Dr. Shawn Carruth, OSB
carruth@gloria.cord.edu
Office: Academy 203 
Phone: (218) 299-3422
Section 7829
Grose 232 7-10 p.m. Wednesday

Office Hours: T/H 10:30-11:30; W 3-4 and by appointment
 

Catalog Description:
An examination of the Jewish context and character of Jesus of Nazareth. This course will investigate Jesus’ life, ministry and death in the social and religious context of first-century Palestine. In addition, it will focus on the character of the Gospels as literary narratives that tell the stories of Jesus. The man Jesus also came to be the object of worship and devotion, and this course will investigate how it is that Jesus became the focal point of the churches’ thought and ritual practice.

Course Objectives:
1. To increase in understanding the distinctions implicit in the designations historical Jesus studies and christological thought
2. To gain in understanding and practice of various methodological approaches to historical Jesus studies and christological study
3. To become acquainted with the breadth of early Christian gospel literature
4. To gain in understanding of the character and function of gospel literature
5. To gain in understanding of a variety of christologies and their implications

Required Textbooks:
Isherwood, Lisa. Liberating Christ. Pilgrim Press, 1999. 
Miller, Robert J., ed.  The Complete Gospels.  Rev., exp. Edition. HarperCollins, 1994.
Powell, Mark Allan. Jesus as a Figure in History. Westminster John Knox, 1998

In addition to the textbooks, several websites, as indicated in the Topics and Reading Assignments, are assigned for exploration

Course Expectations and Grading:
Preparation of reading assignments 
     and contribution to class discussion  20%
Quizzes  15%
12-15 page research paper  25%
Midterm exam 15%
Final exam  25%

Academic Integrity Statement:
Students are expected to be guided by the highest expressions of academic integrity in completing course requirements. These expectations are set forth in Academic Integrity at Concordia College. Students who show disregard for academic integrity and are detected should expect to be penalized by receiving a failing grade (in such cases make-up is not possible). Each violation of academic integrity will be reported to the Academic Dean’s Office and the offender will be placed on probationary status for one year. 

Violations of academic integrity include cheating, plagiarism, falsification, facilitating other’s violations and impeding. These violations are fully defined in Academic Integrity at Concordia College pp. 11-13 and should be carefully studied.

These definitions were developed in a North American context. Other cultures define forms of academic dishonesty differently. International students studying at Concordia, however, are expected to be guided by North American norms of academic integrity. Any student who is unclear about the application of these norms in the completion of a particular assignment should consult the instructor

Topics and Reading Assignments:
Sept. 6  Introduction

Sept. 13 Historical Studies and the Gospels, Synoptic Gospels
Reading Assignment:
Powell pp. 1-50
CG pp. 1-12, 53-58, 115-117, 247-252
Web site on synoptic problem

Sept. 20 Modern Portraits of Jesus; The Jesus Seminar, Gospel Portrayals of Jesus as Healer
Reading Assignment:
Powell pp. 51-82
Mark 4:35-6:44; 6:45-8:9; Matt 4:23; 9:35; 15:29-31
John 5, 9, 1
CG pp. 175-195
Web site on Jesus seminar
Other assignment: Attend symposium session “Body and Soul: Allies or  Foes?”

Sept. 27 Jesus Portraits of Crossan and Borg, Gospel Beginnings Infancy Gospels
Reading Assignment:
Powell pp. 83-112
Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2; John 1:1-18; CG 369-396
Supplementary:
Web site associated with Marcus Borg’s portrait of Jesus

Oct. 4  Jesus Portraits of Sanders and Meier, Jesus Preaches the Reign of 
God and Gathers Disciples
Reading Assignment:
Powell pp. 113-147
Mark 1:1-19, 4:1-34, 6:1-30, 8:22-10:52; Matt 5-7; Luke 4:16-37; John 1:19-51
CG pp. 253-300

Oct. 11  Continuing Quest, From Jesus to Christ, Discourse in John’s Gospel  Reading Assignment:
Powell pp. 149-184
John 3, 6-8 
Isherwood pp. 1-21

Oct. 18  class will not meet
By 5 p.m. hand in take home mid term and preliminary material for
research paper

Oct. 25  Black, African, and Womanist Christologies, Jesus’ Discourse in Other
Gospels
Reading Assignment:
Isherwood pp. 22-47
CG 301-322, 343-356

Nov. 1  Christology in Latin America, Passion Narratives, Gospel of Peter
Reading Assignment:
Isherwood pp. 48-67
Mark 14:1-15:47; Matt 26:1-27:66; Luke 22:1-23:56; John 12:1-19:42
CG pp. 399-407

Nov. 8  Feminist Christology; Resurrection Narratives, Gospel of Mary
Reading Assignment:
Isherwood pp. 68-88
Mark 16:1-8; Matt 28; Luke 24; John 20-21
CG pp. 357-366

Nov. 15 Gay and Lesbian Christology, Jesus and the End, Jewish Christian Gospels
Reading Assignment:
Isherwood pp. 89-109
Mark 13; Matt 24-25
CG pp. 426-446

Nov. 22  class will not meet; work on your papers, they are due Nov.29

Nov. 29 Christology and Asian Women
Reading Assignment:
Isherwood pp. 110-127
Research Papers Due

Dec. 6  Liberation Christology and Beyond
Reading Assignment:
Isherwood pp. 128-150

Dec. 13 final exam

Attendance
The circumstances of the scheduling of this course on Wednesday eveningscall for particular adjustments and expectations regarding attendance. Two course sessions fall on evenings preceding breaks, namely Oct. 17 just before fall break and Nov. 22 just before Thanksgiving break. Were the class to meet on those evenings, some would undoubtedly be faced with choosing between travel and required attendance in class. To eliminate that particular pressure, the class meeting for those two evenings is cancelled.  Note, however, that some items are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 17.
This also means that there are only 11 class sessions remaining and attendance at these sessions is part of the course requirement. Missing all or any portion of these class sessions will have consequences on your grade. If you miss one session, your grade will be reduced by 5%; each absence after the first will cost 10% each in your grade. 
Coming late to class and leaving early distracts everyone and interferes with the smooth running of the class. This behavior will also be penalized in the grade.

Participation in Class Discussion
 The texts assigned for each class period often represent distinct and varied voices and perspectives on certain issues or topics. You might think of them in conversation with one another as you read them in preparation for each class period. Your task and responsibility is to reflect upon that conversation and add your own voice and perspective. We expect to hear your voice in the classroom so that our perspectives might be sharpened and broadened. If you come to class every time, but never ask a probing question or offer a substantive comment, your grade for participation will be considered unsatisfactory, that is, lower than C.

Quizzes
Short, objective, unannounced quizzes may be given at the beginning of class periods during the course of the semester. These quizzes will be designed to ascertain that you are doing the assigned reading, that you are reviewing material from preceding class sessions and that you are able to see similarities and distinctions in scholarly, theological perspectives as well as perspectives reflected in various early Christian texts. The quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class period and may not be made up.

Research Paper
The completion of a 10-15 page research paper is required for the course. The possibilities for a topic are broad. You might delve more deeply into the reconstructions of two historical Jesus researchers and compare them. You might research particular aspects of the context of the historical Jesus. You might study constructive theological positions based on a particular christological perspective. You might study particular aspects of any one of the gospels. You might study artistic representations of Christ in particular historical periods or artistic representations of a particular gospel event. A good way to approach the choice of topic is to give some thought to what interests you and then make an appointment with your instructor for discussion of the shape or direction your paper might take.

By 5 p.m. on October 17, several preliminary components of the research paper are due. These are 1) a statement of the thesis of your paper. The paper is not a report. It needs to have an argument and analysis. Your thesis statement tells the reader what the argument will be and what the methodological approach is. 2) a brief outline This is intended to be brief and will give the overall structure of your paper 3) a preliminary bibliography. Think along the lines of seven items.

Exams
 A take home midterm exam will be distributed during the class period on October 11 and is to be turned in by 5 p.m. October 17. A final, comprehensive exam will be given during the final class period on December 13. This will not be a take home exam and must be taken during the final exam period. It will have both objective and essay components.
 

Resources for the Study of the Historical Jesus
Study of the historical Jesus
Primary texts providing perspectives on the world of Jesus
The Search for the Historical Jesus
Ancient Jewish Accounts of Jesus

Historical Jesus Study: Scholarly Approaches
From Jesus to Christ: PBS Frontline Presentation
Jesus Seminar Page
Jesus Seminar Premises and Rules of Evidence
More on the Jesus Seminar, including a section on the quests of the historical Jesus
Marcus Borg’s portrait of Jesus

Synoptic Gospels
Five Gospels Parallels
Synoptic Problem Homepage

Apocryphal Gospels
Jesus of Nazareth in Early Christian gospels; this site has interlinear texts
Gospel of Thomas homepage
Analysis of the Canonical and Apocryphal New Testament Scriptures
An introduction to gnosticism and the Nag Hammadi Library

Christology
Feminist Christology
A General Article on Christology
 

---

Return to the Religion Department Homepage. 
Return to the Concordia College Homepage. 

Copyright © 1997 Concordia College.
Last updated Sept. 2, 2000.