Romans
Dr. Mark Given
"This
letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest
Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for
word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread
of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or
too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the
better it tastes. Therefore I want to carry out my service and, with this
preface, provide an introduction to the letter, insofar as God gives me the
ability, so that every one can gain the fullest possible understanding of it. Up
to now it has been darkened by glosses [explanatory notes and comments which
accompany a text] and by many a useless comment, but it is in itself a bright
light, almost bright enough to illumine the entire Scripture."
— Martin Luther
Welcome to the online home of REL
322,
Romans. Click here for
Requirements and here for
Calendar.
The Goals
Course Description: Scholarly analysis of Paul’s most
influential writing with attention given to important historical and
contemporary interpretations.
The purpose of this course is to increase your knowledge
of Paul's letter to the believers in Rome and cultivate your ability to think
critically about a range of hermeneutical issues it raises, both ancient and
modern. Why should this particular writing receive so much attention?
For better or worse, Romans is often likened to the constitution of
Christianity. Paul is the Christian church's first great theologian--many
would say the greatest--and Romans is his magnum opus. Many Christian
theologians would agree whole-heartedly with Luther's sentiments quoted above
from his preface to Romans. And yet, as passages in Paul's letters
pertaining to morality and ethics have become more controversial within the
church in recent decades, even passages in his most "theological" of writings
have come under scrutiny. The commentary I have selected for this course
reflects that willingness to allow our values, beliefs and behaviors to
challenge Romans while yet allowing Romans, like any classic work, to return the
favor.
The purpose of this course is not to convert you to any
particular confessional or non-confessional position. In a 1963 decision, the
supreme court encouraged the study of religion in an academic environment. This
is consistent with a goal common to most universities of studying all
significant aspects of human experience in a sympathetic and responsible, yet
thoughtful and critical, manner. Religion is a very significant aspect of
human experience and Paul’s influence on Christianity and western culture more
generally, both past and present, may overshadow that of Jesus himself.
For example, at this very cultural "moment," several leading secular
intellectuals in Europe have become fascinated with Paul, and this means, of
course, that they write a lot about Romans. One can easily see that Romans is a highly appropriate subject for study in a
state university.
Methods and Style
This course emphasizes literary-historical and socio-rhetorical
methods. The former method concentrates on interpreting the literature of the
early church in its original historical context. It includes investigation
of the very complex literary problems encountered in biblical texts. The
latter method focuses on the social structures and conflicts of the early
churches. It includes investigation of the types of arguments employed by early
believers and their opponents.
A literary-historical religion course is an excellent place to begin
to develop the sort of critical thinking skills that will serve you well in your
university career and beyond. It takes acquired skills and diligent efforts to
reconstruct the past and understand how and what people were thinking and
feeling two millennia ago in a world more different than like our own. I
encourage you to think critically about current issues of interpretation and
learn to support your ideas with reasoned and evidence-based arguments.
A socio-rhetorical religion course is an excellent place to
contemplate an important issue addressed by the Public Affairs mission of
Missouri State. The early church, like the Judaism from which it sprung, was a
religious movement of great diversity. Already within the pages of the New
Testament we see religious and political rhetoric in action as competing
ideologically and ethnically defined groups assert their particular
visions/versions of "the good news" and struggle with the problem of maintaining
unity in diversity. Examining their experience with such issues may encourage
reflection upon our own situation.
Office Hours
My office is Strong Hall 266 and my office hours are posted on the Blackboard site.
Appointments are also possible. My email addresses are available on the campus
web and on the Blackboard site. I encourage you to email me with questions,
comments, etc., if you cannot come by during office hours.
Additional Course Policies
Dropping the Class
It is your responsibility to understand the
University’s procedure for dropping a class. If
you stop attending this class but do not follow
proper procedure for dropping the class, you
will receive a failing grade and will also be
financially obligated to pay for the class. For
information about dropping a class or
withdrawing from the university, contact the
Office of the Registrar at 836-5520.
Academic Dishonesty
Missouri State University is a community of
scholars committed to developing educated
persons who accept the responsibility to
practice personal and academic integrity.
You are responsible for knowing and following
the university’s student honor code,
Student Academic Integrity Policies and
Procedures and also available at the
Reserves Desk in Meyer Library. Any
student participating in any form of academic
dishonesty will be subject to sanctions as
described in this policy. In this course,
cheating on any assignment besides the final
exam will result in an F for that assignment and
usually cannot be made up. Cheating on the final
exam will result in an XF.
Nondiscrimination
Missouri State University is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action institution, and
maintains a grievance procedure available to any
person who believes he or she has been
discriminated against. At all times, it is your
right to address inquiries or concerns about
possible discrimination to the Office for
Institutional Equity and Compliance, Park
Central Office Building, 117 Park Central
Square, Suite 111, 417-836-4252. Other types of
concerns (i.e., concerns of an academic nature)
should be discussed directly with your
instructor and can also be brought to the
attention of your instructor’s Department Head.
Please visit the OED website at
www.missouristate.edu/equity/.
Disability Accommodation
To request academic accommodations for a
disability, contact the Director of the
Disability Resource Center, Carrington Hall,
Room 302, 417-836-4192 or 417-836-6792 (TTY),
www.missouristate.edu/disability. Students
are required to provide documentation of
disability to the Disability Resource Center
prior to receiving accommodations. The
Disability Resource Center refers some types of
accommodation requests to the Learning
Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides
diagnostic testing for learning and
psychological disabilities. For information
about testing, contact the Director of the
Learning Diagnostic Clinic, 417-836-4787,
http://psychology.missouristate.edu/ldc.
Cell phone policy
As a member of the learning community, each
student has a responsibility to other students
who are members of the community. When
cell phones or pagers ring and students respond
in class or leave class to respond, it disrupts
the class. Therefore, the Office of the Provost
prohibits the use by students of cell phones,
pagers, PDAs, or similar communication devices
during scheduled classes. All such devices must
be turned off or put in a silent (vibrate) mode
and ordinarily should not be taken out during
class. Given the fact that these same
communication devices are an integral part of
the University’s emergency notification system,
an exception to this policy would occur when
numerous devices activate simultaneously. When
this occurs, students may consult their devices
to determine if a university emergency exists.
If that is not the case, the devices should be
immediately returned to silent mode and put
away. Other exceptions to this policy may be
granted at the discretion of the instructor.
Emergency Response
At the first class meeting, students should
become familiar with a basic emergency response
plan through a dialogue with the instructor that
includes a review and awareness of exits
specific to the classroom and the location of
evacuation centers for the building. All
instructors are provided this information
specific to their classroom and/or lab
assignments in an e-mail prior to the beginning
of the fall semester from the Office of the
Provost and Safety and Transportation. Students
with disabilities impacting mobility should
discuss the approved accommodations for
emergency situations and additional options when
applicable with the instructor. For more
information go to
http://www.missouristate.edu/safetran/51597.htm
and
http://www.missouristate.edu/safetran/erp.htm.