Theological Exegesis for Preaching

Transcription

1 Theological Exegesis for Preaching Wycliffe College, St. Margaret s, Winter 2015 THIS IS A PROVISIONAL SYLLABUS - THE INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES Instructors Dr. David Widdicombe contact: [email protected]; TBA Description This course is an introduction to theologically disciplined biblical preaching. We will examine the fourfold sense of scripture and Trinitarian and Christological readings of scriptural texts. This course will also cover the exegetical presuppositions and rhetorical styles of great preachers throughout the history of the Church. Required texts Hall, Christopher, Reading Scripture with the Fathers Badiou, Alain, St. Paul: The Foundation of Universalism Forde, Gehard, O. Theology is for Proclamation Fowl, Stephen, ed., The Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Classic and Contemporary Readings Seitz, Christopher, Word Without End: The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness Supplementary texts Barth, Karl, Homiletics Davis, Henry Grady, Design for Preaching Davis and Hays, ed., The Art of Reading Scripture Greidanus, Sidney, The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text: Interpreting and Preaching Biblical Literature Long, Thomas, The Witness of Preaching Rutledge, Flemming, Not Ashamed of the Gospel: Sermons from Paul's Letter to the Romans Ratzinger, Joseph, Dogma and Preaching: Applying Christian Doctrine to Daily Life Sawyer, John, The Fifth Gospel: Isaiah in the History of Christianity Stewart, James, Heralds of God Stibbs, A.M., Expounding God's Word Stott, John, Between Two Worlds Seitz, Christopher, Proclamation 4: AIDS for Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year: Series C Advent/Christmas Seitz, Christopher, Seven Lasting Words Thompson, Virgil ed., Justification Is for Preaching Von Balthasar, Hans Urs, Light of The Word: Brief Reflections on the Sunday Readings Willimon, William, Conversations with Barth on Preaching Woods, Susan K., Spiritual Exegesis and the Church in the Theology of Henri de Lubac 1

2 Course requirements 15% Attendance and participation 40% Sermon outlines (8 x 5%) 45% Full sermon (description below) Assignment descriptions Sermon Outlines: Students will be required to create 8 sermon outlines (including at least one on each of the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament and Gospels) and at least one that integrates all lectionary readings. Full Sermon: Students will be required to write a full sermon (8-10 pages) from one of the sermon outlines. Website As with most U of T and TST courses, this course has a website. Using the Blackboard resource, that is accessible through the Portal on the University of Toronto home page ( or directly at ( The website will contain the syllabus, course assignments, notices from time to time, and various other pieces of information. Importantly, it will also be the means for participating in your online tutorial group. This will be available under Tools => Discussion Board on the web site. Academic integrity All TST students are subject to U of T s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. Copies of the code are available at Please take special note of the section on plagiarism. For a helpful set of guidelines on how to avoid plagiarism, see to.ca/advice/using-sources/how-not-to-plagiarize. This is part of a more general and equally helpful website that provides advice on academic writing ( Course evaluation At the end of the course, students are expected to complete a course evaluation. The evaluation is done online and instructions will be contained in an message that will be sent out by the Wycliffe College registrar. Individual grades will not be made available until the student has logged into the site. College policy on assignment extensions Basic Degree students are expected to complete all course work by the end of the term in which they are registered. Under exceptional circumstances, with the written permission of the instructor, students may request an extension (SDF = standing deferred ) beyond the term. An extension, when offered, will have a mutually agreed-upon deadline that does not extend beyond the conclusion of the following term. An SDF must be requested no later than two weeks before the completion of the term in which the course is taken. The request form is available on the college website or from the Registrar s office. One percentage point per day will be deducted on the course grade if an extension has not been requested by the stated deadline. Course Schedule: 2

3 Dates Topics Readings Session 1 Thursday, Jan. 8 The Emmaus Road: The Risen Christ as the Form and Content of Preaching. Luke 24; D. Steinmetz, Chapter 2: The Superiority of Pre-Critical Exegesis, in Stephen Fowl, ed., The Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Classic and Contemporary Readings; Session 2 Tuesday, Jan. 13 Session 3 Tuesday, Jan. 20 Session 4 Thursday, Jan. 29 Preaching with the Fathers: The Fourfold Sense Preaching with the Medievals: The Fourfold Sense continued The Beautiful Captive Woman: Philosophy, Scripture and Preaching C. Hall, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers; Augustine, Exposition of Psalm 39 (40) (pp ) in Exposition of the Psalms Volume 2 (blackboard); 2 Kings 5; H. De Lubac, Spiritual Understanding (pp. 3-25) in Fowl; H. De Lubac, Introduction (pp. 1-15) and The Unity of the Two Testaments (pp ) in Medieval Exegesis (Volume 1): The Four Senses of Scripture H. De Lubac, The Beautiful Captive Woman (pp ) in Medieval Exegesis; A. Badiou, Saint Paul: The Foundation of Universalism Session 5 Tuesday, Feb. 10 Law and Gospel in preaching John 20 & 21; M. Luther, Sermon for the Tuesday after Easter (blackboard); G. Forde, Chapters 1 and 2, Theology is for Proclamation Session 6 Thursday, Feb. 19 (Christopher Seitz) Session 7 Friday, Feb. 20 Session 8 Saturday, Feb. 21 The Lectionary as Theological Construction The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness Isaiah for Preachers C. Seitz, Chapter 21: The Lectionary as Theological Construction (pp ), Word Without End: The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness C. Seitz, The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness (pp. 3-12) in Word Without End C. Seitz, Chapter 10: Isaiah and the Search for a New Paradigm 3

4 (pp ), Chapter 14: Isaiah in Parish Bible Study (pp ), and Chapter 15: Isaiah in New Testament, Lectionary, Pulpit (pp ) in Word Without End Session 9 Tuesday, Mar. 3 Modern Anxiety and the Consolations of Poetic Theology J. Donne, Sermon 4 on Psalm 63:7, John Donne s Sermons on the Psalms and Gospels, in Simpson, ed. (blackboard); J. Donne, Chapter 22: And Having Done That, Thou Hast Donne Between Noon and Three: Romance, Law and the Outrage of Grace, in Farrar Capon pp (blackboard); J. Donne, Death s Duel, Psalm LXVIII. 20, in fine (blackboard); R. Williams, Chapter 4: The Clamor of the Heart, The Wound of Knowledge (1990) Session 10 Tuesday, Mar. 10 Session 11 Tuesday, Mar. 17 Session 12 Thursday, Mar. 26 Preaching in the drama of Salvation Christology, Dogmatic Theology and the Preacher The Master Narrative and the Dominant Narrative: History, Scripture and Preaching the G. Whitefield, The Method of Grace (Blackboard); J. Wesley, May 1738, Journal, and after that date any 30 to 40 pages at random (Blackboard and full Journal on reserve); J. Wesley, God s Love to Fallen Man (Sermon 59) (blackboard); Augustine, Book 4 (pp ) in Teaching Christianity Romans 8; W. Willimon, Chapter 7: Heralds of God, Conversations with Barth on Preaching, pp (blackboard); K. Barth, Chapter 2: Criteria of the Sermon, (pp ), Homiletics (blackboard); K. Barth, Index, with Aids for the Preacher - Church Dogmatics (supplied) The Gospel of Mark; J. Updike, As Good as it Gets (Part 1), and An Umbrella 4

5 Gospel Blowing Inside Out: Paradoxical Theology and American Culture, John Updike and Religion: the Sense of the Sacred and the Motions of Grace (blackboard) Learning Outcomes Wycliffe College has developed detailed statements of learning outcomes for the MDiv, MTS and MRel programs. They are available on the College website. Learning outcomes have to do in part with the level of knowledge and skill that will be characteristic of a typical graduate of the program. In accordance with this overall statement, instructors are required to develop a statement of learning outcomes for each course. These outcomes will provide one of the benchmarks for evaluation and grading. (The following is based on the MDiv outcomes). COURSE OUTCOMES By the end of this course, students will have: 1. Learned ancient and medieval traditions of reading scripture, and understood their relevance and importance in preaching. 2. Been exposed to the rhetorical elements of preaching. 3. Learned to work with scripture and create sermon outlines. 4. Learned to use a variety of resources for preaching. 5. Understood the lectionary, its origins and its importance. COURSE ELEMENT This outcome will be achieved through these course elements: Readings and lectures Readings and lectures Assignments Supplementary readings and assignments Lectures and assignments 5