Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Required Reading


So, I have officially begun my final semester of STB work at the seminary, with the hopes of graduating in late April. Of course, this all depends on the passing of the STB exam sometime at the end of the semester. (The STB is a graduate ecclesiastical degree which is slightly more rigorous than an M. Div.) One of the classes that I am taking this semester is on the Old Testament Prophets. This class should be both enlightening and fun. While I have taken courses on the Pentateuch and the Psalms, as well as half a dozen NT courses, I haven't taken anything specifically focused on the prophets. So, I am actually quite excited.


At least for me, one of the best parts of any semester class is getting the syllabus on the first day. Not only do you get to find out how many papers or exams you will have to complete, but you also get to find out whats the required reading for the course. No surprise, the first and foremost book needed for study of the prophets is the Bible itself. In my case, the professor recommended "a scholarly edition". As one who owns too many Bibles, that isn't a problem. I think I will probably rely on my trusty RSV-New Oxford Annotated Bible. As for what else is required, there are two books:


1) The Hebrew Prophets by James D. Newsome Jr.


2) Theology of the Prophetic Books by Donald E. Gowan


While I have started to read Newsome's book, I was wondering if anyone is familiar with these texts?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish you well on that final semester. I just started a new quarter and it's going to be a busy one I think.

Timothy said...

Mr. B,

Thank you for the kind wishes. Indeed, it is going to be a busy semester!