Santa Clara University
Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries
Home Page
Course Links
Syllabus
Lecture Slides & Videos
Camino
Workbook
Style Sheet
How-To Videos
Bible
Exegesis
Church Teaching
Theological Reflection
Library Reserve
Bibliography
Glossary
Research
   Course Description

The New Testament is an anthology of some of the earliest traditions and teachings of the Christian community. This course samples some of the books in this anthology, focusing primarily on the stories of Jesus and the political context of the gospel message. Since this is the New Testament core course, it is an introduction not only to the New Testament but also to the disciplines of academic inquiry in general and biblical study in particular. Brown's introductory section and the various readings on method will provide orientation to critical study, and from there we will work with the basic tools of New Testament exegesis in class (concordance, synopsis, biblical commentaries, Bible dictionaries, journal abstracts), so that you can use them fruitfully in your final exegetical research paper and your ministry. This course will also introduce you to the library itself, and its online resources, as lifelong tools for biblical study. The course privileges Catholic perspectives on the interpretation of scripture in the life of the Church, perspectives that amplify the voice of the poor and marginalized as we reflect on what the "good news" might mean today.

Program & Course Learning Objectives

The GPPM Program learning objectives for the core New Testament course stipulate that, by the end of this course, you will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the New Testament according to the following competencies (GPPM Objective 1.A):

    1. Articulate key features of Catholic biblical interpretation.

    2. Identify the pastoral issues of a New Testament book through the book’s literary or rhetorical themes.

    3. Describe distinguishing features of the social, historical, political and cultural context of the New Testament world that influenced the pastoral context.

    4. Employ the basic tools for biblical exegesis (apparatus, concordance, synopsis, commentary, dictionary).

    5. Apply critical exegetical methods to at least two New Testament texts.

  2. Integrate the perspective of the poor and marginalized in your reflection on theological and pastoral issues (GPPM Objective 4.B).


How to Use this Web Site

The tabs at the left guide you to course resources.  Use them to access assignment directions, readings on Camino, schedules, the New Testament Workbook, and research tools throughout the quarter, as needed.  The Lecture Videos pages provide links to the slides presented in class.and in videos.
  © 2021 C. M. Murphy, all rights reserved,  408.551.1909, cmurphy@scu.edu, faculty page, courses & research
  Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053-0337
  GPPM  |  tel 408.554.4831  |  fax 408.554.7830  |  email  |  Web
  SCU  |  Home  |  Phonebook  |  Campus Map  |  Search
Get Adobe Acrobat