THEO 270:
Who Was Jesus?
Spring 2001
MW, 2:30-3:45M
Plassman 112
Instructor: Dr. Chris Stanley
Office: Plassman Basement, Office E7
(Theology Department)
Office Hours: MWF 9:30-11:30 AM (or by
appointment)
Telephone: 375-2454 (office); 372-4232
(home)
E-mail: cstanley@sbu.edu
Catalogue Description
Many
contemporary biblical scholars claim that the picture of Jesus that appears in
the New Testament is a complex mixture of historical fact and pious imagination.
These scholars have developed a variety of methods for distinguishing the
"historical Jesus" from the "Christ of faith." How valid is their approach? What
can we really know about the historical person of Jesus? How does this compare
with what the Christian church has believed about him over the centuries? This
course will explore these and other questions as we seek to discover the "real"
Jesus of Nazareth.
Course Objectives
By the end of
this course, students should be able to:
Course Requirements
This course
will be run as a seminar, which means that students will be expected to play an
active role in the leadership of class sessions. For a course like this to
succeed, it is absolutely vital that students attend classes, keep
up with the assigned readings, take their assignments seriously, and contribute
regularly to class discussions. A variety of incentives have been built into the
course to encourage these kinds of behavior.
(1) After the
first few class sessions, students will take over the responsibility of
introducing the day's readings to the class and raising issues for discussion.
Students will work in groups of two or three in order to enhance the quality and
thoughtfulness of the presentation. The presentation, which should not exceed
ten minutes in length, should include a summary of the key points from the
readings and several questions for the class to discuss. The presenters should
also bring to class a one-page outline of their presentation so that the class
can follow along. For best results, the presenters should meet or talk with the
instructor in advance of the class session to discuss what they plan to include
in the presentation.
At the end of
each presentation, one student will be chosen at random to respond to the
presenters. The respondent will have three to five minutes to highlight points
of agreement or disagreement with the presentation, call attention to important
issues not addressed by the presenters, and note any other issues that ought to
be addressed by the class during the discussion period. Students will be allowed
to "pass" on two occasions when they are called on to respond during the course
of the semester.
Presenters
will be graded on their skill at organizing an accurate, focused and coherent
presentation for the class. Respondents will be graded on their ability to use
the assigned readings to analyze and supplement the classroom presentation. Each
student will receive a brief written analysis of his or her performance (along
with a grade) at the next class session. Students who have worked together as
presenters will also be asked to evaluate one another at the end of the
semester. These peer evaluations will be averaged together with the instructor's
evaluations to account for 30% of the grade for the course (20% for
presentations, 5% for responses, 5% for peer evaluations).
(2) At five
points during the semester, students will prepare a two to three page
paper on the materials covered in the most recent portion of the course.
(See the Course Outline for due dates.) These papers will require students to
reflect on the key issues addressed in the assigned readings and the classroom
discussion. The best way to prepare for these papers is to keep up with the
readings and take good notes in class. Questions for these papers will be handed
out a week in advance of the due date listed on the Course Outline. Late
papers will be penalized a full
letter grade for each day they
are late. Students may discuss how they plan to approach these
papers, but the final written product must be the student's own work. Papers
that show evidence of having been copied from another student will receive a
grade of F. Each of these papers will account for 10% of the final
course grade.
(3) At the end
of the course there will be a final take-home exam that will ask students
to look back on what they have learned from the course as a whole. Questions for
the exam will be given out at least one week in advance of the due date, which
is the regularly scheduled final exam slot for this course (Tuesday, December
17, 10:35 AM). This final exam will account for the remaining 20% of
the course grade.
(4) Emphasis
will be placed on class participation throughout the course.
(a)
Attendance will be checked at every session, and a record of more
than two non-excused absences will result in a loss
of one point from the student's final course average for
each additional absence. Students who wish to avoid this penalty must call and
explain any absences (or leave a message) on or before the day of the missed
class, or as soon as they can in case of illness. Excusable
absences include accident or illness, family emergencies, required field
trips, and required sports team events. If requested, the instructor will tape
the class for any student with an excused absence.
(b) Students
are expected to arrive in the classroom no later than the starting time listed
in the course schedule. Late arrivals will be noted by the instructor,
and every two unexcused late arrivals will be
counted as one absence.
(c) Records
will also be kept concerning each student's verbal participation in
class. Students may add up to five points
(half a letter grade) to their final course grade by
raising insightful questions and comments during class sessions, responding
thoughtfully to questions posed by the presenters and the instructor, and
contributing regularly to classroom discussions. Students who come to class
unprepared, refrain from entering into class discussions, or belittle other
students' comments may have their final grades reduced by
up to five points. Quality and regularity are the
key factors in determining one's class participation grade.
Grading System
No extra
credit opportunities are offered in this course, since the course already
provides ample opportunities for students to show how well they have mastered
the material. Students who keep up with the assigned readings, take the time to
do their best work on presentations and written projects, and speak up regularly
in class will be happy with their grades for the course. Students who fall short
in one or more of these areas will earn grades that are lower than they would
like to see. Good grades must be earned in this course; they are not
given out simply for doing the work. Students who do "average" work can expect
to earn a C for the course; those who fail to achieve this level of competence
will receive a grade of D of F. A's and B's are reserved for students who show
"above average" or "superior" mastery of the material.
The following
scale will be used for graded work in this course:
Class Work
10 = A+
9.5 = A
9 = A-
8.5 = B
8 = B-
7.5 = C
7 = C-
6.5 = D
6 = D-
0-5.5 = F |
Papers
10 = A+
9.5 = A
9 = A-
8.5 = B
8 = B-
7.5 = C
7 = C-
6.5 = D
6 = D-
0-5.5 = F |
Exams
92-100 = A
90-91 = A-
88-89 = B+
82-87 = B
80-81 = B-
78-79 = C+
72-77 = C
70-71 = C-
68-69 = D+
62-67 = D
60-61 = D-
0-59 = F |
Final Grade
92-100 = A
90-91 = A-
88-89 = B+
82-87 = B
80-81 = B-
78-79 = C+
72-77 = C
70-71 = C-
68-69 = D+
62-67 = D
60-61 = D-
0-59 =
F |
Textbooks
Marcus J. Borg and N. T. Wright, The Meaning
of Jesus: Two Visions (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1998).
Mark Allan Powell, Jesus as a Figure in
History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee (Louisville:
Westminster John Knox, 1998).
The Holy Bible (any modern translation is
acceptable--several versions are available in the university bookstore or
through online book sites like www.amazon.com).
Additional readings (noted in bold type
on the Course Outline) will be handed out in class (whether in paper copy or
via Web address) or placed on Electronic Reserve on the library's Web site
(web.sbu.edu/friedsam).
Course Outline
Part I:
Framing the Question
Aug. 27 Introduction
-------
Aug. 29 The Historical Jesus Debates:
Powell 1-9
The Birth of
Jesus (video) "Who Was Jesus?"
(Time
article)
Sept. 3 LABOR DAY-NO
CLASSES -------
Sept. 5 The Historical Jesus Debates:
"The Gospel Truth?"
The Life of
Jesus (video) (Time article)
Sept. 10 The Historical Jesus Debates:
"Rethinking the
The Death of
Jesus (video) Resurrection"
(Time
article)
Sept. 12 Discussion Session Borg
83-103
(paper
due)
Part II: The
Ancient Quest
Sept. 19 The Gospel According to
Mark Mark 1:1-16:8
Sept. 24 The Gospel According to
Matthew Matthew 1:1-28:20
Sept. 26 The Gospel According to Luke
Luke 1:1-24:52
Oct. 1 The Gospel According to Q Powell
39-40
and
Thomas www.gospels.net
Oct. 3 The Gospel According to
John John 1:1-21:25
Oct. 8 FALL BREAK--NO CLASSES -------
(paper due) 4:12, 4:23-31,
9:1-22, 10:34-48,
13:13-43
Oct. 15 The Letters of Paul Ehrman
311-14
Romans 1:1-4,
3:21-26, 5:1-21
1
Corinthians15:1-8, 15:20-28
Philippians
2:1-11
Colossians
1:13-20
1
Thessalonians 4:13-18
Oct. 17 Other New Testament Writings 1
Peter 2:20-25
1 John 1:1-3,
2:1-2, 4:9-11
Hebrews
1:1-4, 2:5-3:6, 5:7-10,
7:23-28,
9:11-15, 9:24-28
Revelation
1:9-19, 5:1-14, 7:9-17,
19:11-21,
21:1-4, 21:22-22:5
Part III: The Modern
Quest
Oct. 24 The History of the Quest Powell
12-30
Oct. 29 The Great Divide: Weighing
Borg/Wright 3-27
and Sifting
the Data Powell 46-50
Oct. 31 The Gospel According to
the
Jesus Seminar
and Crossan Powell 65-99
Nov. 5 The Gospel According to
Sanders Powell 113-47
and
Meier
Nov. 7 The Gospel According to
Borg Powell 101-12, 149-66
and
Wright
Part IV: Who
Was Jesus?
Nov. 12 The Birth of
Jesus Borg/Wright 171-86
(paper
due)
Nov. 14 The Life and Teachings of
Jesus Borg/Wright 31-76
Nov. 19 INSTRUCTOR GONE-NO
CLASS -------
Nov. 21 THANKSGIVING BREAK-NO
CLASS -------
Nov. 26 The Death of Jesus Borg/Wright
79-107
Nov. 28 The Resurrection of
Jesus Borg/Wright 111-42
Dec. 3 The Return of Jesus Borg/Wright
189-204
Dec. 5 The Divinity of Jesus
Borg/Wright 145-68
Dec. 7 Jesus and the Church Borg/Wright
207-50
(paper
due)
Dec. 10 What's at Stake? Johnson
48-74
Kahler
123-29