Westmont College
Europe Semester, 2005

The New Testament World RS 114E

Bruce N. Fisk	Associate Professor of New Testament Department of Religious Studies Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Voice Mail	805-565-7369
E-mail	fisk@westmont.edu
Web Page	www.westmont.edu/~fisk/docs

Description

Texts

Requirements

Grading Scale

Schedule

Books & Links

Description

• Why did Christianity succeed? What was it about Christianity that allowed it to take root and spread across the empire?
• What held Christianity back? What elements of Roman culture and society created the greatest obstacles to the Christian mission?
• What can we learn from Paul and the earliest Christians about how to be the church in the (post-) modern world?

Course texts, museums, site visits and class discussions shall introduce a range of topics of interest for students of the New Testament, including the emperor cult, Greco-Roman religions, life in the city, sexuality and gender, patriarchy and family, social status and honor, work and slavery, wealth and taxes, entertainment, and Roman law and punishment.

Our itinerary includes New Testament cities in Italy, Asia Minor and Greece (e.g., Rome, Ephesus, Smyrna, Laodicea, Iconium, Athens, Corinth), some of which are not mentioned in the New Testament but are equally valuable for illuminating 1st century life (e.g., Pompeii, Ostia Antica, Hierapolis). Our goal is not simply to see where they lived, but how.

Texts (top of page).

Recommended texts listed further down are a few of the many resources available to enrich your class presentations and written work, and to indulge your curiosity about the New Testament world.

Requirements (top of page)

I. Reading and Discussion of Colossians and Colossians Remixed (30%)

As we travel in Italy (beginning in Rome), Turkey and Greece, we shall hold a series of six 45-minute small-group (or all-group) discussions on Walsh and Keesmaat's Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire. Normally, we'll form six-member groups, appoint group coodinators and scribes to keep attendance, track the conversation and record salient questions and observations. I shall collect and grade scribal notes, watching for neatness, thoughtfulness and the degree to which they reflect group discussion (and not merely the scribe's point of view). Occasionally, we may meet together as a large group.

During the summer, to prepare for these discussions, read Colossians Remixed and the corresponding passages in Colossians, and prepare a total of six journal pages of observations and questions (one side, single-spaced), following the format provided here. Bring the text book and a hard copy of your notes on the trip.

Grading:

six journal pages of notes are due prior to your departure from LAX. Attach them as a Word document to an e-mail to fisk@westmont.edu): 6 x 3 = 18%

one set of scribal notes from small group discussion: 3%

full, engaged participation in group discussions: 9%

II. Group Presentation on 1st Corinthians and After Paul Left Corinth (30%)

The Schedule below includes due dates for readings in Winter's After Paul Left Corinth. Expect a brief quiz on these days.

To enrich our understanding of each reading, groups of three or four students will select a presentation topic & reading from the list on the Schedule. The group's task is to explain the topic, demonstrate its relevance, help us enter the world of 1st century Corinth, and show us how 1st Corinthians might speak to us in our world as well.

Guidelines

• before you go: form a group of three or four students (exchange e-mails, phone numbers, snail-mail addresses), select a topic/reading from the list below (confirm with me), appoint a group coordinator, read carefully the chapter in Winter and the relevant NT passages, discuss your topic together (before you leave and/or by e-mail), assign further research (library, web resources listed below), gather materials and plan your presentation. It may not be helpful or necessary, in the class time alotted, to cover all aspects of the topic.
  • Focus your presentation on what you think will be most helpful for our understanding of 1 Corinthians and the world of the early Christians.
  • You may find time for additional reading and research en route (e.g., at museums, on the web), but much of your work should be done before you get to LAX.
• due dates: presentations will generally be on-site, at various locations in Italy, Turkey and Greece. Presentations in public spaces must be tasteful and appropriate (volume, costume, antics). Circumstances on the road may require us to adjust the date of your presentation (but only slightly) from the preliminary schedule.
• format: include a public reading of the relevant passage in 1 Corinthians. Know your topic well enough that you can work off of an outline.
  • All group members should be visibly involved in the presentation.
  • Engage the rest of us through discussion questions, dialogue, active learning.
  • Incorporate at least one creative element (e.g., drama, readings, music, images, handout, debate, mock interview, comedy, costumes & props, souvenir, story, on-site demonstration, walking tour, etc.).
• time limit: 25 to 30 minutes.
• group portfolio: prior to your presentation, the group coordinator will need to hand in a notebook or folder containing (1) a single sheet listing members and summarizing each member's contributions, (2) research notes (signed by author), (3) an outline of the presentation, (4) a copy of any handouts, (5) any other collected research materials (visuals, photocopied readings, etc.).

III. Top Eight Roman Remains (40%)

In the course of your travels, each student will create a top-eight list of items significant for the understanding of Greco-Roman society. These could be almost anything provided they date from the early Roman empire, say, between Augustus (27 BCE to 14 CE) and Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE)--roughly the first two centuries of the Common Era. Items might include:

• artifacts: coin, tool, clothing, jewelry, weapon, ossuary, etc.
• texts: manuscript, inscription
• structures: building, temple, tomb
• engineering projects: road, aqueduct, public space
• works of art: painting, fresco, mosaic, statue, relief

Choose items because they interest you and represent to you an important aspect of Roman society, and because they inform your reading of the New Testament and your understanding of the social context of early Christianity. Remember that sometimes the value is not immediately obvious. A second century manuscript might illustrate something about Paul's habit of writing letters; a road, something about the challenge (or the ease) of travel in the Roman provinces; the lines of a statue might say something about the values of the Roman elite.

IMPORTANT NOTE: works of art coming from later periods are not acceptable, even if they depict early Christian episodes or Greco-Roman mythology.

Use the sheets provided to fashion a report on each item, including the following elements:

• name of item, present location (e.g., museum, in situ), date observed
• a sketch; bring along a few colored pencils and a straight edge
• a full description of the item: date, physical appearance (observe carefully) and condition, provenance (= place of origin), historical background / context (e.g., builder, reason for construction)
• comments on the item's significance for understanding the world (social, cultural, political, religious) of the New Testament
• any official brochure or literature if available, attached securely to the workbook (no need to spend money)

Organize your items in a notebook, numbered from one to eight to indicate your sense of their relative value in illuminating the New Testament world.

Pre-work (with guide books, museum web sites, text books, recommended readings) can be done during the summer, but a significant component of this assignment is on-site observation and reflection. Up to three of your items may come from Roman imperial collections in museums or sites encountered prior to your arrival in Rome (e.g., from the British Museum in London, the Pergamon Museum in Berlin).

Grading will consider:

• variety and quality of choices: items should come from a variety of museums and sites, and should include various types of artifacts.
• effort and quality of work: work should be marked by neatness, color, evidence of research and careful observation, completeness.
• value for illuminating the NT and its world: where possible, refer to specific New Testament texts that appear more clearly in the light of your artifact.
• 8 x 5% = 40%

Schedule (top of page) Important Note: assignment duedates are approximate, provisional, subject to revision.

Date	Location	Group Presentation Topics (taken from Winter)	1 Corinthians & Winter Readings	Colossians and Walsh/ Keesmaat Readings
11/__	Roman forum	Secular Discipleship and Christian Competitiveness [Jennifer B., Greg W., Sarah P.]	1 Cor 1-4 Winter 31-43	W/K 7-48 Colossians 1-2
11/__	Ostia Antica - theater	Criminal Law and Christian Partiality [Evan G., Cody H., Nicole F.]	1 Cor 5 Winter 44-57
11/__	Pompeii	Civil Law and Christian Litigiousness [Megan G., Angie M., Emily R.]	1 Cor 6:1-8 Winter 58-75
11/16-19	Istanbul - hippodrome	Elitist Ethics and Christian Permissiveness [Stephanie B., Rachel L., Alissa S., Rebecca T.]	1 Cor 6:12-20; 10:23; 15:29-34 Winter 76-109	W/K 49-76 Colossians 3-4
11/23	Aspendus - theater	Roman Homosexual Activity and the Elite [Jessica C., Stephanie M., Sergio H.]	1 Cor 6:9 Winter 110-120
11/25	Laodikya	The Present Crisis and the Marriage Bed [Kendall A., Julie R. & Jonathan R.]	1 Cor 7:1-5 Winter 215-240	W/K 77-114 Colossians 1-2
11/25	Hierapolis - necropolis	The Present Crisis and the Consummation of Marriage [Christie Y., Amanda M. , Brendan W.]	1 Cor 7:25-38 Winter 241-268
11/26	Izmir	The Imperial Cult, the Games and Dining in a Temple [Sarah T., Amy G., Laura O., Kristyn P.]	1 Cor 8--10:21 Winter 269-286
11/28	Ephesus - theater	Kosher Food and Idol Meat [Philip Y., Leigh K., Jenny H.]	1 Cor 10:25-28 Winter 287-301	W/K 115-144 Colossians 2-3
12/1	Athens - Acropolis	Veiled Men and Wives and Christian Contentiousness [Megan A., Lindsey H., Rachel O., Kristin K.]	1 Cor 11:2-16 Winter 121-141
12/1	Athens - Areopagus	Private Dinners and Christian Divisiveness [Julie L., Christine B., Lori S.]	1 Cor 11:17-34 Winter 142-163	W/K 145-200 Colossians 3
12/2	Corinth - agora	Religious Curses and Christian Vindictiveness [Erin C., Jenny S., Danielle N., Matt D.]	1 Cor 12-14 Winter 164-183
12/4	Delphi	Secular Patronage and Christian Dominance [Chris L., Levi H., Evin M.]	1 Cor 16:15-16 Winter 184-205	W/K 201-233 Colossians 3-4

Grade Scale (top of page) 

.		B+	87-89	C+	77-79	D+	67-69	.
A	95-100	B	84-86	C	74-76	D	64-66	F	0-59
A-	90-94	B-	80-83	C-	70-73	D-	60-63	.

Recommended Texts (top of page)

For Further Study
David Aune, Prophecy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World. Eerdmans, 1983.
Robert Banks, Going to Church in the First Century. Christian Books Pub. House, 1990.
Richard Bauckham, The Book of Acts in its Palestinian Setting.
Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church.
F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Eerdmans, 1977.
John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L. Reed, In Search of Paul: How Jesus's Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2004.
Shaye D. Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah.
John Dominic Crossan & Jonathan L. Reed, Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts. HarperSanFrancisco, 2001.
David A. deSilva, Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture. IVP, 2000.
Clyde E. Fant and Mitchell G. Reddish, A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey. New York: Oxford, 2003.
Everett Ferguson, E. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. Eerdmans, 1987.
Robin Lane Fox, Pagans and Christians. Harper & Row, 1986.
David W. J. Gill, The Book of Acts in its Graeco-Roman Setting.
D. Hellholm, ed. Apocalypticism in the Mediterranean World and the Near East. J. C. B. Mohr, 1983.
Colin J. Hemer, The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History. Tubingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1989.
M. Hengel, Jews, Greeks and Barbarians: aspects of the hellenization of Judaism in the pre-Christian period. trans., John Bowden. Fortress, 1980.
K. C. Hanson and Douglas E. Oakman, Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts. Fortress, 1998.
Richard A. Horsley, ed. Paul and Politics: Ekklesia, Israel, Imperium, Interpretation. Trinity, 2000.
Richard A. Horsley, ed. Paul and Empire: Religion and Power in Roman Imperial Society. Trinity, 1997.
James S. Jeffers, The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era. IVP, 1999.
Howard C. Kee, The Origins of Christianity: Sources and Documents. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: 1973.
Hans-Josef Klauck, The Religious Context of Early Christianity. B. McNeil, trans. T. & T. Clark, 2000.
ibid., Magic and Paganism in Early Christianity: The World of the Acts of the Apostles. Fortress, 2003.
Irina Levinskaya, The Book of Acts in its Diaspora Setting.
Bruce Longenecker, The Lost Letters of Pergamum. Baker, 2003.
Ramsay MacMullen, Paganism in the Roman Empire. Yale, 1981.
John McRay, Archaeology and the New Testament. Baker, 1991.
Wayne Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul. Yale, 1983.
Alan Millard, Reading and Writing in the Time of Jesus. Sheffield, 2000.
Frederick J. Murphy, The Religious World of Jesus: An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism. Abingdon, 1991.
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, Paul: A Critical Life.
Paul Perry, Jesus in Egypt: Discovering the Secrets of Christ's Childhood Years. Ballantine, 2003.
Brian Rapske, The Book of Acts in Roman Custody.
E. P. Sanders, Judaism: Practice and Belief 63BCE-66 CE. Trinity, 1992.
R. H. Smith, "Pella" in D. N. Freedman, ed., Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 5, pp. 219-221.
Dennis E. Smith, From Symposium to Eucharist. Fortress, 2003.
Gerd Theissen, The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on Corinth. Fortress, 1982.
Antonia Tripolitis, Religions of the Hellenistic Roman Age. Eerdmans, 2002.
James C. Vanderkam, The Dead Sea Scrolls Today.
ibid., Introduction to early Judaism.
Bruce Winter, Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities. Eerdmans, 2003.
Bruce W. Winter, The Book of Acts in its ancient Literary Setting.
Ben Witherington, The Paul Quest: the renewed search for the Jew of Tarsus.
.
Links
Apollonius of Tyana--a Greco-Roman holy man	Excerpts from Philostratus' Life of Appolonius Jona Lendering on Apollonius Early Christian Writings
A legend about Paul	Acts of Paul & Thecla
Historical Settings	Second Temple Judaism: An Outline; History of the Roman Empire
Early secular perspectives	Tacitus and Pliny on Christianity
Roman meals and status	Petronius' Satyricon
An early Christian martyr	Catholic Encyclopedia on St. Polycarp
An ancient doctor	Galen of Pergamum; Galen: a biographical sketch
Articles on ancient history	Livius

Web Resources for studying Corinth and the Corinthian Correspondence

Archaeology at Corinth: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens: Corinth Excavations

James Tabor's The Problems at Corinth: http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/corinth.html

James Tabor's The Corinthian Correspondence: http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/cccorinthians.html

New Testament Gateway: Paul the Apostle: http://www.ntgateway.com/paul/

Jenee Woodard's The Text This Week: Paul: http://www.textweek.com/pauline/paul.htm

United Methodist Women: Roman Houses and Corinthian House Churches: http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/corinthians/house.stm

University of Pennsylvania's The Corinth Computer Project: http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/land.html

University of Pennsylvania's On-line Primary Literature: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Resources/Texts/

Introduction to First Corinthians by Daniel B. Wallace, Professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Catholic Encyclopedia article on First and Second Corinthians by C. Aherne.

Internet Women's History Sourcebook (subset of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project, edited by Paul Halsall, History Professor at U. of North Florida): Ancient Rome.

New American Bible Introduction to First Corinthians.

The Bible Gateway (at Gospelcom.net): various on-line translations of First Corinthians.

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