Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Palmquist
"God created man in his own image.... Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man... In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden, and from there it divided; it had four branches.... God brought all the animals to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name...." (Genesis 1:27; 2:8-10,19) Introduction The Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christian religion. It was written over a long period of time by a variety of people. The first part, called the "Old Testament" (i.e. the story of man's "old" or "former" agreement with God), consists of 39 books, which are also part of the sacred scriptures of the Jewish religion. The second part, called the "New Testament" (i.e. the story of man's "new" agreement with God), consists of 27 books, most written shortly (i.e. within a century) after the death of Jesus of Nazareth. The Bible can be read and studied in a number of different ways. For example, it can be treated: as an unquestionable authority to be obeyed; as classical literature to stimulate the imagination; as an historical document to be analysed and criticized; or as a book of wisdom to inspire insight and understanding. In this class we will adopt primarily the fourth alternative as our approach to the text. All the major themes which run through the Bible have their origin in the first three chapters of Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament. The second class session will be used to discuss these chapters and to decide as a class on a set of 5-10 themes which we will explore throughout the semester. At the third class session a finalized list of topics, along with a list of the required and recommended readings, will be handed out. Class Format To insure that the search for wisdom does not become lost in philosophical abstractions, lectures will be alternated with discussion/question sessions. Each topic will occupy about two weeks (about two lectures and two discussion sessions). Grade Assessment 10% Attendance will be taken at each discussion session by turning in papers (ungraded) summarizing each student's participation in or reaction to the discussion. These will be worth 1% each. There will probably be more than 10 discussion sessions, but extra credit will not be given; however, attendance at more than 10 sessions may be taken into account in certain borderline cases when calculating the final grades. 50% During the semester there will be two "theme papers" assigned, each worth 25% of the grade. Each theme paper should be 750-1500 words, and typed in English (3-6 pages) using the guidelines on the handout provided. The first theme paper will be due on 24/25 March (at the 12th class session); it should be a "word study" or a study of some theme from the Bible, which strikes you as being interesting and/or significant. The second theme paper will be due on 12/13 May (at the 23rd class session); it should be a discussion of the meaning and application of some passage from the Bible. Each paper (25 points each) will be graded on clarity (9 points), thoroughness (8) and thoughtfulness or originality (8). More information will be given as these due dates draw nearer. 40% The final examination will consist of one or more essay question(s). Your Bibles can be used during the exam, but no notes. (Writing in the Bibles is permitted, so long as it is not an obvious attempt to cheat--e.g. by copying lecture notes or outlines straight into the text. Random checks may be made of Bibles during the exam, and any suspect cheating will be severely penalized. If you are not sure whether or not you have too much writing in your Bible, you should check with the lecturer before the day of the exam.) Text Each student will be expected to bring a Bible to each class session. The recommended translation is: Good News Bible, Today's English Version (U.B.S., 1976). Available in Lionrock Bookstore for $23. (incomplete)
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This page was last updated on 30 September 1995
StevePq@hkbu.edu.hk