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Syllabus for Religion 1310-04 Christian Scriptures

MWF 9:05-9:55 a.m.

Instructor: James M. Kennedy, Ph.D.

Contact Information: James_Kennedy@baylor.edu
Office Extension: 4534
Office Hours: M 1:30-5:00; T 1:00-4:00; W 2:00-5:00; R 1:00-4:00; F 1:30-2:30 or by
appointment.
Office Location: TBB B-04

Teaching Assistant:
Kevin Scott
Kevin_Scott@baylor.edu

Course Goal
The goal of this course is simple, namely, to introduce you to one of the great classics of world
literature, the Bible and how to read it with understanding, insight, and discernment.

Learning Objectives
To be able to match important themes with the books of the Bible.
To be able to match major characters in the Bible to the books in which their stories are
told.
To be familiar with canonical issues.
To know the basic sequence of the history of ancient Israel and of the early Christian
church.
To know key concepts of ancient Near Eastern history and culture as background for
interpreting the Old Testament part of the Bible.
To know key concepts of the first century Jewish and Greco-Roman world for
interpreting the New Testament part of the Bible.
To gain knowledge of the natural and political geography of the ancient Near East and
the Greco-Roman world.
To know the dates of key events the Bible describes.
To know the key issues regarding the interpretation of the biblical texts read in this class.

Course Perspective
This course is being taught by a Baptist in a Baptist university, a fact that will inevitably have an
impact on how I teach the course. However, you are not required to agree with my opinions in
order to excel in the course. This is not a course of indoctrination. You will not be taught the
Baptist way or the correct way to read the Bible.

Because this course deals in part with biblical literature about the creation of the world and of its
inhabitants, much confusion can be avoided if you know from the start that I agree with the
Biology Departments statement on evolution, which you may find on that departments website.
It reads as follows:
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"Evolution, a foundational principle of modern biology, is supported by overwhelming scientific

evidence and is accepted by the vast majority of scientists. Because it is fundamental to the
understanding of modern biology, the faculty in the Biology Department at Baylor University,
Waco, TX, teach evolution throughout the biology curriculum. We are in accordance with the
American Association for Advancement of Science's statement on evolution. We are a science
department, so we do not teach alternative hypotheses or philosophically deduced theories that
cannot be tested rigorously."

The Bible is not a science book. The culture that produced it was not scientifically oriented.
Ancient Israel and the early Christianity, like the other nations and religions of the ancient Near
East, did not think about the origins of things in scientific terms. This has importance for
interpreting Genesis 1-3, where we find two separate accounts of creation. I do not interpret the
Bibles stories about creation as representing literal, historical and material facts. They are
narratives that communicate the theological significance of the fact that the universe exists. The
biblical creation accounts set forward a theological construct of what it means to be human in
relation to God, to other humans, and to the world around us.

Divine inspiration is a component that applies to the writing, editing, and compiling of the Bible.
Inspiration does not mean that the Spirit told the writers, editors, and compilers what to write and
how to arrange the biblical material. Inspiration does not mean that the Spirit gave the exact
words to the writers, but that the Spirit compelled or motivated the writers, editors, and
compilers to do what they did. The Bible is therefore a human work that depends on divine
motivation.

Announcements on Canvas
The Announcements section of Canvas will be used to post general messages, reminders, and
other pertinent course information that is relevant to all students. In addition to receiving
notifications of new announcements upon logging on to Canvas, all students are required to
enable real-time (i.e. ASAP) notifications for course Announcements to their respective Baylor
University email address. Specific instructions for modifying Canvas notification preferences
can be found at http://www.baylor.edu/canvas/doc.php/228284.pdf.

Attendance
The attendance policy of the College of Arts & Sciences is as follows:

To earn course credit in the College of Arts & Sciences, a student must attend at
least 75 percent of all scheduled class meetings. Any student who does not
meet this minimal standard will automatically receive a grade of "F" in the course. Any
University-related activity necessitating an absence from class shall count as an
absence when determining whether a student has attended the required 75 percent of
class meetings.

For this class, if a student is absent 11 times for any reason, he or she will automatically fail the
course. The policy of the College of Arts and Sciences is that there are no excused absences. All
absences count.
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In general, students may not engage in disruptive activities such as listening to music in class,
doing outside homework in class, carrying on a conversation in class, reading a newspaper in
class or anything else the professor deems to be disruptive. Be aware that the professor has the
prerogative of asking a disruptive student to leave the classroom and of crediting the student with
an absence for that class session.

The Nature and Purpose of Lectures and Reading Assignments

The purpose of reading assignments is to widen the arena of learning from the boundaries of the
classroom to your own place of study. Reading assignments do not necessarily coincide with the
topics that a lecture covers. Lectures are broader than reading assignments and assume that you
have read the assignment for the day. In other words, lectures are not repetitions, summaries,
reiterations or duplications of the reading assignments. They are learning modules in and of
themselves and may be completely independent from the reading assignments. Reading
assignments are specific. They ask you to familiarize yourself with the assigned biblical text and
the interpretive notes in The Access Bible regardless of what the lecture is about for the day by
which the reading assignment is to be completed.

Study Guides
Sometimes simple, sometimes complex, the Bible is a massive and literarily dense work. To
assist you with the reading assignments (see below), I have compiled a series of study guides to
help you focus your reading. You will find the study guides under the pages button of your
Canvas account. Whether or not you take advantage of the study guides is up to you.

Disability Services
Students who need to do so, must register with the Office of Access and Learning
Accommodation (OALA). Please go online to: http://www.baylor.edu/oala/
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Exams and Quizzes

There will be four major exams this semester. Each exam is worth 50 raw points. Therefore, the
highest number of points you may achieve by way of exams is 250. There will be 10 quizzes.
Quizzes are taken on Canvas. They are timed for 10 minutes but will be available for 24 hours.
Quizzes will not be re-opened for any reason after the availability time has expired. Technical
problems that may rise concerning the performance of a computer does not qualify for re-
opening a quiz. The three lowest quiz scores will be dropped. Each quiz is worth 10 points.
Therefore the highest number of points a student may earn from quizzes is 70.

Grading
Your grade depends on the number of raw points you accumulate out of the total of 270 points.
For example, suppose a student has 235 points at the end of the semester, his or her grade would
be 87%, the letter grade of which is B-.

Grade Scale
A 100-93
A- 92-90
B+ 89-87
B 86-83
B- 82-80
C+ 79-77
C 76-73
C- 72-70
D+ 69-67
D 66-63
D- 62-60
F 59-0

Extra credit.
None. Extra credit is not an option in this class. The time a student takes doing work for extra
credit is better spent studying for quizzes and exams.

Academic Integrity
For information regarding academic integrity and honesty, please navigate to the cite Honor
Code under the URL http://www.baylor.edu/honorcode/.

Title IX
TITLE IX OFFICE If you or someone you know would like help related to an experience of
sexual violence including sexual assault, harassment, domestic violence, dating violence,
stalking or other type of non-consensual sexual conduct, please contact Kristan Tucker, the Title
IX Coordinator at Baylor University, by email (Kristan_Tucker@baylor.edu) or phone (254-710-
8454).
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Anonymous reporting for students or third parties is also available on the Title IX website,
www.Baylor.edu/TitleIX.

The Title IX office understands the sensitive nature of these situations and can provide
information about available on- and off-campus resources, such as counseling and psychological
services, medical treatment, academic support, university housing and other forms of
assistance. We will also explain your rights and the judicial process options, if you choose to file
a complaint with the University. You will not be required to share your experience, and the Title
IX Office will keep any information private. The Title IX Office exists to support and empower
students, while allowing them to remain in control. If you or someone you know feels unsafe
or may be in imminent danger, please call the Baylor Police Department (254-710-2222) or
Waco Police Department (9-1-1) immediately.

Classroom Regulations
Everyone involved in this class is responsible to maintain an environment conducive to learning.
Therefore the following regulations are in order. These regulations are not negotiable.

1. Students must bring their copies of The Access Bible Updated Edition to every class
except on exam days. Students who fail to do so will be credited with one late arrival for
the class session.
2. Punctuality is critical for this class. Students who are late to class 4 times will be credited
with 1 absence.
3. Do not bring food into the classroom.
4. Use of any form of tobacco is prohibited in class.
5. Cells phones must be turned off or muted upon entering the class.
6. Students may use electronic devices (such as computers or note pads) on which to take
notes. A student who uses an electronic device in class for any reason other than for this
class will be credited with 1 absence. The professor may ask students who employ
electronic devices to show him their class notes after class. A student is free not to take
notes. In such a case, electronic devices are not necessary. Thus, if a student has an
electronic device the professor will assume he or she is taking notes with it. Students may
not engage in work from other classes during the sessions for this course. A student who
does so will be credited with 1 absence.
7. Students who text during class will be credited 1 absence per class in which the student
texts. Do not text in this class.
8. Students should take care of any personal needs--such as getting a drink of water or going
to the restroom--before class starts. A student who leaves class after class begins may
return but will be counted absent. If a student becomes ill in class, he or she may leave
but the absence will be counted. Remember, there are no excused absences.
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Class Calendar and Reading Schedule.

Mon Aug 21 Introduction to the course 1

Wed Aug 23 AB, pgs. 1-40. 2
Fri Aug 25 AB, pgs. 43-46; Genesis, pgs. 47114. 3
Mon Aug 28 Exodus 1-20, AB, pgs. 115-143; Exodus 24:1-18, AB, pg. 147; 32-34, 4
AB, pgs. 156-161.
Wed Aug 30 Leviticus 8-11, AB, pgs. 178-184; Leviticus 19, AB, pgs. 194-196; 5
Leviticus 25, AB, pgs. 202-204.
Fri Sept 1 Numbers introduction, AB, pp. 208, 209; Numbers 10:11-36:13, AB, 6
pp. 224-264.
Mon Sept 4 Labor Day Holiday
Wed Sept 6 Deuteronomy 1-18, AB, pp. 265-289. 7
Fri Sept 8 Historical Literature, AB, pp. 311-314; Joshua 1-11, AB, pp. 315-330; 8
Joshua 22-24, AB, pp. 324-345.
Mon Sept 11 Judges, AB, pp. 346--377. 9
Wed Sept 13 1 Samuel, AB, pp. 384427. 10
Fri Sept 15 Exam 1 11
Mon Sept 18 2 Samuel, AB, pp. 428-463. 12
Wed Sept 20 I Kings, AB, pp. 464-503. 13
Fri Sept 22 2 Kings, AB, pp. 504-544. 14
Mon Sept 25 Prophetic Literature, AB, pp. 923-926; Isaiah 1--39, AB, pp. 927--981 15
Wed Sept 27 Isaiah 40-66, AB, pp. 9821021. 16
Fri Sept 29 Jeremiah 126, AB, pp. 10231066. 17
Mon Oct 2 Jeremiah 2752, AB, pp. 10661105. 18
Wed Oct 4 Ezekiel 1-24, AB, pp. 1118-1152. 19
Fri Oct 6 Ezekiel 34-39, AB, pp. 1166-1174. 20
Mon Oct 9 Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom Literature, AB, 730-732; Psalm 1-50, pgs. 21
733--778
Wed Oct 11 Exam 2 22
Fri Oct 13 Fall Break
Mon Oct 16 Proverbs 120, AB, pgs. 861-887. 23
Wed Oct 18 Job, AB, pgs. 685-729. 24
Fri Oct 20 Ecclesiastes, AB, pgs. 901-912; The Song of Solomon, AB, pgs. 913- 25
921.
Mon Oct 23 Daniel 1-7, AB, pgs. 1189-1202. 26
Wed Oct 25 Essay titled, New Testament Narratives: The Gospels and Acts, AB, 27
pgs. 1661-1665; Mark, AB, pgs. 1713-1744
Fri Oct 27 Matthew, AB, pgs. 1666-1712 28
Mon Oct 30 Luke, AB, pgs. 1745-1793. 29
Wed Nov 1 John, AB, pgs. 1794-1834. 30
Fri Nov 3 Book of Acts, AB, pgs. 1835-1886. 31
Mon Nov 6 Exam 3 32
Wed Nov 8 Essay titled, Letters or Epistles, AB, pgs. 1887-1889; Romans, AB, 33
1890-1911
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Fri Nov 10 1 Thessalonians, AB, pgs. 1978-1982; Galatians, AB, pgs. 1948-1956; 34
Philippians, AB, pgs. 1965-1971.
Mon Nov 13 1 Corinthians, AB, pgs. 1912-1933. 35
Wed Nov 15 2 Corinthians, AB, pgs. 1934-1947; Philemon, AB, pgs. 2003-2005. 36
Fri Nov 17 Ephesians, AB, pgs. 1957-1964; Colossians, AB, pgs. 1872-1977; 2 37
Thessalonians, AB, pgs. 1983-1986.
Mon Nov 20 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, AB, pgs. 1987--2002 38
Wed Nov 22 Thanksgiving Holiday
Fri Nov 24 Thanksgiving Holiday
Mon Nov. 27 Hebrews, AB, pgs. 2006-2022; James, AB, pgs. 2023-2029. 39
Wed Nov 29 1, 2 Peter and Jude, AB, pp. 2030-242 and pgs. 20542056. 40
Fri Dec 1 1, 2, 3 John, AB, pgs. 2043-253 41
Mon Dec 4 Essay titled, Apocalyptic Literature, AB, pgs. 2057--2059; 42
Revelation, AB, pgs. 2060-2089.
Sat Dec 9 Exam 4 2:004:00. This is the final exam. It may not be taken at
any time other than Saturday, December 9. To take it at any other time
requires permission from the office of the Dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences.

An Introductory Select Bibliography of Biblical Studies

Binz, Stephen J. Introduction to the Bible: A Catholic Guide to Studying Scripture.

Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2007.
Fischer, James A. Interpreting the Bible: A Simple Introduction. New York: Paulist
Press, 1996.
Mueller, Steve. The Seeker's Guide to Reading the Bible: A Catholic View. Chicago:
Loyola Press, 1999.
Murdy, Kay. What Every Catholic Needs to Know About the Bible: A Parish Guide to
Bible Study. San Jose: Resource Publications, 2004.
Nutting-Ralph, Margaret. Scripture: Nourished by the Word. Chicago: Loyola
Press, 2002.
St. Mary's Press. Understanding the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Scriptures.
Winona: MN, 2008.
Somewhat longer introductions:
*Montague, George T. Understanding the Bible: A Basic Introduction to Biblical
Interpretation. Revised & expanded edition. New York: Paulist Press, 2007.
*Miller, John W. How the Bible Came to Be: Exploring the Narrative and Message.
New York: Paulist Press, 2004.

Note: This syllabus is subject to possible change. The instructor will alert students to any change.