OLD TESTAMENT OVERVIEW - June 23-24, 2017

OLD TESTAMENT OVERVIEW

CRE/CLP Leadership Training

Presbytery of San Francisco Education Center – June 23-24, 2017

Instructor: Carol Miles

(925) 817-9396

revdrcarolmiles@gmail.com

Course Description:

This course introduces participants to the content of the Old Testament and to the task of interpreting the Old Testament for contemporary Christian congregations. Questions of the Old Testament’s abiding authority for the church are addressed, and attention is given to the way its major literary forms (narrative, law, prophecy, psalm, wisdom saying) uniquely bear witness to the gospel of God.

Required Texts:

The Bible – NRSV Study Bible (Harper Collins or Oxford)

Jeff S. Anderson, The Old Testament: Its Story and History (available as an e-book on lulu.com, or in paperback from amazon.com), 2011

Ellen F. Davis, Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament, Cowley Publications, 2001

Recommended Resources:

Bruce C. Birch, Walter Brueggeman, Terence E. Fretheim, and David L. Petersen, eds., A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament, 2^nd ed., Abingdon Press, 2005

OR

Walter Brueggeman and Walter C. Kaiser, eds., The New Interpreter’s Bible Old Testament Survey, Abingdon Press, 2006

Course Requirements:

1. Attendance at both class sessions.
2. Completion of all required readings.
3. A final assignment enumerating the 10 most important insights you gained from the readings and class presentations. Insights should be stated in your own words but may include quotes from books or lectures as appropriate (1-2 pp). On a separate sheet, list a minimum of 5 questions that remain for you about the Old Testament or the task of engaging or interpreting Old Testament texts for the life of the church. Send final assignment as an attachment to the instructor’s email address above. DUE: July 14, 2017

In order to receive a passing grade for the class, ALL work must be completed and turned in no later than July 28, 2017.

Pre-Course Assignment:

Prior to the first class session, please read the two required texts (Anderson and Davis) and come prepared to discuss what you consider to be the problems and possibilities of teaching and preaching the Old Testament in your current congregation.