NT 5000 Introduction to the New Testament

Lecturer: Douglas Moo

Course Description

An introduction to the literature of the new Testament, the history of Israel, critical issues of New Testament formation, method in New Testament study, and the theology of the New Testament. Four hours.

Format

This course is designed to be taken independently by students. It draws heavily upon the New Testament, textbooks, and other materials for the content of the course. Each lesson contains questions which help you to learn the material and prepare for the exams. These questions do not necessarily need to be submitted for review since the answers should be apparent in your readings. Of course, you may ask for clarification or assistance at any time by writing to the TEDS Distance Education office. The assignments that will be submitted for grading are the exams and interactive projects. The exams cover the material of the Lessons. The discovery projects allow you to focus on specific aspects of the course in a very practical manner. Students may proceed in the course at their own pace, but must complete the course in accordance with the terms of their registration.

Purpose

The course has several basic purposes:

To enable you to learn better the content of the New Testament.
To help you become familiar with the context of the New Testament writings so as to be able more accurately to interpret and apply its teachings.
To help you begin to develop your own understanding of NT theology.
To aid you in your discovery of the historical nature of the New Testament documents.

Objectives

Specifically, at the end of the course, you should be able to:

Specify where in the New Testament important events and teachings are found.
Identify the basic content of every New Testament book.
Outline the circumstances in which each New Testament book was written.
Sketch the general parameters of New Testament history.
Interpret the New Testament against the background of the fundamental historical, social, and religious movements of the first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman worlds.
Construct basic elements of a New Testament theology.
Reinforce and understand of the historicity of the New Testament documents.

Course Materials

All required course materials can be purchased through the TEDS bookstore (800.456.7323 | 847.317.6800).

Craig Blomberg. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1987.
F. F. Bruce. New Testament History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1971.
A quality Bible atlas of your choice (such as Tim Dowley. The Student Bible Atlas. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1996.)
Donald Guthrie. A Shorter Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1970.
Robert H. Gundry. A Survey of the New Testament. 4d., rev. ed. Zondervan, 2003.
George E. Ladd. A Theology of the New Testament. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993.
Paul L. Maier. The Flames of Rome. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1981, 1996.
Michael J. Wilkins and J. P. Moreland. Jesus Under Fire. Zondervan, 1995.

The basic textbook for this course is the Survey by Robert Gundry. Gundry is a seasoned professor of New Testament, and his text is a standard in the field. It provides basic information about the biblical books along with a survey of their contents. Supplementing Gundry on the historical side is New Testament History by the great evangelical scholar F. F. Bruce. You will be reading portions of this book for most lessons. Supplementing Gundry on the Gospels is the brief description of the Life of Christ by Donald Guthrie. Some of his material may be similar to Gundry's, but be alert for his distinct contributions. Dowley's Bible Atlas has been assigned to give you a geographical familiarity with the ancient world. You will have a map on both your mid-term and final exams.

Ladd's Theology is a classic evangelical theology of the New Testament. You will be reading sections in this book in order to help you begin to develop what your own understanding of the theology of the NT is. Jesus Under Fire by Wilkins and Moreland will introduce you to some of the historical questions being debated concerning the life of Jesus. This is a solid evangelical response to the work of the Jesus Seminar, which has received so much publicity of late. Blomberg's Historical Reliability introduces some of the critical issues in the study of the Gospels and provides assurance of the historicity of the four Gospels.

A book of a completely different character has also been assigned. Paul Maier's The Flames of Rome is a historical novel, and I suspect that you will find it very easy reading. Its value for this course is that it follows closely the actual history of the period. What better way to learn the historical background of the apostolic period? You should start reading this as soon as possible; it will help you better understand the Roman world that was the cradle of the New Testament writers.