Biblical Studies Concentration

Students pursuing a concentration in Biblical Studies will take BIB 6xx Hermeneutics along with at least four selections from the following Bible or Religion electives:

BIB 635 Hermeneutics (3 hours).  An advanced study of various Bible study methods including synthetic, historical, analytical, topical, theological, biographical and devotional.

Bible Electives

BIB 331/531 Pauline Epistles (3 hours). Attention is given to the life, ministry and writings of Paul.  The doctrinal, pastoral and personal epistles (except for Romans) of Paul are studied with reference to the geographical and historical settings, the organization of the Apostolic church, and the development of Christian doctrine.  Careful exegesis is made of selected portions of each epistle.

BIB 332/532 Hebrews and General Epistles (3 hours).  A study of the non-Pauline epistles with attention to their authorship, historical place in the canon, and doctrinal uniqueness.  The contents of each book are analyzed and problem texts are treated

BIB 340/540 Hebrew Prophets (3 hours).  Selected major and minor prophetic works of the Old Testament are considered with special emphasis given to the historical background, Messianic message and content together with specific theological concepts and teachings that are pertinent to modern times.

Bib 350/550 Poetic and Wisdom Literature (3 hours).  Hebrew poetry and wisdom as presented in the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.

BIB 645 Physical and Historical Geography of the Bible (3 hours).  An overview of how the geography of the land of Palestine, the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions affected the history of the Bible in key periods of the Old and New Testaments.

BIB 625 Isaish (3 hours).  Study of the biblical book of Isaiah, focusing on the content of the three sections, giving special attention to the arguments for and against Deutero-Isaiah and Trito-Isaiah.

BIB 642 The Gospel of John (3 hours).  Study of the gospel of John exploring its uniqueness in the New Testament canon and exploring its theology.

BIB 645 The Epistle to the Romans (3 hours).  Study of the book of Romans focusing especially on Paul's theological development in chapters 1-11.

BIB 650 Directed Research (3 hours).  Investigative learning involving closely directed research and the use of such facilities as the library or laboratory.  May be repeated for credit as the topic changes.

Relgion Elective

REL 665 Theology of Religions (3 hours).  The nature of non-Christian religions from the perspective of Christian theology.  Included are the issues of original monotheism, truth and salvation outside of Christian faith, and the convergence of beliefs.