Setting

    You are a follower of Messiah Jesus living with a group of fellow believers in Pella, in the area of the Decapolis, about CE 70. Less than four decades ago, the elders of your synagogue heard Jesus proclaim that "this generation will not pass away" until the Human One will be seen "coming in the clouds with great power and glory" to judge the earth (Mk 13:26, 30).
    Now the Judeans are involved in a vigorous revolt against Roman rule, and fighting in Jerusalem and environs is intense. Some members of your community have left to fight in Jerusalem, believing this is God's holy war, a sign of the world's "death throes" before the parousia, and that the way to act on one's belief in Messiah Jesus is via this armed rebellion. Some of the Gentiles have repudiated Jesus, returning to paganism and compliance with Rome; some members of Jewish descent have repudiated Jesus as well, but acclaiming Simon ben Giora or John of Gischala as the true Messiah.

Assignment

1. First introduce your character, giving a brief description of your social location (sex, class, ethnic origin, clan, etc.)
2. Then, speaking as that person, respond to the following questions:
   1. Given your own knowledge of the teachings and actions of Jesus, what will you do in this situation? What would you tell other people to do? [Remember, they are coming to you for advice, so you cannot "cop out" by saying they have to make up their own minds.] E.g., should they join in the war on the side of the Jews or Romans? Should they support the war effort but not actually fight? Should they try to avoid the struggle altogether by fleeing the country? Should they stay and defend their ancestral homes?
   2. Where are at least five specific examples of sayings or actions of Jesus or his earliest disciples that support your responses to these questions? (Give the Biblical citations in parentheses in your text.) Remember that these examples must come from sources or texts that antedate the time when you are living. References to Mark's gospel are fair game, but your character must speak of it as an oral tradition since the Gospel of Mark IS NOT PUBLISHED yet and therefore no one can have read it. Ad minorem for the other gospels.
3. In a post-script, reflect on your character and her/his response to the situation. How does it compare to the one encouraged in Mark's gospel? In what ways do you agree or disagree with Mark?
4. To prepare to present your paper in class, outline your responses to the following questions (on a separate sheet of paper):
   1. What was your experience writing this paper?
   2. How did this process affect your view/understanding of the gospel/NT materials?
   3. What issue(s) did the process raise that you would like to explore further?
   4. What is the most important thing you learned by doing this exercise?

Sample papers (but beware the plagiarism demon; DO NOT PRINT OUT THESE FILES):

Timothy Hanchin, 20 March 1995
Rebecca Luzier, 18 March 1998

Questions for Class Discussion

to see the Grading Protocol for these assignments