The Historical Jesus: Introduction. Syllabus

THE HISTORICAL JESUS AN INTRODUCTION tyson putthoff | [email protected] The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the history and study of the Historical (person of) Jesus, and to equip him or her to engage the study of him critically, constructively and professionally. 2016 THE HISTORICAL JESUS—AN INTRODUCTION 16-Week Course TYSON PUTTHOFF, PhD [email protected] The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the history and study of the Historical (person of) Jesus, and to equip him or her to engage the study of him critically, constructively and professionally. GOALS 1. Gain an introductory understanding of the Historical Jesus and key issues surrounding the study of him. 2. Learn to navigate resources for studying the Historical Jesus, including primary and secondary, and those in print and online. 3. Prepare for advanced engagement with scholarship on the Historical Jesus. REQUIREMENTS (= 100 points total) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. READ assigned READINGS before each class. Complete five (5) QUIZZES (25 points total). REVIEW two (2) course readings (10 points total). Prepare two (2) 3-page research ESSAYS (30 points total). PRESENT one (1) research essay to the class (15 points total). Complete FINAL EXAM OR prepare THIRD RESEARCH ESSAY (20 points total). REQUIRED MATERIALS (NB: Material not listed will be provided) 1. Graham Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2d ed., 2002 [= Stanton] 2. N.T. Wright, The Contemporary Quest for Jesus (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002 [1996]) [= Wright] 3. Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry (eds.), The NIV Harmony of the Gospels: With Explanations and Essays (New York: HarperCollins, 1988) [Thomas and Gundry] 2 COURSE SCHEDULE (16 WEEKS) Part 1—Preliminary Matters WEEK 1—Overview and Approach of this Course Part 2—The World (and Otherworld) of Jesus WEEK 2—The Kingdom of God WEEK 3—Messianism and the Revolutionary Spirit WEEK 4—Magic, Mysticism and Miracle Part 3—The Early Life of Jesus WEEK 5—The Birth and Childhood of Jesus Part 4—Different Views of Jesus WEEK 6—Jesus the Charismatic WEEK 7—(Spring Break?) WEEK 8—Jesus the Magician WEEK 9—Jesus the Peasant WEEK 10—Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet WEEK 11—Jesus the Liberator Part 5—Passion and Resurrection WEEK 12—The Passion of Jesus (A) WEEK 13—The Passion of Jesus (B) WEEK 14—The Resurrection of Jesus (A) WEEK 15—The Resurrection of Jesus (B) WEEK 16—Essay Submission and/or Final Exam Date and Time: TBA 3 DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS Reviews of Course Readings Fo t o of the ou se eadi gs of the stude t’s o hoosi g , the stude t ill type a short, half-page (maximum) review to be turned in the day on which that reading is discussed in class. The review can be completed and turned in at any point before the class during which it is due. Theoretically, then, the student can complete much of the required coursework as early as he or she chooses, alleviating some of the stress that comes at the end of the semester. In any case, this review should not be difficult for those who read the material, and it will not be graded harshly so long as it contains the following criteria: A A ide tifi atio of the thesis of the eadi g i uestio . This ight go so ethi g like, The p ese t [essay, a ti le, ook] i estigates the issue of [ o e , o ship, magic] in [Ancient Judaism as a whole, a particular text]. [The autho ’s a e] i sists [women, worship] played a relatively [major, minor] role in ancient Judaism. His/her argument is based on [two, three, four] key items. B A ief e ie of the autho ’s key a gu e ts. List these i a si ple Fi st, “e o d, Thi d fo at. Include the main primary text the author uses to support each of his or her main points. If the subject of the reading is miracles, for example, the author might make reference to Jesus’ tu i g the ate i to i e at Ca a. (C) A general assessment of the place of this reading and the topic with which it deals within the broader field of the study of Ancient Judaism. One could find book reviews of this th ough the li a y’s data ases a d get a se se of hat othe s a e sayi g a out it. Yet a si ple Google sea h of the autho ’s a e a d the a e of the eadi g ill e e y helpful a d u h easie he e. “ea hi g fo the o k i Google Books ill sho you who has been citing this work and in what contexts it is being discussed. For example, if one we e to sea h Jesus and the Third Quest i Google Books, it ould become clear very quickly that N.T. Wright and his work on this text have made quite an i pa t i studies o Paul’s thought a d i ea ly Ch istia ity o e oadly. Research Essays The student will prepare two research essays throughout the semester to be turned in during class on the dates listed above. These essays will be three pages in length, double-spaced in a common, 12-point font. Instructions for the essays are as follows: (A) The student will choose a topic based on a selected ancient Jewish text on which to write his or her essay. This essay might be an investigation of a critical issues surrounding that particular text, an issue pertaining to the beliefs and practices of the variety of Judaism related to that text. Each of these three papers is to be turned in no 4 later than the dates noted above, but the student may begin it and submit it anytime he or she chooses BEFORE that date. Since I have provided a section with numerous e d otes li ked to the a ious su je ts a o e, the stude t ill ha e a ple esou es to engage with when beginning this essay. I will also do all I can to help guide the student in the right direction. For this reason, I am especially keen on the idea of beginning the initial stages of this essay as early as possible—the longer the student waits to begin, the less help I will be able to provide. In some very late cases, I will not be able to help at all, so start the process early! (B) The essay will co tai : A Title Page stati g the title of the essay, the stude t’s a e, the ou se a e a d u e , a d the date. NOTE: The Title Page I“ IN ADDITION TO THE THREE-PAGE ESSAY and does not count as one of the three (official) pages. A I t odu tio i hi h the stude t des i es a the p o le at ha d, the proposed solution, and (c) a brief paragraph on key scholars with whom the essay plans to dialogue. (3) The body, where the student sets forth his or her key arguments— around three is probably fitting—and makes a case to support the thesis. (4) A Co lusio estati g the thesis a d su a izi g the key a gu e ts, aki g a fi al, su i t state e t a out ho the a gu e ts suppo t the essay’s thesis. A d 5 a Bi liog aphy of all efe e es used. NOTE: THE BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE I“ IN ADDITION TO THE THREE-PAGE ESSAY. (C) This essay is only three (3) pages in length (OR FIVE [5] PAGES TOTAL, WHEN THE TITLE PAGE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE ATTACHED , so it is ot a lo g pape . Ho e e , I expect the student to engage with a minimum of ten scholarly resources. These can include essays, encyclopedia entries, journal articles or books, but they MUST be scholarly in nature. I am not interested in what Mr. and Mrs. Blogger have to say about the Historical Jesus. Citations and/or quotations from these (approved) resources must show up in the footnotes at some point, not just in the Bibliography. For some students, this essay will be more difficult than for others. Please, please, please contact me with questions about it from the time you select your topic—which I can help you do based on your interests—to the time you submit it finally! I love to discuss these things. (D) The student MAY prepare a third essay in place of the Final Exam if he or she so chooses. This essay will be no different from the previous ones, but I will expect that the quality of this one will be substantially higher than that of the previous ones, as it is to substitute the Final Exam. I will help you in all the same ways as before but will mark this essay more critically than the previous two. Quizzes and Final Exam The student will be required to complete five quizzes and one Final Exam (or a third research essay, as noted above) over the course of the semester. Quizzes will cover material discussed in class and course readings up to that point in the semester. Much of the emphasis in the quizzes will lie on the identification of various discussions of the Historical Jesus studied during that 5 section or those immediately prior (i.e. Part 1, 2, 3, etc.) in the semester, as well as on the names of key scholars and their chief arguments or contributions to our understanding of the Historical Jesus. A study guide of some sort will be provided prior to the quizzes, whether verbally or in print, but the nature of this study guide will depend on the effort and participation of the class. The purpose of the quizzes is not to frustrate the student or derail his or her semester but simply to ensure he or she is fulfilling the course requirements and, ultimately, learning the subject. There will be no surprises on the quizzes. Dates for quizzes are provided above, and questions on them will correlate directly to the lectures and readings. Class Presentation The student will present a revised version of one of his or her research essays to the class. The presentation will be similar to that which takes place in a graduate setting or at a professional conference. There will be no reason for this presentation to intimidate the student. It will be a collegial atmosphere, and I will help in every way possible to prepare the student for this presentation. A signup sheet with dates for presentation will be provided at the beginning of the semester. So the student will have ample time to prepare for his or her presentation. NOTE: This is another reason the student is encouraged to begin planning and researching for the essays early in the semester. 6