Winter 2001
NS516/NT816
M. Thompson

NS516/NT816: CONTEMPORARY QUESTS OF THE HISTORICAL JESUS. Marianne Meye Thompson.


DESCRIPTION:

This course, designed first of all as a graduate seminar and open to a very limited number of masters' level students with permission of instructor, will focus on important works in the growing literature of the quest of the historical Jesus. While the course will focus primarily on these texts, issues in the Gospels and primary sources of second temple Judaism will also be considered as they arise.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
NT816 prepares students primarily for the ministry of teaching and research. While the course focuses on the literature of the quest of the historical Jesus, it will also aim to help students grapple with such issues as the historical character of the Gospel, and the consequences for our understanding of Jesus' ministry and purpose, and the nature of Scripture.

COURSE FORMAT:
The class meets three hours a week (Thursdays, 1-4 p.m.). There will be no class Thursday, January 25, but we will make up the missed class session on Thursday, March 15.

REQUIRED READING:
Borg, Marcus, ed. Jesus: A New Vision. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1987.

Crossan, Dominic. Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.

Johnson, Luke T. The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.

Keck, Leander E. Who is Jesus? History in Perfect Tense. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2000.

Powell, Mark Allan. Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1998.

Sanders, E. P. The Historical Figure of Jesus. London: Penguin Press, 1993.

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.

ASSIGNMENTS:
  1. Regular attendance, preparation for, and participation in class discussions.

  2. Class presentation on one book from list of recommended books (distributed in class).

  3. Class presentation on a portion or aspect of one of the assigned books.

  4. Research project in area of student's interest.

PREREQUISITES:
For Ph.D. students, an acquaintance of the history of NT scholarship, and specifically the quest of the historical Jesus, will be helpful. For M.A./M.Div. students, the basic core courses in the M.Div. curriculum (LG500, NE502, NE506, NS500 and 501) and permission of the instructor are required. NS509 Life of Jesus is strongly recommended.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
Elective.

FINAL EXAMINATION:
No.