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Student Study Guide
Introduction to the Bible
First Year
Deacons and Priests
Description of the Course: INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE
The Iona Initiative first-year course in biblical studies introduces students to the
historical context of the biblical texts and to responsible practices of interpretation for
church leaders. The Old Testament is taught from the perspective of the importance of
the experience of the Babylonian exile for the development of the Jewish scriptures and
Second-Temple Judaism. The study of the New Testament builds upon this foundation,
locating the Gospels and Epistles within their political, religious, social, and cultural
contexts, with a view toward making appropriate connections with modern-day Christian
questions and practices.
Description of the Unit: Introduction to the Year
In the first module of Unit 1, students are introduced to the four instructors who will be
teaching them this year. In the subsequent modules, they are introduced to the basic
principles of interpretation that will guide them in their discussions and writing; to the
historical framework of the Old Testament; and to the significance of the experience of
exile for Jewish religion.
Study Guide and Class Objectives
1.1 Introduction
DVD introduction to the four instructors of the Biblical Studies courses.
1.2 The Hermeneutical Circle
The chapter from the textbook gives an overview of an array of different strategies for
reading the scriptures. The section of the chapter that is most important for this course
is the last, on “The Interaction of Text and Reader in the Hermeneutical Process,” with
its nuanced discussion of the text, its various readers, and the activity of reading.
At the end of this session, the students will:
1. Distinguish among the worlds of, behind, and in front of the biblical text.
2. Have developed insight into their own “world in front of the text,” as a result of having
completed a hermeneutical inventory, and have grown in their awareness of others’
worlds in front of the text.
3. Are aware of some of the principals of responsible interpretation of the scriptures by
people in church leadership.
1.3 Biblical Chronology
Students use a timeline to describe the major periods of Israelite history up through and
including the early Christian movement, as well as identifying major theological
developments and texts associated with each of these major periods.
Recommendations for Study: Scan the assigned articles and note major events and
significant conceptual shifts in cultural and theological perspectives. Know major dates:
the first destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by the Babylonians (586 BCE); the
duration of what is known as the Hellenistic period (332/33-63 BCE); the approximate
date of the death of Jesus (ca. 30-33 CE); the estimated time period during which Paul’s
authentic letters were written (ca. 49-60 CE); the destruction of Jerusalem and the
Second Temple by the Romans during the Jewish revolt (70 CE); the estimated dates
that each Gospel began to circulate (Mark – 70 CE, or slightly earlier; Matthew – ca. 80s
CE; Luke – ca. 85 CE; John – ca. 90 CE).
1.4 Second Temple Period
Students will be introduced to the Second Temple Period as the matrix of the Hebrew
Scriptures, and the Old and New Testaments. They will begin to reconstruct the "world
behind the text" of the story of Jesus gospels as the Second Temple context in which
Jews dispute the best way to follow the law, what laws are most important, and how to
be faithful. This is a complex topic and will be new to many students. A foundational
idea of the study of the Bible in this course is that "Christianity" and "Judaism"
developed as different "religions" in the second century and after. The time of Jesus,
and at the time of the writing of most of the New Testament, was the Hellenistic Jewish
environment of the Second Temple Period.
1.5 Exile as the Definitive Experience for Israel
The assigned reading from Understanding the Old Testament introduces Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and Second Isaiah as prophets preaching in the context of Exile. Assigned
scripture readings include some of the biblical passages explored in the lesson.
Students will understand the Exile as the experience that shaped Israel's theological
perspective and its scripture. Students become acquainted with three voices from the
Exile: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Second Isaiah. Students are introduced to the major
existential questions posed by the experience of Exile and asked to make analogies
with the experience of the Christian Church in the present.
The Iona Initiative is the exclusive owner of this presentation. Its creator holds the intellectual property rights and
retains sole responsibility for its content. It may not be modified or distributed beyond the scope of the Iona Initiative,
whether for profit or not for profit, without prior written permission from the Dean and President, Seminary of the
Southwest.