Course Options for the Preliminary Examination
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Aims and objectives – defining the skills, knowledge and competencies that students will gain in study and demonstrate in assessment.
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Delivery – summarising how the paper is taught. The lecture, class and tutorial descriptions are indicative rather than definitive, and may vary from what is listed, in terms of timing, number and content. Please consult the Recommended Pattern of Teaching table (access via link on this page) for information on how Faculty Teaching is currently distributed.
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Assessment – how and when the paper will be assessed, subject to Examination Regulations.
Description
This first-year paper investigates the nature and purpose of the Bible, giving attention not only to the content of the biblical books but also to aspects of their historical setting as well as their interpretation and reception in Jewish and Christian belief and practice.
Set Texts
The textual focus is on narratives concerning Abraham (Genesis 12–25) and Jesus (the Gospel of Luke). Examination gobbets will come from eight specific chapters, namely Genesis 15–17 and 22, and Luke 9, 15–16 and 22. The English translation of the Bible used in examinations will be the New Revised Standard Version.
Aims
To provide students with an intelligent understanding of the nature and purpose of the Bible, including some consciousness of both the historical origins of the Bible and its subsequent importance.
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- have a good knowledge of the content of the Bible, including an awareness of the Bible’s major theological themes, literary concepts and philosophical ideas
- have a general acquaintance with the varying historical circumstances of the origin and development of the Bible in a variety of periods and cultures
- understand the importance of the Bible for Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices as well as its impact on wider culture
- be able to comment intelligently on particular assigned texts, demonstrating an awareness of different methods and approaches to interpretation
Delivery
16 lectures in Michaelmas Term: 8 on each of Introduction to the Study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Introduction to the Study of the New Testament (see indicative patterns, below).
8 text classes: 4 on Genesis 15-17 and 22 in Hilary Term and 4 on Luke 9, 15-16 and 22 in Trinity Term.
6-8 tutorials (see suggested pattern below)
Indicative Pattern of lectures on Introduction to the Study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in Michaelmas Term
| Week | Topics |
| 1 | What is the Old Testament? Or the Hebrew Bible? |
| 2 | Composition, Literary History, and Ancient Israelite Historiography |
| 3 | Ritual, law and the priestly traditions |
| 4 | Prophecy before and after exile |
| 5 | Deuteronomy and biblical historiography |
| 6 | Prayer, scripturalised prayer and liturgical prophecy |
| 7 | Who is a Sage and the traditions of Wisdom |
| 8 | Interpretation, within and beyond the Bible |
Indicative Pattern of lectures on Introduction to the Study of the New Testament in Michaelmas Term
| Week | Topics |
| 1 | A Survey of the New Testament |
| 2 | From Jesus to the Written Gospel |
| 3 | From Mark to Matthew |
| 4 | Luke, Acts and History |
| 5 | John and the Son of God |
| 6 | The Life and Letters of Paul |
| 7 | From Hebrews to Revelation |
| 8 | The Two-Testament Bible as Christian Scripture |
Suggested pattern of Tutorials
| HB/OT 1 | What are the goals and achievements of Genesis 12-25? |
| HB/OT 2 | Why are there different sources preserved in the Pentateuch? |
| HB/OT 3 | Why was Abraham chosen? |
| HB/OT 4 | How are covenant and faith understood in Genesis? |
| NT 1 | What are the aims, settings and sources of Luke’s Gospel and Acts? |
| NT 2 | Prophet, healer, martyr, Lord: Who is Jesus for Luke? |
| NT 3 | What is the meaning and purpose of Jesus’ death in Luke? |
| NT 4 | How and why does Luke use the Old Testament? |
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity term.
Candidates should answer three questions, one of which requires comment on extracts from the set texts (both Genesis and Luke). Candidates are also required to answer an essay question on each of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament.
Description
Jesus of Nazareth is agreed to be one of the most important figures in the history of the world. The major Christian churches teach not only that he was the foremost of the prophets, but that he is eternally the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. They also teach that his work as a man included not only his public miracles and his oral teaching but an invisible ministry of reconciling human beings to the God from whom they had been estranged by sin. Even for Christians who do not subscribe to traditional teachings, he remains a moral exemplar and an object of devotion. Muslims revere him as a prophet, a number of Jews and Hindus have found a place for him in their faith, and he has been a frequent subject for poets and novelists, whatever their religion.
This paper therefore considers Jesus of Nazareth not only as a subject of Christian proclamation, but also as a subject of imaginative or philosophical reflection in Christian and other traditions. The examination will be divided into two sections, A and B: candidates will be expected to answer two questions from one section and one from the other.
Section A
The Gospel of John
The Epistle to the Hebrews
Athanasius, On the Incarnation
the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381
the Chalcedonian Definition of 451
Anselm of Canterbury, Why God became Man
Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ
Martin Luther, On Christian Freedom
John Calvin, Commentary on John’s Gospel, chapter 1 verses 1-18, with Institutes II.12-17
David-Friedrich Strauss, Life of Jesus, introduction (sections 1-16) and concluding dissertation (sections 144-152)
Charles Gore (ed.), Lux Mundi
Rudolf Bultmann: Jesus and the Word
The Barmen Declaration of 1934
Dei Verbum (Constitution of the Second Vatican Council on Divine Revelation)
Edward Schillebeeckx, Christ. The Sacrament of the Encounter with God
Questions in Section A will concern the nature, ministry, teaching and example of Jesus as these have been understood in the public teaching of the chief Christian denominations. Students will be expected to be familiar with the ecumenical doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation of Jesus Christ as second person of the Trinity. They will also be expected to know how these doctrines have informed different understandings of the redemption of the world through his death and resurrection, and how Christians have understood the ends and duties of life in the light of this redemption.
Section B
The Revelation of John
Bart Ehrman (ed.), The Apocryphal Gospels
Augustine of Hippo, Confessions Book 7
Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love
Thomas à Kempis, On the Imitation of Christ, part 1
St John of the Cross, Poems, trans. Roy Campbell
John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 7
Friedrich Schleiermacher, Christmas Eve
(Anon: Russian Orthodox), The Way of a Pilgrim
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, chapter 5 (“The Grand Inquisitor”)
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist
The majority of questions in Section B will concern the relation between the Jesus of the gospels and/or ecclesiastical dogma to Christian devotion, philosophy, literature, culture, aesthetics and social policy. There will also be questions on the place of Jesus in other religious traditions.
Aims
- to introduce students to the study and practice of Christian doctrine through the figure of Jesus as the universal focus of theological reasoning and reflection
- to promote awareness of the significance of Jesus in all areas of Christian life, reflection and church practice
- to introduce students to the religiously plural context in which the doctrinal significance of Jesus is considered
- to promote reflection on the relation between theology and culture, both within and outside the Christian sphere
Objectives
A student who has attended the lectures and prepared thoroughly for eight tutorials may be expected:
- to be aware of the content of the ecumenical creeds of the Church;
- to have some understanding of the relation between scriptural exegesis and the formulation of doctrine
- to be aware of ways in which belief has informed life and conduct for Christians over the centuries
- to be aware of some responses to the religiously plural context in which Christian theology is studied and practised
Delivery
16 lectures will review important literature in sections A and B (see indicative pattern, below)
6-8 tutorials will allow tutors and students to choose special areas of study.
Indicative Pattern of Lectures in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms
| Week | Topics |
| MT 1 | Jesus of Nazareth as Son of God Gospel of John, Hebrews |
| MT 2 | The Christ of the Creeds, 200-500 A.D. Athanasius, Nicene Creed, Chalcedonian Definition |
| MT 3 | Christ the Redeemer Ransom theories, Christus Victor, Anselm, mediaeval spirituality |
| MT 4 | The Liturgical Body of Christ Sacramental theology, Cabasilas |
| MT 5 | Christ set free? The Gospel of the Reformation Luther, Calvin |
| MT 6 | Jesus in Doubt: the Enlightenment and after Strauss, Renan |
| MT 7 | Jesus and the World Wars Bultmann, Barmen Declaration |
| MT 8 | Many Churches, one Christ? The Modern Situation Verbum Dei, Schillebeeckx |
| HT 1 | The Apocryphal Jesus Early apocryphal and gnostic gospels |
| HT 2 | Jesus the conqueror Gospel of Nicodemus, Milton |
| HT 3 | Jesus the lover Augustine, Julian of Norwich, Thomas a Kempis |
| HT 4 | Two poets John of the Cross, Gerard Manley Hopkins |
| HT 5 | Jesus on Trial Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche |
| HT 6 | Jesus in his original milieu Jewish views of Jesus, John Yoder, liberation theology, some novelistic reconstructions |
| HT 7 | Jesus in Islam Qur’an, Gospel of Barnabas, Ibn Arabi, Rumi |
| HT 8 | Jesus and India Jesus and Buddha, Jesus and Krishna, apocryphal gospels of Jesus in India |
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity term.
Candidates should answer three questions, at least one from section A and at least one from section B (see above).
Description
This paper focuses upon the definition and the diversity of the human phenomenon of religion.
Aims
This paper provides students with an awareness of the academic study of religion, and a critical framework for describing the religious dimensions of human life. It will introduce the different ways in which the notion of ‘religion’ may be approached and understood. The paper will demonstrate the complexity of attempts to define religion, and will demonstrate how the object of study that we call ‘religion’ may shift depending on the approach used and the questions asked. The paper will also offer an introduction to four of the major ‘world religions’.
Objectives
Students should:
- be aware of how the study of religion draws on multiple fields and disciplines, what they are, and how they differ
- be aware of some attempts to define ‘religion,’ as well as the limits of such approaches
- gain an awareness of the diversity of religions and of some distinctive religious beliefs and practices from around the world, and they should be cognizant of the benefits and limitations of comparing religions
- acquire the skills of reading, analyzing, and writing about some of the main works in the historical study of religions, and understand various disciplinary approaches
- learn to defend what they have written against critical comment
Delivery
16 lectures
6-8 tutorials
The first eight lectures, in Michaelmas term, introduce some of the broad questions asked and methodological approaches applied in Religious Studies (including those drawn from Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, History and Phenomenology). These lectures set out the major disciplines that together generate the Study of Religions field as a whole, and demonstrate the ways that an interdisciplinary approach enables (and challenges) scholarly considerations of human religion as an integrated phenomenon.
The next eight lectures, in Hilary, offer brief introductions to four of the world’s major religious traditions: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. In light of the need for students to specialise in a religious tradition for some of their tutorials, students are strongly advised to attend all the lectures in Hilary Term on Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Most students have little background in these traditions, and these lectures serve to introduce students to a wide range of religions, enabling them to make an informed choice as to which traditions they wish to study further as they progress in their course.
Students will receive between six and eight tutorials for this paper, of which at least four will concern theoretical and methodological approaches, and at least two will focus on the study of one of: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam or Judaism. Students will ordinarily have one tutor for the themes/ methods tutorials, and may either stay with the same tutor or move to another for the tutorials relating to one religion.
Indicative Pattern of Lectures in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms
| Week | Topics |
| MT 1 | The Meaning of ‘Religion’ |
| MT 2 | The Sociology of Religion |
| MT 3 | The Psychology of Religion |
| MT 4 | The Anthropology of Religion |
| MT 5 | The Phenomenology of Religion |
| MT 6 | Comparative Religion |
| MT 7 | Feminism and the Study of Religion |
| MT 8 |
Science and the Study of Religion: evolutionary biology and cognitive psychology |
| HT 1 | Judaism |
| HT 2 | Judaism |
| HT 3 | Islam |
| HT 4 | Islam |
| HT 5 | Hinduism |
| HT 6 | Hinduism |
| HT 7 | Buddhism |
| HT 8 | Buddhism |
Thematic focus for study of each religion
Study of the religious tradition, especially for and in tutorials, will focus on a specified theme, as follows:
| Religious Tradition | Thematic Focus |
| Buddhism | BOTH (i) The Buddha’s life, the three jewels, the four noble truths, the eightfold noble path, the three characteristics. AND (ii) Differences between early Buddhism and the Mahāyāna, the concept of the bodhisattva, the enlightened mind (bodhicitta), the Mahāyāna conception of the Buddha |
| Hinduism | BOTH (i) Ideas of the divine AND (ii) Devotion and spiritual practice |
| Islam | BOTH (i) The Shahadah AND (ii) belief, practice and spirituality. |
| Judaism | BOTH (i) Covenant - its meaning and implications AND (ii) Texts, rituals, and beliefs |
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity term.
Candidates should answer three questions, at least one from section A on themes and methodological approaches to the study of religion, and at least one from section B, on one individual religious tradition.
Description
Students will be expected to acquire knowledge of Greek grammar, syntax, and vocabulary (as set out in Jeremy Duff, The Elements of New Testament Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010 [note that this is an updated version of the 2008 edition]) and understand its importance for the exegesis of the New Testament. Passages from the New Testament will be chosen for translation, discussion and grammatical comment.
Set Texts
Luke 11; 14-18.
The Greek text will be taken from Novum Testamentum Graece (Nestle-Aland), 28th Edition; Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, 2012.
Aims
- to enable students to understand the essentials of New Testament Greek grammar and syntax and demonstrate this by commenting on grammatical points in texts
- to acquire a basic vocabulary
- to be able to translate gospel texts and appreciate the interpretative nature of translation as a discipline
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- have mastered elementary New Testament Greek as set out in the J Duff’s The Elements of New Testament Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010 [note that this is an updated version of the 2008 edition].
- be able to translate and comment on selected passages from the New Testament
- be able to answer questions on elementary Greek grammar
- be able either to translate simple English sentences into Koine Greek or compare and contrast translations of the set texts.
Delivery
3x 60-minute classes per week in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and in weeks 1-4 of Trinity Term (60 classes/60 hours in total).
You are expected to attend all classes. Typical elements of a week include a short vocabulary test, introduction of grammar topics with in-class exercises, written homework, and set text study later on in the course. Skills useful to assist and consolidate your language learning will be introduced alongside these elements and regular class tests will help you to assess your progress.
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity term.
Description
The course is designed to enable students with little or no experience in biblical Hebrew to become conversant in reading basic narrative texts, to offer grammatical comments on set text passages, and to translate sentences from English into vocalised, biblical Hebrew.
Set Texts
Genesis 12, 15 and 22.
The Hebrew text will be taken from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart 1967/77. Available in hardcover (1990) and paperback (2007).
Aims
To enable students to understand the essentials of biblical Hebrew grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, and to translate and comment on grammatical points in a basic prose text, as well as to render sentences in vocalized, biblical Hebrew, in preparation for the preliminary examination in Biblical Hebrew.
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- have mastered elementary Biblical Hebrew as set out in C. L. Seow, A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew (Rev. ed.; Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995).
- be able to translate and comment on selected passages from Genesis 12, 15 and 22
- be able to answer questions on elementary Hebrew grammar
- be able to translate simple English sentences into Biblical Hebrew
- be able to compare and contrast translations of the set texts
Delivery
3x 60-minute classes per week in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and in weeks 1-4 of Trinity Term (60 classes/60 hours in total).
Students will be expected to allocate sufficient time to complete all assignments and come to class prepared. Due to the cumulative nature of the material covered in this course, your regular attendance is absolutely essential to your success. Translation homework will be assigned regularly and a collection paper(s) will be administered through your college in 0 week of Hilary and Trinity terms.
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity term.
Description
Students will be expected to acquire knowledge of Latin grammar, syntax, and vocabulary (as set out in John F. Collins, A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin. Catholic University of America Press, 1992) and understand its importance for the exegesis of biblical texts, with particular reference to set texts from the Introduction to the Study of the Bible. Passages from the texts will be chosen for translation, discussion and grammatical comment.
The textual focus begins with narratives concerning Abraham (Genesis 12–25) and Jesus (the Gospel of Luke). Students will be introduced also to the Book of Psalms (which lies at the heart of the liturgy of the early and medieval churches). In order to broaden their experience of reading medieval Latin (which would prepare students for second and third year courses based round Latin texts), students will also read passages from Augustine, Confessions; The Rule of St Benedict, Bede, Prose Life of St Cuthbert, the earliest life of Pope Gregory the Great. (B Colgrave, The Earliest Life of Gregory the Great. Cambridge University Press 1968; reprinted 1985.)
Set Texts
Examination of language attainment will be based on the following specific texts:
Genesis 22
Luke 9 and 22
Psalms 18 (19); 50 (51)
The Latin text of Biblical books will be taken from Fischer, Bonifatius, and Robert Weber. Biblia Sacra : Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem. Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1969.
Augustine, Confessions, I 1.1 and VIII 6.14-15.
The Latin text will be taken from http://www.stoa.org/hippo
Rule of St Benedict, prologue, ch. 5, De oboedientia.
The Latin text will be taken from Timothy Fry, ed., RB 1980: The Rule of St Benedict in Latin and English with notes. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1981; pp. 156-66 [even numbered pages only], 186 and 188)
Bede, Prose Life of St Cuthbert, ch. 10
The Latin text will be taken from B. Colgrave, Two Lives of Cuthbert. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1940; paperback reprint 1985; pp. 188 and 190.
Aims
- to enable students to understand the essentials of Church Latin grammar and syntax and demonstrate this by commenting on grammatical points in texts
- to acquire a basic vocabulary
- to be able to appreciate the interpretative nature of translation as a discipline
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- have mastered elementary Church Latin as set out in John F. Collins, A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin. Catholic University of America Press, 1992.
- be able to translate and comment on selected passages
- be able to answer questions on elementary Latin grammar
- be able to translate simple English sentences into Church Latin
Delivery
3x 60-minute classes per week in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and in weeks 1-4 of Trinity Term (60 classes/60 hours in total).
You are expected to attend all classes. Typical elements of a week include a short vocabulary test, introduction of grammar topics with in-class exercises, written homework, and set text study later on in the course. Skills useful to assist and consolidate your language learning will be introduced alongside these elements and regular class tests will help you to assess your progress.
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity term.
Description
Students will be expected to acquire an elementary knowledge of Qurʾānic Arabic grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, as set out in Alan Jones, Arabic Through the Qurʾān (Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 2011). Students will also understand the importance of grammar for Qurʾānic exegesis.
Set Texts
Q. 12:1–20
Q. 19:1–36
Q. 37:83–113
The text of the Qurʾān will be taken from Muṣḥaf al-Madīnah an-Nabawiyyah (Medina: Majmaʿ al-Malik Fahd li-Ṭibāʿat al-Muṣḥaf ash-Sharīf, 1422 [2001]).
Aims
The paper aims to equip students with the essentials of Qurʾānic Arabic grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. This is to enable them to translate and provide grammatical comments on passages from the Qurʾān, as well as to render sentences from English into Qurʾānic Arabic.
Objectives
Students who have studied for this paper will:
- have mastered elementary Qurʾānic Arabic as set out in Alan Jones, Arabic Through the Qurʾān.
- be able to translate and comment on passages from the Qurʾān.
- be able to answer questions on elementary Qurʾānic Arabic grammar.
- be able to translate simple English sentences into Qurʾānic Arabic.
Delivery
3 hours per week in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and in weeks 1-4 of Trinity Term (60 hours in total).
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity term.
Description
Students will be expected to acquire knowledge of Pali grammar, syntax, and vocabulary – equivalent to the material presented in Dines Andersen, A Pāli Reader and Pāli Glossary. 2 vols. (1901) – and understand its importance for the exegesis of Theravada Buddhist texts. Passages from the Pali Canon and other Buddhist texts will be studied in transliteration for translation, discussion and philological comment.
Students for Pali will begin by attending classes in the rudiments of Sanskrit as the basis for acquiring Pali in later classes.
Set Texts
The Fire Sermon (Ādittapariyāya-sutta), the dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda), Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dharma (Dhammacakkapavattana-sutta), and passages from the Dhammapada and from the Jātaka tales.
Aims
- to enable students to understand the essentials of Pali grammar and syntax and demonstrate this by commenting on grammatical points in texts
- to acquire a basic vocabulary
- to be able to appreciate the interpretative nature of translation as a discipline
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- have mastered elementary Pali, equivalent to the material presented in Dines Andersen, A Pāli Reader and Pāli Glossary. 2 vols. (1901).
- be able to translate and comment on selected passages
- be able to answer questions on elementary Pali grammar
- be able either to translate simple English sentences into Pali or to compare and contrast translations
Delivery
1 x 60 minute and 1 x 120-minute classes per week in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and in weeks 1-4 of Trinity Term (60 hours in total).
Pali students will attend the same ‘Sanskrit and Pali’ classes as Sanskrit students in Michaelmas Term and weeks 1-4 of Hilary Term. From week 5 of Hilary Term, Pali and Sanskrit students will study in separate classes.
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity Term.
Description
Students will be expected to acquire knowledge of Sanskrit grammar, syntax, and vocabulary – as set out in W. Maurer and Gregory P. Fields. The Sanskrit Language: An Introductory Grammar and Reader. Revised ed. London: Routledge 2009 – and understand its importance for the exegesis of Sanskrit texts.
Passages from a range of relevant Hindu and Buddhist texts will be chosen for translation, discussion and philological comment.
Students for Sanskrit will begin by attending classes in the rudiments of Sanskrit alongside Pali students.
Set Texts
Passages from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, the Bhagavadgītā, the Haṭhayogapradīpika and Nāgārjuna's Pratītyasamutpādahṛdayakārikā with auto-commentary.
Aims
- to enable students to understand the essentials of Sanskrit grammar and syntax and demonstrate this by commenting on grammatical points in texts
- to acquire a basic vocabulary
- to be able to appreciate the interpretative nature of translation as a discipline
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this paper will:
- have mastered elementary Sanskrit as set out in Walter Maurer’s The Sanskrit Language.
- be able to translate and comment on selected passages
- be able to answer questions on elementary Sanskrit grammar
- be able either to translate simple English sentences into Sanskrit or to compare and contrast translations
Delivery
1 x 60 minute and 1 x 120-minute classes per week in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and in weeks 1-4 of Trinity Term (60 hours in total).
Sanskrit students will attend the same ‘Sanskrit and Pali’ classes as Pali students in Michaelmas Term and weeks 1-4 of Hilary Term. From week 5 of Hilary Term, Sanskrit and Pali students will study in separate classes.
Assessment
Is by one three-hour written examination in Trinity Term.
Recommended Patterns of Teaching
If you commenced study for the Preliminary Examination before Michaelmas Term 2023, please contact the Faculty Office to obtain relevant information.
For details of the papers available for study in the second and third year of the BA, please see the webpage on Course Options for the Final Honour Schools and Postgraduate Diploma.
