30
Lessons
30
Videos
--
QUIZ
6 Weeks
Duration
English
Language
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course builds on the previous course Hebrew 2—which dealt with the Hebrew grammar—and focuses on the Hebrew exegesis of the book of Prophet, Amos. The current course employs the tools learned in the previous course in parsing of each word, translation of each phrase and sentence of the book with emphasis in how all of these tools will be used in the Hebrew exegesis.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, students will be able to gain:
- Knowledge:
To help the students to achieve an adequate understanding of the book of Amos, in particular. The students would know the message of the book of Amos through the exegesis of the Hebrew text and the consultation of various exegetical commentaries. - Skills:
To help the students, who have learned to read, parse and translate the Hebrew text, to now develop the skill of exegesis of the book of Amos and other books of the similar genre. - Attitude:
To help the students appreciate reading and understanding the biblical text in its own language, here, that is, Hebrew, for their own spiritual benefit and to see the value of exegesis for their ministry of teaching, preaching and their own respective fields of God’s calling.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
REQUIRED READING
Paul, Shalom M., and Frank Moore Cross. Amos: A Commentary on the Book of Amos. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1990.
SUGGESTED READINGS
- Eidevall, G. Amos. Vol. 24G, Anchor Yale Bible. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017.
- Stuart, D. Hosea–Jonah. Vol. 31, Word Biblical Commentary. Waco, TX: Zondervan, 1987.
- Niehaus, J. “Hosea, Joel, and Amos,” in The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1992.
- Sweeney, M.A. Hosea, Joel, Amos. Minneapolis, MN: Liturgical Press, 2000.
- Smith, G.V. Hosea, Amos, Micah. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.
Hubbard, D.A. Joel and Amos. Tyndale Old Testament Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1989.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
Weekly Assessments
Week 1
Write a short research paper on the following topic:
Nature of prophecy and who are prophets in the Old Testament. Also, evaluate briefly your church’s understanding of prophecy and prophets today.
Word count: 800-1100
Weightage: 10 percentage
Submission: 1st week’s Saturday 11:59 PM
Week 2
Track the words צְדָקָה and מִשְׁפָט and their related words—used adjectivally or adverbially/words giving a similar sense—throughout the book of Amos. Mention the contexts in which the words are used and write their importance to the message of the book.
Word count: 800-1100
Weightage: 10 percentage
Submission: 2nd week’s Saturday 11:59 PM
Week 3
Watch: https://youtu.be/LVJNKagZ4_Y
Sadguru’s advice on ‘How to handle injustice’: Summarize his discourse into 2-3 arguments and critique each in the light of your study of the book of Amos.
Word count: 800-1100
Weightage: 10 percentage
Submission: 3rd week’s Saturday 11:59 PM
Week 4
Topical Presentation 1
The student is to make a presentation using PP on a topic in Amos; 10 mins presentation and 5 mins Q and A where the tutor would ask questions on the presentation and the student is required to answer. The presentation must show that the exegetical groundwork has been done.
Suggested topics: (i) Amos and the Nations; (ii) Amos and the People of God; (iii) Amos and Cultic rituals
Weightage: 10 percentage
Submission of the PP: 4th week’s Friday 11:59 PM
Presentation: The following day during the interactive session on Zoom.
Week 5
Topical Presentation 2
The student is to make a presentation using PP on a topic in Amos; 10 mins presentation and 5 mins Q and A where the tutor would ask questions on the presentation and the student is required to answer. The presentation must show that the exegetical groundwork has been done.
Suggested topics: (i) Amos and the reversal of popular traditions; (ii) Amos and Repentance; (iii) Amos and the Covenant.
Weightage: 10 percentage
Submission of the PP: 5th week’s Friday 11:59 PM
Presentation: The following day during the interactive session on Zoom.
Course-End Assessments
Assessment 1
Watch: http://www.pucl.org/writings/interview-colin-gonsalves-senior-advocate-supreme-court-and- winner-right-livelihood-award
Collin Gonsalves, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court says in his interview:
“It is all to do with the kalyug we are facing…Under globalisation, capitalism has moved to a cruel stage. Money is equal to god, GDP is everything, and might is right…In these circumstances, common people are deprived of all their rights, most of all, the right to live with dignity. The hallmark of cruel capitalism is the violent discrimination of the poor…The only solution then becomes revolution by the people. That is not a radical thought, it is just the simple solution…Maybe it won’t happen in my lifetime, but one day it will…So many millions cannot live under such oppression for so long.”
What are 2-3 significant parallels that you can see between the book of Amos and Colin Gonsalves’ comment about the current Indian context? (1000 words). Is his solution the way forward or does the book of Amos give us some insights to deal with our context? (500 words)
Weightage: 25 percentage
Submission: 6th week’s Wednesday 11:59 PM
Assessment 2
Sermon
The student is to either pick a theme or a short text from Amos and preach a 10-minute sermon on it. The student needs to write the sermon manuscript and submit to the tutor.
Weightage: 25 percentage
Submission of the manuscript: 6th week’s Friday 11:59 PM
Preaching: The following day during the interactive session on Zoom.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN WORK
Submission Method and Late Submission
Submission: Papers to be submitted electronically in .doc or .docx format via Global Classroom – Assignment Upload
Late Submission Penalties:
- Late submission of any assignments, with a genuine reason, will be penalized 1% (1 point) per day. Student needs to get prior written permission of the instructor, copying the same to the Registrar. A maximum of three days would be permitted by the instructor, for late submission.
Citing References
In all assigned work, proper style guidelines must be used and followed exactly; failure to do so will render the submitted assignment unacceptable.
For proper citation style, consult the FBC Style Guide or the full edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers: Seventh Edition, especially chapters 5 and 7 for arrangement of entries through in-text citations and Works Cited.
Academic Integrity
Integrity in academic work is required of all our students. Academic dishonesty is any breach of this integrity and includes such practices as cheating (the use of unauthorized material on tests and examinations), submitting the same work for different classes without permission of the instructors; using false information (including false references to secondary sources) in an assignment; improper or unacknowledged collaboration with other students, and plagiarism.
COURSE EVALUATION
Global Classroom takes seriously its responsibility to uphold academic integrity, and to penalize academic dishonesty.
Global Classroom values quality in the courses it offers its students. End-of-course evaluations provide valuable student feedback and are one of the ways that Global Classroom works towards maintaining and improving the quality of courses and the student’s learning experience. Student involvement in this process is critical to enhance the general quality of teaching and learning.
Before the end of the course, students will receive an email with a link to the online course evaluation. The link can also be found in the left column on the course page. The evaluation period is 2 weeks; after the evaluation period has ended, it cannot be reopened.
Course Evaluation results will not be disclosed to the instructor before final grades in the course have been submitted and processed. Student names will be kept confidential and the instructor will only see the aggregated results of the class.
ONLINE PRIMARY SOURCE READINGS
The readings can be found as PDF files on the course web page at under “Materials”.
