Father Nathanael Polinski - O.S.B.

This course addresses the historical-cultural background, content, and theology associated with each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). It considers the relationships of these Gospel accounts to one another and aspects of the literary and historical contexts that provide insight into the intended meaning of the evangelists for particular passages as well as the overall structure and content of each of their accounts of the Gospel. The course explains basic principles and considerations for performing Catholic biblical interpretation (exegesis) and requires limited exegeses of specified passages over the course of the term as well as an exegetical paper on a selected passage. Concurrently, it examines the doctrinal import of the respective texts.