RELG 1102
(Revised 8/2008)
Instructor: Frank Bellizzi
Class
Meets: Wednesday, Noon to 12:50 PM at
the Amarillo Bible Chair
Office:
Phone: 372-5747
Semester
Credit Hours: 1
Prerequisite: None
E-mail: biblechair@amaonline.com
Website: www.amarillobiblechair.homestead.com/
Office
Hours: By Appointment
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Regular and
prompt attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. It is the responsibility of the student to
attend class, on time. Absences
totaling more than two class sessions will result in the loss of points toward
the final grade. Arriving late or leaving
early twice will count as one absence.
DESCRIPTION
OF COURSE:
“A study of the writings of St.
John and the applicability of them to today’s world.” (AC catalog).
TEXTBOOK:
A Bible.
A modern, standard translation—such as the New International Version,
Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard
Bible, or New King James Version-- is preferred. The King James Version (KJV), first published
in 1611, was for its time an excellent translation. It remains one of the great literary
achievements of all time. But the
English language has significantly changed over the last 400 years, making the
KJV hard for most modern students to read and understand. Do not read from the KJV in class.
PERFORMANCE/LEARNING OBJECTIVES (Minimum Competencies):
After studying the
material in this course the student will be able to do the following:
1. Explain the differences between John’s Gospel
compared to the Synoptic Gospels.
2. Become familiar with the events peculiar to
each of the twenty-one chapters of John.
3. Identify and discuss the purpose and
intentions of the Gospel of John.
4. Discuss the significance of the signs and “I
AM” statements recorded in the Gospel of John.
DISABILITY
STATEMENT:
Any student who, because of a disabling condition,
may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements
should contact Accessibility Services (Lib., Phone 371-5436) as soon as
possible.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS:
1.
Regular attendance.
Your instructor will
carefully keep attendance rolls. As per
the attendance policy stated above, two absences will be allowed before your grade
is directly affected by your attendance.
Arriving late or leaving early twice counts as one absence.
2.
Active participation in class.
3.
Written responses to questions.
The
questions that follow are designed to help the student learn the content and
meaning of
the
Gospel of John.
If
the student desires an A, he/she must answer 15 questions.
If
the student desires a B, he/she must answer 12 questions.
If
the student desires a C, he/she must answer 9 questions.
The
quality of the discussion on the questions determines the grade. For example,
superficial answers for 20 questions will not obtain an A grade. Each response must be at least a half page,
double-spaced, in length, and must adequately address the question in all its
parts. The responses should be typed or computer generated, double-spaced, and
have a bibliography of the works used.
Follow
this procedure: 1) state the question, 2) discuss the question at length (at
least half of a double-spaced page, and 3) indicate all sources used in
answering the question. The questions
are due on December 10.
1. For what purpose(s) was the
Gospel of John written?
2. Discuss the question of the
authorship of the Fourth Gospel. What are
the most important pieces of evidence for answering this question?
3. Discuss some of the differences
between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic tradition reflected by Matthew,
Mark, and Luke.
4. Who was John the Elder (also
called “the Presbyter”)?
5. Who was the Beloved Disciple?
6. Discuss the background and
meaning of the term logos. How and why
does John apply it to Jesus?
7. In what ways is the Prologue
(John 1:1-18) an introduction to and summary of this Gospel?
8. Beginning with John 1:5, discuss
the meaning of “light” and “darkness” in the Fourth Gospel.
9. What are the possible meanings
for “overcome” in John 1:5?
10. List reasons why some believe
that Nathaniel and Bartholomew are the same person.
11. What did Jesus mean when he said,
“My time has not yet come” (John 2:4)?
12. What is the significance of the
first sign Jesus performs, John 2:1-11?
13. John 2:22 says “. . . and they
believed the Scripture.” What does this
mean? What Scripture?
14. Contrast the characters and the
circumstances in Jesus’ interviews with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman.
15. Identify and discuss the
reference that Jesus makes in John 3:14.
16. What are some of the different
possible interpretations of John 3:34?
17. What is the background for the
parenthetical statement found at the end of John 4:9? Why didn’t Jews associate with Samaritans?
18. If “a prophet has no honor in his
own country,” why did Jesus leave Judea and go to his own country of Galilee
(John 4:44)?
19. Discuss the phrase “a feast of
the Jews” in John 5:1.
20. List all of the passages in the
Fourth Gospel that use the expression “eternal life.” Define the phrase as it is used in this
Gospel.
21. In John 5:25-29, Jesus refers to
a future resurrection of all people.
What are the sources and the history of this belief among the ancient
Jews?
22. Beginning with John chapter 5,
list all of the reasons you can find for the Jews’ rejection of Jesus.
23. Trace the idea of Jesus’ kingship
in the Fourth Gospel. Why did Jesus not
allow the Galileans to make him a king?
24. In John 6:51, Jesus said, “The
bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
What is the background, the setting, and the meaning of this statement?
25. Are the words of Jesus in John
6:53-58 a reference to the Lord’s Supper (or Communion)? Give reasons for your answer.
26. Briefly describe the Feast of the
Tabernacles. Why did Jesus go to this
feast after he had told his brothers that he would not go (John 7:1-10)?
27. Trace the logic of John 7:21-24.
28. Explain the meaning of John
7:37-39.
29. What is the basic evidence for
and against the inclusion of John 7:53-8:11?
30. Discuss the meaning of “slavery”
and “freedom” in John 8:31-38?
31. Jesus speaks of the devil as “a
murderer from the beginning” (John
8:44). What does this mean?
32. Beginning with John 8:12, list
the passages in this Gospel that present Jesus as the light. What seems to be the message of this
metaphor?
33. Find and discuss the
archeological evidence for the ancient Pool of Siloam mentioned in John 9.
34. What is the background and meaning
of the assertion recorded in John 9:31?
35. What is meant by the statement
that the Jews cast the blind man out (John 9:34)? What would this have meant for the blind man?
36. Discuss the relationship between
John chapters 9 and 10. How are the two
tied together? Is there any reason for
thinking that they are separated in time?
37. Using John 10, list and comment
on the characteristics of the Good Shepherd and the characteristics of the
sheep.
38. What is the Feast of Dedication
mentioned in John 10:22? What is its
historical background, time of observance, kind of celebration? Etc.
39. State in your own words the logic
of Jesus in John 10:34-36 in response to the charge of blasphemy.
40. Summarize Westcott’s introduction
to the raising of Lazarus: “the final sign and immediate issues.”
41. Discuss the meaning of John
11:9-10. How are these words a response
to the disciples’ question in the previous verse?
42. What is the significance of
Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem?
43. What is the meaning of “Hosanna!”
in John 12:13? What did the people who
were shouting this expression mean?
44. In what way(s) could the death of
Jesus be a judgment on the world (John 12:31)?
45. What are the main reasons for and
against believing that the supper of John 13 is the same as the Passover
recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke?
46. Since the Torah of Moses
commanded the love of neighbor (Lev. 19:18), how was Jesus’ command to love a
“new command” (John 13:34)?
47. Jesus told his disciples that he
would send them another Counselor (or Comforter; Greek parakletos) to be with them (John 14:16). Why did Jesus use this term?
48. Citing John 14:16-17, 14:26,
15:26, 16:5-14, describe the work and mission of the Counselor.
49. Give something of the Old
Testament and Palestinian background for Jesus’ allegory of the vine and the
branches (John 15:1-17).
50. For whom does Jesus pray in John
17? What are the specifics of his
requests for each group?
51. Explain the implied threat
recorded in John 18:12.
52. Like the other three Gospels, John does not
describe the crucifixion of Jesus in detail (unlike Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ). What might be some reasons for this?
53. John 19:14 brings up the question
of how time is counted in the Fourth Gospel.
Discuss this question.
54. Summarize Hendriksen’s discussion
of John 21 as an “Appendix.”