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  

 
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 -------  

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