Above course preq. R220 OR permission of the instructor,
jharrill@indiana.edu

The above course carries Arts and Humanities and CSA distribution.

The purpose of this course is to consider the problem of how
historical facts and religious persuasion are related where a
religion, such as Christianity, lays claim to historical truth.
Since the Enlightenment this has been a matter of considerable
intellectual and cultural interest.  The laboratory specimen for
examining this issue has been the figure of Jesus, at least since
the nineteenth century.  The basic questions are:  Who was he?  What
can we know about him that will satisfy ordinary standards of
historical knowledge?  What difference does it make?  Attempts to
answer these questions have resulted in what is usually called
the "quests" for the "historical Jesus."  What these quest are all
about is the central issue of this course.  The student will learn
about historical methodology and about a major religious figure
about which there is considerable academic and theological debate.

Prerequisite:  In order to register for this course, the student
must have successfully passed R220 "Introduction to the New
Testament."  Students without R220 need to have the instructor's
permission.

Goals:

1.  Learn the various modern "quests" for the historical Jesus.
2.  Learn how the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) relate to
each other.
3.  Learn about first-century Judaism and the ancient Mediterranean
world.
4.  Master the art of historical-critical biblical interpretation.
5.  Learn the "lost" gospels about Jesus, including the recently
discovered Gospel of Judas

Textbooks:
The HarperCollins Study Bible, edited by Wayne A. Meeks et al.
(HarperCollins, 1993).
David R. Cartlidge and David L. Dungan, Documents for the Study of
the Gospels, rev. ed. (Fortress, 1994).
Bart D. Ehrman, Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium
(Oxford University Press, 1999).
John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography
E. P. Sanders, The Historical Figure of Jesus  (Penguin Books, 1993).
Burton H. Throckmorton, Jr., Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the
Synoptic Gospels, 5th ed. (Thomas Nelson, 1992).

Requirements: one short (2–3 page) paper; one longer (6–8 page)
interpretative essay; midterm and final exams.