OT042-912 - Interpreting Samuel for Today

  • 2,976 Standard Tuition Fee
  • 12
    Credit Points
  • 0.125 EFT 
  • 9
    AQF level
  • Category advanced unit
    C
  • old testamentUnit Discipline

Prerequisites

48cps Level 8; 12cps from units in OT or NT with a unit code of OT004 or higher code or NT004 or higher code, or study deemed equivalent by the ACT Registrar to appropriately prepare students for undertaking the unit.

Exclusions

Prior to 2020, this unit content was delivered under the unit code OT703-6.

Set Text

This unit counts towards the "set text" unit requirements of courses.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will

A. Know and understand

1. Demonstrate Specialised knowledge and understanding of, and research principles and methods used in, the interpretation and application of Books of Samuel 

B. Be able to

1. Evaluate Specialised methods and issues in the interpretation and application of the Books of Samuel

2. Integrate diverse scholarship and ministry experience in the interpretation and application of the Books of Samuel

3. Present independent Research-Driven perspectives on the interpretation and application of the Books of Samuel
 

C. Be in a position to

1. Applying research-based perspectives and skills from ‘Interpreting and Applying Samuel’ for ministry practice and Christian living as a reflective practitioner

Content

  1. Detailed exegesis of representative chapters in English in 1, 2 Samuel (e.g. 1 Samuel 1-12; 2 Samuel 5-15) with a focus on advanced exegetical skills
  2. The setting of the Books of Samuel in the Former Prophets as a canonical grouping and its significance for interpretation;
  3. Literary appreciation of the Books of Samuel, including plot, character analysis and paratextual features;
  4. Critical evaluation of recent critical approaches to the Books of Samuel;
  5. Key themes and features of 1, 2 Samuel, such as the ark narrative, the rise of kingship, the interaction of prophets and kings, the Davidic Covenant, and the so-called Succession Narrative;
  6. The meaning and message of the Books of Samuel for today.

Set Readings

This unit's indicative bibliography is currently being revised. Students should contact their home college for further details at the time of taking this unit.


J. Gordon McConville, Grace in the End: A Study in Deuteronomic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993);

Stephen B. Chapman, 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016);

Robert P. Gordon, 1 & 2 Samuel: A Commentary (London: Paternoster, 1986);

Walter Dietrich (ed.), The Books of Samuel: Stories - History - Reception History (BETL 284: Leuven: Peeters, 2016);

D. T. Tsumura, The First Book of Samuel (NICOT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007);

Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Historical Books (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001);

Mark Leuchter, Samuel and the Shaping of Tradition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013);

Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Reading the Historical Books: A Student’s Guide to Engaging the Biblical Text (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014);

David G Firth, 1 & 2 Samuel (AOTC; Nottingham: Apollos, 2009);

David G. Firth, 1 and 2 Samuel: A Kingdom Comes (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2013);

John Woodhouse: 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008);

John Woodhouse: 2 Samuel: Your Kingdom Come (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015);

Robert Alter, The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel (New York: Norton, 1999);

Graeme Auld, Samuel at the Threshold: Selected Works of Graeme Auld (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003.).

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