Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction (Resources for Biblical Study Series, No. 49)

469 Pages·2005·1.18 MB·English

by  Mark Roncace

TEACHING THE BIBLE
Resources for Biblical Study
Susan Ackerman,
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Editor
J. Ross Wagner,
New Testament Editor
Number 49
TEACHING THE BIBLE
Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction
TEACHING THE BIBLE
Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction
Edited by
Mark Roncace and Patrick Gray
Society of Biblical Literature
Atlanta
TEACHING THE BIBLE
Copyright © 2005 by the Society of Biblical Literature
All rights reserved.No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by
means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted
by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should
be addressed in writing to the Rights and Permissions Office, Society of Biblical Literature,
825 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Teaching the Bible : practical strategies for classroom instruction / edited by Mark Roncace
and Patrick Gray.
p. cm. — (Resources for biblical study ; no. 49)
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58983-171-1 (paper binding : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T.—Study and teaching. 2. Bible. N.T.—Study and teaching. I. Gray,
Patrick, 1970– II. Roncace, Mark. III. Series.
BS1193.T43 2005
220'.071—dc22 2005010892
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, recycled paper
conforming to ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) and ISO 9706:1994
standards for paper performance.
Contents
Introduction xvii
List of Contributors xxiii
PART 1: PROLEGOMENA
HERMENEUTICS
1. Visual Exegesis: An Introduction to Biblical
Interpretation (Julia Lambert Fogg) 3
2. Guernicaand the Art of Biblical Hermeneutics
(Daniel E. Goodman) 5
3. Interpretation and Interrogation (Patrick Gray) 6
4. Poetry and Exegesis (Jaime Clark-Soles) 8
5. Red Riding Hood and the Bible (Roy L. Heller) 9
6. Teaching Hermeneutics through Creative Communal
Praxis (Carolyn J. Sharp) 11
7. Reading Inkblots (Mark Roncace) 13
8. Ancient Texts and Artifacts (Brent A. Strawn) 15
9. The Social Location of the Reader (F. V. Greifenhagen) 16
10. Social Location and Biblical Interpretation
(Francisco Lozada Jr.) 18
11. Genre: Interpretation, Recognition, Creation
(Brent A. Strawn) 19
12. Simone Weil and Biblical Studies Courses
(Jaime Clark-Soles) 20
METHODOLOGIES
13. Teaching Biblical Interpretation Methodologies
(Frank M. Yamada) 23
14. Critical Methods: Historical Criticism (Brad E. Kelle) 24
15. Tom Lehrer and Historical Criticism (Donald C. Polaski) 26
16. Working with Primary Source Documents
(Nicola Denzey) 27
vi CONTENTS
17. Historical Memory and Biblical Narrative
(Mary F. Foskett) 28
18. Source Criticism and Eye-Witness Accounts
(Christine Shepardson) 30
19. Introducing Textual Criticism (Patrick Gray) 31
20. Textual Criticism (Karoline Lewis) 33
21. Text Criticism and Translations (Elna K. Solvang) 35
22. Text Criticism with David and Goliath
(F. V. Greifenhagen) 36
23. Colorful Semiotics (Sara Koenig) 37
24. Poetry and History (Brent A. Strawn) 38
25. The Narrative Analysis of Episodes (David Rhoads) 39
APPROACHES AND RESOURCES
26. Introducing the “Introduction to Biblical Literature”
Course (Michael Barram) 43
27. Introductory Exercise: Bone, Stone, Bible, Flag
(Nicola Denzey) 44
28. Introductory Site Visit: Finding Scripture in Stone
(Nicola Denzey) 45
29. The Counterfactual Essay (Michael Philip Penn) 47
30. Taking a Stand (Michael Philip Penn) 48
31. Short Stories as Exegetical Tools (Jaime Clark-Soles) 49
32. Palestinian Geography (Scott Shauf) 51
33. Archaeology of the Bible (Ronald A. Simkins) 52
34. An Approach to a “Bible and Film” Course
(Mary E. Shields) 55
35. Canon Formation (Bryan Whitfield) 57
36. Visual Art as a Teaching Tool (Ira Brent Driggers) 58
37. The Educative Power of the Rhetoric of Biblical Stories
(Heather A. McKay) 60
38. The Bible, Slavery, and American Culture (Kyle Keefer) 62
PART 2: HEBREW BIBLE
TORAH
39. Genesis 1 and Ancient Cosmology (Joseph F. Scrivner) 67
40. Genesis 1:1-3: Translation and Interpretation
(F. V. Greifenhagen) 68
41. Introducing the Documentary Hypothesis Using
Genesis 1-2 (Julie Galambush) 69
42. Two Creation Stories?: Drawing the Israelite Cosmos
(Michael R. Cosby) 70
CONTENTS vii
43. Teaching the Creation Stories in Genesis
(Glenna S. Jackson) 72
44. The Human Condition in Genesis 2–3 and in Blade
Runner(Tod Linafelt) 73
45. Cain and Abel: Intercanonical, Midrashic, and Artistic
Comparison (F. V. Greifenhagen) 75
46. The Flood as Jigsaw Puzzle: Introducing Source
Criticism (Donald C. Polaski) 77
47. The Three Worlds of the Bible: The Tower of Babel
(F. V. Greifenhagen) 78
48. Genesis 1–11 as Myth (Emily R. Cheney) 80
49. Traditional Tales (Gen 12:10–20; 20:1–8; 26:6–11)
(Ronald A. Simkins) 81
50. Reading Hagar (Todd Penner) 83
51. The Importance of Social Location: A Study Guide on
Sarah and Hagar (Mary E. Shields) 84
52. Kinship in Genesis 16 and 21 and Numbers 27 and 36
(Ronald A. Simkins) 86
53. Sodom and Gomorrah: An Exegetical Exercise
(Kyle Keefer) 88
54. Hospitality in Genesis 18:1–15 and 19:1–11
(Ronald A. Simkins) 90
55. Lot’s Wife: Bringing Minor Biblical Characters Out of
the Shadows (F. V. Greifenhagen) 91
56. Abraham and His Son: Using the Qur’an in the Biblical
Studies Classroom (John Kaltner) 92
57. Genesis 22: When the Meaning is Not Moral
(Roger Newell) 95
58. Genesis 22: Artists’ Renderings (Sandie Gravett) 97
59. The Near-Sacrifice of Isaac (James K. Mead) 98
60. Limited Good in Genesis 23 (Ronald A. Simkins) 100
61. Jacob: Saint or Sinner? (Michael Barram) 102
62. Some Striking Textual Parallels in Genesis 34 and
2 Samuel 13 (Nicolae Roddy) 102
63. Honor and Shame in Genesis 34 and 1 Samuel 25
(Ronald A. Simkins) 104
64. Genesis and The Red Tent(Michael Barram) 106
65. Debating Joseph’s Character (Karla G. Bohmbach) 108
66. Exodus from Egypt: Universal Story of Freedom?
(F. V. Greifenhagen) 109
67. Israelite and/or Egyptian? Ethnic Identity in Exodus
(F. V. Greifenhagen) 111
68. Israelite or Egyptian? (Susanne Hofstra) 112
viii CONTENTS
69. Exodus 1:1-5: Explaining Variation in Small Details
(F. V. Greifenhagen) 113
70. The Historicity of the Exodus: What’s at Stake?
(Julie Galambush) 114
71. Multiple Perspectives on Exodus 15 (Mark Roncace) 115
72. Acting Out Exodus 19-20 (Elna K. Solvang) 117
73. The Fourth Commandment and Etiologies
(Mark Roncace) 119
74. The Development of Israelite Law (J. Bradley Chance) 120
75. The Relevance of the Laws (Mark Roncace) 122
76. “Does Tithing Make Any Sense?”: Exploring the
Relevance of Law Codes (Michael R. Cosby) 124
77. “Decoding” Laws Still on the Books of Moses (Ryan Byrne) 125
78. Why Leviticus is the Most Important Book in the Bible
(Tod Linafelt) 127
79. Holiness as an Unknown Culture (Donald C. Polaski) 128
80. Remembering Deuteronomy (Brad E. Kelle) 130
81. Learning About the Laws of Kashrut and Kosher Food
(Heather A. McKay) 131
82. Teaching the Documentary Hypothesis to Skeptical
Students (William L. Lyons) 133
83. The Documentary Hypothesis and Sampling
(Guy D. Nave Jr.) 134
84. The Authorship of the Pentateuch (T. Perry Hildreth) 136
PROPHETS
85. The Conquest of Canaan (Nicolae Roddy) 137
86. The Book of Joshua and Issues of War and Peace
(Leonard Greenspoon) 138
87. The Book of Joshua and Popular Culture
(Leonard Greenspoon) 140
88. The Book of Joshua and Bible Translation
(Leonard Greenspoon) 141
89. The Book of Joshua and Jewish Exegetical Traditions
(Leonard Greenspoon) 142
90. A Short Story of the Judges (Mark Roncace) 144
91. Ehud and Eglon: Dramatization (F. V. Greifenhagen) 145
92. The United Monarchy (Samuel and Kings) (Brad E. Kelle) 146
93. Who Decides What’s in the Bible? The Case of 1 Samuel 11
(Megan Bishop Moore) 147
94. Apology of David (Ronald A. Simkins) 149
95. David’s Rise to Power (Sandie Gravett) 150
96. David at the Movies (Michael R. Cosby) 152
CONTENTS ix
97. David and Goliath (1 Samuel 16-17): The Ideology of
Biblical Popular Culture (Roland Boer) 153
98. David and Bathsheba: A Case of Mis-Sent Power
(F. Scott Spencer) 155
99. A Controversial King (Nicolae Roddy) 157
100. Patronage in 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 8
(Ronald A. Simkins) 158
101. The Siege of Jerusalem: Both Sides of the Story
(Nicolae Roddy) 160
102. What is a Prophet? (Rolf Jacobson) 162
103. The Prophets and Two Good Doctors (Brent A. Strawn) 163
104. On Becoming Prophets (John R. Levison) 165
105. Prophetic Call Narratives (Brad E. Kelle) 167
106. M&Ms, Play-doh, Plumb Bobs, How You Got Your
Name—and Prophets (Rolf Jacobson) 168
107. Modern Poetry and Prophetic Form Criticism
(Roy L. Heller) 169
108. Victims’ Testimonies and Prophetic Literature
(Ron Clark) 171
109. Introducing the Book of Isaiah (Brad E. Kelle) 172
110. Isaiah and Bob Dylan on the Watchtower
(Mark McEntire) 173
111. Second Isaiah and the Exilic Imagination
(Brent A. Strawn) 175
112. The Depiction of Jeremiah (Mark Roncace) 176
113. Diagnosing Ezekiel (Johanna Stiebert) 178
114. Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision (Johanna Stiebert) 179
115. The Abusive God (L. Juliana M. Claassens) 180
116. Hosea Meets Hank Williams (Donald C. Polaski) 181
117. Amos and “Economic Justice for All” (Michael Barram) 182
118. Preaching Amos: The Rhetoric of Amos 1:3–2:16
(Frank M. Yamada) 184
119. Jonah and a New Pair of Glasses: An Introduction to
Hermeneutics and Humility (John R. Levison) 186
120. Jonah: How the Bible Tells a Great Story
(Megan Bishop Moore) 187
121. “Go Straight to Sheol!”: A Discovery Exercise on Sheol
Using Jonah 2 (Michael R. Cosby) 189
122. The Many Voices of Prophecy (Micah 6)
(D. Matthew Stith) 190
123. Tithing in Malachi 3 (Joseph F. Scrivner) 191