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James E. Allman, Th.D.

BE 542 A The Lord’s Supper


Office: Todd 206, 214-887-5315 Fall Semester, 2015
jallman@dts.edu Thursdays, 1:00 to 3:40 pm

THE LORD’S SUPPER BE 542 A


Syllabus

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION

A biblical-theological study of themes related to the Lord’s Supper and an exposition


of manor New Testament passages dealing with the Lord’s Supper. The course will
review the contributions of the Levitical sacrifices, the Hallel Psalms, Isaiah’s Servant
Songs, and New Covenant passages as well as explore the contribution of cultural
issues to the understanding of the Lord’s Supper. 2 hours.

II. COURSE OBJECTIVES

The student who completes this course successfully will be able to:
1. minister the Lord’s Supper more effectively in the local church.
2. demonstrate deeper awareness of the theological and pastoral role the Supper
plays in the life of the church and of the individual believer.

III. COURSE TEXTBOOKS

No textbooks will be used for this course. Reading will be assigned in the library as
an alternative.

Recommended Reading

Jeremias, Joachim. The Eucharistic Words of Jesus Trans. Norman Perrin.


Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966.

Witherington, Ben, III. Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord’s
Supper. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2007.

IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A. Reading Assignments

The student will read the class notes distributed by the instructor.

B. Written Assignments

Expository Study—Each student will select one of the Hallel psalms


(specifically, one may choose from the following: Psalms 113, 115, 116, 118)
to study. The exposition will be submitted in Turabian form. The goal of the
assignment, of course, is to deepen one’s understanding of the Lord’s Supper,
but the paper should be a credible exposition of the passage itself. We will
give, in class, a discussion and examples of what is expected in the papers.
Th.M. students who have had a course in Hebrew exegesis must use it in their
BE 542 A The Lord’s Supper
Fall Semester, 2015

study of the passage. MA students will use the processes taught in BE 101 and
subsequent courses.

Lord’s Supper — The student will write a paper addressing what might be
done differently in the times we have the Lord’s Supper. Instead of simply
taking a few minutes to get through it, how might a church creatively
practice the supper to allow people to grasp one or more of the truths that we
have been discussing? The paper should not be lengthy, and it need not be
supplemented by footnotes and bibliography.

C. Examinations

Two exams will be given in this course. The mid-term exam will be given on
October 12; the other during finals. The exams will be essay exams covering
the lectures for the course.

V. COURSE POLICIES

A. Letter/Numerical Grade Scale

A+ 99-100 B+ 91-93 C+ 83-85 D+ 75-77 F 0-69

A 96-98 B 88-90 C 80-82 D 72-74

A- 94-95 B- 86-87 C- 78-79 D- 70-71

B. Weighting of Course Requirements for Grading


The final grade will be figured on the following basis, the written assignment counting 50% of your
grade, and the exams counting 50%.

C. Class Participation
Attendance at each class session is expected. Your attendance is the bare minimum required for
receiving a grade in this course. No grade will be issued for your attendance, but you may lose credit
for non-attendance. The attendance policy of the seminary, published in the student handbook will be
followed in this course.

In a Bible class, we have a unique privilege, the promise of the Spirit’s blessing on His Word, and the
promise of the Savior’s presence in our midst. Therefore, to absent oneself from class withholds the
Spirit’s ministry to the class and from the class.

Each class period the instructor will pass around a role sheet for the students to sign. Generally it will
be circulated at the beginning of class. If you fail to sign it when it is circulated, please be certain to
sign it before the instructor leaves the classroom. Once he has left the classroom, the form of the
attendance sheet for that day will be considered official and unchangeable. Please do not sign the sheet
for another person. If you must miss more than fifteen minutes of a class, do not sign the sheet.

D. Late Assignments
No late assignments will be accepted.

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BE 542 A The Lord’s Supper
Fall Semester, 2015

E. Absences
The attendance policy of the seminary, published in the student handbook will be followed in this
course. Each absence beyond the four given in the handbook will be penalized 4% on your final
grade.

VI. COURSE SCHEDULE


Date Class Discussion Assignments and Exams
8/31 Course Introduction
Background to the Lord’s
Supper

9/7 Study of the Passages


Containing the Lord’s
Supper

9/14

9/21 The Details of the Supper

9/28

10/5

10/12

10/19

10/26 Old Testament


Contributions to the Supper

11/2 Final Exam


Written Assignments Due

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Fall Semester, 2015

VII. COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bailley, Donald M. The Theology of the Sacraments and Other Papers. New York:
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1957.

Barth, Markus. Rediscovering the Lord’s Supper: Communion with Israel, with
Christ, and among the Guests. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1988.

Berkouwer, G. C. The Sacraments. Trans. Hugo Bekker. Studies in Dogmatics.


Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969.

Berquist, Jon L. Ancient Wine, New Wineskins: The Lord’s Supper in Old
Testament Perspective. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1991.

Bloesch, Donald G. The Church: Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, Mission Christian


Foundations. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002.

Chemnitz, Martin. The Lord’s Supper. Translated by J. A. O. Preus. St. Louis:


Concordia Publishing House, 1979.

Edwards, Jonathan. Sermons on the Lord’s Supper. Orlando: Northampton Press,


2007.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Eucharistic Words of Jesus. Translated by Norman Perrin.


Philadelphia: The Fortress Press, 1977.

Marshall, I. Howard. Last Supper and Lord’s Supper. Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1980.

Marty, Martin A. The Lord’s Supper. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House,


1997.

McKnight, Scot. Jesus and His Death: Historiography, the Historical Jesus, and
Atonement Theory. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2005.

Motyer, Steve. Remember Jesus: A User’s Guide to Understanding and Enjoying


Holy Communion. Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 1995.

Smith, Dennis E. From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian
World. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.

Vander Zee, Leonard J. Christ, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper: Recovering the
Sacraments for Evangelical Worship. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,
2004.

Vines, Richard, Edmund Calamy, Thomas Wadsworth, Joseph Alleine, and Thomas
Watson. The Puritans on the Lord’s Supper, ed. Don Kistler. Morgan, PA:

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Fall Semester, 2015

Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1997.

Willimon, William. Sunday Dinner: The Lord’s Supper and the Christian Life.
Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1981.

Witherington, Ben, III. Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord’s
Supper. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2007.

Wright, N. T. The Meal Jesus Gave Us: Understanding Holy Communion.


Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999.

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