NTST550

EXEGESIS OF THE ENGLISH

NEW TESTAMENT:

THE GOSPEL PARABLES July 19-23, 2015

Robert M. Johnston

S E V E N T H - D A Y A D V E N T I S T

T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y

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NTST550

EXEGESIS OF THE ENGLISH

NEW TESTAMENT: THE GOSPEL PARABLES

JULY 19-23, 2015

GENER AL CL ASS I NFO RM ATIO N

Class Location: Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI 49104

(Chan Shun Bldg. Rm CSH209) Class Time/Day: Sunday, 3-5 p.m. – 6-8p.m. Mon – Thurs. 8 a.m. – 12:00; 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Credits Offered: 3

INSTRU CTO R CO NTAC T

Instructor: Robert M. Johnston, PhD Telephone: 269-471-1109 E-mail: bobjohn@andrews.edu Office Location: Seminary Old Testament Suite N127, Andrews University Office Hours: As needed, by appointment with Rachel Sauer Secretary: Rachel Sauer E-mail: sauerr@andrews.edu Phone: 269-471-3219 Office Location: Seminary New Testament Suite

COU RSE DE SC RIP TIO N

A study of the nature, background, and interpretation of the parables of Jesus recorded in the gospels. It does not presuppose Greek proficiency nor count toward MDiv core requirements or emphases, nor the MA major or minor in New Testament.

COU RSE MATER I ALS

Required Reading: 1. Stein, Robert H. An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus. Philadelphia: Westminster Press,

1981. Read pages 15-91. 2. Blomberg, Craig L. Interpreting the Parables. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990.

Read pages 13-167.

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3. White, Ellen G. Christ’s Object Lessons. Washington: Review and Herald, 1941 (and later). Read pages 17-75, 124-211, 260-271, 391-421.

4. In addition, students should read 90 more pages from any of the three books above.

Recommended Reading:

Bailey, Kenneth E. Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables of Luke. Combined edition. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1984.

Blomberg, Craig L. Preaching the Parables: From Responsible Interpretation to Powerful

Proclamation. Grand Rapid, MI: Baker Academic, 2004. Crossan, John Dominic. “A Basic Bibliography for Parables Research,” Semeia 1 (1974): 236-73. Hultgren, Arland J. The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans,

2000. Jeremias, Joachim. The Parables of Jesus. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1947. Kissinger, Warren S. The Parables of Jesus: A History of Interpretation and Bibliography. Metuchin,

NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1979. Linnemann, Eta. Parables of Jesus: Introduction and Exposition. London: SPCK, 1966. Longenecker, Richard N., ed. The Challenge of Jesus’ Parables. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans,

2000. McArthurs, Harvey K., and Robert M. Johnston. They Also Taught in Parables: Rabbinic Parables

from the First Centuries of the Christian Era. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990. Reprinted by Wipf & Stock, 2014.

Scott, Bernard Brandon. Hear Then the Parable: A Commentary on the Parables of Jesus. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989.

Stern, David. Parables in Midrash: Narrative and Exegesis in Rabbinic Literatures. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994.

Stern, Frank. A Rabbi Looks at Jesus’ Parables. Lanham, MD: Roman & Littlefield, 2006. Trench, Richard C. Notes on the Parables of Our Lord. Westwood, NJ: Fleming H. Revel, 1953.

Often reprinted. Westermann, Claus. The Parables of Jesus in the Light of the Old Testament. Trans. by Friedmann

W. Golka and Alastair H. B. Logan. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990. Young, Brad H. Jesus and His Jewish Parables: Rediscovering the Roots of Jesus’ Teaching. New

York: Paulist Press, 1989. Young, Brad H. The Parables: Jewidh Tradition and Christian Interpretation. Peabody, MA:

Hendrickson Publishers, 1998.

REVISION STATEMENT

The instructor reserves the right to revise the syllabus for the benefit of the learning process with

appropriate notification to the students.

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OUTCOMES

MA in Pastoral Ministry (MAPMin)

1. Delivers effective biblically based sermons. 2. Demonstrates proper biblical interpretation skills.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO): The student should be able to

1. Know the nature of parables. 2. Know the importance of parables in the teaching of Jesus and the theology of the Gospels. 3. Know the history of interpretation of the parables. 4. Understand sound methods of interpretation and ability to apply them. 5. Be able to move from exegesis to sermon. 6. Be familiar with the parables themselves. 7. Be able to apply the teachings of the parables to your own life and the life of the church. 8. Appreciate the relationships among the Gospels. 9. Understand how Ellen White’s use and application of the parables relate to scholarly exegesis.

TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS

All of the assignments in the reading, as well as the final reflection paper and the project, contribute toward fulfilling the MAPMin Program Outcomes (PO) nos. 1-3. Students must watch the following Pre intensive video lectures Kenneth Bailey on the Parable of the Prodigal Son:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aipizARoQvQ&list=PLyLNvf7go9q80wZ8usoXZx5-pY4fY4Y1BO

and www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcYDhDvQaRI&list=PLyLNvf7Jgo9qwZ8useXZx5-pY4fY1BO&index=2

Two short presentations by Craig Keener:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqN_S704_DE and www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij8fV4oV5YI

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Student Learning Outcome (SLO) numbers are listed under every assignment.

Schedule for class meetings: July 19-23, 2015

Running total

Sunday 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.

4 hours 4

Monday 8:00-12 noon 1:30-6:00 p.m.

4 hours 5 hours

9

13

Tuesday 8:00-12 noon 1:30-6:00 p.m.

4 hours 5 hours

9

22

Wednesday 8:00-12 noon 1:30-6:00 p.m.

4 hours 5 hours

9

31

Thursday 8:00-12 noon 1:30-6:00 p.m.

4 hours 5 hours

9

40

Pre-session Guest lectures to be viewed on-line (to be discussed in class)

5 hours 45

Lecturer: Robert M. Johnston

Day Time Lecture Topics SLO

Sunday 6- 8 PM Introduction to the course. Importance of the subject. General principles of exegesis.

2, 4

Monday 8-10 AM Quiz on the parables. Tropes. Definition and history. The rabbinic meshalim

1, 6

Monday 10-12 AM Jesus’s parables: sources, number, authenticity, reasons for use, nature and characteristics

1, 6, 8

Monday 1:30-3 PM History of the Interpretation of the Parables: the allegorizers

3

Monday 3 – 6 PM History of interpretation: the historical exegetes 3, 4

Tuesday 8-10 AM History of interpretation: the literary theorists. Recent trends

3, 4

Tuesday 10-12 History of interpretation: Ellen White 3, 9

Tuesday 1:30- 3 PM Jesus’s parables: Special Principles of Interpretation 4

Tuesday 3 – 6 PM Classification of types and forms 1, 4

Wednesday 8-10 AM Suggested procedures 4, 5

Wednesday 10-12 AM Case study: Sample exegesis: Matthew 20:1-16 4

Wednesday 1:30 – 6 PM Case study: Sample sermon: Matthew 20:1-16 5, 7

Thursday 8-10 AM Representative expositions: Parables of the Kingdom 4, 5, 7

Thursday 10-12 AM; 1:30- 3:30 PM

Geminate parables. Example stories. Other parables 4, 5

Thursday 3:30-5 PM Johannine parables? 4, 1

Thursday 5-6 PM FINAL SYNTHESIS-REFLECTION

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GRADING AND ASSESSMENT

Credit-Hour Definitions

A professional 3-credit course taken at the SDA Theological Seminary requires a total of 135 hours for course lectures, reading requirements and written assignments.

Estimated Time for This Class

MAPMin—3 crs (135 hrs) Class Lectures 45 Test Preparation 3 Reading 25 10 Page Exegesis paper 38 Sermon 24

Total Hours 135 The following is a rule of thumb to help guide your reading, research, and writing for Seminary courses:

Average reading speed 15-20 pages/hr. Average writing speed 3 hr./page

Grading System

Basis for grading:

1. Reading 30 points

2. Test 20 points

3. Exegesis paper 30 points

4. Sermon 20 points

Total 100%

Grading Scale: A = 94% + A- = 90–93% B+ = 87–89%

B = 83–86% B- = 80–82% C+ = 75–79%

C = 65–74% C- = 60–64% D = 50–59%

Assessment Submission

Hard copy Late Submission

All late assessments will incur a 10% per week late penalty.

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Course Assessment Items:

1. A cumulative reading report: Use the reading report form included in this syllabus. You will be asked to report the following: title of the book, number of pages read, number of hours spent in reading the required material. All of the three textbooks must be read and reported on. The report must include the following signed statement: “I affirm that this report is a truthful account of my reading.” The report is due on the first day of our meeting together. Late reports will not receive full credit. You will receive 10 points for each of the three reports.

2. Test

On pages 22-26 of Robert H. Stein’s book is a list of the parables and the references where they are found in the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and the Gospel of Thomas (GT). The Gospel of Thomas (the nature of which will be explained in class) can be found in the web site earlychristianwritings.com It is the fourteenth title from the top of the first column. There are several English translations offered there. Look up all the references in Stein’s list and become familiar with all the parables in all their versions. On the second day of class you will take an objective test on the parables that are in the list. You do not need to memorize the references; you can identify the parable by the name attached in the list. Sample question: “In which parable did one of the characters have five brothers whom he wanted to be warned?” “In which Gospel do we find The Wheat and the Tares?” The questions may be matching or multiple choice. The test will be worth 20 points, which is 20% of your grade.

3. Exegesis paper (10 pages) After the class is over you are to write an exegesis paper on the parable that you choose during the class. In this exegesis paper you must demonstrate that you have learned the exegetical skills and insights that were taught in the class. You will find a grading rubric for the exegesis paper below. Full credit for the paper is 30 points.

4. Sermon You must prepare a sermon on the same parable that you have exegeted. The sermon may be written out in full or submitted in a very detailed outline. A grading rubric for the sermon is given below. Full credit for the sermon 20 points.

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NTST 550 Exegesis of the English NT: Parables

Reading Report Form

My Name:

Date this report is due:

July 19, 2015

Title of Book Pages read Hours

“I affirm that this report is a truthful account of my reading.”

Signature:

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EXEGESIS PAPER

Elements 6 pts 4 pts 1 pt

Covers all bases correctly

Does well what each rubric* in the template requires

Omits a rubric or misunderstands a rubric

Clueless about what is being done

Uses references correctly

Perfectly adheres to AU standards, is evidence based, gives credit where necessary

Mistakes in style and formatting, fails to give credit to all sources

Pays no attention to standards of written work

Writes clearly Good grammar and spelling, interesting and thought provoking

Several mistakes on each page.

Barely literate

Originality New insights and original thinking

Too dependent on secondary sources.

No new thoughts at all

Good faith effort

Shows fruit of reading and research, uses computer rightly

Improper or incompetent use of computer, little reading and research

No evidence of reading or research

*The rubrics referred to here will be explained in class.

SERMON

Elements 5 pts 3 pts 1 pt

Based on fruit

of the exegesis

Clearly utilizes what

was learned in the

exegesis

Little relation to the

exegesis

Ignores the exegesis

Brings home

the message of

the parable

Applies the parable

persuasively and

instructively

Message not very clear No homiletic value

Includes an

adequate

outline

Clear outline, showing

definite structure and

purpose

Poor outline No outline

Originality Original insights Much borrowed Virtually plagiarized

(“scissors and paste”)

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CLASS POLICIES

Academic Integrity

“In harmony with the mission statement (p.18), Andrews University expects that students will demonstrate the ability to think clearly for themselves and exhibit personal and moral integrity in every sphere of life. Thus, students are expected to display honesty in all academic matters.

Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to) the following acts: falsifying official

documents; plagiarizing, which includes copying others’ published work, and/or failing to give credit properly to other authors and creators; misusing copyrighted material and/or violating licensing agreements (actions that may result in legal action in addition to disciplinary action taken by the University); using media from any source or medium, including the Internet (e.g., print, visual images, music) with the intent to mislead, deceive or defraud; presenting another’s work as one’s own (e.g. placement exams, homework, assignments); using material during a quiz or examination other than those specifically allowed by the teacher or program; stealing, accepting, or studying from stolen quizzes or examination materials; copying from another student during a regular or take-home test or quiz; assisting another in acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., falsifying attendance records, providing unauthorized course materials).

Andrews University takes seriously all acts of academic dishonesty. Such acts as described

above are subject to incremental discipline for multiple offenses and severe penalties for some offenses. These acts are tracked in the office of the Provost. Repeated and/or flagrant offenses will be referred to the Committee for Academic Integrity for recommendations on further penalties. Consequences may include denial of admission, revocation of admission, warning from a teacher with or without formal documentation, warning from a chair or academic dean with formal documentation, receipt of a reduced or failing grade with or without notation of the reason on the transcript, suspension or dismissal from the course, suspension or dismissal from the program, expulsion from the university, or degree cancellation. Disciplinary action may be retroactive if academic dishonesty becomes apparent after the student leaves the course, program or university.

Departments or faculty members may publish additional, perhaps more stringent, penalties for

academic dishonesty in specific programs or courses.” (Current AU Bulletin.) Class Absences

“Whenever the number of absences exceeds 20% (10% for graduate classes) of the total course appointments, the teacher may give a failing grade. Merely being absent from campus does not exempt the student from this policy. Absences recorded because of late registration, suspension, and early/late vacation leaves are not excused. The class work missed may be made up only if the teacher allows. Three tardies are equal to one absence.

Registered students are considered class members until they file a Change of Registration form

in the Office of Academic records.” (Current AU Bulletin.) Class Attendance

“Regular attendance at all classes, laboratories and other academic appointments is required for each student. Faculty members are expected to keep regular attendance records. Whenever the

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number of absences exceeds 10% of the total course appointments, the teacher may give a failing grade. Merely being absent from campus does not exempt the student from this policy. Absences recorded because of late registration, suspension, and early/late vacation leaves are not excused. The class work missed may be made up only if the teacher allows. Three tardies are equal to one absence.” Current AU Bulletin.)

Disability Accommodations

If you qualify for accommodations under the American Disabilities Act, please see the instructor as soon as possible for referral and assistance in arranging such accommodations.

Excused Absence

“Excuses for absences due to illness are granted by the teacher. Proof of illness is required. Residence hall students are required to see a nurse on the first day of any illness which interferes with class attendance. Non-residence hall students should show written verification of illness obtained from their own physician. Excuses for absences not due to illness are issued directly to the dean’s office. Excused absences do not remove the student’s responsibility to complete all requirements of a course. Class work is made up by permission of the teacher.” (Current AU Bulletin.)

Language and Grammar

There is an expectation that a student enrolled in a graduate program possesses advanced written language skills, particularly in the language in which the degree is acquired. Thus, no special consideration will be given to English as a second language learners or native-English speakers who have yet to obtain mastery in written English. Such students are advised to seek the assistance of the campus writing lab or procure the services of an editor prior to the submission of their assignments. Tips for success include reading your assignments aloud and having someone else do likewise prior to submission. This practice will provide you with immediate feedback on your written assignments.

Late Submission of Assessment

All late assessment will incur a 10% per week penalty. Teacher Tardiness

“Teachers have the responsibility of getting to class on time. If a teacher is detained and will be late, the teacher must send a message to the class with directions. If after 10 minutes no message has been received, students may leave without penalty. If teacher tardiness persists, students have the right to notify the department chair, or if the teacher is the department chair, to notify the dean.” (Current AU Bulletin.)

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INSTRUCTOR PROFILE

Robert M. Johnston is professor emeritus of New Testament and

Christian Origins at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at

Andrews University, where he has taught since 1974. Before that he

taught and pastored for eleven years in South Korea, and for one year in

the Philippines.

He holds a doctorate from the Hartford Seminary, and he has also

studied at Pacific Union College, Stanford University, the University of

California (Berkeley) and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is a native

of northern California, is married to Madeline Steele Johnston, and has

four children and six grandchildren. He has written three books and

many articles.