TRS6502 - Lord, Apostle and the Beloved Disciple

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1 Demonstrate a knowledge of how the Christian Church developed out of Judaism in the first century, and of its distinctiveness from Judaism
2 Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the social organization and leadership of the early church
3 Demonstrate an awareness of the worship, prayer and ethical framework of the early church
4 Demonstrate a critical awareness of the theological insights of Paul and John
5 Engage critically with relevant Biblical texts
6 Analyse and discuss theological issues arising from these texts

Content:

The Christian Church’s understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed partly through the writings of the Apostle Paul, and the ‘Beloved Disciple’, understood to be John. This module pulls together Pauline and Johannine teaching on Jesus. The following topics will be covered:

• The Gospel of John; the letters of John
• Paul’s letter to the Romans and other Pauline texts
• Religious groupings in Israel 28-70 AD; the Council of Jerusalem
• the social context of the early Christians;
• issues of leadership, organization and order in the early church
• the beginnings of the practice and doctrine of baptism and eucharist
• the life and witness of Paul especially the concept of justification by faith
• the contribution made by Johannine literature to an understanding of the first few generations of Christians.
Biblical passages will be studied in translation but some insights into the original Greek may be included.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The course will be taught in plenary sessions which will make use of a blend of teaching and learning methods. These will normally include: lecture-style presentations by the tutor; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; informal prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion; formal assessment by presentation to the rest of the group; other exercises as appropriate to material and group. Guidance on reading in preparation for each session and activity will be given; and learning will be supported where appropriate by VLE and other electronic resources. Guidance on research and essay-writing will be embedded in the learning and teaching process throughout the module; and may also be supported by tutorial guidance on essay plans and feedback on the Semester 1 essay.

Lectures/seminars
Contact Hours: 40
Number of Groups: 1

Assessment: