School of Biblical Interpretation & Proclamation

The purpose of courses in the School of Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation is fivefold: to acquaint the student with the tools for Bible study; to enable the student to begin building a biblical foundation for theology and practice; to encourage the development of an integrated method for Bible study; and to foster a commitment to a lifelong study of the Bible and to its use in Christian ministry, to proclaim effectively and with biblical, theological, and historical integrity, the message of the Scriptures to the contemporary world.

Some courses in the School are general in nature, dealing with the entire Scriptures (BS). Other courses are related to specific portions of the Scriptures and Proclamation, i.e., OT, NT, or PR.

The entire School is committed to the realization of the five objectives listed below, but each Department has its own primary area of responsibility. The Department of Old Testament seeks to prepare students to interpret the Old Testament responsibly, which involves accurate understanding of Hebrew patterns of thought and expression, knowledge of the historical contexts in which Hebrew thought was formulated, and acquaintance with the history of Old Testament interpretation.

The Department of New Testament intends that students will exemplify capacity for, and appreciation of, the critical study of the New Testament, and particularly that they will demonstrate understanding of the New Testament in its historical contexts. They will develop the ability to work with the Greek New Testament, making use of appropriate linguistic resources and evidence the ability to engage in the study of the New Testament in such a way that it will lead to personal and social transformation.

The Department of Inductive Biblical Studies introduces students to a systematic, comprehensive approach to Bible study within which they can integrate the rest of their study of Scripture and bridge to other areas of the curriculum. The hermeneutic embraced moves all the way from initial observation and interpretation of a text in its literary and historical contexts to the appropriation of that text's original meaning within the contemporary world, an appropriation performed in light of that text's function within the canon as a whole. There is thus a concern to correlate the meaning of individual passages to the whole of biblical revelation. Throughout, the emphasis is upon an inductive orientation, i.e., one that moves from rigorous examination of evidence to conclusions, over against a deductive one, characterized by an attempt to "read back" one's views into the text. Standing directly in the "English Bible" tradition identified initially with The Biblical Seminary in New York, this Department emphasizes the student's own direct work, and stresses the study of books as wholes in the vernacular, and the interpretation of passages within the book's contexts. Emphasis is placed on developing the student's own abilities to observe specifically, accurately, and thoroughly both the content and structure of scriptural units, to reason inferentially and validly from evidence gathered, and to conduct this independent, direct study of Scripture in informed conversation with the entire range of secondary sources available to students of Scripture. The use of biblical language resources is cultivated in this approach, which is finally applicable to the text in any language, ancient or modern. The Department of Biblical Theology seeks to engage the Bible specifically as Christian Scripture, with an emphasis on its integral theological character.

The Department of Preaching seeks to facilitate a critical understanding of and competency in preaching as witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ revealed in the entire canon of Scripture, rightly interpreted, and as both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a human vocation that serves the creation of the Church, a community called to worship the triune God.

Such preaching is founded upon the Scriptures, has as its essential content the practice, and is offered typically in the context of worship that is itself enhanced and shaped by the proclamation. Attention is given also to the broad issues of communication of the Christian message, with a view that students will cultivate necessary habits of Christian life and speech in light of the Christian rhetorical tradition, classic rhetoric, and contemporary communication studies that will equip them for Christian ministry in a multicultural society.

The M.Div. degree initiates students into a comprehensive approach to interpreting the Bible for life and ministry and proclaiming the message of the Bible to the church and to the world. This approach recognizes several interpenetrating contexts within which the meaning of Scripture is discerned. Students developing a comprehensive, integrated approach to biblical interpretation and proclamation in the church shall:

Employ the canonical and literary contexts as the normative framework defining the meaning of a passage;
Use the linguistic context, including the original languages in their respective linguistic worlds, as the primary resource for clarifying the meaning of the text;
Situate a scriptural passage in the various historical and cultural contexts that stimulated and conditioned it;
Identify and appropriate the biblical-theological contexts within which a passage discloses God's character and will for his people;
Relate the task and actual practice of biblical interpretation to the life of the church in the world;
Incorporate insights from every aspect of biblical study into the contexts of their lives, flowing from a devotion to the reading, study, application, and celebration of Scripture;
Articulate a theology of preaching for proclamation;
Demonstrate an ability to prepare biblical sermons;
Demonstrate an ability to deliver the sermon.

The M.Div. requires coursework in biblical studies in two categories, Core Courses and Core Electives:

Core Courses

OT501 Survey of Biblical Hebrew (3)

Students who pass the Hebrew competency exam will receive three hours of advanced standing, thus reducing by three the number of hours necessary for graduation.

NT500 Concise Greek (3) or NT 501/502 Comprehensive Greek (6)

Students who pass the Greek competency exam will receive three hours of advanced standing, thus reducing by three the number of hours necessary for graduation.

OT520 Old Testament Introduction (3)
NT520 New Testament Introduction (3)
SP501 Communication for Christian Leaders (3)

Core Electives

Inductive Biblical Studies-1 (3) (Any course with an IBS prefix in the range 510-549.)
Inductive Biblical Studies-2 (3) (Any course with an IBS prefix in the range 610-649.)
Old Testament Exegesis (3) (Any course with an OT prefix in the range 610-649 or 710-749.)
Preaching and Speech Courses (3) (Any course with a PR prefix in the range 610-649.)
New Testament Exegesis (3) (Any course with an NT prefix in the range 610-649 or 710-749.)

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in Inductive Biblical Studies-1, students should be able to:

Demonstrate basic skills in observing the text, including aspects that pertain to the original language, with a view toward using these observations in the interpretation of the text;
Demonstrate basic skills in interpreting the text by citing, describing, and drawing inferences from various types of evidence, including those that pertain to the original language;
Demonstrate ability to discuss some of the major hermeneutical issues surrounding observation and interpretation;
Demonstrate a preliminary and basic awareness of issues pertaining to the evaluation of passages for their contemporary possibilities for application and to the process of actually applying passages to specific contemporary situations; and
Demonstrate knowledge of the content of the book in its literary, theological, and historical contexts.

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in Inductive Biblical Studies-2, students should be able to:

Identify those areas of method in the inductive study of the Bible where they were relatively weak at the beginning of the course and demonstrate growth toward an advanced level of competency in these areas;
Demonstrate skill in the interpretation of both small and larger units of material;
Articulate the bases, importance, and process of evaluating the message of individual passages for their contemporary possibilities for application, and demonstrate skill in actually evaluating the message of these passages with a view toward their application;
Demonstrate the ability actually to apply specifically and creatively the interpretation of a biblical passage to their contemporary contexts;
Demonstrate proficiency in moving from text to sermon;
Demonstrate knowledge of the content of the book(s) in its literary, theological, and historical contexts.

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in New Testament Exegesis, students should be able to:

Employ a range of exegetical approaches relevant to the interpretation of the New Testament book(s) in question, and to apply those approaches to other New Testament books of similar genre;
Situate the New Testament book(s) in question within its socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts;
Identify central issues in the critical study of the New Testament book(s) in question;
Articulate the importance of one's own pre-suppositions in the task of interpretation;
Articulate the primary theological and ethical concerns of the New Testament book(s) in question;
Demonstrate awareness of how the theological and ethical concerns of the New Testament book(s) in question contribute to those of the canon and of constructive theology and ethics;
Differentiate between critical and homiletical/devotional commentaries and studies of this and other New Testament books;
Evaluate critically the usefulness of secondary literature in the study of New Testament books;
Use Greek-based language tools to demonstrate proficiency in lexical semantics;
Use Greek-based language tools to identify grammatical constructions (i.e., with regard to sentence structure and use of clauses); and
Use Greek-based language tools to engage in syntactical analyses (i.e., with regard to verbal aspect, mood, and voice; use of the dative and genitive cases).

Additionally, persons successfully completing the core elective requirement in New Testament exegesis by taking a course or courses in the range NT710-749 should be able to:

Fulfill the learning objectives listed above as nos. 9-11 with only limited recourse to Greek-based language tools;
Diagram passages in the Greek New Testament;
Translate with minimal lexical assistance any passage from the New Testament book(s) in question; and
Perform rudimentary exercises in text criticism.

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in Old Testament Exegesis, students should be able to:

Confirm and refine by recourse to the Hebrew text literary analysis of longer units of Scripture previously studied in translation;
Assess the textual integrity of shorter passages of Scripture employing the Hebrew text and apparatus and basic text-critical methodology;
Analyze the semantic import of the morphology, sentence structure, and prosodic form, where appropriate, of a brief passage of Scripture using the Hebrew text;
Present the significance of key terms in a given brief passage of Scripture by using basic, original-language word-study tools and techniques;
Identify the function of a given, brief passage of Scripture within the framework of its immediate context, its function in the literary flow of the book, and in the section of the canon within which it appears;
Situate the thematic emphases of a specific passage of Scripture within the context of the Old Testament's unfolding message and in the context of the Bible as a whole;
Demonstrate the impact of representative exegetical methods on the study of a passage of Scripture, employing relevant scholarly literature, and situating one's own interpretation within the ongoing discussion of biblical interpretation; and
Illustrate the contribution of exegetical study of the Hebrew text to biblical exposition, instruction, theological reflection, and spiritual formation in order to construct an appropriation of the passage that is integrative and coherent.

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in Preaching, students should be able to:

Relate principles of exegesis to the effective communication of the faith;
Articulate a variety of means by which to communicate the gospel;
Demonstrate the ability to deliver sermons within the context of worship; and
Demonstrate awareness that preaching calls for imagination and clear communication in the context of personal, social, and cultural challenges.

Asbury Theological Seminary

Academic Catalog

School of Biblical Interpretation & Proclamation

Core Courses

Core Electives