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Biblical Studies

Course Descriptions

Courses are listed and briefly described below.

Please understand that it is impossible to list all of the various texts that might be used in these courses

Therefore, we have not attempted to list the required texts per each course. These are simply some suggested texts for the courses in question. In nearly all cases, there will be other texts also required. These other texts will be determined between the professor and the student.

Click here for Reading and Writing Requirements.

Also, sometimes a text is listed for more than one course—this, however, does not mean that one can simply read a single text for several courses. If a student has read a particular text for a class, he/she cannot use that same text again for another course.

Next, some of the suggested texts may no longer be in print. If this is the case, the students and their mentors will simply select other, newer texts dealing with the same topic.

It is important to make clear that though we offer studies in a variety of theological and philosophical perspectives, CES does not necessarily endorse all of the positions listed in the course descriptions. However, rather than simply telling students what to think, it is our belief that an institution of education should allow an open atmosphere of learning, and that includes reading, studying, and critiquing various perspectives within Christianity. We believe that students deserve the right to read, critique, and decide for themselves which perspectives they believe to be correct. To this end, some courses are set up to see both sides of a debate: for example see courses TH-603/803 Eschatology, TH-206/406 Sanctification, and TH-615/815 Perpetuity of Spiritual Gifts.

(Number Name Hours Description)

BI-101 New Testament Survey 4SH A survey of the New Testament with attention to the author, background, theme, and content of each book. (A Survey of the New Testament, by Robert Gundry)

BI-102 Old Testament Survey 4SH A survey of the Old Testament with attention to the author, background, theme, and content of each book. (A Survey of the Old Testament, by Andrew Hill & John Walton)

BI-150 Life and Teachings of Christ 4SH The life and teachings of Christ as recorded in the Gospels in light of the historical-cultural-geographical settings of the first century. (Jesus the Messiah, by Donald Guthrie.)

BI-201 Romans 4SH Special emphasis upon the theological concepts of law, righteousness, justification, and sanctification.(Epistle to the Romans, by John Murray)

BI-202 Galatians 4SH Various methods of interpretation are discussed, e.g., the critical, historic, theological, devotional, et al. (Galatians, by Merrill C. Tenney)

BI-203 Gospel of John 4SH The life, character, and ministry of Jesus are examined in both their historical and divine contexts as presented by John the Evangelist. (The Gospel of Belief, by Merrill Tenney.)

BI-250 Old Testament Historical Books 4SH An interpretive study of the historical books of the Old Testament from Joshua through Esther. This course covers a period of about 1,000 years from the children of Israel's entrance into the Promised Land until their return after the Exile.

BI-251 Hebrew Poetry 4SH A study of Old Testament poetry with special emphasis upon Psalms and the Song of Solomon. An analysis of the rhythm of thought and parallelism characteristic of Hebrew poetry is discussed. (An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books, by C. Hassell Bullock)

BI-301 Biblical Introduction I 4SH An introduction to the process of divine inspiration and compilation the biblical text.(A General Introduction to the Bible, by Geisler and Nix)

BI-302 Biblical Introduction II 4SH A continuation of the study of Biblical Introduction I: the transmission, and translations of the Bible. (A General Introduction to the Bible, by Geisler and Nix)

BI-351 Book of Acts 4SH The ministry of the Early Church, and of the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit. (The Book of Acts, by F. F. Bruce, and/or The Book of Acts, by Stanley Horton)

BI-352 First Corinthians 4SH A biblical commentary is the text for this course; thus the material is covered in rich detail. Several themes become apparent in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, including, spiritual maturity, Christian unity, spiritual gifts, and more. (The First Epistle to the Corinthians, by Gordon Fee)

BI-401 Old Testament Prophets I 4SH Old Testament prophets and the nature of Old Testament prophecy. Special emphasis is placed on the origin and development of O.T. prophecy, the function of the prophet, true and false prophets and more. (Prophets of Israel, by Leon Wood)

BI-402 Old Testament Prophets II 4SH A continuation of the study of Old Testament Prophets I: a look at each of the Old Testament prophets (Prophets of Israel, by Leon Wood)

BI-410 Biblical Inerrancy 4SH A research of the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. (The Battle for the Bible, by Harold Lindsell, and more texts to be determined)

BI-450 Pentateuch 4SH Attention is given to the unity of the Pentateuch. (God Spake By Moses, by Oswald T. Allis)

BI-451 Biblical Hermeneutics 4SH Designed to familiarize the student with biblical interpretation. Special emphasis upon exegesis in light of history, grammar, and theological content. (Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation, by Henry Virkler, and Protestant Biblical Interpretation, by Bernard Ramm)

BI-490 Bachelor's Senior Paper 8SH The student selects, with the approval of the mentor, a topic in Bible or biblical studies.

BI-601/701 Biblical Inspiration 4SH An in-depth study of inspiration. This course discusses contemporary theories of inspiration. (A General Introduction to the Bible, by Geisler and Nix, and other texts to be determined)

BI-602/702 Biblical Canonization 4SH Discusses the discovery and recognition of canonicity, the Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, among other areas related to canonization. (A General Introduction to the Bible, by Geisler and Nix, and other texts to be determined)

BI-603/703 Biblical Transmission 4SH Areas concerning the transmission of the Bible are dealt with. Subjects include languages of the Bible, manuscript transmission, preparation, and preservation, and more. (A General Introduction to the Bible, by Geisler and Nix, and other texts to be determined)

BI-604/704 Biblical Translation 4SH Provides materials necessary to understand the development of some of the varioustranslations of the Bible. Included are studies concerning the Latin version, and the development of some of the modern English translations. (A General Introduction to the Bible, by Geisler and Nix, and other texts to be determined)

BI-605/705 Biblical Inerrancy 4SH A thorough research of the doctrine of the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. Some of the topics include Christ's view of Scripture, the Apostles' view of Scripture, higher criticism and the inerrancy of the autographa. (Inerrancy, ed. by Norman Geisler, and The Battle for the Bible, by Harold Lindsell)

BI-606/706 New Testament Exegesis 4SH Subjects include contextual analysis, syntactical analysis, and verbal analysis. Also, a rich discussion of exegetical fallacies is explored. (New Testament Exegesis, by Gordon Fee, Toward an Exegetical Theology, by Walter Kaiser, Jr., and Exegetical Fallacies, by D. A. Carson)

BI-633/733 New Testament Introduction 4 A study of the authorship, date, canonicity, and background of each New Testament book along with study in areas of textual and literary criticism.

BI-634/734 Old Testament Introduction 4 An examination of the history of Old Testament with attention given to the authorship, date, canonicity, and background of various Old Testament books along with study in areas of textual and literary criticism

Biblical Languages

BL-500 Introduction to Biblical Greek 3SH
This introduction to Koine Greek familiarizes the student with a rich assortment of biblical language tools, commentaries, and reference works. Primary goals will be to gain a modest vocabulary of Greek words and develop a limited ability to evaluate translations and commentaries. (suggested text, Greek for the Rest of Us, by William Mounce)

BL-501 Greek Grammar I 3SH
Introduces the Greek alphabet, vocabulary, and grammar, using exercises gleaned from the New Testament. The goal of this course is for the student to learn the basics of Greek grammar and the basic Greek verb paradigms in preparation for reading the Greek New Testament. (suggested text, Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, by William D. Mounce, and Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook, by William Mounce)

BL-502 Greek Grammar Prerequisite II 3SH
The student will continue to learn Greek vocabulary and grammar throughout this course. The objective is to complete Greek grammar and to learn the major Greek verb paradigms. (suggested text, Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, by William D. Mounce, and Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook, by William Mounce)

BL-503 Greek Syntax and Exegesis 3SH
Introducing the second year of Greek is the full process of interpreting the Greek New Testament. Objectives include recognizing literary devices and their contributions to the meaning of a passage, word/theme studies, and textual criticism. The student is required to write exegetical papers on various passages. (suggested text, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, by Daniel Wallace, and other books to be determined)

BL-504 Greek Syntax and Exegesis 3SH
A continuation of BL-503. (suggested text, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, by Daniel Wallace, and other books to be determined)

More classes in Greek can be developed between the student and the mentor should the student wish to do more studies in specific areas of Greek studies.

BL-505 Introduction to Hebrew 3SH
A summary of the basic structure and grammar of biblical Hebrew, and introduction to the basic tools necessary for translating the biblical text and for doing Hebrew word studies. (suggested text, to be determined).

BL-506 Hebrew Grammar I 3SH
Introducing the Hebrew alphabet, vocabulary, and grammar. (suggested text, Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar, by Gary D. Pratico & Miles V. Van Pelt, and Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook, by Gary D. Pratico & Miles V. Van Pelt)

BL-507 Hebrew Grammar II 3SH
A continuation of BL-506 and of Hebrew grammar. More Hebrew vocabulary and grammar. Will continue to give the skills necessary for translating the Hebrew Bible and become the basis for developing competence in exegesis. (suggested text, Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar, by Gary D. Pratico & Miles V. Van Pelt, and Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook, by Gary D. Pratico & Miles V. Van Pelt)

BL-508 Hebrew Grammar III 3SH
Built upon the basis of BL-506 and BL-507, this class completes the Hebrew grammar sequence. More Hebrew vocabulary will be developed as well as achieving the necessary skills to begin developing competence in Hebrew exegesis. (suggested text, to be determined).

More classes in Hebrew can be developed between the student and the mentor should the student wish to do more studies in specific areas of Hebrew studies.

Biblical Exegesis Courses

These courses allow the student to perform exegetical studies in the various books of the Bible. Students are required to do exegesis on certain passages and chapters. This requires the student to outline, research, and write from his/her findings. Also, the student will study these books in a commentary fashion. Each of these courses can be taken at either the Master's or Doctoral level. The texts that are required are commentaries from The New International Commentary on the New Testament, published by Eerdmans and other texts to be determined.

BI-510/710 Matthew 4SH

BI-511/711 Mark 4SH

BI-512/712 Luke 4SH

BI-513/713 John 4SH

BI-514/714 Acts 4SH

BI-515/715 Romans 4SH

BI-516/716 I Corinthians 4SH

BI-517/717 II Corinthians 4SH

BI-518/718 Galatians 4SH

BI-519/719 Ephesians 4SH

BI-520/720 Phil 4SH

BI-521/721 Col 4SH

BI-522/722 1 & 2 Thess 4SH

BI-523/723 1 & 2 Tim, Tit & Phil 4SH

BI-524/724 Hebrews 4SH

BI-525/725 James 4SH

BI-526/726 1 & 2 Peter 4SH

BI-527/727 1, 2, 3 Jn & Jude 4SH

BI-528/728 Revelation 4SH

This method of study can be applied to the Old Testament books. Though only five books are mentioned below, any book of the Old Testament may be studied. A scholarly commentary must be used in the study of the O.T. books.

BI-650/850 Genesis 4SH

BI-651/851 Exodus 4SH

BI-652/852 Deut 4SH

BI-653/853 Joshua 4SH

BI-654/854 Job 4SH

BI-690 Master's Thesis 8 SH The student selects, with the approval of the mentor, a topic in Bible or biblical studies.

BI-890 Doctoral Dissertation 8 SH The student selects, with the approval of the mentor, a topic in Bible or biblical studies.

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