5/15: First class

It was great to meet you all.  It will be a good summer!

Take some time to familiarize yourself with this website,
remembering that

• -a summary of each class will be posted on the "home" page.  This is a blog format, so newer posts will appear at the top (reverse chronological order).  They can also be accessed on teh right hand side of page under "class posts"
• -several "pages" are linked at the top of page (under blog title) with lots of help on homework.

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"We spent some time summarizing the "Three Worlds" approach to biblical study that is used at FPU.
Note, there is a  whole "page" at teh top of the site on "How to stidy a Passage via Three Worlds."

The \approach is spelled out in the JCC  Hauer/Young textbook, see especially chapters two and three, and see class notes.
Here  below is how one student summarized the worlds (she has more detail here)


Literary World--The literary world of the Bible is simply the text itself, apart from anything outside the text.  We mean the world (or, better, worlds) created by the text; the words on the page, by the stories, songs, letters and the myriad other types of literature that make up the Bible.  All good literature (and the Bible is, among other things, good literature) creates in readers' minds magnificent, mysterious, and often moving worlds that take on a reality of their own, whether or not they represent anything real outside the pages (Hauer and Young ch 2).

Historical World--The historical world of the Bible is the world "behind the text" or "outside the text".  It is the context in which the Bible came to be written, translated, and interpreted over time, until the present.  In studying the historical world of the Bible, we look for evidence outside the text that helps us answer questions such as, who wrote this text, when was it written, to whom was it written, and why was it written.  We also probe the text itself for evidence that links it to historical times, places, situations, and persons (Hauer and Young 2)..



Contemporary World--The contemporary world is the "world in front of the text" or the "world of the reader."  In one sense, there are as many contemporary worlds of the Bible as there are readers, for each of us brings our own particular concerns and questions to the text.  They inevitably shape our reading experience.  We are all interested in answering the questions of whether the Bible in general, or particular texts, have any relevance to our personal lives (Hauer and Young  ch3).
-Brolin


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After we reviewed the course, assignments, and  syllabus (it is above, on the "pages" section,
those of us who wanted to stay and listen to the Book of Acts in one sitting did so, and the rest will read or listen to the Book of Acts in one sitting.  This is to do our first assignment, due Thurs: "Impressions 1" (see syllabus)

See you soon!