Objectives: To discover the Jesus of history using the texts of the New Testament, other literature from time of Jesus, historical records, archeological evidence, and the historical witness of his followers, of his critics, and of history. We shall examine the question of the historical and the historic Jesus.
Office Hours: Wednesday 10:15-11:15 PM Virtual Office Hours by E-mail: Thelogos@aol.com
Unit I: Methodological Questions
1.) The Quest For the Historical Jesus: The Historical versus the Historic Jesus and the Jesus of faith. 2.) How can we find the "Real Jesus of History"?
Methodic Assumptions of Research On The Historical Jesus
Rules and Criteria Used by the Jesus Seminar 
New
Unit II: Historical Background
1.) Placing Jesus in His Historical Context: Palestine Occupied by the Romans 2.) Jesus was a Jewish peasant. 3.) Was Jesus a "Jewish Cynic"? 4.) Our knowledge of Jesus from the New Testament: circa 50 AD to 120 AD?
PBS Site: The Historian's Task
Unit III: The Life and Death of Jesus
1.) Conditions of Birth: The question of his paternity. 2.) Was Jesus a disciple of the Baptist? 3.) Events in the Public Life of Jesus. 4.) The Disciples of Jesus. 5.) Jesus and the Religious Leadership 6.) The Political Execution of Jesus.
PBS Site: Arrest and Execution
Unit IV: The Parables
1.) What is a Parable? 2.) The Central Teaching of the Parables: The Reign of God? 3.) The Programatic Parables: The Treasure Field, The Pearl of Great Price, and the Great Fish in the Gospel of Thomas?
Gospel of Thomas (Gnostic Tradition)
New
also: Thomas From PBS Series
Unit V: Parables of Advent, Reversal, and Action
1.) The Parables of Advent: The Fig Tree, The Leaven, The Sower, The Mustard Seed, The Lost Sheep, and The Lost Coin.
2.) The Parables of Reversal: The Good Samaritan, The Pharisee and the Publican, The Rich Man and Lazarus, The Wedding Guests, The Proper Guests, The Great Supper, and The Prodigal Son. Read Michael White on Prodical Son
3.) The Parables of Action: The Wicked Husbandman, The Doorkeeper, The Overseer, TheTalents, The Wheat and The Tares, The Throne Claimant, The unmerciful Servant, The Servant's Reward, The Unjust Steward, and The Workers In the Vineyard.
Unit VI: The Prayers of Jesus
1.) The Meaning of the Lord's Prayer
Joachim Jeramias on the Lord's Prayer
Evaluation:
Class Attendance, Class Participation, Group Presentation On A Parable of Jesus (33
& 1/3% of Grade), New:
Essay Questions in 2 Take-Home Examinations (66 & 2/3%
of Grade).
Texts:
Jesus, A Revolutionary Biography, D. Crossan, In Parables, D. Crossan, The Essential Jesus, D. Crossan, What Jesus Meant, Garry Wills, Viking, Jesus and the Victory of God, N.T. Wright, Fortress Press. .Revised Standard Version or Oxford Bible or the New English Bible translations of the New Testament are appropriate scholarly resourses for the original texts Greek NT if you can read koine Greek. Interlinear Scrpture Analyzer Down Load
Chapter 1: The Historic Jesus by Prof. E. Piscitelli
Click Here For the Jesus 2000 Discussion
We will view the Public Television Series on the Historical Jesus from Frontline. The syllabus is linked to that Web site.
New Frontline
Program on the history of Apocalypicism: Click Here: Apocalypse
Note:
This Course will treat all questions from a scholarly, critical, and philosophical perspective. It is not the professor's intention to offend any student's religious sensibilities. This course is not for the student who wants something other than a academic approach to the subject.
1. Find the parable you are going to present in the text of the New Testament. Give the citation of the version or versions of the parable if there is more than one.
2. Read the parable in all the extant versions.
3. Read Dominic Crossan's reconstruction of the Parable in his early work, In Parables.
4. Read Dominic Crossan's reconstruction of the Parable in his later work, The Essential Jesus. Pay special attention to his footnotes.
5. Optional: Read other reputable sources that interpret the parable. Commentaries etc.
6. Develop an hypothesis of what the original parable might have been by reconstructing the basic story or narrative structure of the parable.
7. Call the other members in your presentation group to set up a meeting to discuss your interpretations of the parable before you give the classroom presentation. Decide the order of your presentations. Each member must present their own reconstruction of the parable and raise their own questions and develop their own interpretations. Each presenter must give a complete interpretation: you are not allowed to present only part of the parable.
8. Come to class on the assigned date prepared to give your presentation of no less than 20 minutes and no more than 35 minutes. You may use audiovisual aids or hand outs.
9. Be prepared to defend your presentation in the class discussion that will follow the groups presentations.
10. Be prepared to lead the discussion on issues raised by your interpretation and reconstruction.
Grading Criteria
1. Presentation demonstrates adequate research by following guidelines.
2. Presentation clearly and coherently reconstructs story or narrative structure of the parable.
3. Presentation resolves enigmas in parable or at least points out what they are and how they might be resolved.
4. Presentation generates meaningful discussion of the interpretation of the parable.
5. Presenter answers questions raised in the discussion knowledgeably and with clarity.
