REL 206 Syllabus

It is not so very important for a person to learn facts. For that he does not really need a college. He can learn them from books. The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.

(Albert Einstein, 1921, in response to Thomas Edison’s opinion that a college education is useless)

In much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase in sorrow.

(Ecclesiastes 1.18)

Schedule

Evaluation

Exegesis Guidelines

Resources

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Westminster College
Religion 206: Jesus
Fall Semester • 2008

Welcome!

Welcome to Religion 206: Jesus (or Everything you always wanted to know about Jesus, but were too afraid or busy to ask)! In recent decades, Jesus has once again become the object of much scholarly research. Just as significant is the fact that the media have made the results of academic investigations much more accessible to the general public (for better or worse?). This course is designed to acquaint students with the research concerning Jesus, both past and present, equipping them with academic tools with which to explore creatively and critically the evidence available in the New Testament, as well as extra-canonical sources. More specifically, our aim will be:

•	to become familiar with, and clarify the meaning of, the so-called quest after the historical Jesus during the past two centuries and currently
•	to discern the major issues or problems involved in Jesus research
•	to consider the relationship between the "Jesus of history" and the "Christ of faith"
•	to cultivate an examination of evidence, especially biblical texts, that is both critical and creative
•	to read carefully and critically passages from a variety of biblical books
•	to ponder what is at stake, if any, for academia, Christianity (and Judaism), and for contemporary culture

Achieving these goals will not be easy; the course will require hard work on your part. At the same time, you can expect this course to be full of challenging, enlightening, exciting, frustrating, and rewarding experiences.

Caveat

This course is designed so that anyone, religious or not, who does the required work can attain the goals mentioned above. This course is not designed to persuade you to a particular faith or religious point of view. Nor is it intended to build up or disparage existing faith. Students who consider themselves to be followers of any religion, or no religion at all, are all welcome on this semester journey to become better acquainted with the so-called quest after the historical Jesus.

Requirements and evaluation for the course

Evaluation

For my criteria for evaluation of assignments go to Evaluation and read the information carefully.

NB: If you have any questions regarding any assignment, please 1) ask in class for the benefit of others or 2) make an appointment to see me.

Assigned readings

Assigned readings are essential and should be completed before each class time. Occasionally there will be assigned readings handed out in class, but these will ordinarily be short. Keeping notes on the readings is highly recommended. You are required to come to class with written questions or comments you have about all the readings (for details go to Participation).

Discussion

starter

Classes will be conducted as quasi-seminars. The instructor will present some materials, but much of the class will be designated for discussion of the readings. You will prepare a discussion starter during the semester presenting

•	the main ideas of the reading assignment (see the Assigned reading column in the course schedule below for the texts to be presented in bold),
•	your critique or response to it, and
•	questions you had while, or after, reading the assignment.

You should aim for ca. 10 minutes. You're expected to have read the text(s) thoroughly and be able to share the penetrating questions or issues you dealt with in your reading, preparation, or even further research. NB: you don't necessarily have to understand everything before class, but you should demonstrate that you prepared and that you can discern, and are familiar with, the major issues in the text(s). Remember that questions are more valuable than answers. You should include or suggest challenges, discoveries, insights, questions, etc. for class discussion. See my “Evaluation” web page under Presentations for evaluation criteria (ignore "Communication Skills" section of the Presentation evaluation page). If you'd like to use "smart" equipment, let me know as soon as possible.

•	As part of your preparation, you will submit a 2-page reflection paper before the beginning of class. In it you should show at least your grasp of the text(s) and your responses.
•	Every student should prepare notes for each presentation day as if he or she were the discussion leader. I.e., everyone is expected to do the preparatory work.

Each of you will lead a discussion at least once during the semester (twice, if the class size permits). ~~When you will be asked, only the muses know. If you aren’t prepared to do so for some reason, let me know before the class starts, so that I won’t call on you.~~

Research

paper

You will submit an 8-page research paper on either a pericope of your choice from among the canonical Gospels or a topic of your choice (submit your paper at Turnitin.com). See the R-drive file "paper assignment" for details and instructions.

•	See the schedule below for deadlines of work due before the final draft of the paper. 1) Bibliography: include at least 10 secondary sources (not including course textbooks or reference books) you have found to be promising for your paper, including 5 journal articles related to the passage or topic. NB: you may use Web sources but they will not count among the 10 sources required for the bibliography assignment. Also include a paragraph stating your research interest. 2) Draft: include a clear introductory paragraph stating the thesis of your paper. Also include 2 sample paragraphs and, if applicable, your revised bibliography (or works cited).
•	The paper should represent original work (i.e., your own thoughts), not a mere digest of other people’s opinions. Your own reading and re-reading of the relevant texts, as well as review of other materials, is fundamental to the task. I want to know what you discover in your engagement with the text(s)—a "text" can be written works, art works, music, plays, movies, interview, research results, poll data etc.—whether or not you agree with the authors or the opinions presented in class, including mine. NB: Focus on honing your ability to argue for your opinions and conclusions by using evidence from texts (especially primary texts) and other relevant sources.
•	Include in your final bibliography (or works cited) at least 8 secondary sources, including 4 journal articles used in your paper. NB: you may use Web sources but they will not count among the 8 sources required for this assignment.
•	Follow all the instructions given on my Evaluation page under Written assignments.

NB: You may be given the chance to revise your paper after the initial evaluation. Should you choose to do so, your revision will be evaluated and the final grade will be the average of the two.

Terms

Throughout the semester, you’ll be responsible for learning a list of significant terms covered in our texts and class time (see the “terms” file on the R-drive). You will be responsible for the definitions and, when appropriate, significant biblical passages related to the terms. Use also 1) Nicholas Turner’s Handbook for Biblical Studies (on reserve at the library) and 2) the other resources listed in Resources to consider below. The terms may constitute a part of any quiz or exam.

Quizzes
&
exams

The final exam, which will be an oral exam, will cover the entire sweep of the course. See my Evaluation page under Quizzes and examinations. The instructor reserves the right to administer pop quizzes at any time.

Grades

Grades will be assigned as fairly as possible. See my Evaluation page under Grades for more information. The final grade for the course will consist of the following:

•

participation

20%

NB: participation is a big part of this course. See my Evaluation page under Participation for more information and instructions.

•

paper

35%

•

final exam

15%

•

discussion starters (3)

20%

•

pop quizzes

10%

Required books
•	The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (NRSV). You are encouraged to use other translations in addition to, but not in lieu of, this edition of the NRSV, which will be the common text for class assignments and discussions. The Tanakh is especially recommended for comparison of Old Testament passages.
•	Bultmann, Rudolf. Jesus Christ and Mythology. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
•	Crossan, John Dominic. Jesus: a Revolutionary Biography. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
•	Heyer, C. J. den. Jesus Matters: 150 Years of Research. Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1996.
•	Johnson, Luke T. The Real Jesus. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.
•	Schweitzer, Albert. *The Quest of the Historical Jesus*. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

Recommended books (* = highly recommended)
*	Achtemeier, Paul. Inspiration and Authority: Nature and Function of Christian Scripture. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999.
*	Aland, Kurt, ed. Synopsis of the four Gospels. New York: United Bible Societies, 1982. (also available in Greek-English version)
	Borg, Marcus. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
	_____. Jesus in Contemporary Scholarship. Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1994.
*	Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to New Testament Christology. New York: Paulist Press, 1994.
*	_____. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
*	_____. Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible. New York: Paulist Press,1990.
	Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
	_____. The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
	Finaldi, Gabriele. The Image of Christ. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
	Hengel, Martin. Judaism and Hellenism. London: SCM Press, 1974.
	Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Illustrated Jesus Through the Centuries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997.
	_____. Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985.
*	Robinson, James M. A New Quest of the Historical Jesus. London: SCM Press, 1959.
	Sanders, E. P. and Margaret Davies. Studying the Synoptic Gospels. London: SCM Press, 1989.
	Tatum, W. Barnes. In Quest of Jesus: A Guidebook. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982.
	Wright, N. T. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.
	_____. Who Was Jesus? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994.
*	Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1979. (See my Resources page under Miscellaneous for the first edition of Strunk.)

Resources to consider (* = highly recommended)
	See my Resources page for McGill, AV & Web resources.
	R-drive: for helpful materials, check not only the course folder but also the "Religion" folder.
	Bible concordances (McGill library)
	Ferguson, Duncan S. Bible Basics. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995.
*	Turner, Nicholas. The Handbook for Biblical Studies. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1982.

Keeping in touch
During the semester check your e-mail regularly for the latest messages from me regarding course matters (e.g., changes in the syllabus). Also visit this page for updates to the syllabus, as well as my homepage for other information and resources related to the course. Please feel free to make an appointment any time about any course matters.

Tips from former students

For some practical advice from former students, see the tips page.

One last word …

Regardless of how demanding all of this is, I’m pretty much a nice guy. I promise to be as fair as possible. I recognize that you’ll be very busy this semester pursuing various obligations and passions. I understand. I have my passions too, e.g., my wonderful family, music, philosophy, nature, mountain biking, fixing things, food. But I’m also very passionate about education, both yours and mine—I don’t just mean the business of acquiring knowledge, but more importantly the total development of honorable human beings. I don't require you to share my excitement about all the things we'll cover, but I do expect you to complete the requirements for the course. To help you do that as well as you can, I will make myself available outside the class time and the office hours. I'll be more than glad to help you out when you're stuck while doing an assignment. Or if you have any questions, concerns, complaints, and even compliments, I will do my best to take the time to listen and offer my response. Keep in mind that I'm here to help you learn. So, again, welcome to Religion 206: Jesus!

C o u r s e S c h e d u l e

MWF 15:10–16:10 PH 132

Date

Assigned readings

• = required

> = recommended

+ = read in the library (do not check out)

Project / texts

bold = primary focus text

red bold = important deadline

highlight = R-drive file (only on campus & Internet Explorer)

Class / topics

Week 1

Aug 29 W

Aug 31

Sep 3

•Course syllabus (including Evaluation link; review requirements, expectations & criteria for grading—ask Qs, if you have any)

•Fisher: Effective Learning

•McGrath, Intro: xxi–xxv, xxviii, 3–4; ch. 1

•McGrath, Reader: xv–xxiv; xxvii–xxxiii, xlii 1.5; 1.6; 1.13; 1.1–1.4

>McGrath, Intro: answers to study questions

>McGrath, Reader: 1.22–1.24; 1.30–1.34

>Nicene Creed

>Apostles' Creed

>Do you know how to think? (a self-exam)

•Copy all relevant Web pages to your hard disk or diskette

•Reminder: bring your Qs & Cs to each class (see Participation)

•McGrath, Reader: 1.1–1.4

>Optical Illusions

>Perception quiz

>Calendar

>Do you know how to think? (a self-exam)

>Riddles

>Bible Hunt

>Study Guide 1 (2007: these may be helpful, but they may not always correspond with the new editions)

>Study Guide 2

•Optical conditioning

•General orientation

•What is Christianity?

•What is the / the Christian religion?

•What is Christian tradition?

•What is Christian faith?

•What is Christian doctrine?

•No class Aug 31 & Sep 3 (work on paper)

•"The Patristic Period, c. 100–700"

Week 2

Sep 5 W

Sep 7

Sep 10

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 1

•McGrath, Reader: intro; 1.1–1.4

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 2

•McGrath, Reader: 1.7–1.10

>Nicene Creed

>Apostles' Creed

>Catechism of the Catholic Church (great source of information)

•Reminder: bring your Qs & Cs to each class (see Participation)

•McGrath, Reader: 1.1–1.4

•McGrath, Reader: 1.7–1.10

>McGrath, Intro: answers to study questions

>Study Guide 3

>Study Guide 4

>Study Guide 5

•"The Patristic Period, c. 100–700"

•"The Middle Ages & the Renaissance, c. 700–1500"

>Sieger Köder: "The Last Supper"

Week 3

Sep 12 W

Sep 14

Sep 17

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 3

•McGrath, Reader: 1.12–1.18

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 4

•McGrath, Reader: 1.19–1.34

•McGrath, Reader: 1.15; 1.17; 1.18

•McGrath, Reader: 1.24; 1.29; 1.30

>Study Guide 6

>Study Guide 7

>Study Guide 8

•“The Age of Reformation, c. 1500–1750”

•“The Modern Period, c. 1750–the Present”

Week 4

Sep 19 W

Sep 21

Sep 24

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 4

•McGrath, Reader: 1.19–1.34

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 5

•McGrath, Reader: intro; 2.1–2.10

•Paper appointments: Beckert–Hadricky

•McGrath, Reader: 1.24; 1.29; 1.30

•McGrath, Reader: 2.1; 2.2; 2.5; 2.9

>Study Guide 9

>Study Guide 10

>Study Guide 11

•“The Modern Period, c. 1750–the Present”

•“Sources & Methods: Getting Started: Preliminaries”

Week 5

Sep 26 W

Sep 28

Oct 1

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 6

•McGrath, Reader: 2.11–2.23

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 7

•McGrath, Reader: 2.24–2.40

•Lewis: bk. 1

>Creation retold (humor)

>Bible in 50 words

>Bible Contradiction & Responses

>Myth

>The NT Gateway (great site for NT study)

>Redaction & hermeneutics (funny & instructive)

•Paper appointments: Mackey–Thompson

•Last date for proposal: Sep 28 (R-drive; file name = "last name proposal.doc"; see example of file name on R-drive)

•McGrath, Reader: 2.11–2.15

•McGrath, Reader: 2.17–2.19; 2.45

•McGrath, Reader: 2.17; 2.31; 2.32

>Translation comparison

>Transmission errors

>Greek NT: 1st page

>Mt1

>Manuscript

>Interpreting Ancient Manuscripts (very helpful)

•“The Sources of Theology”

•“Knowledge of God: Natural & Revealed”

•Quiz 1 (Oct 1) (early dismissal)

Week 6

Oct 3 W

Oct 5

Oct 8

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 7

•McGrath, Reader: 2.24–2.40

•Lewis: bk. 1

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 8

•McGrath, Reader: 2.41–2.50

•Lewis: bk. 2

>The Greeks (great interactive site)

•McGrath, Reader: 2.35; 2.44; 2.45; 3.42

•McGrath, Reader: 2.43

•McGrath, Reader: 2.41; 2.49

>Study Guide 15

>Study Guide 16

>Study Guide 17

•“Knowledge of God: Natural & Revealed”

•No class Oct 3 (work on paper)

•“Philosophy & Theology: Introducing a Dialogue”

Oct 13 Sa

Movie night with the Nas 7:46-ish

directions on the R-drive (view in MS Word: in menu, click View>Print Layout) or click here

Week 7

Oct 10 W

Oct 12

Oct 15

•Course syllabus (including Evaluation link; review requirements, expectations & criteria for grading—ask Qs, if you have any)

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 9

•McGrath, Reader: 1.30; 2.45; intro; 3.1–3.8

•Lewis: bk. 3

•McGrath, Reader: 3.9–19

•McGrath, Reader: 3.20–3.27

>"Darwin and Humanity: Should We Rid the Mind of God" (theism v. atheism debate between Alister McGrath & Peter Atkins, 13 Mar 2007; or try this or this

>Dawkins-McGrath debate (23 Mar 2007)

>Bahnsen-Stein debate (the "great" debate, 1985)

•McGrath, Reader: 3.4–3.8

•McGrath, Reader: 3.13; 3.14; 3.15

•McGrath, Reader: 3.21; 3.24; 3.26

>Study Guide 18

>Study Guide 19

>Study Guide 20

•"The Doctrine of God"

Week 8

Oct 17 W

Oct 19

Oct 20–23 (break)

Oct 24 W

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 10

•McGrath, Reader: 3.28–3.34

•Lewis: bk. 4

•McGrath, Reader: 3.35–3.43

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 11

•McGrath, Reader: intro; 4.1–4.11

>Chalcedonian definition

>Chalcedonian definition (excerpts)

>C. S. Lewis: historical Jesus

•McGrath, Reader: 3.13; 3.20; 3.28; 3.31

•McGrath, Reader: 3.41; 3.43

•McGrath, Reader: 4.1–4.11

>Study Guide 21

>Study Guide 22

>Study Guide 23

•"The Doctrine of the Trinity"

•Quiz 2 (Oct 19) (early dismissal)

•"The Doctrine of the Person of Christ"

Week 9

Oct 26 F

Oct 29

Oct 31

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 11

•McGrath, Reader: 4.12–4.22

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 12

•McGrath, Reader: 4.23–4.28

•McGrath, Reader: 4.29–4.41

>Jesus & Superman? (scroll all the way down to see the comparison)

>Resurrection theories

>666 or 616? (click on "numerology")

Happy !

•Last date for draft: Oct 29 (R-drive; file name = "last name draft.doc"; see example of file name on R-drive)

•McGrath, Reader: 4.12–4.22

•McGrath, Reader: 4.23–4.28

•McGrath, Reader: 4.29; 4.31; 4.33; 4.34; 4.35; 4.36; 4.37; 4.41

•"The Doctrine of the Person of Christ"

•"Faith and History: The Christological Agenda of Modernity"

Week 10

Nov 2 F

Nov 5

Nov 7

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 13

•McGrath, Reader: intro; 5.1–5.22

•McGrath, Reader: 5.23–5.35

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 14

•McGrath, Reader: intro; 6.1–6.31

>Lewis: 4.4–11

>"Darwin and Humanity: Should We Rid the Mind of God" (theism v. atheism debate between Alister McGrath & Peter Atkins, 13 Mar 2007; or try this or this

>Dawkins-McGrath debate (23 Mar 2007)

>Bahnsen-Stein debate (the "great" debate, 1985)

•McGrath, Reader: 5.1; 5.3; 5.4; 5.5; 5.10; 5.12; 5.13; 5.14; 5.17; 5.19; 5.21

•McGrath, Reader: 5.24; 5.25; 5.29; 5.30; 5.32; 5.35 (esp 5.29)

•McGrath, Reader: 6.11–6.18 (esp 6.11–12, 16–18)

>Study Guide 27

>Study Guide 28

>Study Guide 29

•"The Doctrine of Salvation in Christ"

•“The Doctrine of Human Nature, Sin and Grace"

Week 11

Nov 9 F

Nov 12

Nov 14

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 14

•McGrath, Reader: 6.32–6.56

•McGrath, Intro: ch. 15

•McGrath, Reader: intro; 7.1–7.18

>5 kinds of Christians (2007)

•McGrath, Reader: 6.32–6.39; 6.47; 6.48; 6.51; 6.52 (esp 6.32–34, 36–37, 39)

•McGrath, Reader: 7.2–7.4; 7.6; 7.8