BN8316B The Story of Jesus, Gospel and Early Church

Description

This unit is designed to ground students in the New Testament story as a basis for understanding Scripture and the Christian faith. Students will be introduced to the captivating narratives of the New Testament in their literary, cultural, historical, social, and religious contexts. Moreover, the unit will explore the place of the epistles within the broader tapestry of the Early Church's story as well as examine the narrative dimensions of Pauline theology. It will also discuss the key theological themes and ideas, highlighting their relevance for Christian life and mission. 

Level

Postgraduate Foundational

Semester

Winter Intensive 2027

Delivery Mode

Online Intensive

Dates

7 - 18 June 2027

As this is an intensive unit, it is expected that students will be available every day during the two-week period. There will be a mix of personal work and online class discussions. Daily online afternoon sessions will be held 7-11 and 15-18 June at 1.00 to 2.30 pm AEST. 

Students will be required to engage with the online material each day and then join a Teams meeting for discussion most afternoons. Students should come to each class discussion having engaged with the material outlined for each day. The class discussions will assume students have worked through the online material and will be a discussion of the ideas and concepts of those topics.  

Lecturer/s 

Reverend Dr Arseny Ermakov 

Prerequisites 

No prerequisites required. 

Learning Activities 

The pedagogy of this unit is attuned to online and blended delivery. Teaching and learning in the unit occur through various student-centred learning experiences. Apart from undertaking assessment-for-learning tasks, students will engage with guided readings, exegetical exercises, knowledge applications, reflections, podcasts, video lessons, etc. Online workshops will provide spaces for peer-to-peer learning and developing discipline-specific and soft skills. 

* This unit is offered at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level. Students may engage with people across both levels when this unit is delivered. 

Assessments 

Assessment 1 – 15%
Assessment 2 – 50%
Assessment 3 – 35% 

Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Outline key content of New Testament narratives giving attention to their historical and literary contexts. 
2. Identify major theological themes of the New Testament. 
3. Reflect on the literary and narrative nature of New Testament texts. 
4. Apply basic exegetical skills to selected New Testament texts. 
5. Relate insights gained from the New Testament to a range of life and ministry situations. 

Text Books 

There is no required text for this unit.