's World in Greece and Asia Minor (Maps and Images)
Read: Roetzel pp. 1-50.
Week 4: September 15 & 19 (no class on the 17th-attendance at the Faith, Reason, and World Affairs Symposium expected)
The World of Paul Continued
Read: Wiley pp. 1-53.
Week 5: September 22, 24, 26
Paul, his Letters, and his Myths
Read: Roetzel pp. 51-78, 119-132
Quiz # 1-Friday
Week 6: September 29, October 1, 3
On Thursday turn in your paper topic and preliminary bibliography
The Parousia and the Resurrection of the Dead
1 Thessalonians and 1 & 2 Corinthians (Interpretation groups)
Read: 1 Thessalonians and 1 & 2 Corinthians
Read: Roetzel pp. 79-96, Bassler pp. 87-96
Week 7: October 6, 8, 10
Galatians
Read: Galatians
Read: Roetzel pp. 96-103, Wiley pp. 54-121
Week 8: October 13, 15, 17
Galatians
Read: Bassler pp. 1-33
Quiz #2-Friday
Week 9: October 22 & 24
Philippians and Philemon (Interpretation groups)
Read: Philippians and Philemon
Read: Roetzel pp. 113-118
Week 10: October 27, 29, 31
Romans
Read: Romans 1-8
Read: Roetzel pp. 103-113, Bassler, pp. 49-69
Exam # 2-Friday
Week 11: November 3, 5, 7
Romans continued (Interpretation groups)
Read: Romans 9-16
Read: Bassler pp. 35-47, 71-85
Week 12: November 10, 12, 14
Paul's legacy
Read: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus
Quiz # 3-Friday
Week 13: November 17, 19 (no class 21st)
Week 14: November (no class 24th)
Research Papers Due 10:30am Monday, November 24th
Week 15: December 1, 3, 5
The Moral Teaching of Paul
Read: Furnish pp. 11-51
Week 16: December 8, 10, 12
The Moral Teaching of Paul
Read: Furnish pp. 52-139
Finals Week:
Exam # 3 (material from weeks 11 through 16)
JAMES W. AAGESON
