| CODE | SHG3220 | ||||||
| TITLE | The Prophetic Books: Exegetical Approaches | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sacred Scripture, Hebrew and Greek | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit commences with a brief overview of the different methods and approaches available for the study of any piece of scripture. Students are then offered a concise presentation of various types of prophetic genres. The main part of the study-unit consists in the precise exegetical analysis of prophetic texts selected from different books and different historical times of the People of Israel. Various approaches are applied in order to show how particular texts can be read in different manners that can be complementary. The texts selected are studied in Biblical Hebrew (though reference to other languages would be employed too) in order to explicate their meaning as intended by the authors. They are analysed, not only from a historical-critical point of view, but also hermeneutically from synchronic and existential perspectives. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit is offered in the fourth year of the programme of studies and so requires a solid grounding in the biblical languages, particularly Biblical Hebrew. Students will also have followed a basic course on Prophetic Literature in their second year which served as a general introduction to this kind of literature. This study-unit builds upon these foundational ones and takes the students deeper into prophetic texts of various types so that they may learn how to carry out biblical exegesis of a text with significant expertise. This would be done employing the original versions of the scriptures, which is why a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew is a sine qua non. Moreover, the basic course in Hermeneutics (SHG1035) followed in the first year will have supplied students with the necessary tools to know how to interpret texts. This study-unit, therefore, constitutes the practical application of those tools. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - recognise distinct pericopes of the Bible; - list the different types of prophetic genres; - apply the historical-critical method of exegesis to particular prophetic texts; - illustrate the impact of different approaches to a particular text; - analyse texts in their original language. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - compare and contrast different prophetic texts; - detect later insertions in biblical texts, particularly those done by redactors; - critique the import of prophetic discourse on the intended audiences; - judge the value of prophetic literature for later times; - appraise different methods and approaches to the analysis of biblical texts. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Blenkinsopp, Joseph. A History of Prophecy in Israel. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. - Gorman, Michael J. Elements of Biblical Exegesis. A Guide for Students and Preachers. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. - Nogalski, James D. The Book of the Twelve: Hosea - Jonah. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2011. - The Book of the Twelve: Micah - Malachi : Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2011. - Westermann, Claus. Basic Forms of Prophetic Speech. Translated by Hugh Clayton White. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 1991. Supplementary Readings: - Abraham Joshua Heschel. The Prophets. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 2007. - Conrad, Edgar W. Reading the Latter Prophets : Toward a New Canonical Criticism. London: T&T Clark International, 2003. - Jacobs, Mignon R., and Raymond F. Person Jr., eds. Israelite Prophecy and the Deuteronomistic History: Portrait, Reality, and the Formation of a History. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2013. - Sawyer, John F. A. Prophecy and the Biblical Prophets. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. - Soulen, Richard N, and R. Kendall Soulen. Handbook of Biblical Criticism. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Study-units: SHG1035 Hermeneutics; Methods and Approaches of Interpretation; 2260 Prophetic Apocalyptic and Wisdom Literature; SHG1010 Biblical Hebrew: Introduction; SHG2010 Biblical Biblical Hebrew: Intermediate; and SHG3010 Biblical Hebrew: Select Texts | ||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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