Jesus and His Interpreters
RELI 283
Fall 2026
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01
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The search for the Jesus of history -- what can be known as a matter of historical record about Jesus of Nazareth, apart from religious beliefs and commitments -- creates unending challenges. Jesus left us nothing in writing. Everything we have heard about him comes from texts written many years -- even decades -- after he lived. And indeed, the New Testament never claims that Jesus himself said and did all the things attributed to him. To understand the figure of Jesus, therefore, we must investigate what his many interpreters said about him, and why. This course will focus principally on a close reading of the Gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) as well as the two earliest Gospels (the Sayings Gospel "Q" and the Gospel of Thomas) that are not included in the Christian Bible. We will seek to understand how and why these texts interpreted Jesus the way they did. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RELI |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Religion Minor)(Religion) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Harold W. Attridge, ed., THE HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE: NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION, WITH THE APOCRYPHAL/DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS (HarperCollins, 2006). ISBN: 9780060786841
John S. Kloppenborg, Q, THE EARLIEST GOSPEL (2008). ISBN: 9780664232221
Burton L. Mack, A MYTH OF INNOCENCE: MARK AND CHRISTIAN ORIGINS (1988). ISBN: 0800621131
A Course Packet of Readings
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Examinations and Assignments:
two short papers (5-6 pages) and a final paper (9-10 pages) |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the "Historical Traditions" requirement for the Religion Department major and minor |
| Instructor(s): Cameron,Ron Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 19 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 1 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 8 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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