Final Grades

 Please click here for the computation of your grades.

Final Examination: Format

Date:  October 11
Time: 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Room: Martyrs Hall
Coverage: The Synoptic Problem, Special Introductions to Mark, Matthew and Luke-Acts, and Inspired by Luke: The Socio-Political Condition of Tagaytay City.


Format:
Test 1: Multiple Choice: 20 questions = 20 points


Test 2: Identification: 10 questions = 10 points
Questions will be taken from the NRSV text of the Gospel of Luke. Read carefully then the Gospel of Luke paying attention to details and its uniqueness.
Sample question: In the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, how was the rich man buried?

Test 3: Short Answer: 5 questions = 15 points

Test 4: Essay: 2 questions but choose 1 to answer = 5 points.
----------------
Total = 50 points.

Topic 9: Luke- Acts (updated)

Podcasts: 
Mark Goodacre, Was Luke a Historian?
Mark Goodacre, Wealth and Poverty in Luke



"No Thank You"- Prof. John J. Pilch -  In our discussion on Luke's account of the healing of ten lepers in which only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus (17:11-19), here's an explanation of J. J. Pilch on meaning of Thank You in the cultural context of Jesus (click on the link). J.J. Pilch teaches at Georgetown University and was the CBAP Keynote speaker for its annual convention in 2002. His book, Windows into the Culture of the New Testament published by CBAP is availabe at the Forum Store. A copy is displayed at the File Box Section

For Topic 9: Luke-Acts presentation please refer to Felix Just's written guide and CD-Audio.  For further resources and examples, go to his website, section on Luke, click here; section on Acts, click here

Here are my homily-commentaries on some selected passages of Luke.
1) Parable of "Lost and Found" (Luke 15)
2) Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)
3) Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16)
4) Parable of the Wily Steward (Luke 16)
5) Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 13)
6) The Temptation in the Desert (Luke 4:1-13)
7) The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-39)
8) Hope for a Tree (Luke 13:1-9)
9) The Passion of Jesus according to Luke

and on Acts of the Apostles
1. The Coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (my commentary) 
2. A Detailed Outline of Acts (Felix Just)
3. The Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts (Felix Just)
4. Lectionary Readings from the Acts of the Apostles (Felix Just)
5.
3.

Quiz 10: Sept 27, 2010 - Format

Quiz 10, the last quiz for this semester's Synoptics covers Topic 9: Christology and Discipleship in Luke (Felix Just) including my additions in class.

Instructions:
--nos. 1-4 – Identification (30 seconds each). State the answer in just one phrase. There is no need to explain.

--no. 5 – Short Answer (3 minutes).

--nos. 6-7 – two Bonus questions.

Deadline for the Submission of Synoptics Notebook - Oct. 4

We shall honor Saint Francis of Assisi by submitting to the Registrar's Office your Synoptics Notebook on October 4, 2010.

Links to Fr. Randy's commentaries on Parables.

Links to Fr. Randy's commentaries on Parables.
1) Parable of "Lost and Found" (Luke)
2) Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
3) Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)
4) Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16)
5) Parable of the Wily Steward (Luke 16)
6) Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 13)

Topic 8: The Gospel of Matthew, Part II and III

PowerPoint Presentations:
The Gospel of Matthew, Part II: Christology and Discipleship


The Gospel of Matthew, Part III: The Sermon on the Mount

Class Standing

Your Class Standing:
Quizzes/Homeworks/Reflection Papers Average




















Midterm Exam Grade

List of Topics for Term Paper Research

List of Topics for Term Paper Research

1. The Observance of the Jewish Sabbath in the First Century C.E.
2. Religions in the Greco-Roman World
3. Philosophies in the Greco-Roman World
4. The Economic System in Palestine in the First Century C.E.
5. The Essenes in the First Century C.E.
7. The Eastern Mediterranean Culture in the First Century C.E.
8. The Spirituality of the Pharisees in the First Century C.E.
10. Women in Palestine in the First Century C.E.
11. Healings in the First Century of the C.E.
12. Deities and Demons in the Greco-Roman World
13. Mystery Cults in the Greco-Roman World

Note: 
I can only accommodate 13 writers due to other teaching and administrative obligations. First come first served/first choice; priority, however, is given to those who have earlier indicated to work with me. You can e-mail to me your choice. Term-Paper writers will have a meeting at 2:00 pm, Arnoldus Library Director's Office.

Quiz 8: Sept 13, 2010

Type: 4 Qs multiple choice/ 1Q Short Answer.

Coverage: The Gospel of Matthew, part I.
I. Composition and History
II. Structure and Contents of Matthew’s Gospel, compared to Mark
III. Structural Outline
IV. Literary Features of Matthew’s Gospel, in contrast to Mark’s

click here to check your Midterm Exam Grade.

Midterm Exam Grades

Note:
1) There are 50 points. Perfect score is 100 and the passing mark, considering your adjustment time in DWS,  is 20 points = 75.


2) In the Final Exam, the passing mark will be raised to 25 points = 75.


3) Please click on the image below for the transmutation table.

4) Please review your mistakes (especially Test III - Short Answer). Learn from your mistakes.

Midterm Exam Grade 

Transmutation Table

Topic 8: The Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew, part I

Topic 7: Synoptic Problem Part III: Q

Topic 7: Synoptic Problem Part III: Q

Topic 7: The Synoptic Problem, part II: The Markan Priority

Please click on the link - Topic 7: The Synoptic Problem, part II: The Markan Priority

Homework on the Synoptic Problem for Week 12

Week 12 (August 23, 25 and possibly on August 30), due to the teacher's annual retreat (and public Holiday), will be devoted to the following reading and writing assignments:

1. Read Goodacre, The Synoptic Problem, pp. 56-161:  Chapter 3: Markan Priority; Chapter 4:  Building on Markan Priority; Chapter 5: Q; and Chapter 6: The Case against Q. 
There will be a quiz on these topics on Monday - September 6, 2010. Format:  Five questions consisting of Multiple Choice and Short Answer types.

2. Work on this assignment with your Dialogue Partner (Buzz Partner). Submit them on Friday 27 August - Registrar's Office. - For the assignment, click here.

Topic 7: The Synoptic Problem

Joannes Jakob Griesbach

Please click on this for Topic 7: The Synoptic Problem, part I

Please click on the link - Topic 7: The Synoptic Problem, part II: The Markan Priority
 
Topic 7: Synoptic Problem Part III: Q

Topic 6: The Gospel of Mark - part 3

Mar Saba Monastery where an alleged Secret Gospel of  Mark was discovered

Click on Topic 6: The Gospel of Mark (last of three parts)
Discussion: Author, Date, Location and Audience.

Quiz 6: August 16, 2010

Discipleship in Mark (Donahue - Harrington)

Literary Style of Mark

Topic 6 : The Gospel of Mark - Second Part

Mark 5:22-23 - Byzantine, late 12th cent. C.E. 

 

Topic 6: The Gospel of Mark part
II (Theology of Mark)

Topic 6 : The Gospel of Mark

PowerPoint Lecture: The Gospel of Mark (First Part)

Topic 6: The Gospel of Mark part
II (Theology of Mark)

Topic 6: The Gospel of Mark (last of three parts)

James H. Charlesworth, "Why Are the Dead Sea Scrolls Significant for an Improved Perception of the Origins of Christianity?"

James H. Charlesworth, "Why Are the Dead Sea Scrolls Significant for an Improved Perception of the Origins of Christianity?"

Midterm Examination: Information and Format

Midterm Examination: Synoptics I

Prof: Fr. Randy Flores, SVD
August 9, 2010, MONDAY
Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Place: Martyrs’ Hall
Coverage:
1. Topics 1-5 (Lectures)
2. Required Readings:
Topic 1: Ehrman, pp. 17-35.
Topic 2: Amy-Jill Levine, “Jesus and Judaism”;
and James H.Charlesworth, “Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls
Significant for an Improved Perception of the Origins of Christianity?”
Topic 3: Ehrman, pp. 1-16
Topic 4: Ehrman pp. 70-74


Format of the Exam:
Part I: Multiple Choice (5 questions = 10 points)
Part II: Identification (5 questions = 10 points)
Part III: Short Answers (7 questions = 20 points;
Types can be definitions, explanations, enumerations)
Part IV: Essay (from two questions, choose one to elaborate = 10 points)
-----------------------
Total number of points: 50 x 2 = 100.

Click here to download a copy in pdf.

Of Miracles by David Hume

David Hume (7 May 1711 [26 April O.S.] – 25 August 1776) was a Scottish philosopher and historian, regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment. Hume is often grouped with John Locke, George Berkeley, and a handful of others as a British Empiricist.

During his lifetime, Hume was more famous as a historian....

In his discussion of miracles in An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (Section 10) Hume defines a miracle as "a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent". Given that Hume argues that it is impossible to deduce the existence of a Deity from the existence of the world (for he says that causes cannot be determined from effects), miracles (including prophesy) are the only possible support he would conceivably allow for theistic religions.

Click here for more on David Hume.

Read his essay on miracles here.

The Miracle Genre

Click: PowerPoint Lecture on Genre of Miracles

From the Cover of In the Name of Jesus:  Exorcism Among Early Christians by Graham H. Twelftree

Assignment 2: Miracles

Healing of the man born blind (by El Greco, 1521-1614)

Click on the link.
Submission will be on Monday 2 August.

Debate between Bart Ehrman and William Lane Craig: Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

In connection with our discussion on genres in particular, miracles -- and how the issue of genres also raises historical questions.

John P. Meier - Lecture on the Volume 3 of his A Marginal Jew

Jesus' Companions and Competitors

Topic 5 (Week 8): Literary Forms within the Synoptic Gospels

Topic 5 Hand-Out, click here.

Some Examples:
Genealogy
my homily on  Genealogies

Parable
Links to Fr. Randy's commentaries on Parables.1) Parable of "Lost and Found" (Luke)
2) Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
3) Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)
4) Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16)
5) Parable of the Wily Steward (Luke 16)
6) Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 13)

Allegory


Aphorism

Healing Miracles

Pronouncement Story

Chreia 

Pericope

NT Scholars

Rudolf Bultmann
Joachim Jeremias
John P. Meier

Dei Verbum no. 12

12. However, since God speaks in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion,  the interpreter of Sacred Scripture, in order to see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what God wanted to manifest by means of their words.

To search out the intention of the sacred writers, attention should be given, among other things, to "literary forms." For truth is set forth and expressed differently in texts which are variously historical, prophetic, poetic, or of other forms of discourse. The interpreter must investigate what meaning the sacred writer intended to express and actually expressed in particular circumstances by using contemporary literary forms in accordance with the situation of his own time and culture. For the correct understanding of what the sacred author wanted to assert, due attention must be paid to the customary and characteristic styles of feeling, speaking and narrating which prevailed at the time of the sacred writer, and to the patterns men normally employed at that period in their everyday dealings with one another. 

Quiz 5: July 26, 2010

Coverage: Lecture notes; Readings from Ehrman, Sancta Mater Ecceslesia and Dei Verbum
Format: Choose one from two sets of questions. Answer briefly in not more than 7 lines.

Topic 4: The Christian Gospels

Please click here for the PowerPoint Presentation

Quiz 4 July 19, 2010

Ehrman, pp. 1-16. Study the key terms. p. 16.  
Also Felix Just - New Testament Canon (internet): in particular, the Ten Stages of New Testament Formation and Transmission, Four Criteria of Canonicity.

Topic 3: New Testament Canon

Click here for the multiply link. Please use sign up ID and password given in class.

Topic 2: Judaism in the First Century C.E.

For the PowerPoint presentation of the class lectures, 
Click here.
Use your sign in ID (I gave in class) and password (I also gave in class). Don't use your own DWS ID or your own multiply account. You can only access the files with that sign in ID account and password.  Thank you.

Père Roland de Vaux, OP

Fr. Roland de Vaux, OP (1903-1971)

--was the author of Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions;
--was accomplished historian of the ancient Near Eastern world;
--a creative Biblical exegete;
-- practiced archaeologist;
--was a professor of the Dominican École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem;
--was the editor of the prestigious scholarly journal Revue Biblique;
--was the editor-in-chief of the celebrated Jerusalem Bible;
--was the editor-in-chief of Discoveries in the Judaean Desert,
--had excavated Qumran;
had  identified the site with the center of the Essene sect as described by the Roman natural historian, Pliny (23–79 A.D.).

Please click here to listen to the interviews of Fr. Roland de Vaux, OP

Reflection Paper 2

Transmutation Table for Quizzes and Reflection Papers

Click here.

SHEMA Yisrael - Class Prayer

Shema  - part 1 | Music Codes


The Shema (Deut 6:4-9)
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad,
whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign
and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

v. 4. Shema Yisrael Adonay Eloheynu Adonay Echad.
v.5. Ve-ahabta et Adonay Eloheyka
Bekol-lebabeka ubkol-napsheka ubkol-meodeka
v. 6. Vehayu haddevarim ha-elle asher anoki mesavveka hayyom al-lebabeka
v. 7. Vesinnantam lebaneyka
vedibbarta bam beshibteka bebeteka
ublekteka badderek
ubshokbeka ubkumeka
v. 8. ukshartam le-ot al-yadeka
vehayu letotapot ben eneyka
v. 9. uktabtam al-mezuzot beteka ubish-areyka. Selah.

Fiddler on the roof - Tradition ( with subtitles )

"A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Anatevka, every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask, why do we stay here if it's so dangerous? We stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: Tradition!" -- from the opening lines of the Fiddler on the Roof.

"Pharisees" in The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible vol. 4

Here's an excerpt of the article "Pharisees" in NIDB.

"Judaism," in The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible vol. 3

JUDAISM

Source: James C. Vanderkam, “Judaism,” in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible 3: 424-435.
Click here for the outline.

Weeks 4-5: Judaism in the First Century of the Common Era

In Jerusalem with our professor, the late Ezri Uval, who invited us,

his students to celebrate Habdalla, the end of the Sabbath;

seen in the pic - Father Jean-Juste from Haiti and Father Dario from Argentina
Photo taken in 1997

A. Contents
Part I: Judaism as a Greco-Roman Religion
Part II: Political Crises in Palestine and their Ramifications
Part III: The Formation of Jewish Sects


B.  Required Readings
1. Ehrman, pp. 36-55 (see File Box); Quiz on July 5, review the Key Terms, p. 54.

2. Amy-Jill Levine, “Jesus and Judaism: Why the Connection Still Matters,” in Ethical Dimensions in the Teachings of Jesus and Paul (Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Convention of the Catholic Biblical Association of the Philippines, 2004) – see File Box

3. The Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible (2001). Read esp. nos. (par.) 23-63 “Shared Fundamental Themes” and nos. 70-78 “Jesus in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles.”

C. Quizzes
1. July 5 -  Ehrman, pp. 36-55 (see File Box); review the Key Terms, p. 54.
2. July 12 - TBA

D. Helpful Materials

1. Rabbi Benjamin Blech, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Judaism, 2nd ed. (NY: Alpha Books, 2003).
2. _____________, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jewish History and Culture, 2nd ed. (NY: Alpha Books, 2004).

3. The Fiddler on the Roof  (The Movie, 1971) - Click here for the opening lines of the movie (Tradition!).

4. Amy-Jill Levine, The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus (New York: HarperOne, 2006).

5. E. P. Sanders, Judaism Practice and Belief, 63 B.C.E.—66 C.E. (London: SCM Press; Philadelphia:Trinity Press International, 1992).-- “a full, detailed, and authoritative account of what it meant to be a Jew immediately before and during the time of the New Testament” (Ehrman).

6. James C. Vanderkam, “Judaism,” in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible 3: 424-435.
Click here for the outline.

7. E. J. Schabel, "Pharisees," in The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible 4: 485-496. Click here for an excerpt. 

8. Felix Just, SJ, "Jewish Groups during the Time of Jesus."

E. PowerPoint Lecture Presentation -click here.

List of Articles in the Synoptics File Box

We have a Synoptics File Box located just outside Nica's Room. Loose articles relevant to our course will be placed there for your reading. Please check this post from time to time for updated list.

Seán Freyne, "The Roman World," in The World of the New Testament (New Testament Message 2; Wilmington, Delaware: Michael Glazier, 1980), pp. 45-78.

Amy Chua, "Tolerance in Rome's High Empire," in Day of Empire (New York: Anchor Books), pp. 29-58.

Fr. Wilhelm Schmidt, SVD

In our discussion of the Mystery Religions in the Greco-Roman World, I mentioned the idea of Fr. Wilhelm Schmidt, SVD (1868-1954),  influential ethnologist who "suggested that there had been a primitive monotheism before men and women had started to worship a number of gods. Originally they had acknowledged only one Supreme Deity, who had created the world and governed human affairs from afar" (Karen L. Armstrong, A History of God, p. 3).

From 1912 to his death in 1954, Schmidt published his 12-volume Der Ursprung der Gottesidee (The Origin of the Idea of God) -- his data coming from the reports of the SVD missionaries assigned in different parts of  the world.

His works available in English translation are: The Origin and Growth of Religion (1931), High Gods in North America (1933), The Culture Historical Method of Ethnology (1939), and Primitive Revelation (1939).

We can borrow Father Schmidt's idea as we appreciate the Mystery Religions which were very popular and attractive during the time of Jesus.

Powerpoint Presentation of Topic I: The Greco-Roman World

Click here "Greco-Roman World" . Please use your ID and Password to download the PDF attachment.

Reflection Paper 1: Divine Providence through the Greco-Roman World

Please click on the image read about the assignment.
Note: Deadline, June 28, 2010.

Quiz 2: June 21, 2010

Coverage: 
Key Terms for the study of the Greco-Roman World, see the list in Ehrman, p. 35.
New Testament Timeline.

Hellenistic Polis (City)

 Sepphoris: "A City Built on a Hill"

Click here to read Sean Freyne, "Hellenistic City" from his book The World of the New Testament (New Testament Message 2; Wilmington, Delaware: Michael Glazier, 1980), pp. 5-8.

Time Line of the World of the New Testament

Visit the site of Fr. Felix Just, SJ - click Israelite and Jewish History
or the images below from Bart D. Ehrman, pp. xxix-xxxi

Week 1-3: The Greco-Roman World

For the powerpoint presentation in class, please click here Greco-Roman World.
The following reading materials will be used in our discussions. In preparation, the students should read at least one article. They are placed on reserve (Arnoldus Library).  Please study also the geography (map) of Israel and the Mediterranean.

Ehrman, pp. 17-35.
Gundry, pp. 21-81.
Drane, pp. 9-45.
Kee, pp. 11-61 "The Impact of Graeco-Roman Politics and Culture on Judaism," pp. 11-61. - for advanced students.
James S. Seffers, The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervaristy, 1999) - for advanced students.

Visit also the website of Fr. Felix Just, SJ on NT Geography .
Study (click) the Time Line of the World of the New Testament
Click here to read Sean Freyne,"Hellenistic City".
Recommended movies: Gladiator; and Alexander

Study also these maps: 
 

 Palestine during the Time of Jesus

 Map of Modern Israel

 The Mediterranean Region during the New Testament Period

 The Mediterranean Today

Syllabus of the Course

Click here to read or download.

List of Reserved Books - Synoptics I

See the books placed on Reserve in the Arnoldus Library (ask Nica, our librarian). For the initial list, click here: Reserved Books