Jeremiah and Ezekiel
OT 622 Houston Graduate School of Theology
Spring 2005 Chuck Pitts, Ph.D.
713-942-9505 (office)
A study of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Attention is given to the content, form, and style, and to the historical and literary contexts as well as to exegetical methods, interpretation, and application.
By the end of the semester, the student should be able to:
1. Attendance and class participation based on daily assignments (see policies below).
2. Readings from the textbooks, as assigned in the schedule below. Reading assignments will be assessed by means of a question on the final exam.
3. Major Research Assignment on a topic from the Book of Jeremiah.
a. The student should prepare a 12-20 page research paper, following the guidelines of Turabian and the HGST catalog. Suggested topics for the paper may be found at the end of this syllabus. The paper should demonstrate in-depth research of the topic, including at least 10 sources beyond class textbooks. The ability to follow form guidelines will enter into the evaluation of the project.
b. The student should plan to utilize the Rice Fondren Library for the completion of this assignment.
c. A topic and initial bibliography is due in class during the class period of the week of Feb. 22. The student should demonstrate significant research to identify materials needed to adequately research the chosen topic.
d. The student must submit a selected and initial bibliography (at least 10-12 sources) during the 5th class meeting of the semester.
e. The paper is due in class during the 8th class period of the semester (see schedule).
f. The student should prepare a brief summary (written and oral) to share with the class during the class period in which the project is due. The oral presentation will make up 10% of the grade for the project, so the student must be present to make his or her presentation.
4. Critical Book Review—Each student will read a book from the bibliography and prepare and present a review of the book in class. Students may use any book from the section “Other Studies” for a book review. The student may use books in the “General Works” section if the book is marked with **. Many of the books are available from the HGST or Rice libraries, and many of them may be purchased online. The student is responsible to find the book for review. If the book chosen is less than 200 pages, then the student should supplement the review with an annotated bibliography from the journal articles and essays found in the bibliography. The book review should follow the guidelines given for critical book reviews in class. The written review will be 4-6 pages. The oral presentation should be 3-5 minutes. The reviews (both written and oral) are due during the class period of the week of April 19. The presentation will make up 10% of the grade for the review, thus the student must be in class for the presentation.
5. Take Home Final Exam—The student will receive the take home exam before the final week of class. The exam is due during the final class period of the semester. The class will meet on this day for final summations and discussion of the exams.
Final grades will be calculating according to the following system.
Class Participation and Daily Reading 10%
Research Project 40%
Book Review 20%
Final Exam 30%
1. Attendance is required at scheduled classes, and at the scheduled start time. Two excused absences will not affect the student’s grade, but more than this will affect the student’s class participation grade. The student could lose as much as a letter grade for excessive tardiness and absences.
2. Work is expected on the due date. With prior permission from the instructor, late work will receive a letter grade reduction until it is one week late, and a two-letter grade reduction until two weeks late. After two weeks, the assignment will not be accepted and a zero will be entered for the assignment.
3. Cell
phones and pagers are distractions to class and should be avoided. The student
should turn pagers and cell phones off, or to vibrate.
4. Incompletes:
a. Any student who requests an extension for this course must complete a
“Request for Extension/Grade Change” form, which can be obtained from the
Registrar.
b. The form must be signed by both the student and the instructor and returned to the Registrar’s Office along with a fee of $25.00 before the deadline for extensions (May 13, 2005).
c. Extensions are granted only for
extenuating circumstances and may not exceed thirty calendar days from the end
of the semester (June 13, 2005). All
extensions are subject to review by the Dean of the Faculty.
d. If the student has not completed the work by June 18, 2005, the
grade of “I” will be replaced by “F,” this will be figured into computing the
student’s grade point average.
5. Plagiarism
- Plagiarism in any form is not acceptable and severe penalties will be applied
to any student who chooses to do so.
a. Plagiarism is defined as representing the work (written, thought, or conclusion) of another as your own. Any phrase longer than three words obtained from the work of another must be attributed to its original author. Please use proper citations and credit the original author when necessary. Internet plagiarism is rampant in some schools. As a seminary, HGST holds its students to the highest standard and expects them to avoid temptation. Please do not “Cut and Paste” portions of documents from the Internet into your paper without proper citation. Papers will be checked online for plagiarism.
b. If a portion of a paper is plagiarized from the work of another the student will receive a grade of zero (F) for the paper or assignment. Blatant plagiarism of large portions a paper/ assignment, or a second offence of plagiarism will result in failing the course and a conference with the Dean of the Faculty to determine if dismissal from HGST is warranted.
6. Library Usage—The student will find it necessary to utilize the following library facilities, in addition to the HGST library.
a. Fondren Library at Rice University is probably the best Houston library for your purposes. The Fondren Library (713-348-5113) is located at 6100 Main. For more information, please visit www.rice.edu/fondren.
The procedure for borrowing books at the Fondren Library is:
First, search the online catalog (www.rice.edu/fondren) for available books;
Second, fill out the appropriate form for each book (available in the HGST library), have the form signed by an authorized HGST library representative, and take with you to the Fondren Library;
Third, retrieve the book(s) yourself at Fondren Library;
Fourth, take the book(s) and the signed form(s) to the circulation desk at the Fondren Library to complete checkout (return the yellow copy to the HGST Library);
Fifth, when you return your book(s) to the Fondren Library, they will indicate so on the pink and gold copies; and
Sixth, return the pink copy to the HGST Library and keep the gold copy for your records.
b. Cardinal Beran Library at St Mary's Seminary is the home of an extensive theological library. St Mary's Seminary (713-686-4345) is located at 9845 Memorial Drive. For more information, please visit http://beran.stthom.edu. The Doherty Library on the main campus of University of St Thomas is also an option.
c. The Houston Public Library is conveniently located for HGST students. The Central Library (832-393-1313) is located at 500 McKinney. In addition, HPL has many other locations. For more information, please visit www.hpl.lib.tx.us. The HPL, as well as the Harris County Public Library, can obtain almost any desired published source through interlibrary loan, usually at no cost to the patron.
d. Harris County Public Library. For more information on locations and hours, visit www.hcpl.net.
GRADING
SCALE
The following grading system will be used for this class, remembering that and “A” is a superior grade, a “B” an above average grade, and a “C” is quality, satisfactory work.
A = 94-100% C = 78-85%
B = 86-93% D = 70-77%
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
1. English Old Testament, preferably in a modern translation (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, JPS).
2. Keck, Leander, et al, eds. The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VI. Nashville: Abingdon, 2001.
3. A second commentary from the bibliography on Jeremiah. The student should compare them and purchase (or obtain from a library) one of his or her choice. From the bibliography, the instructor recommends the commentaries by Fretheim, Holladay, Bright, Clements, McKane, Thompson, and Brueggemann (1997). Of these six, the volumes by Holladay and McKane require knowledge of biblical Hebrew for full usage. The volume by Thompson is the most evangelical. Fretheim’s commentary is the newest. Other commentaries in the bibliography are also acceptable. **The student should read the second commentary according to the schedule of Jeremiah for the course.**
Jan. 20/25 Introduction to Course
Jan. 27/Feb. 1 Introduction
to Jeremiah IB
555-572; 573; 666-667; 731; 768-770; 842; 878-889;
Jer. 1-52; 2nd
Intro.
Feb. 3/8 Jeremiah 1:1-2:13 IB 573-589; 596-600
Feb. 10/15 Jeremiah 3:6-4:4; 17:1-13; 6:1-30 IB 604-609; 625-632; 707-712
Feb. 17/22 Jeremiah 7:1-8:3; 26:1-24; 23:9-40 IB 634-642; 772-777; 747-756
**Research
Project Topic & Initial Bibliography Due
Feb. 24/Mar. 1
Jeremiah 18:1-17; 19:1-20:6 IB
714-724
Mar. 8/10 No Class—Spring Break
Mar. 3/15 Jeremiah
11:18-12:6; 15:10-21; IB
673-678; 696-700
17:14-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-18 IB 709-710; 716-717; 726-730
Mar. 17/22 **Research
Projects Due—Student Presentations**
Mar. 24 (night) No Class—Maundy Thursday
Mar. 29/31 Jeremiah 23:1-23:8; 24:1-10 IB 739-746; 757-759
Apr. 5/7 Jeremiah
30-31 IB
804-816
Apr. 12/14 Jeremiah
32-33 IB
819-828
Apr. 19/21 **Book
Reviews due—Student Presentations**
May 3/5 Ezekiel
4:1-5:4; 8-10; 36-37 IB 1141-1151; 1154-1156;
1172-1184;
1189-1191;
1480-1511
May 10/12 Take Home Final
Exams due
POSSIBLE RESEARCH PROJECT TOPICS
The Chronology of Jeremiah and/or the Book of Jeremiah
Sin and/or Repentance in the Book of Jeremiah
Judgment in the Book of Jeremiah
Individualism (or Individual Responsibility) in Jeremiah
The Attitude of Jeremiah toward the Cult (=Organized Religion)
The Relationship of Ezekiel to Jeremiah
The “Word of the Lord” in Jeremiah
Messianic Teaching in Jeremiah
The Place of the Covenant/Covenant Theology in Jeremiah
Prophets and Prophecy in the Book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah’s Call and Its Effect on His Ministry
The “Foe from the North” in Jeremiah
The Influence of Hosea on Jeremiah
Jeremiah’s Concept/Theology of Exile
The Remnant/Restored Community in the Book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah’s Polemic Against the Canaanite Cult (Baalism)
The Effect of Jeremiah’s Personal Life on His Ministry
The Historical Background of the Ministry of Jeremiah
Jeremiah’s Attitude Toward Babylon
Jeremiah’s Relationship with Judah’s Leadership
Jeremiah’s “Confessions” and What They Say About Jeremiah
The Text of Jeremiah (i.e. study the issue of the Hebrew/Greek texts and the origins of the book)
The Canonical Arrangement of Jeremiah (i.e. compare the Septuagint and Masoretic order)
Jeremiah’s “Sign Acts” and Their Role in His Ministry
The Doublets in the Book of Jeremiah and Their Importance in the Book
The Imagery of the Book of Jeremiah
An “alternative” hermeneutic of Jeremiah (i.e. Liberation, Feminist, Third World, African-American)
Jeremiah’s Relationship to (or Attitude Toward) Josiah’s Reform
An Exegetical of a Selected Text from the Book of Jeremiah