Preliminary Examination in Theology and Religion

A

• 1.  The subjects of the Preliminary Examination for Theology and Religion shall be:

  • (1)1001 TheNew ChristianTestament Doctrine of CreationGreek 

  • (2)1002 TheBiblical Study of Old Testament set textsHebrew

  • (3)1003 IntroducingChurch the New Testament with special reference to the Gospel of MarkLatin  

  • (4)1004 TheQur’anic History of the Church from Nero to ConstantineArabic

  • (5)1005 Pali

  • 1006 Sanskrit

  • 1101 Introduction to the Study of Religionsthe Bible

  • (6)1201 IntroductionThe toFigure Philosophyof Jesus through the Centuries

  • 1301 Religion and Religions

• (7)2. All Newcandidates Testamentmust Greekoffer each of the following papers:
  

  • 1101 Introduction to the Study of the Bible

  • (8)1201 BiblicalThe HebrewFigure of Jesus through the Centuries

  • (9)1301 ClassicalReligion Arabicand Religions

  All candidates must offer one from the following papers:

  • 1001 New Testament Greek 

  • (10)1002 Biblical PaliHebrew

  • (11)1003 Church Latin  

  • 1004 Qur’anic Arabic

  • 1005 Pali

  • 1006 Sanskrit.

• 2. Candidates must offer at least one from amongst papers (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), and (11).

• 3. Candidates intending to progress to the Honour School of Theology and Religion must satisfy a language requirement for the degree via his or her Preliminary Examination, or will be required to indicate how he or she will attempt to do so via his or her Second Public Examination. Candidates in the Honour School of Theology and Religion will be deemed to have satisfied a language requirement for their degree if they have passed one of Papers 7 (New Testament Greek), 8 (Biblical Hebrew), 9 (Classical Arabic), 10 (Pali), or 11 (Sanskrit) in their Preliminary Examination.

• 4. A candidate shall be deemed to have passed the examination if he shallthey have satisfied the ModeratorsExaminers in threeall of thefour subjects from the Preliminary Examination:

  Provided, thatprovided he shallthey have passed in notno lessfewer than twothree subjects at one and the same examination and in the thirdother subject at that or a subsequent examination.

• 5. Candidates may offer an additional subject if they so wish.

• 6. All candidates must offer at least three subjects in one examination:

  Provided that a candidate who has failed in one subject (or in two subjects if he has offered four) but has passed in the other subjects offered may offer at a subsequent examination the subject or subjects in which he or she failed.

• 74. In the case of candidates who have satisfied the ModeratorsExaminers in atall leastfour three subjectspapers in a single examination, the ModeratorsExaminers may award a mark of distinction to those of special merit.

B

Candidates must offer at least one from amongst papers 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11.

• 15.The Christian Doctrine of Creation

  ThisEach paper will servebe asexamined anby introductiona tothree-hour Systematic Theology through the criticalwritten examination oftaken differentin aspectsTrinity of one basic Christian doctrine, the doctrine of Creation.

• 2.The Study of Old Testament set texts: Genesis 1-11 and Amos

  Candidates will be expected to comment on passages from the set texts and will be expected to show a general knowledge of their historical, literary, and theological background.1

• 3.Introducing the New Testament with special reference to the Gospel of Mark

  Candidates will be expected to show a general knowledgeterm of the contents and backgroundyear of the New Testament and to answer questions on historical and theological issues which are raised by the Gospel of Mark.

• 4.The History of the Church from Nero to Constantine

  Candidates will be expected to show a general knowledge of the history of the Church, and its relations to the Roman empire, from the late first century to the death of Constantine in 337 ad. Questions will be set on some but not necessarily all of the following topics: the growth of the church and the meaning of conversion; the causes, scope, and effects of persecution; patterns of ministry and the threefold hierarchy; ecclesiastical discipline and the beginnings of monasticism; schisms caused by Judaizers, Gnostics, Montanists, Novatianists, and Donatists; the development of orthodoxy and synodical government; the evolution of the Biblical canon; the role of Christianity in the Constantinian Empire.

• 5.Introduction to the Study of Religions

  The principal aim of this paper is to introduce the Study of Religions through the critical study of some different approaches. Candidates will be expected to understand the main attempts to define ‘religion’ and the problems associated with such definitions, and to have acquired a preliminary insight into the variety of religions, both those that are traditional and new religious movements through the world.

• 6.Introduction to Philosophy

  As specified for the Preliminary Examination for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

• 7.New Testament Greek2

  Candidates will be expected to show a knowledge of Greek grammar, syntax, and vocabulary (as set out in J. Duff, The Elements of New Testament Greek) and its importance for the exegesis of the New Testament, with particular reference to Mark 14:1-16:8 and John 6 and 9, from which passages will be chosen for translation and grammatical comment.

• 8.Biblical Hebrew3

  The paper will include questions on elementary Hebrew grammar (to include only the topics covered in J. Weingreen, Practical Grammar of Classical Hebrew, 2nd edn., pp. 1-123), and short passages will be set for translation and grammatical comment from Genesis 1-2.

• 9.Qur’ānic Arabic

  Candidates will be expected to show elementary knowledge of Qur’ānic Arabic grammar, syntax and vocabulary (to include only the topics covered in Alan Jones, Arabic Through the Qur’ān, pp. 1-104). Short passages from the Qur’ān will be chosen for translation and grammatical comment.

• 10. Pali

  Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of Pali grammar, syntax and vocabulary (as set out in A. K. Warder: Introduction to Pali). Passages from the Pali Canon will be chosen for translation and grammatical comment.

• 11. Sanskrit

  Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of basic Sanskrit grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. The course book will be Walter Maurer's The Sanskrit Language and the texts for study will be Bhagabad Gita chapter 2 and Nala chapter 1. Passages from these texts will be chosen for translation and grammatical comment.

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