Course Resources Archive

Part one focuses upon Paul: his identity and experiences, the context and content of his theology, the nature and reliability of the extant sources we have from and about him. Particular attention is given to the eschatological, Christological and communal aspects of his thought, and to various contemporary perspectives upon it.

Part two picks up the key pneumatological element of Pauline theology which is also central to two other New Testament writers, John and Luke. How far and in what ways these three New Testament witnesses considered the promise of the Spirit in the Old Testament and Judaism to be ‘fulfilled’ in Christian experience is examined, as are scholarly and confessional debates about the continuities between their perspectives. New Testament descriptions of, and attitudes to, ‘spiritual gifts’ and their role in the life of the church are also examined as is the relationship between the New Testament phenomena and various contemporary claims about and manifestations of spiritual gifts.

i. Knowledge and understanding

On successful completion of the module the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate an advanced ability to interpret Pauline and pneumatological texts in their original religious, historical and cultural contexts.
• Accurately describe and critically evaluate various academic and confessional approaches to understanding Paul and what the New Testament says about the Holy Spirit.
• Apply critically their understanding of Pauline theology and New Testament pneumatology to contemporary contexts.
• Demonstrate an ability to critically analyse biblical texts within their original contexts and connect what they say creatively and appropriately with the contexts of later readers.
• Demonstrate an ability to use appropriate critical tools for interpretation, at the same time making appropriate critical judgements as to their value and applicability for this.
• Reflect critically upon how the academic study of New Testament texts and themes can relate to faith, theology and practice.

ii. Skills

On successful completion of the module the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate skills in critical analysis, reflection, synthesis and evaluation of selected texts and materials studied on the module.
• Demonstrate applied skills in written argument and expression, problem solving, independent research and collaborative development via elearning.

300 hours:
Guided study – 33%
Private study – 60% (including reading and assignment writing)
Online seminar – 7%

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.