S.T.L. COMPREHENSIVE BOOKLIST
SACRED SCRIPTURE
I. INTRODUCTION, HISTORY, AND THEOLOGY
(Students are to read all of the following)
W. H. Schmidt, Old Testament Introduction (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1995).
R. E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (New York: Doubleday, 1997). Or,
U. Schnelle. The Writings of the New Testament: History and Theology
(Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998).
J. Wellhausen, Prolegomenon to the History of Ancient Israel (Cleveland: World
Publishing Company, 1965).
H. Gunkel, The Legends of Genesis (tr. J. J. Scullion; ed. N.R., Scott; Vellejo, CA.: Bibal
Press, 1994).
M. Noth, The Deuteronomistic History (JSOT Supp. Series 15; Sheffield, JSOT Press,
1981).
A. Schweitzer, The Quest of the Historical Jesus (New York: Macmillan, 1961).
M. Dibelius, From Tradition to Gospel (New York: Scribner’s, 1965).
R. Bultmann, The History of the Synoptic Tradition (Oxford: Blackwell, 1968).
R. Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament (2 vols.; London: SCM Press, 1952, 1955).
G. von Rad, Old Testament Theology (2 vols.; New York: Harper & Row, 1967).
II. AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION: OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT
(Students are to choose three of six areas: 2 OT and 1 NT, or 2 NT and 1 OT)
A. THE OLD TESTAMENT AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
1. Pentateuch and Historical Books
M. Weinfeld, Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School (Oxford: Clarendon, 1972).
D.J.A. Clines, The Theme of the Pentateuch (JSOT Supp. Series 10; Sheffield: JSOT
Press, 1978).
D. Patrick, Old Testament Law (Atlanta: Knox, 1985).
R.N. Whybray, The Making of the Pentateuch: A Methodological Study (JSOT Supp.
Series 53. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1987).
2. Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature
J. Lindblom, Prophecy in Ancient Israel (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1962).
P.D. Hanson, The Dawn of the Apocalyptic (revised edition; Philadelphia: Fortress,
1979).
R.R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980).
3. Wisdom Literature and Psalms
G. von Rad, Wisdom in Israel (Nashville: Abingdon, 1972).
C. Westermann, Praise and Lament in the Psalms (Atlanta: Knox, 1981).
S. Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship (Oxford: Blackwell, 1982).
B. THE NEW TESTAMENT AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
4. The Synoptics
J. A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel according to Luke 1-1X (Garden City: Doubleday, 1981), pp.
3-283.
F. J. Moloney, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2002).
U. Luz, The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1995).
5. John
D. Moody Smith, John Among the Gospels (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992; 2nd edition
Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2001).
R. E. Brown, An Introduction to the Gospel of John (New York: Doubleday, 2003).
F. J. Moloney, The Gospel of John (Sacra Pagina 4; Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998).
6. Paul
J. Christian Beker, Paul the Apostle: The Triumph of God in Life and Thought
(Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980).
J. A. Fitzmyer, Paul and His Theology: A Brief Sketch (Englewood Cliffs , N.J.: Prentice
Hall, 1987).
E. P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979).
J. D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998).
(Revised 2004)
STL Comprehensive Examination:
Study Questions
The purpose of this study guide is to help you focus your reading as you prepare
for the STL comprehensive examination. The questions for the examination will be
similar in nature to the questions and topics listed below.
I. Introduction, History, Theology
1. Making use of W. H. Schmidt’s Old Testament Introduction, discuss the
authorship, date, and occasion for the major writings of the Old Testament.
2. What is Wellhausen’s conception of the evolution of Israel’s cult and how does he
go about arguing for that conception?
3. What kind of literary forms does Gunkel identify in the Book of Genesis? What
are the characteristic features of each? How does Gunkel envision the formation
of the extant Book of Genesis?
4. What is Noth’s thesis about the Deuteronomistic History and what evidence does
he adduce in support of that thesis? What are the five periods of Israel's history in
the Deuteronomistic History and what sources did the Deuteronomist have
available for each period? When, where, in what circle of authorship and with
what purpose was the Deuteromonistic History written according to Noth?
5. What is the overall structure of Gerhard von Rad’s Old Testament Theology? How
does von Rad carry out his project of writing an Old Testament Theology?
6. Making use of R. E. Brown’s Introduction to the New Testament, discuss the
authorship, date, and occasion for the composition of the various writings of the
New Testament.
7. What was the quest for the historical Jesus that Schweitzer chronicled? What was
his critique of that quest? Why, in his view, did it fail? Who were some of its
important representatives?
8. What do Martin Dibelius and Rudolf Bultmann understand by Form Criticism?
What are the different literary forms they identify in the New Testament? What is
the significance of this method for the interpretation of the New Testament?
9. What is the overall structure of Rudolf Bultmann’s Theology of the New
Testament? Why do the theologies of John and Paul play such a central role in his
understanding of New Testament theology? How does Bultmann view the
theology of the later writings of the New Testament?
II. Areas of Specialization
A. The Old Testament
1. Pentateuch/ Historical Books
1. What circle of authorship does Weinfeld posit behind Deuteronomy and the
Deuteronomistic History? What is the evidence for this attribution? What effect
did the rise of Assyria have on the authors of Deuteronomy according to
Weinfeld?
2. What is the theme of the Pentateuch according to Clines? How does he argue for
this as the theme of the whole complex?
3. What genres of law does Patrick identify in the Old Testament? What are the
characteristics of each? What are some of the similarities and differences between
OT law and the laws of Israel's neighbors?
4. What are Whybray's criticisms of previous conceptions of the formation-history
of the Pentateuch? What conception of Penateuch's formation does he himself
advocate and how does he argue for this?
2. Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature
1. Discuss Lindblom’s treatment of the religious conceptions and experiences of the
prophets, with particular attention to his thoughts on the question of prophetic
mysticism.
2. Discuss Hanson's proposals regarding the development of apocalypticism and
apocalyptic literature in the postexilic period and its possible preexilic
antecedents.
3. Discuss Wilson's understanding of the sociological matrix of Old Testament
prophecy at the different stages of its history, indicating the relevance of modern
sociological and anthropological findings for this discussion according to Wilson.
3. Wisdom Literature and Psalms
1. Discuss von Rad’s understanding of the concept of Wisdom in ancient Israel and
its development over time. Say something further about von Rad’s view on the
relationship between the sapiential, prophetic and apocalyptic movements in
Israel.
2. Discuss Westermann’s treatment of the characteristics and purposes of the two
main psalmic genres and their various sub-types.
3. Discuss Mowinckel’s view on the question of the setting of life for the psalmic
materials of the OT.
B. The New Testament
4. Synoptic Gospels
1. Making use of Moloney’s commentary on the Gospel of Mark, summarize the
overall narrative logic of the Gospel and the main theological themes of the
Gospel.
2. Making use of Luz’s The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew summarize the
overall structure of the Gospel, and the Gospel’s understanding of Jesus and the
Church.
3. Making use of Fitzmyer’s commentary on Luke, summarize the authorship and
date of the Gospel: why it was written; the main theological themes of the Gospel;
and Fitzmyer’s argument for the Two Source Hypothesis.
5 John
1. Summarize D. Moody Smith’s history of the scholarly discussion of the
relationship between John and the Synoptics. What are the arguments for and
against Johannine literary dependence on the Synoptic Gospels?
2. Making use of Brown’s introduction to the Gospel of John, discuss the
composition, date, and authorship of the Fourth Gospel.
3. Making use of F. J. Moloney’s commentary on the Gospel of John, summarize the
main narrative lines of the Gospel and the Gospel’s central theological themes.
6. Paul
1. Summarize Beker’s understanding of the contingency of Paul’s letters and the
coherency of Paul’s gospel.
2. Summarize the main lines of E. P. Sanders’ argument in Paul and Palestinian
Judaism. In light of his study of Palestinian Judaism, how should Paul be
interpreted according to Sanders? What is Sanders’ critique of past Pauline
scholarship?
3. Making use of Dunn’s Theology of Paul the Apostle and Fitzmyer’s Paul and His
Theology discuss Paul’s understanding of the following: (a) the human
predicament apart from Christ; (b) Christology and soteriology; (c) redemption
and justification by faith apart from the Law; (d) the Church; and (e) the moral
life.
Revised March 12, 2007