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Course Syllabus
Course title: Course description: Course instructor: ET 511-3 Old Testament Introduction This course is designed to acquaint the student with the important issues related to the inspiration, canon, text, message, and relevance of the Old Testament. Robert R. Gonzales Jr. is a graduate of the Reformed Baptist School of Theology, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also holds a Master of Arts degree (M.A.) in Theology and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Old Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones University. He is the author of Where Sin Abounds: the Spread of Sin and the Curse in Genesis with a Special Focus on the Patriarchal Narratives (Wipf & Stock, 2010) and a contributor to the Reformed Baptist Theological Review, The Founders Journal, and Westminster Theological Journal. Bob and his wife, Becky, have five children. 3 credits Student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements: The student must listen to the 20 lectures by Dr. Bob Gonzales on OT Introduction, which are available as podcast for download or streaming on Virtual Campus. The student must complete the following assigned reading: Read the following Old Testament Introduction in its entirety: Merrill, Eugene H., Mark F. Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti. The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament. B & H Academic, 2011. Read at least 300 pages from the following works (or works the instructor approves of). The student should select works that contribute most towards his research paper. Alexander, T. D. The Servant King: The Bibles Portrait of the Messiah, pp. 7120. Regent College Publishing, 1998. [approx. 110 pages] Archer, Gleason, Jr. New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Zondervan, 2001. [approx. 300 pages in OT section] _________. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. [approx. 600 pages] Baker, David L. Two Testaments, One Bible: The Theological Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments. Third edition. Intervarsity, 2010. Barrett, Michael P. V. Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament. Ambassador-Emerald International, 1999. [approx. 320 pages]. Beale, G. K., and D. A. Carson, editors. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Baker Academic, 2007. [approx. 1,200 pages] Beale, G. K., editor. The Right Doctrine from the Wrong Text? Essays on the Use of the Old Testament in the New. Baker Academic, 1994. [approx. 420 pages] Bell, Robert D. The Theological Messages of the Old Testament. BJU Press, 2010. [approx. 490 pages]

Course credit: Course requirements: (1) Lectures (2) Reading

Beckwith, Roger T. The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church. Wipf & Stock, 1985. [approx. 500 pages] Brotzman, Ellis R. Old Testament Textual Criticism: A Practical Introduction. Baker Books, 1994. [approx. 200 pages] Dillard, Raymond and Tremper Longman III. An Introduction to the Old Testament. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. [approx. 520 pages] Clowney, Edmund P. The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament. Presbyterian & Reformed, 1988. [approx. 200 pages]. Currid, John. Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament. Baker Books, 1997. [approx. 250 pages] ________. Doing Archaeology in the Land of the Bible: A Basic Guide. Baker Books, 1999. [approx. 125 pages] Edershiem, Alfred. Old Testament Bible History, updated edition. Reprint, Hendricksen, 1994. [approx. 1400 pages] Gaebelein, Frank E., editor. The Expositors Bible Commentary. Vol. 1, pp. 197405. Zondervan, 1979. [approx. 730 pages] Greidanus, Sidney. Preaching Christ from the Old Testament. Eerdmans, 1999. [approx. 350 pages] Harrison, Roland K. Introduction to the Old Testament. Reprint, Hendrickson Publishers, 2004. [approx. 1,270 pp.] Hess, Richard. Israelite Religions: An Archaeological and Biblical Survey. Baker Academic, 2007. [approx. 420 pages] Hill, Andrew E., and John H. Walton. A Survey of the Old Testament. Second edition. Zondervan, 2000. [approx. 600 pages] Hoerth, Alfred. Archaeology and the Old Testament. Baker, 1997. [approx. 480 pages] Hoffmaier, James K. Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition. Oxford, 2005. [approx. 300 pages] ________. Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition. Oxford, 1996. [approx. 200 pages] Johnson, Dennis E. Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures. Presbyterian & Reformed, 2007. [approx. 450 pages] Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. Hard Sayings of the Old Testament. Intervarsity Press, 1988. [approx. 250 pages] ________. More Hard Sayings of the Old Testament. Intervarsity Press, 1992. [approx. 260 pages] ________. Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament. Baker/Revell, 2003. [208 pages] ________. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Zondervan, 1995. [approx. 240 pages] ________. The Old Testament Documents: Are They Reliable and Relevant? Intervarsity Press, 2000. [216 pages] ________. Toward Rediscovering the Old Testament. Zondervan, 1991. [approx. 200 pages]

Kitchen, Kenneth A. On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Eerdmans, 2003. [approx 500 pages] Kline, Meredith G. The Structure of Biblical Authority. Second edition. Eerdmans, 1975. [approx. 210 pages] La Sor, William S., David A. Hubbard, Frederic W. Bush, and Leslie Allen. Old Testament Survey. Second edition. Eerdmans, 1996. [approx. 850 pages] Longman, Tremper, III. Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998. [approx. 140 pages] Motyer, Alec. Look to the Rock: An Old Testament Background to Our Understanding of Christ. Kregel Academic & Professional, 1996. [approx. 250 pages] Merrill, Eugene H. Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel, 2nd edition. Baker Academic, 2008. [approx. 530 pages] Niehaus, Jeffrey J. Ancient Near Eastern Themes in Biblical Theology. Kregel Academic & Professional, 2008. [approx. 200 pages] Oswalt, John N. The Bible Among Ancient Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? Zondervan, 2009. [approx. 200 pages] Provan, Iain, V. Philips Long, and Tremper Longman III. A Biblical History of Israel. Westminster/John Knox Press, 2003. [approx. Schultz, Samuel J. The Old Testament Speaks. Third edition. Harper & Row, 1980. [approx. 425 pages] Walton, John H. Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Zondervan, 1989. [approx. 250 pages] ________. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Bible. Baker Academic, 2006. [approx. 350 pages] Wright, Christopher. Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament. Intervarsity Press, 1992. [approx. 250 pages] Young, Edward J. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Eerdmans, 1960. [approx. 400 pages] When he has completed the reading, the student should notify the dean and indicate which works have been read and how many pages from each work. The student may be allowed to substitute other reading for the requirements listed above, but he must obtain approval from his mentor and course instructor before doing so. If the student has any questions about what works might serve best to contribute to this term paper, he should contact the instructor, Dr. Gonzales (rgonz985@gmail.com). (3) Study Questions The student should complete the Old Testament Introduction Study Guide definitions, listings, and discussion questions, which are based primarily upon your reading in the assigned Old Testament Introduction. The student should neatly format the questions and answers and send them to the course instructor for credit. The student will be tested over the material covered in the study guide. The student should learn this material in preparation for the exam. The exam will consist of multiple-choice, matching, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions that are based on the information gleaned from the students study guide. The student may not use his study guide, textbooks, or Internet helps to take the exam. The final exam constitutes 60% of the students grade. The student will have 90 minutes to take the exam.

(4) Exam

(5) Term Paper

The student should write a term paper on one of the following three subjects: 1. A Defense of the Essential Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch The paper should summarize and evaluate the various post-Enlightenment critical views on the authorship and composition of the Pentateuch. In addition to critiquing the various critical views, the paper should provide a biblical and cogent defense for essential Mosaic authorship. 2. A Defense of the Reliability of the Old Testament The paper should summarize the problem of the alleged discrepancies in the OT, identifying the various types (numerical, historical, doctrinal, and ethical) and providing some examples of each. The paper should also articulate a biblical defense of the inspiration and reliability of the OT as well as offer possible solutions to these alleged discrepancies. 3. Comparative Studies of the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament The paper should address both the values and also the potential dangers of studying the Old Testament in light of non-inspired ancient Near Eastern literature and archaeological data. The paper should provide concrete examples of both the misuse of ANE parallels as well as the proper use of ANE parallels. 4. The Relevance and Value of the Old Testament for the New Testament Church The paper should address the issue of the abiding relevance of the Old Testament for the New Testament church. The student should seek to address criticisms that the teachings or ethics of the Old Testament are inferior to or inconsistent with the New Testament. The paper should also demonstrate various ways in which Old Testament benefits the New Testament church. 5. Finding and Preaching Christ in the Old Testament The paper should discuss the manner and extent in which the Old Testament bears witness to the person and work of Christ; it should highlight the continuity of both testaments while also highlighting the progressive nature of special revelation. The paper should include some practical guidelines for interpreting and preaching Christ from the Old Testament Scriptures. More information about any of the suggested topics above can be solicited from the instructor, Dr. Gonzales (rgonz985@gmail.com). The student may write on another topic not listed above but that is related to the study of the Old Testament contingent on the instructors approval. The paper must be 20 to 25 pages in length (double-spaced) with at least 2 pages of bibliography and should conform to the term paper standards set forth in the RBS Guidelines & Expectations for Students and more fully in A Manual for Writers of Term Paper, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th edition by Kate L. Turabian. The student will submit a first draft of the paper to the instructor. The instructor will note any modifications that need to be made. Then the student will revise the first draft and submit a final draft for grading. The student should use and reference secondary sources such as Bible dictionary or encyclopedia articles, journal articles, or books like those listed above.

Course grading:

Lectures = 10% Reading = 10% Exam over Study Questions = 40% Final Paper = 40%