GENERAL BACKGROUND AND BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION. R. BROWN (ed.),
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990). R. BROWN/R.
SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO SEMINARY RELIGIOUS STUDIES DIVISION Master of Arts in Religious Studies: Sacred Scripture Comprehensive Examination Study Guide FOUNDATIONAL MATERIAL 1. Be prepared to spell correctly and provide a working definition of all one hundred terms on the List of Biblical Definitions provided in the Foundational Course in Sacred Scripture. 2. Develop an historical overview of the biblical period, including a consideration of Israel within the Ancient Near Eastern world and of Christianity within the Jewish and the Greco-Roman worlds; explain the importance of situating the Bible within the socio-cultural setting of any given period. 3. Discuss the most important sources for the text of the Bible, including both ancient versions and modern critical texts; describe two contemporary principles of translation and explain why many modern English translations differ from one another. 4. Give a working definition of “divine inspiration” and discuss various acceptable and four unacceptable explanations of it. Explain what is meant by “biblical inerrancy” and how it is understood in Catholic and Fundamentalist traditions. 5. Define canonicity and identify criteria used to affirm canonical status in each Testament, with examples from individual books; explain the terms “Deutero-canonical”, “Apocrypha” and “Pseudepigrapha” and identify the variations in the canon within Jewish, Catholic and Protestant traditions. 6. Trace the historical development of the canon of each Testament, including the formation of the three-fold canon of the Old Testament and the process of stabilization of the New Testament Canon; explain the teachings of the Council of Trent and the Vatican Council I on the canon. 7. Summarize the principal teachings of Providentissimus Deus, Divino Afflante Spiritu, Sancta Mater Ecclesia, Dei Verbum, and The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church; explain the relationship of Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium as presented in Dei Verbum. 8. Trace the development of the historical-critical method; identify its various disciplines or criticisms and explain their interrelationships; discuss current directives given by the Church to biblical scholars about the usage of the historical-critical method; discuss the concerns and directives of Pope John Paul II in his “Address to the PBC” on his reception of The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. 9. Define what is meant by “biblical fundamentalism”. Discuss its development and popularity, and provide the essential elements of a well-founded Catholic response to biblical fundamentalists. 1
10. Define the literary form gospel and explain the meaning of the term euangelion in the Old Testament and in non-biblical usage, as well as within the New Testament itself; identify and explain the three stages of gospel formation as defined in Sancta Mater Ecclesia (reaffirmed by Dei Verbum and the Catechism of the Catholic Church) and describe their impact upon a Catholic approach to the gospels as historical documents. 11. Describe the principal literary forms commonly found in the Bible, including covenant narrative, genealogy, proverb, oracles of judgment and salvation, lament, call narrative, midrash, myth, parable, miracle story, conflict story, epistle, apocalyptic; discuss the value of understanding literary forms for the interpretation of biblical texts. 12. Give the meaning of the terms “literal sense” and “sensus plenior” as defined in Divino Afflante Spiritu and explain the relationship between the two; trace the development of this understanding in the ancient, medieval and modern periods. 13. Identify the terms “Apostle,” “Disciple” and “The Twelve” and discuss their relationship to one another in New Testament usage; explain the importance of these terms for an understanding of baptismal membership and ordained ministry in the Church. THE PENTATEUCH 14. Outline the impact of historical-critical methods and methods of new literary analysis upon a general understanding of the Pentateuch (its purpose, composition and final form, etc.); trace the changing conception and dating of J. Wellhausen’s Documentary Hypothesis; discuss the question of Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch; present the main themes and theological affirmations of the ancestral narratives, the Exodus account, the Wilderness texts, and the legal material (Covenant Code, Holiness Code, and Deuteronomy). 15. Explain how consideration of the literary genre of the narratives in Genesis 1-11 affects the interpretation of this material; explain the major theological affirmations of the accounts of creation, the expulsion from the garden, the flood and the tower and city of Babel. PROPHETS OF ISRAEL 16. Explain the difficulties involved in drawing a clear picture of the role played by an Old Testament prophet; list at least three characteristics that they all have in common. 17. Give an overview of the significant classical prophets in pre-exilic, exilic and post-exilic Israel, including the historical background of their respective times and the principal themes of their teaching; explain the prophetic dimensions of Jesus’ ministry in the New Testament. WISDOM LITERATURE 18. Trace the development of Wisdom Literature in Israel and its relationship to wisdom movements in the Ancient Near East. 2
19. Discuss the authorship, structure and main themes of the individual wisdom books of the Old Testament; explain the contribution of Wisdom Literature and Psalms to Old Testament theology and to the mystery of Christ. SYNOPTIC GOSPELS 20. Explain the “synoptic fact” and define the “synoptic problem”; identify several approaches to the “synoptic problem” and discuss in detail the “Two-Source Theory”; explain the implications of this approach for the interpretation of gospel texts. 22. Present in summary fashion basic information about the author, date, primary sources, audience, purpose, structure of each gospel and the Christology of the synoptic gospels; be prepared to illustrate how each gospel conveys its purpose and develops its particular Christological emphases. 23. Identify and discuss the major theological and spiritual themes of the gospel of Mark; trace these themes in the gospels of Matthew and Luke; explain the value of Mark’s message for one’s own conversion and commitment to a Christian life. 24. Outline the pericopes of the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke, explain their similarities and differences, and identify the relationship of these narratives to the gospels as a whole. JOHANNINE LITERATURE 25. Discuss the authorship, structure and main themes of the Johannine Literature, along with its relationship to the Synoptic Gospels and the Pauline Corpus. 26. Explain the distinctive theological perspective of Johannine Literature on Christology, eschatology, and Christian living. EPISTLES OF PAUL 27. Give an overview of the life of Paul that considers relevant sections of the Acts of the Apostles and the autobiographical sections found in his letters. Discuss the categories of letters found in the Pauline Corpus and the critical judgments made by scholars about their authorship. 28. Present the basic Pauline teachings about the law and faith, the centrality of the Resurrection, the relationship of the Jews to the new Christian Church, ecclesiology, and ethics.
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SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO SEMINARY RELIGIOUS STUDIES DIVISION Master of Arts in Religious Studies: Sacred Scripture Comprehensive Examination Reading List
Summer, 2004
MAGISTERIAL DOCUMENTS DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN COUNCIL II Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) ENCYCLICALS Pope Leo XIII Providentissimus Deus (On the Study of Holy Scripture) Pope Pius XII Divino Afflante Spiritu (On Promoting Biblical Studies) INSTRUCTIONS OF THE PONTIFICAL BIBLICAL COMMISSION Sancta Mater Ecclesia (The Historical Truth of the Gospels) The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church PAPAL ADDRESS Address of Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Biblical Commission on his acceptance of the Instruction of the PBC, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church PASTORAL STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS “Pastoral Statement for Catholics on Biblical Fundamentalism” Origins 17 (1987) 376-377 COLLECTIONS OF MAGISTERIAL DOCUMENTS J. MEGIVERN, Bible Interpretation: Official Catholic Teachings (McGrath, 1978) The Bible Documents: A Parish Resource (Liturgy Training Publications, 2001) D.P. BECHARD, The Scripture Documents. An Anthology of Official Catholic Teachings (Liturgical Press, 2002) GENERAL BACKGROUND AND BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION R. BROWN (ed.), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990) R. BROWN/R. COLLINS, “Canonicity”, 1034-1054 R. BROWN/R. COLLINS, “Church Pronouncements”, 1166-1174 R. BROWN/S. SCHNEIDERS, “Hermeneutics”, 1146-1165 R. COLLINS, “Inspiration”, 1023-1033 R. BROWN, An Introduction to the New Testament, (Doubleday, 1997), ch.1-6 R. COLLINS, Introduction to the New Testament (Doubleday, 1983), ch.1, 2, and 3 J. FITZMYER, Biblical Commission Document “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church,” Text and Commentary (Subsidia Biblica 18) (Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1995) J. FITZMYER, Scripture: The Soul of Theology (Paulist Press, 1994) M.J. GORMAN, Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers 4
(Hendrickson, 2001) W. WEREN, Windows on Jesus: Methods in Gospel Exegesis (Trinity Press International, 1999) J.G. LODGE, “New Testament Studies: 1961-2001,” in Chicago Studies (Summer 2001), 139-151 OLD TESTAMENT WORKS J. BLENKINSOPP, A History of Prophecy in Israel (Westminster Press, 1983) R. BROWN (ed.), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990) R.E. MURPHY, “Introduction to the Pentateuch”, 3-7 J. MCKENNZIE, “Aspects of Old Testament Thought”, 1284-1315 B. VAWTER, “Introduction to Prophetic Literature”, 186-200 J. CRENSHAW, Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction (John Knox Press, 1981) R. MURPHY, The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature (Eerdmanns, 1996) J. SCULLION, Genesis: A Commentary for Students, Teachers and Preachers Old Testament Studies (Liturgical Press, 1992) C. WESTERMANN, The Living Psalms (Eerdmanns, 1989) NEW TESTAMENT WORKS R. BROWN, The Community of the Beloved Disciple (Paulist Press, 1979) --------, (ed.), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990) R. BROWN, et al., “Aspects of New Testament Thought”, 1354-1381 J. FITZMYER, “Paul”, 1329-1337 J. FITZMYER, “Pauline Theology”, 1382-1416 J. MEIER, “Jesus”, 1316-1328 F. MOLONEY, “Johannine Theology”, 1417-1426 F. NEIRYNCK, “Synoptic Problem”, 587-595 --------, An Introduction to the Gospel of John (Doubleday, 2003) J. FITZMYER, Luke the Theologian (Paulist Press, 1989) --------, A Christological Catechism (2nd ed) (Paulist Press, 1991) --------, According to Paul: Studies in the Theology of the Apostle (Paulist Press, 1993). J. MEIER, The Vision of Matthew (2nd ed) (Crossroad Publishing, 1991) J. MURPHY-O’CONNOR, Paul the Letter Writer: His World, His Options, His Skills (Liturgical Press, 1995) --------, Paul: A Critical Life (Oxford University Press, 1996) M. SOARDS, The Apostle Paul (Paulist Press, 1987) ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND Y. AHARONI, The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography (Westminster Press, 1979) --------, The Archaeology of the Land of Israel (Westminster Press, 1982) R. ALBERTZ, A History of the Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period (Westminster Press, 1994) Vol. 1-2 B. ANDERSON, Understanding the Old Testament (4th Ed) (Prentice-Hall, 1986) J. BARTON, “Classifying Biblical Criticism” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 29 (1984), 19-35 R. BROWN, The Critical Meaning of the Bible (Paulist Press, 1981) --------, (ed.), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, 1990) R. BROWN/ R. NORTH, “Biblical Geography”, 1175-1195 5
J. COLLINS, “Old Testament Apocalypticism and Eschatology”, 298-304 J. KSELMAN/ R. WITHERUP, “Modern New Testament Criticism”, 1130-1145 R. NORTH/ P. KING, “Biblical Archaeology”, 1196-1218 A. SUELZER/ J. KSELMAN, “Modern Old Testament Criticism”, 1113-1129 --------, An Introduction to the New Testament, (Doubleday, 1997) Appendix on “The Historical Jesus,” 817-830 -------- & J. MEIER, Antioch and Rome (Paulist Press, 1983) W. BRUEGGEMANN, The Message of the Psalms (Augsburg Press, 1984) R. COLLINS, Introduction to the New Testament (Doubleday, 1983) I. DE LA POTTERIE, The Hour of Jesus (St. Paul, 1989) J. FITZMYER, “Historical Criticism: Its Role in Biblical Interpretation and Church Life” Theological Studies 50 (1989): 244-259 --------, An Introductory Bibliography for the Study of Scripture Subsidia Biblica 3 (Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1990) W.L. HOLLADAY, The Psalms through Three Thousand Years: Prayerbook of a Cloud of Witnesses (Fortress Press, 1993) L.T. JOHNSON, The Writings of the New Testament (Fortress Press, 1986) --------, The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels (Harpers, 1996) T. KEEGAN, Interpreting the Bible: A Popular Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics (Paulist Press, 1985) F. MATERA, What Are They Saying About Mark? (Paulist Press, 1987) A. NICHOLS, The Shape of Catholic Theology (Liturgical Press, 1991) J. PLEVNIK, What Are They Saying About Paul? (Paulist Press, 1986) M. POWELL, What Are They Saying About Luke? (Paulist Press, 1987) --------, What Are They Saying About Acts? (Paulist Press, 1991) J. RATZINGER, “Foundations and Approaches of Biblical Exegesis” in R. Neuhaus (ed.), Biblical Interpretation in Crisis: The Ratzinger Conference on Bible and Church Encounter Series 9 (Eerdmanns, 1989) D. SENIOR, What Are They Saying About Matthew? (Paulist, 1996) R. SCHNACKENBURG, Jesus in the Gospels: A Biblical Christology (Westminster Press, 1995) L. THOMPSON, The Book of Revelation: Apocalypse and Empire (Oxford Press, 1990) B. VAWTER, The Path of Wisdom (Glazier, 1986) G. VON RAD, Wisdom in Israel (Abingdon Press, 1972) C. WESTERMANN, Praise and Lament in the Psalms (John Knox Press, 1981)
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