Course Syllabus

Course title: ET 512 New Testament Introduction

Course description: Covers issues related to the canon and text of the New Testament. Deals with
genre, background, authorship, date, recipients, and contents of New
Testament books. Introduces the student to critical views and Synoptic issues.
Course objectives: By means of class lectures and discussions, the textbooks, Bible reading, two
writing assignments, quizzes, and the final exam, students will be introduced
to the issues involved with NTI.
Course instructor: In addition to teaching Intermediate Greek for RBS, Dr. Richard Barcellos is a
church-planter in southern California and adjunct Professor of New Testament
Studies at Midwest Center for Theological Studies in Owensboro, KY. He is a
board member and Managing Editor of Reformed Baptist Theological Review.
He is the author of In Defense of the Decalogue: A Critique of New Covenant
Theology; The Family Tree of Biblical Theology: Geerhardus Vos and John
Owen, Their Contributions to the Articulation of Redemptive History and co-
author, with Samuel E. Waldron, of A Reformed Baptist Manifesto. He has
contributed articles to The Founders Journal, Tabletalk, and Reformed Baptist
Theological Review.
Course credit: 3 credit-hours
Course requirements: Student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements:
(1) Lectures The student must listen to all 26 lectures by Dr. Barcellos on NT Introduction
on Virtual Campus.
(2) Reading The student must complete the assigned reading:
Required Texts
Black, David Alan. New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide.
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1994.
________. Why Four Gospels? The Historical Origins of the Gospels.
Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2001.
Lea, Thomas D. and Black, David Alan. The New Testament: Its
Background and Message. Second Edition; Nashville: Broadman and
Holman Publishers, 2003.
The Greek New Testament: Fourth Revised Edition, eds. Barbara Aland,
Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce
M. Metzger (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2004).
The Holy Bible.

5020 Old Spartanburg Road
Taylors, South Carolina 29687
864-322-4633
www.rbseminary.org
info@rbseminary.org


Suggested Text
Patzia, Arthur G. and Petrotta, Anthony J. Pocket Dictionary of Biblical
Studies. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Highly
recommended!
(3) Writing Projects The student should complete the following writing projects:

(1) Students are required to read New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise
Guide in its entirety and write a two page, double-spaced review of the book.

(2) Students are required to read Why Four Gospels? The Historical Origins of
the Gospels in its entirety and write a four page, double-spaced review of the
book. The review should cover things such as the structure of the book, the
writing style of the author, main arguments, agreements, disagreements,
practical implications, etc.

(4) Final Exam The student will be tested over the lecture material. The exam will consist of
short answer, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and true/false questions. When the
student is prepared for the exam, he should contact the dean and request that
he forward the exam to his proctor.

The student may NOT use his Bible or any notes for taking this exam. It is
preferable (for grading) that you type the questions and answers into your
computer and send a copy to us as an electronic file attachment. However, if
you do not have a computer, you may write out the questions and your
answers on a separate piece of paper.

If the student has any questions about the exam or other course requirements,
he should contact Dr. Barcellos (rb@rbap.net) or the seminary dean.

Course grading: Lectures and Reading = 20%
Writing Assignments = 30%
Final Exam = 50%