Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D. Professor of Biblical Studies & Early Christianity DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

The Historical Jesus (RL 506.1)
Summer 2, 2006
30 June 2006

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D. Office: Admin B218 Phone: 216-397-3087

Prerequisites: RL 101, RL 205 Meets: June 26-July 13, MWH 6-10 pm Classroom: AD225

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  An introduction to the historical person, Jesus of Nazareth, especially through material from the recent "quest" for the historical Jesus. The course will focus on the words and deeds of Jesus as they would have been understood by his own contemporaries, and at new attempts to write a biography of Jesus of Nazareth. We will further ask whether such attempts are truly valid, given the factual knowledge at hand. Finally, we will investigate the relevance of such work for the Christian of the late twentieth century. Comparisons will be made to how Jesus was later understood and portrayed by his followers and in popular media (e.g., art, literature, cinema).

COURSE OBJECTIVES:  Through the successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Define the key terms relating to biblical study
2. Identify & give dates for significant personages in the four canonical gospels
3. Outline the key themes & characteristics of each of the four NT gospel portrayals of Jesus
4. Discuss the significance of each of these four views of Jesus as the messiah
5. Discuss the cultural appropriation of these canonical portraits in popular films of different eras
6. Evaluate the gaps and spaces in that appropriation as well as the positive use of the canonical images
7. Explain the meaning and significance of the key christological doctrine: "fully human, fully divine"

• the Bible---a study edition with cross-references and annotations, not a paraphrase. The NIV study edition was ordered for this class (), but it is not essential to buy a new Bible if you already own a study edition of the NAB, RSV, or NRSV.
• Aland, Kurt, ed. Synopsis of the Four Gospels. Revised English Edition. New York: United Bible Societies, 1985. ISBN #0826705006. If you already own another Gospel parallels text (i.e., Funk or Throckmorton), there is no need to buy this one. If you are on a tight budget, this text could be shared with a classmate; there also are on-line synopses, including ones with the Gospel of Thomas. See the Bible index page for links. If you have or would like to develop facility with the original Greek texts, either of the following are the alternatives of choice:
  • Aland, Kurt, ed. Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum. [Greek texts with Latin forematter] Stuttgart: German Bible Society, 1997. ISBN #3438051309. [$69.99. Available on-line at the ABS site.]
  • Aland, Kurt, ed., Greek-English Edition of the Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum Synopsis of the Four Gospels, Tenth Edition.[Greek and English on facing pages, with Latin forematter] New York: United Bible Societies. ISBN #3438054051.

REQUIRED FILMS & SECONDARY SOURCE MATERIALS (in addition to class handouts and web page information):

• Books or other print resources:
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church, tr. United States Catholic Conference. Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana; Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist, 1994. ISBN #0809134349.
  • Crossan, John Dominic. Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. San Francisco: Harper, 1994, 1995. ISBN #0060616628.
  • Crossan, John Dominic, and Jonathan L. Reed. Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts. Revised and Updated. San Francisco: Harper, 2002. ISBN #0060616342.
  • Neuner, Josef & Jacques Dupuis, eds. The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, Rev. Ed. New York: Alba House, 1982. ISBN #0818904534. Seventh revised and enlarged edition, 2001. ISBN #0818908939. Chpt. 6: "Jesus Christ the Savior," 143–198 (on electronic reserve at Grasselli Library).
  • Stern, Richard C., et al. Savior on the Silver Screen. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist, 1999. ISBN #0809138557.
  • Tatum, W. Barnes. Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years. Polebridge Press; 1998. ISBN #0944344674.
  • Van Beeck, Franz Josef. "Professing the Uniqueness of Christ," Chicago Studies 24 (April 1985): 17–35. (on electronic reserve at Grasselli Library)
• Films:
  • Arcand, Denys. "Jesus of Montréal." Orion Classics, 1989 (French), 1990 (with English subtitles).
  • Bronston, Samuel. "The King of Kings." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1961. (Cf. Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 version)
  • Greene, David. "Godspell." Columbia Pictures, 1973.
  • Jewison, Norman. "Jesus Christ Superstar." Universal Studios, 1973.
  • Monty Python, "Monty Python's Life of Brian." Handmade Films, 1979.
  • Pasolini, Pier Paolo. "The Gospel According to Matthew." 1964 (Italian), 1966 (with English subtitles).
  • Scorsese, Martin. "The Last Temptation of Christ." 1988.
  • Stevens, George. "The Greatest Story Ever Told." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1965.
  • Zeffirelli, Franco. "Jesus of Nazareth." RAI/ICT Entertainment, 1977.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

• Baugh, L. Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film. Sheed & Ward, 1997.
• Borg, Marcus. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus & the Heart of Contemporary Faith. San Francisco: Harper, 1994.
• Burridge, Richard A. Four Gospels, One Jesus? A Symbolic Reading. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1994. ISBN #080280876X.
• Charlesworth, James H. Jesus Within Judaism: New Light from Exciting Archaeological Discoveries. Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York/London/etc.: Doubleday, 1988.
• Charlesworth, James H. and Walter P. Weaver, eds. Jesus Two Thousand Years Later. Faith and Scholarship Colloquies 6. Harrisburg, Penn.: Trinity Press International, 2000.
• Crossan, John Dominic. The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant.  San Francisco: Harper, 1991, 1993. ISBN #0060616296. Strongly recommended.
• Ehrman, Bart D. Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millenium. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN #0195124731. Strongly recommended.
• Fredriksen, Paula. From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Jesus. Second ed. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2000. ISBN #0300084579.
• Funk, Robert W. The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus. New York: Macmillan, 1993.
• Harrington, Daniel and James Keenan. Jesus and Virtue Ethics: Building Bridges Between New Testament Studies & Moral Theology. Lanham, Md. & Chicago: Rowman & Littlefield/University Press of America, 2003.  ISBN #1580511252.
• Meier, John P. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. 3 Vols. New York, etc: Doubleday, 1991 (Vol. 1); 1994 (Vol. 2).
• Miner, C. E. The 'Filmlical' Jesus: A Critically Evaluative Review of the Jesus Film Genre (Dissertation, School of Theology at Claremont, 1995; Dissertation Abstracts International, vol. 56, no. 12, June 1996)
• Moxnes, Halvor. Putting Jesus in His Place: A Radical View of Household and Kingdom. Louisville & London: Westminster John Knox, 2003.
• O'Grady, John F. The Four Gospels and the Jesus Tradition. New York/Mahwah: Paulist, 1989.
• Oursler, Fulton. The Greatest Story Ever Told. 1949.
• Sanders, E. P. The Historical Figure of Jesus. New York/London: Penguin, 1993.
• Schweitzer, Albert. The Quest of the Historical Jesus: A Critical Study of Its Progress from Reimarus to Wrede. Albert Schweitzer Library; Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. ISBN 0801859344. [On-line text: Albert Schweitzer, The Quest of the Historical Jesus: A Critical Study of its Progress from Reimarus to Wrede. Translated by W. Montgomery. From the First German Edition Von Reimarus zu Wrede, 1906. With a Preface by F. C. Burkitt, D.D. First English Edition, 1910. Published in Great Britain by A. & C. Black, Ltd.]
• Vermes, Geza. The Dead Sea Scrolls in English. Rev. & Ext. Fourth Ed. New York/London: Penguin. 1995.
• _______. Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1973, 1981.

CLASS FORMAT:  The course will be conducted in seminar style. Formal lectures and student presentations will be complemented by active, critical student discussions on the basis of the primary texts, films, and secondary literature.

ASSUMPTIONS regarding prior coursework. Students with limited NT background are encouraged to consult one or both of the following texts: Helmut Koester, Introduction to the New Testament (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1980); two volumes. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her (New York: Crossroad, 1984, 1994). In particular, these books may be helpful to those students who are uncertain about the background information mentioned here. In addition, I have a packet of handouts which may be of use and is available at cost.

CONSULTATION

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Students will write one CRITICAL REVIEW (due session 5)of a crucial book-length study of the Jesus of history (preferably one of the recommended texts or one of the "classics" of the early quest) OR a foreign-language article/essay/chapter OR two English-language articles/essays/chapters. (To ensure variety, choices will be made in consultation with the instructor and other members of the seminar.) Each review should follow the basic structure outlined in the "How to" page. In sum, this means it will include three sections: (1) a concise statement of the author's thesis; (2) a summary of the supporting evidence; (3) an evaluation of how well the author succeeds in persuading you that the thesis is correct, and two or three questions suitable for class discussion of this book.

Students will also write FILM CRITIQUES (due sessions 3 & 7) on two of the feature-length films used in the course, including at least one of the "exploratory" type. Each critique should follow the basic structure outlined in the "How to" page. In sum, this means it will include three sections: (1) how this presentation compares with your prior understanding of Jesus; (2) what questions it raises that can be answered by historical research; (3) what questions or challenges it raises for current theology. As always, you are welcome to add other points of interest and/or questions you would like to discuss in the seminar.

Students may substitute a CREATIVE HISTORY PAPER for one of the film critiques or critical article/essay/chapter reviews. (Follow this link for the description of this kind of assignment.) Due dates for the assignments remain the same.

The FINAL PROJECT (due last session) will be a collaborative endeavor involving the entire seminar. Each component of the project will be developed by 2- or 3-person teams (a pair of graduate students, or one undergraduate and 1–2 grad students). Each team will select one scene from the life of Jesus and, based on the canonical gospels, the secondary literature, and the Jesus films used in this course, they will develop a Storyboard presenting a set of three or more different scenarios for how that scene might have developed. At least one of these scenarios should present a novel way of viewing that scene or event in Jesus' life. The undergraduate will have primary responsibility for the visual aspects of the storyboard, while the graduate student(s) will have primary responsibility for the content, although all the team members are assumed to be working together on the complete project.

ATTENDANCE

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The CLASS SCHEDULE gives due dates for all readings, writing assignments, and examinations.

If you have any questions about any of the items on this Syllabus, feel free to ask.

This site designed and maintained by Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D. Professor of Religious Studies Copyright © 2000–2006 Sheila E. McGinn Return to Dr. McGinn's home page

You are visitor   since this page was re-released on 28 June 2004 Return to JCU Religious Studies home page