The concentration in New Testament focuses on the ancient linguistic and historical contexts of the formations of the New Testament, its critical interpretation, its reception history, and application of new theoretical frameworks to its study. Students may work with faculty from the Divinity School, as well as the Departments of Religious Studies, Classics, and other fields, to explore literary theory, archaeological approaches, theological approaches, critical race theory, and feminist and gender analyses. Students build exegetical skills and knowledge of the earliest Christian communities within their ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts and gain critical tools for understanding these texts’ ongoing impacts. Our program is grounded in interdisciplinary approaches.
Students are encouraged to explore widely and to take courses in related departments at Yale that are relevant to their interests. The requirements include fifteen hours of Greek and Greek-based courses (including courses offered by the Classics department), six hours in another relevant language (often Hebrew, but other languages may be pursued), six hours in relevant thematic or critical theory courses, and the foundational sequences in New Testament and Hebrew Bible interpretation (REL 503, REL 504, REL 505, and REL 506) or their equivalents. If students have substantial experience in diversely oriented foundational New Testament and Hebrew Bible interpretation courses, they may, in consultation with the program faculty, waive this requirement. All courses are selected in consultation with an adviser.
Faculty Coordinator:
Associated Faculty: