Gospel of John
Winter term,
2008
Instructor:
Reuben Sairs
John stated his purpose in writing toward the end of his gospel:
John 20:30-31. Inspired by the Holy
Spirit he chose specific signs to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was the
Messiah and the son of God. His
intent was to engender faith so that his readers would gain eternal life.
Goal: Students will
seek an in-depth, adult, academic and functional knowledge of this gospel.
Class: Teaching
will consist of presentations and guided discussions. Principles of sound Bible
interpretation, history, context and theological issues will be under
consideration. After the introductory classes, the course will proceed through
the Gospel of John on a chapter by chapter basis. The instructor will attempt to spend at
least one class period on each chapter in the gospel.
Texts: Students are
required to bring a Bible to every class
(any translation). The text will be
Colin Kruse’s John in The Tyndale New Testament Commentary
series.
Expectations/Evaluation:
1. Participate in
classroom discussion (this implies attendance and preparation).
2. Read the entire
Gospel of John in a different translation each week of class
(5
times).
3. Read Kruse’s commentary on the
Gospel. Please refer to the reading
plan.
4. Complete 4 short online quizzes on weekly
content. The quizzes will be posted
Friday afternoons and taken down the following Monday morning.
Quiz
1: January
14 Quiz
3: February
4
Quiz
2: January
21 Quiz
4: February
11
5. Mid-Term
and Final Examination. These tests will consist of questions
regarding the primary issues as discussed in class, the historical and literary
contexts of passages and ideas about difficult interpretations. By reading the book, taking notes in
class and participating in discussions, students will be prepared for the
exams.
Mid-term: January 28 (full
period) Final: February 15.
READING
PLAN
Kruse’s commentary on the Gospel of John is 395 pages
long. You can finish the
commentary by reading about 66
pages a week or about 15 pages every class day. However, students will get the most out
of their reading and class time by using the following approach. Read the appropriate material before
each day’s class. After
the introductory material has been presented, class will proceed through the
Gospel on a chapter by chapter basis, and basically deal with one chapter in
each class. The best approach will be
to read the commentary for that chapter.
The following schedule is an approximation:
Date Chapter Date
Chapter Date
Chapter
1/11 1 1/22 8 1/31 14
1/14 2 1/23 9 2/1 15
1/15 3 1/24 10 2/4 16
1/16 4 1/25 11 2/5 17
1/17 5 1/28 2/7 19
1/18 6 1/29 12 2/8 20
1/21 7 1/30 13 2/11 21
By following the schedule above, students may find themselves
ahead, but will never find themselves behind in their reading!
Grading.
[Grading will be on a ten percent scale:
90-100
A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D]
Participation 10%. You
will lose 5% for each unexcused absence.
Quizzes. 20%. 5%
each.
Reading the Gospel 5%. 1% each
reading. (Affidavit form attached)
Mid-term 30%.
Final Exam 35%.