Topics for the MA Comprehensive Exam Biblical Studies

30 Pages·2014·0.75 MB·English

by  Kate Macan

Topics for the MA Comprehensive Exam
Compiled, July 2013
Revised, April 2014

Biblical Studies

Topic: Psalms and Wisdom Literature in the Old Testament
The Psalms and Wisdom books of the Old Testament present a collection of distinctive voices in
the scriptural canon, to be distinguished from the narrative and prophetic writings. These voices
had their historical beginnings in the context of ancient Israel and Second Temple period
Judaism. As sacred Scripture, they have continued to speak to Jews and Christians over following
centuries, up to today. For this question you should be able to discuss the following: 1.) The basic
compositional and literary features of the Psalms and Wisdom Literature; 2.) the major themes or
motifs of each book.

Bibliography:
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Sirach (i.e. Ben Sirah), Wisdom of Solomon

H.-J. Kraus, Theology of the Psalms. Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg, 1986.

B. Strawn, “The Psalms: Types, Functions, and Poetics for Proclamation,” in Psalms for
Preaching and Worship: A Lectionary Commentary. Ed. by R. E. Van Harn and B. A.
Strawn; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009: pp. 3-40.

R. E. Murphy, The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature, 3rd ed.. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
Article:
R. VanLeeuwen, “Wisdom Literature,” in Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible.
Ed. by Kevin J. VanHoozer; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005: pp. 847-50.

Topic: Election in Old Testament Theology
An important and prominent theme of Old Testament Theology concerns the election of Israel as
God’s people. This topic will explore the meaning and significance of election in the Old
Testament and how that understanding is shaped through experiences of exile and suffering.
Bibliography:
Genesis, Job
Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Translated by Matthew
J. O’Connell. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1987.
Kaminsky, Joel. Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election. Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 2007.
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Levenson, Jon. The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child
Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.
(chapters 7-16)
Lohr, Joel. Chosen and Unchosen: Conceptions of Election in the Pentateuch and Jewish-
Christian Interpretation. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2009.
Article
Gary Anderson, “Joseph and the Passion of Our Lord" in Ellen Davis and Richard Hays (eds),
The Art of Reading Scripture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), pp. 198-215.
Topic: New Testament: Jesus in the Gospels
The operative image of Jesus Christ used by many Christian communities today is a combination
of the different images of Jesus from the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. Each
gospel writer highlights different aspects of the person of Jesus Christ. For example, Jesus
appears as the mysterious and powerful miracle worker in Mark’s Gospel and in Matthew’s text,
the reader comes to know Jesus as a teacher of wisdom. In order to better understand and know
Jesus and what it looks like to follow him, it is important to consider how the different authors of
the gospel texts characterized Jesus for their readers and their communities. In this question,
explore how the authors of the gospel texts image Jesus and correspondingly discuss their
understanding of what it means to be his disciple. The authors’ primary views of Jesus and
discipleship, though different, are not uncomplementary. Thus, be sure to discuss how these
views inform one another. Who was Jesus for the gospel writers? What does it mean to be his
disciple?
Bibliography

Books

The HarperCollins Study Bible with the Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical Books. NRSV. (ed. Harold
W. Attridge): Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
Holladay, Carl. A Critical Introduction to the New Testament. Nashville: Abingdon, 2005.

Graham Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus (2nd ed.; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).

Articles/Article-length Items:

Achtemeier, Paul J. “The Ministry of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels.” Interpretation 35 no. 2:
157-169.

Donaldson, Terrence L. “Guiding Readers—Making Disciples: Discipleship in Matthew’s
Narrative Strategy.” In Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament, 30-49. Edited by
Richard N. Longenecker. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdsman, 1996.

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Hillmer, Melvyn R. “They Believed in Him—Discipleship in the Johannine Tradition.” In
Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament, 77-97. Edited by Richard N.
Longenecker. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdsman, 1996.

Hurtado, Larry W. “Following Jesus in the Gospel of Mark—and Beyond.” In Patterns of
Discipleship in the New Testament, 9-29. Edited by Richard N. Longenecker. Grand
Rapids: William B. Eerdsman, 1996.

Longenecker, Richard N. “Taking Up the Cross Daily: Discipleship in Luke-Acts.” In Patterns of
Discipleship in the New Testament, 50-76.Edited by Richard N. Longenecker. Grand
Rapids: William B. Eerdsman, 1996.
McDermott, Brian. “The Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth” In Word Become Flesh: Dimensions of
Christology, 36-74. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1993.

Meeks, Wayne A. “The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism.” Journal of Biblical
Literature 91 (1972): 44 72.

Topic: New Testament: Pauline Writing
The Pauline letters were foundational in the growth of the early church and influenced the
development of orthodox Christian belief and practice. The theological ideas central to Paul’s
thought include: being in Christ, justification by faith apart from the law, a partially realized
eschatology, and in his letters, Paul espouses an indicative/imperative ethical method. In your
answer, discuss these ideas as they appear in the authentic Pauline Letters. Then, discuss how
these ideas reappear, shift, and change in the deutro-Pauline texts and in the Pastoral Epistles.
Discuss how socio-political situations caused the later interpreters of Paul to shift his ideas and
what thoughts/practices they were likely combatting when writing their letters. In you response,
it will not be necessary to include all the Pauline Letters and Pastoral Epistles in the New
Testament, but make sure that your answer is thorough and includes examples from different
texts. What did Paul teach? How were these teachings interpreted in the second century?
Bibliography

The HarperCollins Study Bible with the Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical Books. Edited by Harold W.
Attridge. New Revised Standard Version. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 2006.
Dunn, J. D. G. (editor), The Cambridge Companion to St Paul. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2003.
Murphy-O'Connor, J. Paul: A Critical Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.
Sanders, E.P., Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People. Minneapolis: Fortress 1983.
Tatum, Gregory, New Chapters in a Life of Paul: The Relative Chronology of his Career
(Washington, D.C.: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2006; CBQMS 41).
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Articles
Alstrup Dahl, Nils. “The Doctrine of Justification: Its Social Function and Implications.” In
Studies in Paul: Theology for the Early Christian Mission (Minneapolis: Augusburg
Publication House, 1977): 94-120.
Horrell, David. “The Label Christianos: 1 Pet 4.16 and the Formation of Christian Identity.”
Journal of Biblical Literature 126 no. 2 (2007): 361-381.

Stowers, Stanley. “The Apostle Paul.” History of Western Philosophy 1 (2009): 145-157.

Topic: Biblical Interpretation
The field of biblical exegesis is populated by various and often competing methods of
interpretation. From a consideration of the following sources, be prepared to discuss [1] the basic
features of various exegetical methods (Barton; Pontifical Biblical Commission); [2] their
development with the Christian tradition (Farkasfalvy [2010]; Reventlow); and [3] the benefits
and limitations of current approaches for the life of the Church (Dei Verbum; Farkasfalvy [1986
& 2010]; de la Potterie; Ratzinger).
Bibliography:
Barton, John. Reading the Old Testament: Method in Biblical Study (revised and enlarged)
(Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997).
Dei Verbum. (The dogmatic constitution on divine revelation of the Second Vatican Council,
promulgated by Pope Paul VI, November 18, 1965.)
Farkasfalvy, O.Cist., Denis. Inspiration and Interpretation: A Theological Introduction to Sacred
Scripture (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2010).
Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. Subsidia Biblica
18 (Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1995).
Articles:
Farkasfalvy, O.Cist., Denis. “In search of a “post-critical” method of biblical interpretation for
Catholic theology.” Communio 13.4 (1986): 288-307.
de la Potterie, Ignace. “Reading Holy Scripture ‘In the Spirit’: Is the Patristic Way of Reading the
Bible Still Possible Today?” Communio 13.4 (1986): 308-25.
Ratzinger, Joseph. “Biblical Interpretation in Conflict: On the Foundations and Itinerary of
Exegesis Today.” In Opening up the Scriptures: Joseph Ratzinger and the Foundations of
Biblical Interpretation, edited by José Granados, Carlos Granados, and Luis Sanchéz-
Navarro (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008): 1-29.
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Reventlow, Henning Graf. “History of Theology (Biblical).” In The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol.
6, edited by D. N. Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992): 483-505.

Catechetical Studies
Topic: Use of Scripture in the Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism cites Scriptural texts with profusion. How can we characterize the use to which
this rich Scriptural apparatus is put? What is the model for this Scriptural catechesis of the Word
of God? The frequency of patristic citations in the text of the Catechism should be a clue here, for
the Catechism’s use of Scripture reminds us of usage of scripture in patristic exegesis. This topic
will explore what is meant by the term, “scriptural catechesis”? What makes “Scriptural
catechesis” so appealing? What may be some of its drawbacks? How does the Catechism use
scripture in similar ways to some writers of the early traditions of Christian exegesis? What
examples from the Catechism and from the early Christian writers are illustrative? What role(s)
does historical-critical biblical scholarship have in “scriptural catechesis”?

Bibliography

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition (English Translation). United States Catholic
Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, 1997, 2000.
Dei Verbum. (The dogmatic constitution on divine revelation of the Second Vatican Council,
promulgated by Pope Paul VI, November 18, 1965.)
Augustine. Homilies 212-214, On the Creed.

Augustine. Instructing Beginners in Faith [De catechizandis rudibus]. Hyde Park, NY: New City
Press, 2006. (Note especially chapters 3-6, and Augustine’s “sample” catechesis, chapters 16-
25.)

Harmless, William. Augustine and the Catechumenate. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1995,
pp. 156-190.

Article

Cavadini, John. “The Use of Scripture in the Catechism of the Catholic Church” Letter and Spirit,
Vol. 2 (2006): 25-36.

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Topic: Integration of Theological Studies and Ministerial Practice

The National Directory for Catechesis (USCCB, 2005) states the following in Article #29:
“Effective catechesis should feature no opposition or artificial separation between content and
method. Similar to the dynamic present in the pedagogy of God, catechetical methodology serves
to transmit both the content of the entire Christian message and the source of that message, the
Triune God. Catechetical methodology must be able to communicate that message, together with
its sources and language, to particular ecclesial communities, while always bearing in mind the
particular circumstances of those to whom the message is addressed. Content and method
interact and harmonize in the communication of the faith.” In this topic, students explore
catechetical methodologies by examining the process of theological reflection involved in the
integration of theological studies and ministerial praxis. Students also demonstrate knowledge of
effective pastoral/ministerial skills and pedagogies for catechetical leadership, particularly those
involved in adult faith formation.

Bibliography

Gallagher, Maureen. The Art of Catechesis: What You Need to Be, Know, and Do.
Paulist Press, 1998.

Sofield, Loughlan, Rosine Hammett, and Carroll Juliano, Building Community –
Christian, Caring, Vital. Ave Maria Press, 1998.

Sofield, Loughlan, and Carroll Juliano. Collaboration: Uniting Our Gifts in Ministry.
Ave Maria Press, 2000.

Mongoven, O.P. Anne Marie. The Prophetic Spirit of Catechesis: How We Share the
Fire in Our Hearts. Paulist Press, 2000.

Articles

Connors, C.S.C., Michael and Mark Poorman, CSC, “A Case Study Method for
Theological Reflection in Field Education.” Journal of Supervision and Training in
Ministry, Vol. 22 (2002): 131-146.

Krisak, Anthony. “Theological Reflection: Unfolding the Mystery.” In Handbook of Spirituality
for Ministers, Vol. 1, ed. Robert J. Wicks, 308-329. Paulist Press, 1995.

Regan, Jane. “The Adult as Person of Faith.” In Toward an Adult Church: A Vision of Faith
Formation. 30-70. Loyola Press, 2002.

Regan, Jane. “Forming Catechists for an Adult Church.” In Toward an Adult Church: A Vision of
Faith Formation, 170-192. Loyola Press, 2002.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us: A Pastoral
Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States (Parts I, II, and III).

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Topic: The Nature of Catechesis

“‘Catechesis is an essentially ecclesial act’—an action of the Church . . .” (NDC 19C quoting
GDC 78). The publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, along with developing
understandings of catechesis, led to the General Directory for Catechesis in 1997, which replaced
the 1971 General Catechetical Directory that had resulted from the Second Vatican Council.
Similarly, the 2005 National Directory for Catechesis replaced the 1979 national directory. Both
the GDC and NDC situate catechesis firmly within the context of evangelization and rely on
dimensions of the baptismal catechumenate as fundamental to the catechetical enterprise.
Informed by your knowledge of the NDC, GDC, and other readings, as well as knowledge gained
in your coursework on the history of and approaches to catechesis, explore the following issues:
the aims of catechesis and how it accomplishes such aims; the six tasks of catechesis and their
essential and interrelated nature; the meaning of “the pedagogy of the faith” (NDC 28ff.; GDC
Part Three); the relationship between catechesis and evangelization; and the contribution of the
baptismal catechumenate to an understanding of the nature of catechesis.

Bibliography

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. National Directory for Catechesis.
Washington, D.C.: USCCB, 2005.

General Directory for Catechesis (GDC). Congregation for the Clergy. USCC—
Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997.

Paul VI. On Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii Nuntiandi). Washington,
DC: USCCB, 1975.

Pope John Paul II. On Catechesis in Our Time (Catechesi Tradendae). Washington,
DC: USCCB, 1979.

Yarnold, Edward. The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation: The Origins of the R.C.I.A.
Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1994.

Articles

Baumbach, Gerard F. “The Baptismal Catechumenate: Inspiration for Catechesis.”
Antiphon, Vol. 7, No. 3 (2002): 21-28.

Baumbach, Gerard F. “The Field That Is the World: Catechesis in a Pluralistic
Society,” Catechetical Leader (Catechetical Update), Vol. 19, No. 1
(January/February 2008): U5-U8.

Dooley, Catherine. “Evangelization and Catechesis: Partners in the New
Millennium.” In The Echo Within: Emerging Issues in Religious Education,
eds. Catherine Dooley and Mary Collins, 145-160. Allen, TX: Thomas
More, 1997.

Hofinger, Johannes. “Looking Backward and Forward: Journey of Catechesis.” The
Living Light, Vol. 20, No. 4 (June 1984): 348-357.

Mulhall, Daniel S. “A Brief Walk through the National Directory for Catechesis.”
Catechetical Leader, Vol. 16, No. 2 (March 2005): 4-5, 18-21.
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Rosenhauer, Joan. “Catechesis and the Catholic Social Mission,” Catechetical
Leader, Vol. 16, No. 4 (July 2005): 6-7, 26-29.

Topic: Christology

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in#465 “The unique and altogether singular event of
the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor
does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became
truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man.” This topic
explores the Church’s teaching about the personal identity of Jesus Christ, which the Council of
Chalcedon officially formulated in its “symbol” (decree). Students will be able to draw from the
history of doctrine in their explorations of this topic.

Bibliography

Athanasius. On the Incarnation of the Word. In Christology of the Later Fathers, ed. Edward R.
Hardy, 55-110. Philadelphia: west minster Press, 1977.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition (English Translation). United States Catholic
Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, 1997, 2000.

Council of Chalcedon, “The Chalcedonian Decree” (451). In Christology of the Later Fathers, ed.
Edward R. Hardy, 371-374. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977.

Haight, Roger. Jesus Symbol of God. New York: Orbis Press, 1999. Pp. 192-207; 273-298.

Norris, Richard. The Christological Controversy. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980.

Article:
Camelot, P.T. “Chalcedon, Council of.” In The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Second Edition,
Volume 3, 363-366 (Washington, D.C.: Thompson and Gale, 2003).

History of Christianity

Topic: The Early Church

How could you use patristic sources to help reflect on the proper relation between faith
and reason in Christian theology? Two somewhat opposite positions, for example, can be found
in Tertullian on the one hand, and in Clement of Alexandria, on the other. Justin Martyr proposes
what one might think of as a middle position, developed further in the East by such figures as
Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, and in the West by Augustine. Pick four of these figures,
including Clement and Tertullian, to help explain the thinking of the early Church on the relation
between faith and reason.

Bibliography

Augustine, The Confessions, translated by Maria Boulding, OSB.
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Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, especially Book I, 1-13.
Gregory of Nyssa, Life of Moses.
Justin Martyr, First Apology.
Origen, On First Principles, Preface and Books 1-3, translated by G.W. Butterworth.
Tertullian, On Idolatry.

Articles

Chadwick, Henry, The Early Church, pp. 75-82 (Justin Martyr), pp. 90-93 (Tertullian), pp. 94-
115 (Clement and Origen).

Pelikan, Jaroslav, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600), pp. 27-67.

Topic: Mary

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, citing Paul VI, “The Church’s devotion to the
Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship” (#971). This topic explores the Church’s
teaching about Mary in order to explain this statement. How is it that devotion to Mary does not
compete with Christian worship of God but is, to the contrary, “intrinsic” to it? What, for
example, is the relation between Mary and the Church? How is this related to her relationship to
Christ? The topic features sections from the Catechism and related theological reflection.

Bibliography

Books

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition (English Translation). United
States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, 1997, 2000.
[See especially §§487-511, 721-726, 963-975.]

John Paul II. Redemptoris Mater. (1987).

Paul VI, Marialis Cultus.

Lumen Gentium. [See especially §§52-69, (Chapter 8)]

Norris, Richard. The Christological Controversy. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980. [Note
especially, Sermons and Letters of Nestorius and Cyril of Alexandria, 112-141.]

Semmelroth, Otto. Mary, Archetype of the Church (1963)

Article

Paul VI. Marialis Cultus, tr. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Washington, D.C.:
United States Catholic Conference 1974).

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Topic: Medieval Eucharist

The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the Eucharist “the source and summit of the Christian
life” (1324), also proclaiming it the “sacrament of love,” a “bond of charity” (1323). In insisting
on the centrality and great importance of this sacrament, and affirming love in connection with
the Eucharist, the Catechism is drawing on both scripture, and, early and medieval tradition. For
this topic, study the CCC on the Eucharist and consider its teaching in relation to scripture and to
select early and medieval authors: Ambrose; Augustine; Aquinas. Why does the CCC insist on
the Eucharist as the source and summit, and highlight Eucharist charity? What beliefs about
Christ, the Church, and human beings, are involved in this portrayal of the Eucharist? What in
scripture authorizes this teaching? What in Ambrose, in Augustine, in Aquinas, is echoed in the
CCC? Are there aspects of the scriptural and post-scriptural tradition’s account of the Eucharist
as source and summit that have been omitted or downplayed in the CCC?

Bibliography

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition (English Translation). United States Catholic
Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, 1997, 2000. Part two, article 2,
section two, chapter one, article 3 (1322-1419).

Ambrose, De sacramentis (On the sacraments), bks.4-5, in Saint Ambrose: Theological and
Dogmatic Works, trans. by R.J. Deferrari. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of
America Press, 1963.

Augustine, Tractates 26 and 27 on John, in Tractates on the Gospel of John (Fathers of the
Church v.79), translated by J. Rettig. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America
Press, 1988. Pp. 259-288.

Aquinas, Summa theological III, qq. 73-83. Translated by the English Dominicans. Available at:
www.newadvent.org/.

Articles
Bonner, G., “Augustine’s Understanding of the Church as a Eucharistic Community, in Saint
Augustine the Bishop, ed. Fannie LeMoine and Christopher Kleinhenz (New Work,
1994), pp. 39-63.

Burns, J. Patout, “The Eucharist as the Foundation of Christian Unity in North African Theology,
“Augustinian Studies 32 (2000), 1-23.

Wawrykow, Joseph, “The Heritage of the Late Empire,” in Gary Macy et al (eds.), A Companion
to the Eucharist in the Middle Ages. Leiden: Brill.

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