30358 - Philology and Exegesis of the New Testament (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The students will get a deep knowledge on exegetical methods, from introductory notions to guided use of research instruments applied to the text of the New Testament.

Course contents

Un-Masking John: Towards a New Reading of the Revelation of Jesus the Messiah.

As we still wait for the editio critica maior of the Greek text, the course aims to discuss and offer new interpretations of the Apocalypse of John, or probably better, in John's own words, of the Revelation of Jesus the (Jewish) Messiah, following the most promising research tracks of the last twenty years.

More specifically, the course will be articulated as follows:

1^st part (15hs):

– exegetical introduction to the book of Revelation: from re-evaluating the Jewish literature of Graeco-Roman times to re-modeling critical paradigms;

2^nd part (15hs):

– historical, philological and literary analysis of the Greek text of Revelation;

Readings/Bibliography

a) Commentaries:

L'Apocalisse di Giovanni, a cura di E. Lupieri, Mondadori, Milano 1999 (e successive ristampe);

Apocalisse di Giovanni, introduzione, traduzione e commento di Daniele Tripaldi, Carocci, Roma 2012;

b) Studies

1. Integral Readings

L. Arcari, Vedere Dio. Le apocalissi giudaiche e protocristiane (IV sec. a.C.-II sec. d.C.), Carocci, Roma 2020;

D.L. Barr (ed.), Reading the Book of Revelation. A Resource for Students, SBL, Atlanta, GA 2003;

B.C. Blackwell - J.K. Goodrich - J. Maston (edd.), Reading Revelation in Context. John's Apocalypse and Second Temple Judaism, Zondervan Academic, Grand Rapids, MI 2019;

H.O. Maier, Apocalypse Recalled. The Book of Revelation After Christendom, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MI 2002;

2. Partial Readings

O. Andrei, Rileggere ‘Roma’ nell’Apocalisse. Una riflessione sul rapporto ‘testo-contesto’, Università degli Studi di Siena-Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia di Arezzo, Arezzo 2007;

L. Arcari, La titolatura dell’Apocalisse di Giovanni: ‘apocalisse’ o ‘profezia’? Appunti per una ri- definizione del ‘genere apocalittico’ sulla scorta di quello profetico, Henoch 23 (2001) 243-265;

— Coabitazioni e autodefinizioni collettive nelle ekklesiai dell’Asia Minore alla fine del I sec. d.C., La Parola del passato 71 (2016) 235-281;

E.F. Lupieri, From Sodom and Balaam to the Revelation of John. Transtextual Adventures of Biblical Sins, in S. Alkier et al. (edd.), Poetik und Intertextualität der Johannesapokalypse, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2015, 301-318;

S.E. Rollens, The Viability of Materialist Approaches to Persecution: Revelation as a Test Case, Annali di Storia dell'Esegesi 36/1 (2019) 75-94;

B.R. Rossing, Prophets, Prophetic Movements, and the Voices of Women, in R.A. Horsley (ed.), A People's History of Christianity, vol. 1: Christian Origins, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MI 2010, 261-286;

Teaching methods

Lectures; analysis of literary texts; use of bibliographic and electronic databases; audio- and video resources.

Assessment methods

Oral exam. Students will have to prove their abilities

• to read, understand, and discuss the Greek text of Revelation;
• to interpret and profile Revelation as a cultural, historical and literary artifact, supplementing and integrating class notes with one commentary of their choice from among those enlisted supra in Bibliography under the entry Commentaries;
• to sketch and discuss the material, historical, and cultural processes that lead to the production of visionary texts as we know them, in the light of one volume of their choice selected from the list offered supra in Bibliography under the entry Studies, point 1. (Integral Readings);

Students who cannot attend the lessons will substitute class notes with two readings of their choice from those listed supra in Bibliography under the entry Studies, point 2. (Partial Readings).

Alternatively, upon agreement with the teacher, all students - whether attending the lessons or not - can substitute the oral exam as a whole with a written paper focusing on the translation and interpretation of a selected passage from the Greek text of Revelation.

Skills will be assessed according to the following guidelines:
- failing grade (< 18): inability to translate short sections from the Greek text of Revelation; inability to provide a correct interpretation of the texts discussed during the course and/or to comment on the selected critical essay(s).
- passing grade (between 18 and 24): elementary ability to translate short sections from the Greek text of Revelation; inaccuracy and lack of autonomy in providing a correct interpretation of the texts discussed during the course and/or in commenting on the selected critical essay(s).
- positive grade (between 24 and 30): good comprehension of the grammatical and syntactical structures of the Greek text of Revelation; interpretation of the texts discussed during the course is correct, but mostly superficial and not entirely autonomous; the critical discussion of the selected essay(s) is vague and cursory.
- excellent grade (30L): in-depth knowledge of the grammatical and syntactical structures of the Greek text of Revelation; precision and full autonomy in interpreting, contextualizing and critically comparing the texts discussed during the course; the critical discussion of the selected essay(s) is detailed and deep-ranging.

Teaching tools

Computer and projector; bibliographic and electronic databases; fotocopies; texts and segments of texts in PDF format uploaded by the teacher as teaching materials (downloadable from https://iol.unibo.it).

Office hours

See the website of Daniele Tripaldi