GiveLoginCreate AccountCurrent StudentsSearch

Academics

Program Syllabi

Every course in all four programs, in order: what each course covers, what you read, the primary sources, and the major work. Review it all before you apply.

Last updated October 27, 2026

Find a course

Choose one or more programs, or search by course code or title.

Course descriptions, readings and assessments

Find the published description, reading selections and assessment structure for each course. Course offerings, available cohorts and any specialization-specific readings are identified separately. Reading selections do not imply that every course is currently open for enrollment.

Open a course to see its description, credits, where it fits in the program, reading selections, primary sources, assessment, grading, and instructor. “Required” means the selected title or reference, or the relevant selections identified by the instructor, not reading every listed volume in full. Required access is included in tuition.

Program syllabi

Biblical Exegesis

Interpreting biblical texts through historical and cultural context, textual analysis, and targeted Hebrew and Greek.

Courses
18 courses in the current course framework
Credits
3 semester credits for each taught course and 6 for BS 690. Your concentration determines which courses you complete and their credit total.
Pace
Standard, about 24 months · 6-month accelerated track · self-paced option
Concentrations
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament · New Testament / Early Christianity · Dual Concentration
Languages
Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek, with advanced study in the concentration language. A modern research language, normally German or French.
Reading load
90–120 pages a week, plus language drill
Assessed writing
6 papers, then the thesis/capstone

Course sequence

Foundational study · Foundation Exegetical Method & Biblical Languages

Students begin with foundational exegetical study and substantive preparation in both Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek.

  • BS 510Foundations of Biblical Exegesis and Hermeneutics3 credits
    Course description
    Learn to frame an exegetical question, distinguish a text’s wording from later interpretation, and assess competing readings using literary context, historical evidence and responsible use of languages. Build a documented argument whose conclusions remain proportionate to the evidence.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Exegetical Method & Biblical Languages: Students begin with foundational exegetical study and substantive preparation in both Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    A selected Hebrew Bible passage and a New Testament passage, read in translation with guided reference to Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and Novum Testamentum Graece. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HB 510Biblical Hebrew I3 credits
    Course description
    Develop the foundations of Biblical Hebrew: script, pronunciation conventions, vocabulary, nominal forms and basic clauses. Use guided exercises to explain how grammatical choices affect translation rather than treating a gloss as the whole meaning.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Exegetical Method & Biblical Languages: Students begin with foundational exegetical study and substantive preparation in both Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. 3rd edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Weekly language exercises: 30%
    • Vocabulary and form quizzes: 20%
    • Midcourse translation assessment: 20%
    • Final translation and explanation portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • GK 510Koine Greek I3 credits
    Course description
    Develop the foundations of Koine Greek: alphabet, vocabulary, nominal forms, the present-tense system and basic sentence structures. Practice reading and explaining short New Testament clauses with appropriate reference tools.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Exegetical Method & Biblical Languages: Students begin with foundational exegetical study and substantive preparation in both Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • William D. Mounce. Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar. 4th edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Weekly language exercises: 30%
    • Vocabulary and form quizzes: 20%
    • Midcourse translation assessment: 20%
    • Final translation and explanation portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HB 520Biblical Hebrew II3 credits
    Course description
    Extend foundational Hebrew into verbal systems, clause relationships and connected biblical prose. Compare translation alternatives and support each choice with grammatical and contextual evidence.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Exegetical Method & Biblical Languages: Students begin with foundational exegetical study and substantive preparation in both Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. 3rd edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Guided narrative selections from Genesis and Ruth. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Weekly language exercises: 30%
    • Vocabulary and form quizzes: 20%
    • Midcourse translation assessment: 20%
    • Final translation and explanation portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • GK 520Koine Greek II3 credits
    Course description
    Extend foundational Greek into participles, infinitives and more complex clause structures. Translate connected New Testament passages and explain important grammatical alternatives using context.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Exegetical Method & Biblical Languages: Students begin with foundational exegetical study and substantive preparation in both Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • William D. Mounce. Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar. 4th edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Guided selections from Mark and John. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Weekly language exercises: 30%
    • Vocabulary and form quizzes: 20%
    • Midcourse translation assessment: 20%
    • Final translation and explanation portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Foundational study · Concentration Primary-Language Development

Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.

  • OT 510Historical Contexts of the Hebrew Bible for Exegesis3 credits
    Course description
    Investigate the historical settings relevant to Hebrew Bible interpretation, including political institutions, chronology, empire and the relationship between literary traditions and external evidence. Separate what sources establish from reconstructions that remain uncertain.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Selected passages from Genesis, Exodus, Kings and Ezra–Nehemiah, alongside documented historical evidence. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HB 530Biblical Hebrew III: Advanced Grammar, Syntax, and Semantics3 credits
    Course description
    Analyze Hebrew syntax, lexical meaning and discourse beyond elementary translation. Compare prose and poetry and evaluate how genre, verbal forms and context constrain an interpretation.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. 3rd edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Ruth, selected narrative from Samuel and selected Psalms; use the grammar as a reference, not a repeat introductory course. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Annotated translations: 30%
    • Syntax and lexical case studies: 25%
    • Oral explanation of text analysis: 15%
    • Final textual-analysis portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • GK 530Koine Greek III: Advanced Grammar, Syntax, and Semantics3 credits
    Course description
    Analyze advanced Greek syntax, discourse and lexical semantics. Test grammatical claims against usage and context, and evaluate alternative readings rather than relying mechanically on grammatical labels.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. 1996 edition, Zondervan.
    • Walter Bauer; edited and revised by Frederick William Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd English edition, 2000, University of Chicago Press.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Selected Pauline argument and Gospel narrative. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Annotated translations: 30%
    • Syntax and lexical case studies: 25%
    • Oral explanation of text analysis: 15%
    • Final textual-analysis portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • OT 520Social and Cultural Worlds of the Hebrew Bible for Exegesis3 credits
    Course description
    Examine households, law, economy, kinship, worship and social institutions in the worlds of the Hebrew Bible. Use literary and material evidence to test modern assumptions and explain how social context changes an exegetical judgment.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Selected legal, prophetic and narrative texts; distinguish literary portrayal from direct social observation. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HB 540Advanced Biblical Hebrew Reading and Biblical Aramaic3 credits
    Course description
    Read sustained Hebrew passages across genres and learn the foundations needed to investigate Biblical Aramaic. Explain translation-sensitive constructions and compare the evidentiary limits of Hebrew and Aramaic reference tools.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Aramaic: Complete Grammar, Lexicon, and Annotated Text. 2nd edition, 2023, Zondervan Academic.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Hebrew prose/poetry and guided Aramaic selections from Ezra and Daniel. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Annotated translations: 30%
    • Syntax and lexical case studies: 25%
    • Oral explanation of text analysis: 15%
    • Final textual-analysis portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • GK 540Koine Greek IV: Advanced Reading and Textual Analysis3 credits
    Course description
    Read sustained Greek texts with attention to idiom, discourse, genre and textual variants. Prepare annotated translations that integrate grammatical, lexical and contextual evidence into a defensible interpretation.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. 1996 edition, Zondervan.
    • Walter Bauer; edited and revised by Frederick William Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd English edition, 2000, University of Chicago Press.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Extended selections from a Gospel, a Pauline letter and Hebrews. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Annotated translations: 30%
    • Syntax and lexical case studies: 25%
    • Oral explanation of text analysis: 15%
    • Final textual-analysis portfolio: 30%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 501Second Temple Judaism and the Jewish World of Early Christianity3 credits
    Course description
    Study the varied institutions, texts and practices of Second Temple Judaism that inform early Christian sources. Examine temple, Torah, diaspora, sectarian diversity and responses to empire without treating Judaism as a single uniform background.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Paula Fredriksen. When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation. 2018 text; 2019 paperback edition, Yale University Press.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected biblical and early Christian passages concerning temple, Torah and community, with explicitly identified comparative Jewish sources. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • NT 510Greco-Roman Historical, Social, and Cultural Contexts for New Testament Exegesis3 credits
    Course description
    Examine the political, social and cultural settings relevant to New Testament interpretation: empire, cities, household, status, patronage, religion and communication. Evaluate how comparison with the wider Mediterranean world illuminates a text without proving influence merely from similarity.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Primary-Language Development: Concentration study develops the primary biblical language continuously toward advanced reading and exegesis while integrating the historical-cultural preparation appropriate to the selected field.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Pauline letters, Acts and Gospel passages addressing civic, household and imperial contexts. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Advanced study Advanced Text, Context & Critical Methods

Advanced study includes textual criticism and manuscript traditions, critical methods in biblical interpretation, sustained original-language exegesis, and independent research.

  • BL 610Biblical Textual Criticism and Manuscript Traditions3 credits
    Course description
    Compare the transmission of Hebrew Bible and New Testament texts using critical editions and manuscript evidence. Distinguish a textual variant from an interpretive disagreement and construct a reasoned textual judgment with acknowledged uncertainty.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Advanced Text, Context & Critical Methods: Advanced study includes textual criticism and manuscript traditions, critical methods in biblical interpretation, sustained original-language exegesis, and independent research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Emanuel Tov. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. 3rd revised and expanded edition, 2012, Fortress Press.
    • Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. 4th edition, 2005, Oxford University Press.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Apparatus exercises: 25%
    • Two variant dossiers: 40%
    • Transmission-history comparison: 20%
    • Revised textual judgment: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BS 610Critical Methods in Biblical Interpretation3 credits
    Course description
    Compare major critical approaches to biblical interpretation and examine the assumptions and evidence each requires. Apply contrasting methods to a defined problem, explain where they illuminate or distort it, and defend a coherent method for further study.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Advanced Text, Context & Critical Methods: Advanced study includes textual criticism and manuscript traditions, critical methods in biblical interpretation, sustained original-language exegesis, and independent research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    One paired Hebrew Bible/New Testament interpretive case, with source passages explicitly identified. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • OT 610Hebrew Biblical Exegesis3 credits
    Course description
    Conduct sustained exegesis of a Hebrew text by integrating original-language analysis, textual criticism, genre, historical and cultural evidence, and competing scholarship. Present and revise an interpretation in response to evidence-based criticism.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Advanced Text, Context & Critical Methods: Advanced study includes textual criticism and manuscript traditions, critical methods in biblical interpretation, sustained original-language exegesis, and independent research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Emanuel Tov. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. 3rd revised and expanded edition, 2012, Fortress Press.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Translation and textual dossier: 30%
    • Context and scholarship dossier: 25%
    • Integrated exegetical portfolio: 30%
    • Oral defense and revision: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • NT 610Greek New Testament Exegesis3 credits
    Course description
    Conduct sustained exegesis of a Greek New Testament text by integrating language, textual variants, historical context, literary structure and competing scholarly arguments. Defend the limits as well as the strengths of the resulting interpretation.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Advanced Text, Context & Critical Methods: Advanced study includes textual criticism and manuscript traditions, critical methods in biblical interpretation, sustained original-language exegesis, and independent research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. 1996 edition, Zondervan.
    • Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. 4th edition, 2005, Oxford University Press.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Translation and textual dossier: 30%
    • Context and scholarship dossier: 25%
    • Integrated exegetical portfolio: 30%
    • Oral defense and revision: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Culminating work Thesis/Capstone & Oral Defense

An approved prospectus precedes the independent exegetical thesis/capstone. Final assessment includes an online oral defense.

  • BS 690Exegetical Thesis/Capstone6 credits
    Course description
    The program culminates in a substantial independent exegetical research project integrating original-language analysis, textual evidence, historical and cultural contextualization, appropriate interpretive methodology, relevant primary sources, critical scholarship, competing interpretations, sustained argument, and conclusions proportionate to the evidence. An approved prospectus precedes full research. Final assessment includes an online oral defense.
    Credits
    6 credits
    Where it fits
    Thesis/Capstone & Oral Defense: An approved prospectus precedes the independent exegetical thesis/capstone. Final assessment includes an online oral defense.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Project-specific primary corpus and bibliography approved with the prospectus. Both the approved prospectus and successful defense are mandatory, regardless of weighted average. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    A substantial independent exegetical research project. An approved prospectus precedes full research. Final assessment includes an online oral defense.
    Assessment
    • Approved prospectus: 15%
    • Research and evidence dossier: 20%
    • Thesis/capstone manuscript: 45%
    • Online oral defense and required revisions: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Program syllabi

Biblical Research & Interpretation

Advanced independent investigation of biblical texts, their historical worlds, textual traditions, and interpretation.

Courses
16 courses · 54 semester credits: 36 of advanced coursework and 18 of dissertation research
Length
About 4 years full-time
Concentrations
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament · New Testament / Early Christianity
Languages
Advanced competence in the concentration’s biblical language with supporting competence in the other. A modern research language as a non-credit competency.
Reading load
200 or more pages a week
Assessed writing
7 papers, then the dissertation

Course sequence

Year 1 · Fall Research Scholar Foundations

BRS 801, BRS 803, and BRS 805 establish advanced research methodology, history of scholarship, and concentration-specific primary-text research.

  • BRS 801Advanced Biblical Research Methodology3 credits
    Course description
    Introduces the methods and practices required for independent advanced research in biblical studies. Students learn to define significant research problems, formulate precise research questions and theses, establish the state of scholarship through critical literature review, identify and evaluate primary and secondary evidence, assess scholarly arguments, and design research appropriate to a defined problem. The course develops advanced use of bibliographic databases, research systems, and digital tools, including responsible and verifiable use of AI-assisted research technologies. Particular attention is given to source evaluation, citation integrity, argument construction, and the movement from research question to publishable scholarship. Students complete a substantial article-quality research paper.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Research Scholar Foundations: BRS 801, BRS 803, and BRS 805 establish advanced research methodology, history of scholarship, and concentration-specific primary-text research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students complete a substantial article-quality research paper.
    Assessment
    • Research question and design: 15%
    • Critical literature review: 20%
    • Article-quality research paper: 50%
    • Revision and research-integrity statement: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 803History of Biblical Scholarship and Interpretation3 credits
    Course description
    Examines the historical development of biblical interpretation and scholarship from ancient Jewish and Christian exegesis through medieval and Reformation interpretation, Renaissance philology, Enlightenment criticism, the rise of historical-critical scholarship, modern German biblical research, literary and social-scientific approaches, canonical interpretation, reception history, ideological criticism, and contemporary global and interdisciplinary developments. Particular attention is given to the intellectual, theological, cultural, and institutional assumptions that shaped major interpreters, methods, and scholarly debates. Students learn to trace the development of a research problem across periods of scholarship and to evaluate how earlier interpretive traditions continue to influence contemporary biblical research.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Research Scholar Foundations: BRS 801, BRS 803, and BRS 805 establish advanced research methodology, history of scholarship, and concentration-specific primary-text research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Use published examples of ancient, medieval, Reformation and modern interpretation of one defined problem. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Interpretation-history source annotations: 25%
    • Historiographical research paper: 50%
    • Seminar presentation: 15%
    • Revision: 10%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 805Advanced Primary-Text Seminar I3 credits
    Course description
    Develops research-level competence in the linguistic and philological investigation of primary texts appropriate to the student's concentration. Hebrew Bible / Old Testament students undertake advanced analysis of Biblical Hebrew prose and poetry, lexical semantics, syntax, discourse, linguistic variation, inscriptions, and relevant comparative Semitic evidence. New Testament / Early Christianity students undertake advanced analysis of Koine Greek, lexical semantics, syntax, discourse, linguistic variation, Septuagintal and Jewish Greek, documentary papyri, inscriptions, and related Greco-Roman textual evidence. Emphasis is placed on evaluating linguistic evidence, using technical research resources critically, and developing defensible arguments from primary-text data. Students complete substantial primary-text analyses and a research project centered on linguistic or philological evidence.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Research Scholar Foundations: BRS 801, BRS 803, and BRS 805 establish advanced research methodology, history of scholarship, and concentration-specific primary-text research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    • Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. 1996 edition, Zondervan.
    • Walter Bauer; edited and revised by Frederick William Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd English edition, 2000, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    The student’s concentration determines Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Hebrew) or Novum Testamentum Graece, Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics and the Bauer–Danker Greek-English Lexicon (Greek), not an obligation to repeat both languages. Attach identified comparative inscriptions/papyri and specialist linguistic references. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students complete substantial primary-text analyses and a research project centered on linguistic or philological evidence.
    Assessment
    • Primary-text analyses: 40%
    • Philological research project: 45%
    • Oral defense of analysis: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Year 1 · Spring Methods, Manuscripts & Historical Evidence

BRS 810, BRS 812, and BRS 814 develop independent textual judgment, methodological adjudication, and historically responsible research.

  • BRS 810Textual Criticism and Manuscript Evidence3 credits
    Course description
    Examines the theory and practice of biblical textual criticism through the study of manuscript traditions, textual witnesses, scribal practices, transmission history, and critical editions. Hebrew Bible / Old Testament students engage the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, and other relevant witnesses. New Testament / Early Christianity students engage papyri, majuscules, minuscules, lectionaries, early versions, patristic citations, the Editio Critica Maior, and principles of the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method. Emphasis is placed on evaluating competing readings, weighing internal and external evidence, explaining the development of textual variation, and making defensible independent textual judgments. Students complete a textual-critical dossier on a selected passage.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Methods, Manuscripts & Historical Evidence: BRS 810, BRS 812, and BRS 814 develop independent textual judgment, methodological adjudication, and historically responsible research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Emanuel Tov. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. 3rd revised and expanded edition, 2012, Fortress Press.
    • Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. 4th edition, 2005, Oxford University Press.
    • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Use the Hebrew or Greek branch appropriate to the concentration. The actual dossier identifies witness, edition and passage. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students complete a textual-critical dossier on a selected passage.
    Assessment
    • Manuscript/apparatus exercises: 25%
    • Textual-critical dossier: 55%
    • Methodological defense and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 812Hermeneutics and Critical Methods3 credits
    Course description
    Examines major hermeneutical and critical approaches used in biblical research, with particular attention to their methodological and epistemological assumptions, evidentiary requirements, interpretive capabilities, and limitations. Approaches considered include historical, source, form, redaction, narrative, rhetorical, discourse, social-scientific, canonical, reception-historical, feminist, postcolonial, ideological, and theological interpretation. Students critically adjudicate among competing methods, evaluate the compatibility and limits of methodological integration, and construct and defend methodological approaches appropriate to unresolved biblical research problems. Emphasis is placed on making explicit and defensible methodological decisions rather than applying methods mechanically. Students complete a comparative methodological study.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Methods, Manuscripts & Historical Evidence: BRS 810, BRS 812, and BRS 814 develop independent textual judgment, methodological adjudication, and historically responsible research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students complete a comparative methodological study.
    Assessment
    • Method comparison exercises: 25%
    • Comparative methodological study: 55%
    • Oral presentation and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 814Historical Worlds of the Bible3 credits
    Course description
    Examines the methods and evidence used to investigate and reconstruct the historical worlds of biblical texts. Students critically engage literary sources, archaeology and material culture, inscriptions, papyri and documentary evidence, geography, chronology, and relevant comparative ancient sources appropriate to their concentration. Particular attention is given to source provenance and dating, evidentiary weighting, conflicting evidence, analogy and comparison, arguments from silence, historiographical assumptions, and the limits of historical inference. Students learn to distinguish historical context used for interpretation from historical reconstruction as an independent research task and to construct defensible historical arguments from incomplete and uneven evidence. Students complete a substantial historical-reconstruction research project.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Methods, Manuscripts & Historical Evidence: BRS 810, BRS 812, and BRS 814 develop independent textual judgment, methodological adjudication, and historically responsible research.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Use Collins’s Introduction to the Hebrew Bible for the Hebrew Bible branch or Ehrman and Méndez’s The New Testament for the New Testament branch as orientation, with specialist primary/material evidence in the cohort bibliography. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students complete a substantial historical-reconstruction research project.
    Assessment
    • Evidence/provenance audit: 25%
    • Historical-reconstruction research project: 55%
    • Research presentation and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Year 2 · Specialized research Major Field & Research Specialization

BRS 901, BRS 903, BRS 905, and BRS 910 develop field command, specialized evidence, cognate research capacity, and interdisciplinary judgment.

  • BRS 901Major Field Seminar3 credits
    Course description
    Examines a major field within the student's concentration through intensive engagement with its primary texts, history of scholarship, major research questions, current debates, methodological issues, and specialized secondary literature. Seminar topics vary by cohort and may include major corpora or research areas within Hebrew Bible / Old Testament or New Testament / Early Christianity. Emphasis is placed on developing broad bibliographic command, critically evaluating representative scholarship, locating unresolved problems within the field, and situating independent research within the larger scholarly conversation. Students complete a substantial research paper suitable for development toward publication.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Major Field & Research Specialization: BRS 901, BRS 903, BRS 905, and BRS 910 develop field command, specialized evidence, cognate research capacity, and interdisciplinary judgment.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Variable field. No universal subject textbook is imposed. The Craft of Research is the common research reference. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students complete a substantial research paper suitable for development toward publication.
    Assessment
    • Field bibliography and literature review: 30%
    • Substantial field research paper: 50%
    • Seminar leadership and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 903Cognate Language or Research Tool3 credits
    Course description
    Provides advanced training in an additional language or technical research tool selected according to the student's concentration, specialization, and anticipated dissertation needs. Approved areas may include Aramaic, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Syriac, Latin, Coptic, advanced Septuagint Greek, epigraphy, papyrology, corpus linguistics, digital textual analysis, or another research tool approved for the student's field. Emphasis is placed on developing sufficient competence to locate, interpret, evaluate, and employ evidence from the selected language or technical field in independent biblical research. The specific content and research product vary according to the approved area of study.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Major Field & Research Specialization: BRS 901, BRS 903, BRS 905, and BRS 910 develop field command, specialized evidence, cognate research capacity, and interdisciplinary judgment.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Variable language/tool approved for the student’s research. For Biblical Aramaic select Van Pelt’s Basics of Biblical Aramaic. Other language or tool options require a named instructor-approved grammar/manual and edition before that option is offered. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    The specific content and research product vary according to the approved area of study.
    Assessment
    • Tool/language exercises: 40%
    • Applied research product: 45%
    • Competency demonstration: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 905Research Seminar in Specialization3 credits
    Course description
    Provides intensive research in a specialized area within the student's concentration, normally related to the student's developing research interests. Students engage the area's primary evidence, specialized bibliography, history of scholarship, major debates, methodological problems, and unresolved research questions at advanced research depth. Emphasis is placed on achieving command of a narrowly defined scholarly conversation, identifying opportunities for original contribution, and conducting independent research capable of advancing that conversation. The seminar may contribute to the development of the student's eventual dissertation area but does not require commitment to a dissertation topic. Students complete a substantial specialization research project.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Major Field & Research Specialization: BRS 901, BRS 903, BRS 905, and BRS 910 develop field command, specialized evidence, cognate research capacity, and interdisciplinary judgment.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Variable specialization: the cohort syllabus supplies the actual primary corpus and specialist bibliography before registration. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students complete a substantial specialization research project.
    Assessment
    • Specialization literature review: 25%
    • Specialization research project: 55%
    • Presentation and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 910Interdisciplinary Research Elective3 credits
    Course description
    Provides advanced study in a cognate discipline outside the student's immediate biblical specialization. Approved areas may include linguistics, literary theory, archaeology, ancient historiography, classics, Jewish studies, anthropology, sociology of religion, philosophy of language, digital humanities, manuscript studies, reception history, or another field relevant to the student's research. Emphasis is placed on understanding the discipline's major concepts, methods, evidentiary practices, and scholarly debates and on evaluating how its approaches may be responsibly integrated into biblical research. The specific content and research product vary according to the approved field of study.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Major Field & Research Specialization: BRS 901, BRS 903, BRS 905, and BRS 910 develop field command, specialized evidence, cognate research capacity, and interdisciplinary judgment.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Variable cognate discipline. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    The specific content and research product vary according to the approved field of study.
    Assessment
    • Cognate-method analysis: 30%
    • Interdisciplinary research product: 50%
    • Limits/transferability reflection: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Year 2 · Dissertation preparation Professional Formation & Prospectus

BRS 912 prepares students for scholarly publication, teaching, and the academic profession; BRS 914 develops and defends the formal dissertation prospectus.

  • BRS 912Scholarly Publication, Teaching, and the Academic Profession3 credits
    Course description
    Prepares advanced research students for professional scholarly communication, publication, teaching, and participation in the academic community. Students examine the processes of selecting appropriate journals and conferences, preparing and submitting manuscripts and proposals, responding to peer review, revising scholarly work for publication, and observing research and publication ethics. The course also introduces principles of effective postsecondary teaching in biblical studies, including course design, learning outcomes, assessment, and responsible use of primary texts and scholarship in instruction. Attention is given to conference participation, professional societies, scholarly collaboration, academic service, and the development of a sustainable research and publication agenda. Students prepare scholarly and professional materials suitable for use beyond the course.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Professional Formation & Prospectus: BRS 912 prepares students for scholarly publication, teaching, and the academic profession; BRS 914 develops and defends the formal dissertation prospectus.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Actual target-journal author instructions and the applicable teaching/publishing policies are assigned as documents with retrieval dates. No publication or academic appointment is guaranteed. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students prepare scholarly and professional materials suitable for use beyond the course.
    Assessment
    • Article and journal-submission plan: 35%
    • Course/assessment design portfolio: 30%
    • Conference proposal and presentation: 20%
    • Publication/research-ethics analysis: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 914Dissertation Colloquium: Prospectus Development3 credits
    Course description
    Guides students in the development and defense of the formal dissertation prospectus. Under faculty supervision, students refine a significant and feasible research problem, formulate the central research question and thesis or working hypothesis, establish the state of scholarship, define the primary-source corpus, justify the proposed methodology, articulate the anticipated original contribution, and develop the structure and timetable for the dissertation. Students prepare a formal prospectus including an annotated research bibliography, chapter outline, and feasibility assessment and defend the proposed project before faculty and peers.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Professional Formation & Prospectus: BRS 912 prepares students for scholarly publication, teaching, and the academic profession; BRS 914 develops and defends the formal dissertation prospectus.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    The project’s actual corpus, editions and bibliography are part of the prospectus. Approval of the prospectus is required before dissertation research, even if the numeric average is passing. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students prepare a formal prospectus including an annotated research bibliography, chapter outline, and feasibility assessment and defend the proposed project before faculty and peers.
    Assessment
    • Research bibliography and feasibility analysis: 25%
    • Formal prospectus: 50%
    • Prospectus defense and revisions: 25%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Years 3–4 · Dissertation research BRS 950 & BRS 951

Sustained dissertation research and chapter development under faculty supervision.

  • BRS 950Dissertation Research I6 credits
    Course description
    Conducts the first sustained phase of dissertation research under faculty supervision. Students execute the approved research plan through concentrated investigation of relevant primary and secondary evidence, establish and maintain an organized research archive, refine the dissertation bibliography and chapter architecture as the evidence requires, and begin sustained dissertation writing. Regular dissertation workshops provide structured opportunities for research reporting, scholarly critique, problem solving, and revision. By the conclusion of the course, students complete a substantive dissertation chapter for faculty review.
    Credits
    6 credits
    Where it fits
    BRS 950 & BRS 951: Sustained dissertation research and chapter development under faculty supervision.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    No new common textbook. Retain The Craft of Research as reference and use the approved project bibliography. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    By the conclusion of the course, students complete a substantive dissertation chapter for faculty review.
    Assessment
    • Research archive and progress review: 25%
    • Substantive dissertation chapter: 60%
    • Workshop response and revision: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 951Dissertation Research II6 credits
    Course description
    Continues sustained dissertation research and writing under faculty supervision. Students extend the dissertation argument through additional substantive chapters, revise previously completed work in response to scholarly critique, and evaluate the coherence of the developing dissertation across chapters, evidence, methodology, and conclusions. Students also adapt a significant portion of the dissertation research for journal publication and present work in progress in the research colloquium for critical discussion.
    Credits
    6 credits
    Where it fits
    BRS 950 & BRS 951: Sustained dissertation research and chapter development under faculty supervision.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    No new common textbook. Use the approved and updated project bibliography; record additions rather than invent a universal dissertation reading list. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Additional dissertation chapters: 60%
    • Article adaptation: 25%
    • Colloquium presentation: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Years 3–4 · Completion BRS 960 & BRS 961

Full-manuscript revision, oral defense, final correction, and preparation for scholarly publication.

  • BRS 960Dissertation Writing and Revision3 credits
    Course description
    Guides students through the completion and substantive revision of the full dissertation manuscript under faculty supervision. Emphasis is placed on strengthening the coherence of the central argument, chapter architecture, historiographical engagement, use of evidence, methodological consistency, citation and documentation, scholarly prose, and the relationship between individual chapters and the dissertation as a whole. Students participate in a structured writing group for critical review and revision and consider how portions of the completed research may be developed for future publication. By the conclusion of the course, a complete dissertation draft is submitted for Academic Board review.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    BRS 960 & BRS 961: Full-manuscript revision, oral defense, final correction, and preparation for scholarly publication.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    A complete draft submitted for Academic Board review is mandatory; workshop participation cannot replace it. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    By the conclusion of the course, a complete dissertation draft is submitted for Academic Board review.
    Assessment
    • Complete dissertation draft: 65%
    • Documented substantive revisions: 25%
    • Citation and submission preparation: 10%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • BRS 961Dissertation Defense and Publication3 credits
    Course description
    Guides students through the final review, defense, revision, and scholarly dissemination of the dissertation. Students prepare to explain and defend the dissertation's research problem, methodology, evidence, argument, conclusions, limitations, and original contribution before the Academic Board. Following the defense, students complete any revisions required by the Board and submit the final approved dissertation. The course also guides students in developing a publication strategy for extending dissertation research into appropriate scholarly venues.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    BRS 960 & BRS 961: Full-manuscript revision, oral defense, final correction, and preparation for scholarly publication.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Successful defense and acceptance of the final revised manuscript are mandatory. A high weighted score cannot override an unsuccessful defense; publication strategy is not journal acceptance. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    Students prepare to explain and defend the dissertation's research problem, methodology, evidence, argument, conclusions, limitations, and original contribution before the Academic Board.
    Assessment
    • Dissertation defense: 40%
    • Final approved manuscript and required revisions: 50%
    • Publication strategy: 10%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Program syllabi

Early Christianity: Apostolic–Post-Nicene

Christianity from its Jewish origins through the fifth-century conciliar and imperial world.

Courses
11 required courses · 33 credits
Length
About 18 months
Languages
None required. Guided attention to Greek, Hebrew/Aramaic, Latin, and Syriac where language affects interpretation.
Reading load
120–150 pages a week
Assessed writing
4 papers, then the final essay

Course sequence

Foundational study · Method Historical Method & Source Criticism

Students begin by learning how to reconstruct the past from incomplete and uneven evidence.

  • EC 500Historical Method, Historiography, and Source Criticism3 credits
    Course description
    Practice historical inquiry by identifying questions, evaluating provenance and genre, comparing sources and distinguishing observation from inference. Trace how historians’ assumptions shape accounts of early Christianity.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Historical Method & Source Criticism: Students begin by learning how to reconstruct the past from incomplete and uneven evidence.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Foundational study · Jewish origins Jesus Movement & Apostolic Baseline

Students reconstruct the Jewish worlds of Christian origins, Jesus and the earliest movement, Paul and the Gentile mission, and apostolic Christianity.

  • EC 510Jewish Worlds and the Origins of the Jesus Movement3 credits
    Course description
    Examine the varied Jewish communities, institutions and expectations from which the Jesus movement emerged. Compare temple, diaspora, scriptural interpretation and responses to imperial rule without reducing the period to one Jewish position.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Jesus Movement & Apostolic Baseline: Students reconstruct the Jewish worlds of Christian origins, Jesus and the earliest movement, Paul and the Gentile mission, and apostolic Christianity.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Paula Fredriksen. When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation. 2018 text; 2019 paperback edition, Yale University Press.
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 520Jesus and the Jewish Origins of the Christian Movement3 credits
    Course description
    Investigate Jesus traditions within Jewish social and religious worlds. Compare Gospel presentations, distinguish sources from historical reconstruction, and weigh the limits of what evidence permits historians to conclude.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Jesus Movement & Apostolic Baseline: Students reconstruct the Jewish worlds of Christian origins, Jesus and the earliest movement, Paul and the Gentile mission, and apostolic Christianity.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Paula Fredriksen. When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation. 2018 text; 2019 paperback edition, Yale University Press.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Gospel passages are compared with their literary setting and date of composition explicitly identified. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 530Paul, the Gentile Mission, and the Reconfiguration of Jewish Identity3 credits
    Course description
    Analyze Paul’s letters and the gentile mission in relation to Torah, covenant, ethnicity and communal identity. Compare scholarly explanations of continuity and change, grounding conclusions in the letters and their historical settings.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Jesus Movement & Apostolic Baseline: Students reconstruct the Jewish worlds of Christian origins, Jesus and the earliest movement, Paul and the Gentile mission, and apostolic Christianity.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    • Paula Fredriksen. When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation. 2018 text; 2019 paperback edition, Yale University Press.
    • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
    Primary sources
    Galatians, Romans and selected Corinthian correspondence; use translation with guided Greek analysis. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 540Apostolic Christianity: Beliefs, Communities, and Practice3 credits
    Course description
    Study early Christian community practices, authority, worship and teaching through apostolic and post-apostolic writings. Assess differences between normative instructions and evidence of what communities actually did.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Jesus Movement & Apostolic Baseline: Students reconstruct the Jewish worlds of Christian origins, Jesus and the earliest movement, Paul and the Gentile mission, and apostolic Christianity.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael W. Holmes, editor and translator. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. 3rd edition, 2007, Baker Academic.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Didache, 1 Clement and selected Ignatian letters in Holmes’s The Apostolic Fathers, compared with New Testament community texts. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Advanced study · Second–third centuries Differentiation & Christian Transformation

Students examine contested identities, scriptural authority, Gentile religious formation, competing Christianities, and institutional development.

  • EC 550The Parting of the Ways? Jews, Christians, and Contested Identities3 credits
    Course description
    Evaluate the idea of a single “parting of the ways” between Jews and Christians. Compare regional and chronological evidence for overlapping identities, polemic, exclusion and continuing interaction.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Differentiation & Christian Transformation: Students examine contested identities, scriptural authority, Gentile religious formation, competing Christianities, and institutional development.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Paula Fredriksen. When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation. 2018 text; 2019 paperback edition, Yale University Press.
    • Michael W. Holmes, editor and translator. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. 3rd edition, 2007, Baker Academic.
    • Henry Chadwick. The Early Church. revised edition, Penguin Books paperback 1993, ISBN 9780140231991.
    Primary sources
    Identify the date and social setting of each selected boundary/polemic text; do not treat a polemical label as a population census. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 560Israel's Scriptures, Christian Texts, and the Formation of Christian Identity3 credits
    Course description
    Investigate how early Christians interpreted Israel’s scriptures and developed their own literary collections. Compare citation, interpretation and authority claims while distinguishing a text’s circulation from its later canonical status.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Differentiation & Christian Transformation: Students examine contested identities, scriptural authority, Gentile religious formation, competing Christianities, and institutional development.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael W. Holmes, editor and translator. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. 3rd edition, 2007, Baker Academic.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Scriptural quotations in selected New Testament texts, Barnabas and 1 Clement. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 570Christianity among the Gentiles: Conversion, Religious Practice, and Transformation3 credits
    Course description
    Examine conversion, religious practice and communal organization as Christianity spread among gentiles. Test explanations of change against evidence for households, cities, ritual, persecution and local diversity.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Differentiation & Christian Transformation: Students examine contested identities, scriptural authority, Gentile religious formation, competing Christianities, and institutional development.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    • Henry Chadwick. The Early Church. revised edition, Penguin Books paperback 1993, ISBN 9780140231991.
    • Michael W. Holmes, editor and translator. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. 3rd edition, 2007, Baker Academic.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 580From Diverse Christianities to Orthodoxy: Identity, Authority, and Institutional Transformation3 credits
    Course description
    Trace how varied Christian communities articulated orthodoxy, authority and institutional identity. Evaluate competing accounts of consolidation, conflict and exclusion without assuming later outcomes were inevitable.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Differentiation & Christian Transformation: Students examine contested identities, scriptural authority, Gentile religious formation, competing Christianities, and institutional development.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Henry Chadwick. The Early Church. revised edition, Penguin Books paperback 1993, ISBN 9780140231991.
    • Michael W. Holmes, editor and translator. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. 3rd edition, 2007, Baker Academic.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Advanced study · Fourth–fifth centuries Empire, Councils & Post-Nicene Christianity

Students examine imperial patronage, ecumenical councils, law, authority, boundary enforcement, and continuing Jewish-Christian interaction through Chalcedon.

  • EC 590Empire and the Ecumenical Councils: The Transformation of Christian Doctrine and Authority3 credits
    Course description
    Examine the relationship between imperial power, theological argument and conciliar authority through the fifth century. Distinguish the wording of doctrinal decisions from accounts of how those decisions were received and enforced.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Empire, Councils & Post-Nicene Christianity: Students examine imperial patronage, ecumenical councils, law, authority, boundary enforcement, and continuing Jewish-Christian interaction through Chalcedon.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Henry Chadwick. The Early Church. revised edition, Penguin Books paperback 1993, ISBN 9780140231991.
    Primary sources
    The cohort syllabus must identify the exact published editions/translations of the Nicene and Chalcedonian documents used; a textbook summary alone is insufficient for the primary-source work. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • EC 600Jews and Christians in the Post-Nicene World: Separation, Power, and Persistence3 credits
    Course description
    Investigate Jewish-Christian relationships after Nicaea through law, polemic, social contact and continuing interpretive exchange. Complete a historically argued synthesis that distinguishes coercive policies from the varied evidence of lived relations.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Empire, Councils & Post-Nicene Christianity: Students examine imperial patronage, ecumenical councils, law, authority, boundary enforcement, and continuing Jewish-Christian interaction through Chalcedon.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Henry Chadwick. The Early Church. revised edition, Penguin Books paperback 1993, ISBN 9780140231991.
    • Paula Fredriksen. When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation. 2018 text; 2019 paperback edition, Yale University Press.
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    The actual cohort bibliography identifies the post-Nicene legal and literary documents and translations. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Research proposal and bibliography: 20%
    • Primary-source dossier: 20%
    • 6,000-word final historical essay: 50%
    • Revision and reflection: 10%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Program syllabi

Black Hebrew Israelite Theology

The evidence behind Hebrew Israelite doctrines, identity claims, and historical assertions.

Courses
11 required courses · 33 credits
Length
About 18 months
Languages
None required. Functional, claim-specific work with Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and Egyptian-language evidence.
Reading load
120–150 pages a week
Assessed writing
4 papers, then the final essay

Course sequence

Phase I Present

HI 500 maps the principal doctrines, identity claims, historical assertions, and competing positions across diverse Hebrew Israelite traditions.

  • HI 500Survey of Hebrew Israelite Doctrines and Claims3 credits
    Course description
    Map the diversity of Hebrew Israelite movements and their doctrinal and historical claims. Learn to state a claim fairly, identify who advances it, and separate religious self-understanding from propositions that require historical evidence.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Present: HI 500 maps the principal doctrines, identity claims, historical assertions, and competing positions across diverse Hebrew Israelite traditions.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Jacob S. Dorman. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. 2013 edition, Oxford University Press.
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Phase II Equip

HI 501–505 develop historical, archaeological, textual, exegetical, and language-sensitive methods for evaluating the evidence used in those claims.

  • HI 501Historical Method and Historiography3 credits
    Course description
    Develop methods for investigating contested historical claims: source provenance, chronology, comparison, corroboration and historiography. Explain how evidence can support a limited conclusion without establishing a larger identity narrative.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Equip: HI 501–505 develop historical, archaeological, textual, exegetical, and language-sensitive methods for evaluating the evidence used in those claims.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    • Jacob S. Dorman. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. 2013 edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HI 502Archaeological, Material, and Population Evidence3 credits
    Course description
    Evaluate archaeological, material and population evidence, including the limits of genetic inference. Distinguish ancient migration or shared ancestry from proof of modern religious membership, legal status or a specific tribal lineage.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Equip: HI 501–505 develop historical, archaeological, textual, exegetical, and language-sensitive methods for evaluating the evidence used in those claims.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Jacob S. Dorman. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. 2013 edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Use identified archaeological reports and population studies chosen for the actual claim. Do not collect students’ genetic data or require DNA testing. Specialist reading list will be published with the course offering. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HI 503Source and Textual Criticism3 credits
    Course description
    Analyze textual sources and their transmission, dates, genre and historical use. Compare readings and translations and distinguish what a document states from what can be verified independently.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Equip: HI 501–505 develop historical, archaeological, textual, exegetical, and language-sensitive methods for evaluating the evidence used in those claims.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Emanuel Tov. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. 3rd revised and expanded edition, 2012, Fortress Press.
    • Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. 4th edition, 2005, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HI 504Biblical Exegesis and Hermeneutics3 credits
    Course description
    Apply literary, historical and contextual methods to biblical passages used in contemporary identity and doctrinal arguments. Compare readings and evaluate whether an interpretation follows from the text and the evidence offered.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Equip: HI 501–505 develop historical, archaeological, textual, exegetical, and language-sensitive methods for evaluating the evidence used in those claims.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HI 505Primary-Source Languages and Translation-Sensitive Evidence3 credits
    Course description
    Investigate Hebrew, Greek and related language issues that materially affect a claim. Learn to use grammars and lexica responsibly, recognize the limits of translation-based arguments and request qualified analysis when needed.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Equip: HI 501–505 develop historical, archaeological, textual, exegetical, and language-sensitive methods for evaluating the evidence used in those claims.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. 3rd edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic.
    • William D. Mounce. Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar. 4th edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic.
    • Walter Bauer; edited and revised by Frederick William Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd English edition, 2000, University of Chicago Press.
    Primary sources
    Only claim-relevant grammar/reference selections are assigned. This course does not promise full fluency in all source languages. Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Phase III Apply

HI 506–509 apply the program’s methods to identity and descent, covenant and Torah, Messiah and the nations, and prophecy, captivity, restoration, and eschatology.

  • HI 506Identity, Descent, and Tribal Claims: Evidence and Evaluation3 credits
    Course description
    Evaluate arguments concerning descent, peoplehood and tribal identification across ancient and modern settings. Separate historical evidence, genealogical claims and religious belonging, and assess alternative explanations proportionately.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Apply: HI 506–509 apply the program’s methods to identity and descent, covenant and Torah, Messiah and the nations, and prophecy, captivity, restoration, and eschatology.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Jacob S. Dorman. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. 2013 edition, Oxford University Press.
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HI 507Covenant, Election, and Torah: Evidence and Evaluation3 credits
    Course description
    Examine claims concerning covenant, election and Torah through biblical contexts and their interpretation. Compare competing arguments without requiring adherence to a predetermined religious conclusion.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Apply: HI 506–509 apply the program’s methods to identity and descent, covenant and Torah, Messiah and the nations, and prophecy, captivity, restoration, and eschatology.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HI 508Messiah, Salvation, and the Nations: Evidence and Evaluation3 credits
    Course description
    Evaluate claims about Messiah, salvation and the nations using textual, historical and interpretive evidence. State rival positions accurately and test the reasoning that links passages to broad doctrinal conclusions.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Apply: HI 506–509 apply the program’s methods to identity and descent, covenant and Torah, Messiah and the nations, and prophecy, captivity, restoration, and eschatology.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 25%
    • Annotated bibliography: 15%
    • Research paper: 45%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 15%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

  • HI 509Prophecy, Captivity, Restoration, and Eschatology: Evidence and Evaluation3 credits
    Course description
    Investigate the interpretation of prophecy, captivity, restoration and eschatology in Hebrew Israelite claims. Examine genre, historical setting and reception while distinguishing a proposed contemporary application from an established historical referent.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Apply: HI 506–509 apply the program’s methods to identity and descent, covenant and Torah, Messiah and the nations, and prophecy, captivity, restoration, and eschatology.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press.
    • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press.
    • Jacob S. Dorman. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. 2013 edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Assessment
    • Source-analysis exercises: 30%
    • Comparative evidence portfolio: 35%
    • Seminar contribution or equivalent written responses: 15%
    • Final synthesis and revision: 20%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Phase IV Demonstrate

HI 510 requires an independent investigation integrating the program’s methods, primary evidence, scholarship, competing explanations, and proportional conclusions.

  • HI 510Hebrew Israelite Evidence and Argument: Advanced Research Seminar3 credits
    Course description
    Complete an independent investigation of a contested Hebrew Israelite doctrine, identity claim or historical assertion. Integrate source criticism, contextual interpretation and competing explanations into a sustained conclusion proportionate to the evidence.
    Credits
    3 credits
    Where it fits
    Demonstrate: HI 510 requires an independent investigation integrating the program’s methods, primary evidence, scholarship, competing explanations, and proportional conclusions.
    Required reading/reference selections
    • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press.
    • Jacob S. Dorman. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. 2013 edition, Oxford University Press.
    Primary sources
    Selected from the program’s primary sources, listed under Primary sources and core texts. Required books and course materials are included in tuition.
    Major work
    An independent investigation integrating the program’s methods, primary evidence, scholarship, competing explanations, and proportional conclusions, written as a 6,000-word historiographical essay.
    Assessment
    • Proposal and annotated bibliography: 20%
    • Evidence and counterargument dossier: 20%
    • 6,000-word historiographical essay: 50%
    • Revision and methodological reflection: 10%
    Grading
    Final course grades are A (90–100%), B (80–less than 90%), C (70–less than 80%), D (60–less than 70%), or F (below 60%), with no plus/minus grades. Earn a C or better. See the Advanced Certificate Rules.

Reading editions

The editions selected for the course readings above. These are deliberate selections, not claims to be the newest edition.

  • Michael J. Gorman. Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers. 3rd edition, 2020, Baker Academic. Publisher or publication record
  • Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. 3rd edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic. Publisher or publication record
  • William D. Mounce. Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar. 4th edition, 2019, Zondervan Academic. Publisher or publication record
  • Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. 1996 edition, Zondervan. Publisher or publication record
  • Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Aramaic: Complete Grammar, Lexicon, and Annotated Text. 2nd edition, 2023, Zondervan Academic. Publisher or publication record
  • Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 5th edition, 2024, University of Chicago Press. Publisher or publication record
  • Michael W. Holmes, editor and translator. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. 3rd edition, 2007, Baker Academic. Publisher or publication record
  • Walter Bauer; edited and revised by Frederick William Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd English edition, 2000, University of Chicago Press. Publisher or publication record
  • John J. Collins. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 3rd edition, 2018, Fortress Press. Publisher or publication record
  • Bart D. Ehrman and Hugo Méndez. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 8th edition, Oxford University Press. Publisher or publication record
  • Paula Fredriksen. When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation. 2018 text; 2019 paperback edition, Yale University Press. Publisher or publication record
  • Jacob S. Dorman. Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions. 2013 edition, Oxford University Press. Publisher or publication record
  • Emanuel Tov. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. 3rd revised and expanded edition, 2012, Fortress Press. Publisher or publication record
  • Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. 4th edition, 2005, Oxford University Press. Publisher or publication record
  • Henry Chadwick. The Early Church. revised edition, Penguin Books paperback 1993, ISBN 9780140231991. Publisher or publication record
  • Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, editors; revision by Adrian Schenker. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th revised edition, 1997, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. Publisher or publication record
  • Institute for New Testament Textual Research, under Holger Strutwolf; Nestle-Aland editorial tradition. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th revised edition, 2012, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. Publisher or publication record

Next steps

Compare the programs side by side, ask a question, or apply.

Apply NowCompare ProgramsRequest Program InformationReturn to Programs