THE NATURE OF THE COURSE:

Particular attention will be given to the nature of the gospels and their sources and to selected themes, such as virgin birth, eschatology and kingdom of God, parables, ethics, titles of honor, miracles, passion narratives, and resurrection. Throughout we will be concerned with the relationship between the "Jesus of history" and the "Christ of faith."

The approach is scholarly, rather than moralistic or sectarian. The course will be taught from the perspective of the Bible as a record of God's self-disclosure (revelation). An important objective is that each student will arrive at a greater intellectual appreciation of the corporate nature of our heritage of faith and how large a part of the spirit and content of western civilization flows from the biblical sources.

The course is not designed to give easy answers to questions of personal faith although it should provide a considerable foundation of historical, literary, and theological data which will enable the earnest student to arrive at a more mature personal faith. The professor will endeavor to provide an atmosphere of freedom and intellectual honesty in which maturation in faith and understanding is possible. The student's effort to develop his/her own personal religious faith, of course, is a task in which he/she will be engaged, hopefully, for the rest of his/her life.

The methods and content of the course are determined not only by aim and objective, but also by such factors as size of enrollment, varied and limited biblical knowledge on the part of students, and the necessity of examination for learning and evaluation. The course should provide a background for other courses in Religious Studies. Information concerning the major in Religious Studies and the Master of Arts in Religious Studies degree will be provided by the professor or by other members of the departmental faculty.

In addition to material covered by lectures, the course structure provides opportunity for class discussion of interesting and enigmatic topics, and the raising of questions which have grown out of our study. This attempt to combine the maximum values of the lecture method and student feedback necessarily places upon both the professor and students special responsibility for class participation and preparation.

ASSIGNED TEXTS:

Tatum, W. Barnes. In Quest of Jesus. Revised and Enlarged Edition. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999 (Paperback).

Schweitzer, Albert. The Quest of the Historical Jesus: A Critical Study of Its Progress from Reimarus to Wrede. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998 (1906) (Paperback).

Borg, Marcus J. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1994 (Paperback).

Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1996 (Paperback).

Become acquainted with:

• The Interpreter's Bible, especially vols. VII & VIII
• The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, 5 vols.
• The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary of the Bible
• the Abingdon Bible Handbook
• The Interpreter's Concise Commentary: Vol. VI, Gospels
• The Anchor Bible Dictionary , 6 vols.
• The New Interpreter's Bible; ( especially vols. VIII & IX)
• the Revised Edition of The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary.

REQUIREMENTS

A mid-semester examination will be scheduled. The professor will discuss the form of same near the time of the examination.

A research paper of approximately 10-12 pages will be due the last day of classes. The professor will suggest three possible topics early in the semester from which the student is expected to make his/her choice.

There will be a final examination. The professor will discuss its form near that time.

DETERMINATION OF GRADE FOR THE COURSE

SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS