Contents

1. Course Description
2. Course Objectives
3. Required Texts
4. Supplementary Texts
5. Course Evaluation
6. Course Outline & Schedule of Readings
7. Bibliography

Course Description

Text and Interpretation — Each course in this series examines the literary structure, narrative development, authorial purpose and interpretation of a book in the Old Testament in its historical context, with an effort to discover the continuing relevance of that book in the development of Judeo-Christian theological understanding. Prerequisites: RLGS 101, 102.

Course Objectives

If it is true that that antinomianism is the dominant heresy in the modern church in the West, as some suggest, the significance of the decalogue in the history of Christian reflection and, indeed, in the history of civilization is beyond dispute. Theologians have long pondered its “uses,” from its role in spiritual awareness and formation to the ordering of civic society. The ten words (Deuteronomy 4:13) enjoy a special status that goes back to their presentation in the Pentateuch itself. And yet their precise role in the synagogue, the church, and broader society remains, in each sphere, a matter for debate.

In this course students will become familiar with current scholarship on the ten commandments, especially in the context of Christian discourse. They will write a short research paper on one commandment in particular, on which they will also conduct an interview or pursue some other kind of contemporary study. The results of both investigations will be presented before their peers.

Required Texts

1. A Bible in a modern English translation. Many scholars use the NRSV, which is available with Tyndale’s subscription to http://oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/. A number of other Study Bibles will also do. Paraphrastic translations will not. If you need a new Bible, I recommend The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha, edited by M. D. Coogan (Oxford, 2001).

2. Carl E. Braaten and Christopher R. Seitz, eds. I Am the Lord Your God: Christian Reflections on the Ten Commandments. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005.

3. Patrick D. Miller. The Ten Commandments: Interpretation: Resources for the Use of Scripture in the Church. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009.

Supplementary Texts

1. Hebrew-English parallel version of Exodus 20: mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0220.htm#1

2. Hebrew-English parallel version of Deuteronomy 5: mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0505.htm#4

3. This American Life, Episode #332: “The Ten Commandments.” Available online at thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/332, with an outline, a full transcript, and a bonus interview. Free to stream or read; mp3 download costs $0.99 (USD).

Course Evaluation

1. Each week of class will commence with a reading quiz. These are designed to ensure that you have read the assigned material carefully. Quizzes may not be made up in the case of absence, though in special cases they may be taken in advance. The final exam will also hold you responsible for the content they cover. If you miss a quiz, see a classmate.

2. A midterm paper on one of the ten commandments is due at the start of the first class after reading week, at 2:30 PM on 27 February 2012.
   • Aim to write ten to twelve pages representing your research into ten to twelve high-quality sources. About half of your sources should be peer-reviewed. (Use the internet with caution.) At least one needs to be someone from the Jewish or Christian exegetical tradition. See Turner’s excursus on Augustine (Braaten & Seitz, pp. 11–13) for an example of what this might look like.
   • Papers need to have a clear, strong thesis, and should be free of grammatical errors. Better papers will transition naturally between well-developed paragraphs, each of which support the main argument with details, illustrations and competently handled quotations. The Writing Centre is available to help you with surface-level and deeper-level issues in writing. I strongly recommend that you make use of this free resource well before the due date. Allow yourself time to write and revise.
   • Short, fifteen-minute summaries of the papers will be presented in class in the week that the papers are due (commandments 1–5 on Monday, 27 Feb; commandments 6–10 on Wednesday, 29 Feb). To facilitate this, students must prepare a double-sided handout based on their work. Bring enough copies to distribute to the class.
   • Late papers will be penalized a full letter grade per day, namely, 20% for the first day and 10% thereafter. Extensions will be granted very rarely, and only on the basis of bureaucracy-grade documentation.
3. Augmenting the scholarly research of the midterm paper, students will arrange an interview or conduct some other inquiry into contemporary attitudes (in film, for example, or other media) to the the same commandment or its theme.
   • Refer to the This American Life episode on the Ten Commandments for sample interviews. Think carefully about who you might want to interview, and about how to approach them. Prepare a thoughtful list of questions in advance, and conduct the interview with professionalism. You do not necessarily need to record the interview, but you should take notes of some kind so that you can write it up accurately. If you do plan to make a recording, get the interviewee’s permission first, and be prepared to do without the recording if they decline.
   • As an alternative, create something that interacts with the theme of your commandment in media (radio, TV, print, film, visual arts, etc). For instance, you could make a mashup of film clips pertaining to your commandment and post the video to the web. Successful projects will model sensitivity to the theme of the law and the media gathered to it.
   • Show, play or summarize your work in class. Time will be set aside for this in the second part of the semester (sign-up sheet to follow).

4. The final exam will be held during exam week, 11–18 April 2012, as scheduled by the Registrar.

5. The semester’s work will be weighted as follows, though the instructor reserves the right to adjust the balance as necessary:

My attendance policy follows the one set forth in the Academic Calendar (cf. “Classroom Expectations and Guidelines”). Missing more two weeks of class (two sessions of a once-per-week course, or four sessions of a twice-per-week course) results in an automatic reduction of the final grade by one letter. Missing more than four weeks of class results in an automatic F for the course. Students are permitted up to two weeks’ absences for any reason. If you simply miss a class or two, you do not need to email me to tell me about why. Should you find yourself in extenuating circumstances, be prepared to document your case formally for the Academic Standards Committee.

Finally, students are responsible to keep a backup print copy of all assignments.

Course Outline & Schedule of Readings

Except in the case of Miller, surnames refer to contributors to the volume edited by Braaten & Seitz.

Please note that this is a tentative schedule. The instructor reserves the right to adjust it as necessary.

Bibliography

• Reventlow, Henning Graf and Yair Hoffman, eds. The Decalogue in Jewish and Christian Tradition. New York: T&T Clark, 2011.
• See the bibliography in Miller, pp. 433–446.
• Further web resources are under development.