Reading New Testament Letters (THE3044)

30 credits

This module will give you the opportunity to engage in close reading of two New Testament letters, one from among those written by the apostle Paul, one from among those attributed to other authors, or widely thought to be pseudonymous. Those with knowledge of ancient Greek can engage the texts in their original language, but this will not be expected or assumed. These letters, in various ways, are of enormous influence in the history of Christianity, the development of Christian theology, and the cultures and media of societies shaped by Christianity. The module will also give you the opportunity to reflect on our perspectives as readers, and on how different contexts, identities, and agendas shape the process of interpretation.

In order to take this module successfully, you should ideally have studied THE1109 Introduction to the History and Literatures of the Bible and THE1101 The Bible: Past and Present. These are, however, not formal prerequisites and students interested in the module without prior experience of biblical studies should discuss this with the module leader.