A reading pack designed specifically for this course is available for purchase at the

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1 Christian Origins I: Portraits of Jesus Religion 328a Fall 2004 I. Instructor: Dr. Michele Murray Divinity 24 (ex. 2377); Office Hours: MW 3:00-5:00 PM or by appointment II. Class Time and Location: 1:30-2:45 in Preston III. Description: Who was Jesus of Nazareth? How was he perceived by early Christians? These questions raise issues that continue to be hotly debated by New Testament scholars. Was he a charismatic Jewish prophet? A social revolutionary? A rabbi? A Cynic philosopher? A magician? This course will undertake a survey of the dominant images of Jesus reflected in select early Christian literature, in modern interpretations by scholars engaged in the Quest for the Historical Jesus, and in film. The significance of myths of origin as well as the socio-political forces that influenced and shaped these portraits of Jesus will be investigated. Caveat: All students should expect that our work in this course will challenge your beliefs and assumptions about Jesus and about Christianity. This will be the case regardless of the concerns and background you bring to the course. All students should be prepared for this challenge (to the degree that any of us CAN be prepared for the unknown in advance!!). IV. Course Objectives 1. To enjoy the academic study of religion; 2. To become familiar with canonical and non-canonical early Christian literature; 3. To understand the variety and complexity of early Christianities and to be aware of the social, historical and political forces that shaped their particular portraits of Jesus; 4. To develop skills in critical reading and interpretation of both primary and secondary texts; 5. To develop skills in presenting material orally and leading class discussions; 6. To develop skills and discipline in researching a topic and writing up the results in understandable form. V. Texts A reading pack designed specifically for this course is available for purchase at the

2 Bishop s bookstore on campus. Other readings will be from books held ON RESERVE in the library. Students should have access to a Bible. The New Revised Standard Version is preferred, but other versions are acceptable as well, except for The Living Bible and the Good News Bible (neither of these offers a close translation of the original Greek). To compare the Gospel passages, you have two options. You may purchase a copy of Kurt Aland s Synopsis of the Four Gospels (United Bible Societies) from either or chapters.indigo.ca. Or you may photocopy pages from an extra copy of Aland that I have (if need be I can put this on reserve at the library). VI. Course Requirements and Student Evaluation 1. Attendance at all classes. If you are sick, or away from school for an emergency, please let me know in advance if possible (either by or voice mail message). 2. Seminars: since this is a seminar class, each student will prepare for and lead class discussion on three occasions over the course of the semester. The primary purpose of your seminar is to generate and lead productive discussion on your topic. The seminar component is worth 30% of the final grade (3x10%). Further information regarding the selection of topics and how to prepare for your presentations will be provided. 3. Research Paper: worth 30% is due Monday, Nov. 8. It is to be pages long (4500 to 5000 words) and to reflect the usage of at least 10 different secondary sources. Topics of papers will be decided in consultation with me. This consultation is considered a crucial part of the paper process; neglecting this meeting will adversely affect your grade for the essay. A tentative outline and annotated list of preliminary bibliography is due Monday, Oct. 4 and is worth 10%. See below for further details on the research paper. Also, have a look at my colleague from the University of Toronto Scott Brown s excellent A Guide to Writing Academic Essays in Religious Studies at It will really help! 4. Film Review: a critical assessment of a film of your choice on Jesus worth 20%. Due date: in class Monday, Dec. 1. Further information on this, as well as a list of possible films, will be provided later. 5. Readings for each week must be completed in advance of classes. Sometimes these readings are not long but sometimes they are! The Gospels are rich texts with multiple layers of meaning, so that even if the passages are not terribly long, you will need to read with focus and thought. What I recommend is that you set yourself a fixed amount of time to read a passage, take notes as you read, and then prepare a summary of the key points and issues which the passage raised for you. Note any questions you might have about the text (including any vocabulary that is not familiar to you) and raise these in class. In this way you will interact with the material in such a way that your understanding of it will be much more profound. 6. Class participation: this component takes into account your attendance, prepared class presence and participation in class discussions. It is worth 10% of the final grade.

3 VII. General Course Outline and Readings (subject to change) Note: Unless I indicate otherwise, the headline Readings is to be read by everyone while the title Recommended Reading specifies additional material to be read primarily by the person who is leading the class discussion on that particular day. Of course, it would certainly enhance your understanding of the topic (and set my heart aflutter!) if you read both sets of readings. Sept. 8: Introduction to the course Sept. 13: Myth and Sacred History: What does myth mean within academic discussion, and what does it mean for our understanding of Christian origins? How creative does memory tend to be? Readings: W. Paden, Myth (j 69-92); J. D. Crossan, Does Memory Remember? (pp ) Sept. 15: The New Testament Gospels: Oral and Written Traditions, the Synoptic Problem Readings: P. Fredriksen, The Nature of the Documents (pp. 3-8); B. Ehrman, The Synoptic Problem and Its Significance for Interpretation (pp ). Sept. 20 The Quest for the Historical Jesus Readings: R. Funk et al, Introduction (pp. 1-38) Sept. 22: Jesus World: An introduction (with slides) to the Greco-Roman environment into which Jesus was born: the Hellenistic world, the Roman Empire Readings: P. Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ, The Legacy of Alexander (pp. 9-17) Sept. 27: The Canonical Birth Narratives Readings: Luke 1:5-2:52; Matt. 1:1-2:33 (Pericopae 1-11 in Aland s Synopsis of the Four Gospels); compare with John 1: 1-18 and the birth narratives of Plato, Alexander the Great and Augustus. Recommended Reading: J. Shaberg, A Feminist Historian s Experience of Historical Jesus Scholarship (pp ) [If you have time, have a look at the summary of her book The illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives in your reading pack] Sept. 29: A Non-Canonical Birth Narrative Readings: The Infancy Gospel of Thomas Recommended Reading: R. F. Hock, The Infancy Gospels of James and Thomas, (pp ), ON RESERVE Oct. 4: Jesus and John the Baptist Readings: Pericopes in Aland; Josephus, Ant. 18: on John the Baptist Recommended Reading: R. Webb, John the Baptist and His Relationship to Jesus (pp ) Oct. 6: The Gospel of Mark: Jesus the Miracle-worker and Healer Readings: Mark 1:14-3:35; 5:1-6:13; 6:30-56; 7:24-9:41; 10:46-52; B. Ehrman,

4 Excursus: The Historian and the Problem of Miracles (pp ) Recommended Reading: B. Mack, The Miracles (pp ) Oct. 11: Class is cancelled for Thanksgiving break Oct. 13 The Gospel of John: Jesus performs Signs Readings: John 2:1-11; 4:43-5:18; 6:1-21; 9:1-41; 11; (compare the miracles of Jesus with the examples of miracles performed by a Syrian exorcist, Chanina ben Dosa, etc... pp ) Recommended Reading: TBA Oct. 18 Was Jesus a Magician? Jesus in non-canonical Sources Readings: Jesus outside the New Testament, the Toledot Yeshu Recommended Reading: Morton Smith, Jesus the Magician, chapters 1, 3, 7, 8 (ON RESERVE) Oct. 20 Jesus Teachings in the Synoptics: Parables Readings: Matt. 13:1-52; 18:12-14; 22:1-14; Luke 13:18-21; 14:15-16:15; 16:19-31; 18:1-14; Mark: 4:1-34 Recommended Reading: B. Mack, The Parables of Jesus in A Myth of Innocence (pp ) ON RESERVE Oct. 25 Tom Harpur s The Pagan Christ This book received a lot of media attention this summer and caused quite a stir. I would like you to read parts of the book and for us to have a discussion of it. Readings. TBA Oct. 27 Students give reports on papers-in-progress Nov. 1 Jesus Teachings in Q Readings: Q: The Lost Sayings Source: Burton Mack s Translation; Q and a Cynic- Like Jesus, (pp ) Recommended Reading. selections from The Lost Gospel by B. Mack ON RESERVE [ you have time, have a look at Charlotte Allen s article on the Q debate: The Search for a No-Frills Jesus Atlantic online I ve included it in your reading packs] Plus see the helpful Q web page of Peter Kirby at Nov. 3 Jesus Teachings in the Gospel of Thomas Readings: Gospel of Thomas; B. Ehrman, The New Testament, The Gospel of Thomas (pp ) Recommended Reading: J. Robinson, On Bridging the Gulf from Qto the Gospel of Thomas (pp ) Check out the Gospel of Thomas homepage created by Thomas scholar Stevan Davies it is excellent!! Nov. 8 Jesus the Rabbi

5 Readings: Matt. 5:1-7:29 (Sermon on the Mount); Luke 5:1-7:27 (Sermon on the Plain); J. Pelikan, The Rabbi (pp. 9-20) Recommended Reading: E. P. Sanders, Jesus and Judaism (pp ; ), ON RESERVE Nov. 10 Jesus -- A Political Rabblerouser? Readings: Jesus cleans the Temple in Matt. 21: 12-13; Mark 11: 15-17; Luke 19: 45-46; John 2: Recommended Reading: Richard Horsley, Jesus and the Spiral of Violence (chaps. 6, 7, 10 and conclusion), ON RESERVE Nov. 15 Arrest and Trial: Synoptic Accounts vs. John Readings: Matt. 26:36-27:31; Mark 14-15: 20; Luke 22: 47-23:25; John 18: 1-19: 16 Recommended Reading P. Winter, On the Trial of Jesus, ON RESERVE Nov. 17 The Death of Jesus: Canonical Accounts vs. the Gospel of Peter Readings. Pericopae 347 ( Matt. 27:45-54; Mark 15:33-39; Luke 23 :44-48; John 19:28-30); The Gospel of Peter Recommended Reading: R. Brown, Death of the Messiah, esp. Appendix 1, ON RESERVE Nov. 22 Paul s Portrait of Jesus Readings: Romans 6, 14:14; I Corinthians 2:8, 7:10, 9:14, 11: 24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:16-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1-3:4; P. Fredriksen Paul: The Christ of the Parousia (pp ) Recommended Reading: Fredriksen, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, chapter 3, (pp ), ON RESERVE Nov. 24 Class cancelled Nov. 29 Jesus in Film Various film clips will be shown, demonstrating the different portraits of Jesus on the big screen, as well as the use of the Christ figure in popular movies. Readings: W. Barnes Tatum, The Cinematic Jesus: Promise and Problem (pp. 1-14). Dec. 1 In-Class Film: The Passion of the Christ (Gibson, 2004). This is the controversial film of 2004! You will have the opportunity to view it and see how you would answer the following questions: How historically accurate is it? Is the film anti Jewish? How would you characterize Gibson s Jesus? Readings: TBA Dec. 3 Discussion of The Passion of the Christ and wrap-up of course: Jesus in retrospect