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BI630CE Johannine Literature: The Gospel, Letters and Book of Revelation





This course addresses the Gospel of John, the letters of John, and the book of Revelation. Students will learn some fundamental principles of biblical interpretation.  Then, these principles will be used to explore the Johannine texts, with special attention paid to the Gospel of John.  As a course for the continuing education of Catholic Deacons, special attention will be paid to the liturgical and homiletic import of the scriptural texts.


Course Syllabus

Learning objectives: BI801DE

  • Course description: This course will study the Gospel of John, the letters of John, and the book of Revelation. Students will learn some fundamental principles of biblical interpretation.  Then, these principles will be used to explore the Johannine texts, with special attention paid to the Gospel of John.  As a course for the continuing education of Catholic Deacons, special attention will be paid to the liturgical and homiletic import of the scriptural texts.
  • Course objectives:
    • After taking this course, students will:
      • Gain an understanding of the historical-critical method and be asked to apply it to the scriptural text.
      • Be able to analyze a text and be able to interpret it for a modern audience.
      • Be able to give meaningful reflections on the text of John’s Gospel while being true to the original meaning of the text.
      • See how the Johannine literature fits into the canon of scripture.
    • Methodology / requirements:
      • There will be a mid-term exam, especially focusing on principles of interpretation and the historical background of the Gospel of John.
      • There will be three written assignments where students will prepare a homily based upon assigned texts.
      • There will be a final exam where students will be asked to explain issues arising from the Gospel text.

 

 

Course Layout

Module Topic of Discussion

Online Lecture

 Student Assignment
Readings from Textbook or Online Sources (include URL for sources) Student Assignment – Written document upload or Activity journal entry Online Forum Discussion Online Quiz

(one or two quizes during the semester)
1 Course introduction.

Overview of the Historical Critical Method

Overview of the nature and purpose of the homily

 Dei Verbum chapter 3: 11-13

Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, especially part I: A-F

Preaching the Mystery of Faith.

 Teleconference Call
2 Gospel of John Background and History, pt 1 Introduction to the Gospel of John: Preface, 1,2,3,5
3 Gospel of John Background and History, pt 2 Intro: 5,6,8
4 Prologue of John’s gospel Exegesis handout, sacrament handout

Jn 1:1-1:19

 Quiz 1
5 Book of Signs pt 1 &2 Intro: 9

Jn 1:19-4

 Lenten Homily for First Scrutiny: Jn 4:5-42 Teleconference Call
6 Book of Signs pt 3 Jn 5-10
7 Book of Signs pt 4 Jn 11-12 Quiz 2
8 Book of Glory pt 1 Jn 13-15 Homily for Holy Thursday Jn 13:1-15 (please read the Roman Missal concerning the Homily)
9 Book of Glory pt 2 Intro: 7

Jn 16-17

Romans ch 8.
10 The Death of the Messiah Jn 18-19
11 Resurrection

 

 Jn 20-21 Easter Sunday Homily Jn 20:1-9 Teleconference Call
12 Letters of John

The Book of Revelation

 1 Jn; 2 Jn; 3 Jn;

Revelation

The Lamb’s Supper
Final Exam Final Paper Uploaded Online Exam

 

Required textbooks: Gospel of John BI801DE

  • The Gospel of John; Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. Eds. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.  San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012.
  • Raymond Brown, S.S. An Introduction to the Gospel of John. Ed. Francis J. Maloney.  New York: Doubleday, 2003.
  • Scott Hahn.  The Lamb’s Supper.  New York: Doubleday, 1999.

 

Official Church Documents:

  • Pontifical Biblical Commission. "Interpretation of the Bible in the Church." 15 April 1993. EWTN. 21 November 2008. <http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PBCINTER.htm>.
  • USCCB.  “Preaching the Mystery of Faith.”  Washington, D.C.: USCCB, 2012.
  • Dei Verbum.  18 November 1965. Vatican: Holy See.<http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_lt.html>.

 

Recommended:

  • Brown, Raymond, S.S. The Gospel According to John. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1966. 2 vols.
  • Brown, Raymond E., S.S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., Roland Murphy, O.Carm., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1990.
  • USCCB.  “Fulfilled in your Hearing.”  Washington, D.C.: USCCB, 1982. <http://www.usccb.org/_cs_upload/8090_1.pdf>
  • Johnson, Luke Timothy.  The Real Jesus.  San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1996.
  • Johnson, Luke Timoth and William S. Kurz, S.J.  The Future of Catholic Biblical Scholarship: A Constructive Conversation.  Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002.
  • Maloney, Francis J., S.D.B. The Gospel of John. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. Vol. 4. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press: A Michael Glazier Book, 1998.
  • Martin, Francis and William Wright IV, The Gospel of John.  Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015
  • Mussner, Franz. The Historical Jesus in the Gospel of St John. New York: Herder and Herder, 1967.
  • Ratzinger, Joseph. "Biblical Interpretation in Crisis." Biblical Interpretation in Crisis: The Ratzinger Conference on Bible and Church. Ed. Richard John Neuhaus. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989. 1-23.
  • Schneiders, Sandra M., I.H.M. The Revelatory Text. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1999.

 

 







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