Westmont College Fall, 2006

Life and Teachings of Jesus RS 110

Instructor	Bruce N. Fisk Contact: <fisk@westmont.edu> Home Page: www.westmont.edu/~fisk/docs
Location / Time	PH 4. Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:15 until 5:05 p.m.
Office	Porter Center 15. Phone/voice mail: 565-7020
Office Hours	Mon 12:00 - 2:00 & Wed: 11:00 - 1:00 in office or DC and by appointment.

Evaluation

Grades

Schedule

Links and Resources

Course Description and Goals (top of page)

1. Catalog: A study of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels with attention to themes, critical problems and methods of study.

2. Course Format: Most periods will divide roughly into three parts: brief lectures by moi, reviews and presentations by vous, and discussion of our reading of the Gospels and underlining in Gospel Parallels. In addition, we'll make room for periodic film screenings (see schedule) and web-based interaction. Expect regular quizzes on readings and a final exam.

3. My Goals for You.

Each one of us brings something different to this course. Some arrive eager to take their relationship with Jesus to the next level, eager to encounter the "real" Jesus in the Gospels, and to become more, and more deeply, "in love" with him. Others arrive hoping to erase doubts and settle niggling questions--questions about Jesus that have only arisen since coming to Westmont. Some bring with them a certain skepticism that a course like this could do more than confirm what they already know. A few come with very little knowledge of Jesus beyond the ubiquitous cultural sterotypes (good teacher, great story teller, white, European, British accent). We all bring something, something we'll contribute to this semester-long study of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. If you want to know what I bring, here's a start.

• a long-standing, though often faltering, commitment to follow Jesus, and to see where that commitment takes me
• a life-long exposure to the variety of Jesuses depicted in church, in the media, in popular culture
• almost 25 years of bookish Jesus study in one academic setting or another
• a fascination with the way Jesus continues to enchant our post-Christian culture, in its books, art, films, music and imagery
• a conviction that each of us distorts Jesus to suit his or her own interests
• a corresponding conviction that I have only recently begun to understand who Jesus really was and is, and a resolve to learn more
• a refusal to allow my pursuit of Jesus to devolve into romanticism, fanaticism, scholasticism or existentialism

That said, here are a few of my goals for our time together. I want us to

• engage in sustained, disciplined, thoughtful reflection on Jesus as a prophetic, political, spiritual, exemplary, Messianic, provocative, endearing figure.
• gain first hand exposure to the so-called "Synoptic problem" and understand the pros and cons of various proposed solutions, through class discussion and hands-on, first-hand encounter with the text of the Synoptics as layed out in Throckmorton's Gospel Parallels
• discover the richly diverse themes and emphases of each Gospel, guided by Powell's The Gospels
• explore the nature of 1st century historiography, and appreciate the links between Jesus and his earliest followers.
• consider how various approaches to the Gospels can enrich and challenge contemporary understandings of Jesus and the early church
• examine a range of themes in the teachings of Jesus, and consider the impact of those teachings in the first century and our own
• screen and evaluate several Jesus films in terms of how they characterize Jesus, his message, followers and opponents, and how they interpret the Gospels.
• discover a range of secondary sources--some sound, some quirky--that will fill in gaps in your knowledge, model approaches to reading, help develop your powers of reflective judgment, and accelerate your study of the historical Jesus in his first century setting

4. Westmont's Plagiarism Policy

• To plagiarize is to present someone else's work (his or her words, line of thought, or organizational structure) as your own. This occurs when sources are not cited properly, or when permission is not obtained from the original author to use his or her work. Another person's "work" can take many forms: printed or electronic copies of computer programs, musical compositions, drawings, paintings, oral presentations, papers, essays, articles or chapters, statistical data, tables or figures, etc. In short, if any information that can be considered the intellectual property of another is used without acknowledging the original source properly, this is plagiarism.
• Please familiarize yourself with the entire Westmont College Plagiarism Policy. This document defines different levels of plagiarism and the penalties for each. It also contains very helpful information on strategies for avoiding plagiarism. It cannot be overemphasized that plagiarism is an insidious and disruptive form of academic dishonesty. It violates relationships with known classmates and professors, and it violates the legal rights of people you may never meet.

Evaluation

1. Readings and Discussion (20%)

The schedule for daily readings is listed below. Readings are due BEFORE class time. Take notes or add comments (lightly) in the margins of your books. To every class bring your Bible, study notes and relevant textbooks, and be prepared to raise your questions and discuss your issues in class. Expect to be called on. There might be a quiz on daily readings. See my Survival Tips for Academic Reading and this Washington Post article about how Americans who can read are choosing not to.

Each of you will have a chance to pose discussion questions on the readings, prior to class, using Eureka. Click here, find our Course Page (RS110 - Life and Teachings of Jesus) and then click on the Readings button. Discussion questions will need to be posted by 9:00 a.m. the day before the reading is due. At least three questions per reading. Develop each question into a brief paragraph, so we are clear why the question matters to you. Shape your questions to draw us into the reading and to foster lively dialogue. The rest of us shall ponder your questions as we do the reading and then arrive better prepared to discuss them.

	John H. Yoder, The Politics of Jesus. 2nd ed., Eerdmans, 1994. Tradition has painted a portrait of a Savior aloof from governmental concerns and whose teachings point to an apolitical life for his disciples. But such a picture of Jesus is far from accurate, argues John Howard Yoder. Using the New Testament, Yoder critically examines the traditional portrait of Jesus as an apolitical figure and attempts to clarify the true impact of Jesus’ life, work, and teachings on his disciples’ social behavior. The book first surveys the multiple ways the image of an apolitical Jesus has been propagated, then canvasses the Gospel narrative to reveal how Jesus is rightly portrayed as a thinker and leader immediately concerned with the agenda of politics and the related issues of power, status, and right relations. Selected passages from the epistles corroborate a Savior deeply concerned with social, political, and moral issues.
	Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus’s Final Week in Jerusalem. HarperCollins, 2006. Two Jesus scholars use the gospel of Mark as their guide to present a day-by-day account of Jesus's final week of life. They begin on Palm Sunday with two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The first entry, that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate leading Roman soldiers into the city, symbolized military strength. The second heralded a new kind of moral hero who was praised by the people as he rode in on a humble donkey. The Jesus introduced by Borg and Crossan is a new moral hero, a more dangerous Jesus than the one enshrined in the church's traditional teachings. The Last Week depicts Jesus giving up his life to protest power without justice and to condemn the rich who lack concern for the poor. In this vein, at the end of the week Jesus marches up Calvary, offering himself as a model for others to do the same when they are confronted by similar issues. Informed, challenged, and inspired, we not only meet the historical Jesus, but meet a new Jesus who engages us and invites us to follow him. (Adapted from HaperCollins)
	Powell, Mark Allan. Fortress Introduction to the Gospels. Fortress, 1998. Mark Powell is a respected NT scholar, an expert in Gospels studies, and a man of the (Lutheran) church. And the man can write. Clearly. I predict you'll never read the four Gospels the same after you've spent time in this book. After opening chapters on the world of the Gospels, the historical Jesus and a handful of critical matters, Powell devotes a careful chapter to each of the four Gospels, describing characteristics of each one, their historical context, and major themes. An appendix describes the major sources about Jesus that didn't make the cut. And don't ignore his footnotes. If you disagree with various bits, ask youself why, talk about it over dinner, and raise your questions in class, so the rest of us can think along with you.
	Throckmorton, Burton. Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels. 5th ed. Nelson, 1992. This is perhaps the most user-friendly, affordable synopsis of the Gospels available in English (NRSV). We'll be working through passage after passage in this tool, and you'll be marking it up with colored pencils (see below) so there's no way to avoid owning your own copy. An acceptable alternative is Aland, Kurt, ed. Synopsis of the Four Gospels. [English Edition] United Bible Society, 1983. Students with Greek should consider purchasing the Greek-English version of Aland.
	Recommended. New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (NRSV). Oxford, 1991, 1994. This is one of the better study Bibles available, in a version that may be new to you: the New Revised Standard Version. More formal than the NIV or the NLT, smoother than the NASV, less antique and opaque than the KJV, it is widely used in the academy, in part because it aims to be ecumenical and it seeks to employ gender-inclusive language when possible. You'll find the notes and maps helpful but not overwhelming, and the inclusion of the Apocrypha is helpful, especially for Protestants many of whom know little about these "extra" books. See the essay on pages AP iii-xv for a valuable introduction.
Other Required Readings	Bailey, K. E. Poet & Peasant: a literary cultural approach to the parables in Luke. Eerdmans, 1976. [BT 375.2 .B23] Bauckham, Richard. Gospel Women: Studies off the Named Women in the Gospels. Eerdmans, 2002. Burridge, Richard. "About People, By People, For People: Gospel Genre and Audiences" in R. Bauckham, ed. The Gospels for All Christians. Eerdmans, 1998. Pp. 113-145. Dunn, J. D. G. Jesus Remembered. Christianity in the Making Volume 1. Eerdmans, 2003. Fisk, Bruce N. Book draft (chapters available at class site on Eureka). McKnight, Scot. Jesus and His Death: Historiography, the Historical Jesus, and Atonement Theory. Baylor, 2005. Sloyan, Gerhard S. The Crucifixion of Jesus. Fortress, 1995. Thompson, Michael. "The Holy Internet: Communication between Churches in the First Christian Generation" in R. Bauckham, ed. The Gospels for All Christians. Eerdmans, 1998. Pp. 49-70. Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Fortress, 1996.

2. Synopsis Underlining (25%)

We'll devote part of most classes to discussion of several pericopes (paragraphs) in the Synopsis. This means you'll need to work throught these passages in advance, using the following color code to underline similarities and differences. We'll spell out in class how this should be done, and why.

Use a ruler, eraser and pencil crayons (NOT markers, pens or hi-liters). In addition to underlining, you'll need to record your observations in the margins.You are welcome to work in small groups as you do your underlining provided this means working through the entire passage together, rather than dividing up the task and mindlessly copying each other. In class we'll discuss the more significant similarities and differences, and consider how this exercise can help us understand the distinctives of each Gospel, and the process that led to their composition. For additional help with the details of underlining a Gospel Synopsis, click here.

Grading: Synopses will be examined several times during the term for grading. Criteria: completeness, neatness (including the use of a straight edge), accuracy, additional marginal notations.

3. Pericope Analysis (15%)

Prepare a four or five page analysis of a single pericope (paragraph, thought unit) in the Synoptic Gospels (double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins, pages numbered, stapled, no title-page). At the top of page one, beneath the title and your name, offer a one-paragraph abstract (summary) of the paper. To be eligible for an A you will need to select your passage and notify me by e-mail by Tuesday, Sept. 19th.

• Choose a saying that interests / perplexes / challenges you personally.
• Consider the passage on several levels:
  • vertically: attend to the literary context within your Gospel (prior and subsequent units, themes, repetition).
  • horizontally across the columns: discuss parallels and differences between two or three parallel accounts.
  • hermeneutically: consider interpretive challenges (word meaning, cultural setting, political / religious background, challenging teachings, abiding significance).
  • Christologically: ask what the passage affirms about Jesus (his identity, agenda, character, self-understanding, teachings).
• As you write, think in terms of what is clear (reasonably certain, supported by solid scholarship) and what is unclear (requiring further study, contested among scholars).
• Conclude the paper with several discussion questions or suggestions for further study tied specifically to your passage.
• Consult at least three commentaries (see reserve shelf) and two journal articles (print or web, but begin here, not with Google) and prepare a bibliography on a separate page.
• Give credit (footnotes / endnotes) when you benefit from the ideas of others, as described above in the Plagiarism Policy.
• DUE: on the day your passage is scheduled to be discussed in class.

4. Action (20%)

In pairs, select a social-political issue of our day to consider in light of the life and teachings of Jesus. Approach your topic with the goal of developing a truly Christian perspective on the issue, and a truly Christian response. Possible topics include (in alphabetical order): abortion, affordable healthcare or housing, aging, AIDS, alcohol or drug abuse, child abuse / slavery / sex trade, Church-state separation, divorce, homelessness, homosexuality, illegal immigration, incarceration, military service, poverty, racism, teenage pregnancy, terrorism, urban violence, war (Afghanistans, Iraq, Israel-Lebanon, etc.). Feel free to suggest your own topic but clear it with me before proceeding. Choose something that interests you but do some preliminary research before finalizing your topic.

Your work will have tw o roughly balanced dimensions:

A. You will need to consider Jesus' words and deeds when they apply directly and specifically (say, when he talks about divorce) but also indirectly (when he, say, speaks of forgiveness or models sacrificial love). This will mean a close reading of the Gospels (esp. the Synoptics) looking not only for key words but also for relevant themes. It will also require the thoughtful use of both library and web resources in your research. (Avoid vanity sites and non-scholarly materials.) For a portal to on-line and print resources in Biblical studies, go here. You may also want to interview local church leaders and theologians who are qualified to speak to the subject. Document the use of all sources and contacts.

B. You will need to become conversant in the practical dimensions of your social-political issue. This will entail reading and documentary research as well as first-hand experience: interviews, observation, surveys, practical involvement and the like. Be sure to secure any appropriate permissions or approvals and show me an outline of your action plan before you proceed.

The final form of this project should reflect the following outline:

1. A statement of the issue, including a description of challenges, problems and controversies realated to it.
2. A full discussion of the relevant aspects of Jesus' life and teaching.
3. A proposed response / action plan / implications, with written rationale.

There is no recommended length for this project. I will evaluate quality, not quantiy, and consider whether or not you have attended carefully to both dimensions described above. If I have reasons to believe you have settled for cliches or simply reinforced your prior assumptions, it will show in your grade.

5. Final Essay Exam (20%)

• the Final will invite you to select three topics from a list of eight questions (circulated in advance) on which to write thoughtful, well-formed essays.
• topics will come from the readings, class lecture and discussion, and the Synoptic Gospels.
• anyone caught giving or receiving information, or using study notes, during a test will receive an F for the assignment and probably for the course

		B+	87-89	C+	77-79	D+	67-69
A	95-100	B	84-86	C	74-76	D	64-66	F	0-59
A-	90-94	B-	80-83	C-	70-73	D-	60-63