RUTGERS UNIVERSITY 
RELIGION
DEPARTMENT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY RELIGION
DEPARTMENT
840:307 Jesus
TEXTS
Funk, R.W./Hoover, R. Five Gospels, 1993. [= 5G ]
*Smith, M.H., ed. Yeshua: A Sourcebook, 1995. [= YS ]
Smith, M.H., "A Little Leaven: Jesus in dialectical perspective" [= LL ]Smith, M.H., A Synoptic Gospels Primer (e-text on-line) [= SP]
* distributed by Religion department (Loree 138).
Recommended background resource:
From Jesus to Christ: the first Christians, PBS Frontline, 1998.
COURSE OUTLINE
| Text | Topic | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| 1. QUEST: Gospels as Evidence Searching for Jesus |
||
| History as debate | LL 1.1-2.1 Portrait of Jesus' World |
|
| SP | Sources & criteria | 5G
1-38, 128, 474 The Story of the Storytellers |
| YS 1 | Kin | 5G 53, 525 |
| YS 2 | At home | 5G 62+, 279+, 412, 490+ |
| YS 3 | Tests | 5G 133+ |
| YS 4 | Golden Rule | 5G 156 |
| YS 5 | God & neighbor | 5G 104+ |
| YS 6 | Love of enemies | 5G 143-7 |
| YS 7 | Samaritan | 5G 323+ |
| YS 8 | Woman at the well | 5G 410-12 |
| 2. CONTEXT: Jesus’ Roots & Reputation | ||
| Public Appearance | LL 2.2 | |
| YS 9 | JB’s death | |
| YS 10 | JB’s successor | 5G 404 |
| YS 11 | Who is JB? | 5G 100, 178, 498, 516 |
| YS 12 | Who is Jesus? | 5G 46+, 177, 180 |
| Background | LL 3.1 (p. 14+) | |
| YS 13-14 | Baptism & Spirit | 5G 132+ |
| YS 15-16 | Genealogies & Visions | |
| YS 17-18 | Birth stories | |
| YS 19-20 | Hometown & Childhood | Jesus' Social Class |
| 3. STATUS: Jesus’ Self-Image | ||
| Heirs of God | LL 2.2.4 | |
| YS 21 | Father asked | 5G 148+, 155 |
| YS 22 | Father’s will | 5G 119+ |
| YS 23 | Father thanked | 5G 322 |
| YS 24 | Two sons | 5G 356 |
| Human Destiny | LL 2.2.7 | |
| YS 25 | Son of Adam's place | 5G 316 |
| YS 26 | Son of Adam's authority | 5G 49 |
| YS 27-28 | Son of Adam appears | 5G 112+ |
| YS 31 | Son of Adam suffers | 5G 75-9 |
| YS 30 | Son of Adam denied | 5G 313, 337 |
| YS 31 | Son of Adam exalted | 5G 408, 441 |
| YS 32 | Son of Adam's time | 5G 365-8 |
| 4. FOCUS: Social Inversions | ||
| Paradoxes | LL 2.2.5-6 | |
| YS 33-4 | Who is king? | 5G 40+, 136-7, 258 |
| YS 35-6 | Child’s world | 5G 84+, 89, 407+ |
| YS 37 | Who is well off? | 5G 138+, 289+ |
| YS 38 | What's basic? | 5G 339+ |
| Agenda | ||
| YS 40 | Feasting | 5G 234+, 352+, 509+ |
| YS 41 | Fasting | 5G 47-9, 499+ |
| YS 39 | Traveling light | 5G 317-19 |
| YS 42-3 | Weight of wealth | 5G 90-91+, 151, 340 |
| YS 44 | What's valuable? | 5G 196-8 |
| 5. STYLE: Metaphor & Irony | ||
| Common images | LL 2.2.2-3 | |
| YS 45 | Mustard & leaven | 5G 59+, 346+, 523 |
| YS 46 | Broadcasting | 5G 54+, 478 |
| YS 47 | Time for harvest | 5G 58+, 505 |
| YS 48-50 | Solving Riddles | 5G 55+, 196 |
| Inverted expectations | ||
| YS 51 | Two servants | 5G 218+, 357-9 |
| YS 52 | Two searches | 5G 355+, 529 |
| YS 53 | Compensation | 5G 224+, 338+, 508+ |
| YS 54 | Final reckoning | 5G 256+, 373+ |
| YS 55 | Producing fruit | 5G 157, 497+ |
| YS 56 | Moving mountains | 5G 98+, 229, 345, 500 |
| 6. SPIRIT:Health & Holiness | ||
| Principles | LL 3.2 | |
| YS 57-58 | Setting standards | 5G 296+, 335, 488 |
| YS 59-60 | What is dirty? | 5G 68-70, 334, 520 |
| Social contact | ||
| YS 61 | Leper | 5G 43 |
| YS 62-63 | Females | 5G 42+, 62, 70 |
| YS 64-66 | Disturbed spirits | 5G 42, 82, 189, 330+ |
| Politics & sanity | ||
| YS 67 | On whose side? | 5G 85 |
| YS 68 | Prince of demons | 5G 185-7 |
| YS 69 | Legion | 5G 309 |
| YS 70 | Soldier's Boy | 5G 159+, 412+ |
| 7. SIGNS: Models & Gestures | ||
| Rumor | ||
| YS 71-72 | Sign-seekers | 5G 72+, 188+, |
| YS 73 | Lists | 5G 301+ |
| YS 74 | Reputation | 5G 75 |
| Deeds | ||
| YS 75 | Blind see | 5G 70+, 96, 431-3 |
| YS 76-77 | Cripples walk | 5G 44+, 414+ |
| YS 77-78 | Sabbath controversy | 5G 50, 346, 414+ |
| YS 79-81 | Dead revived | 5G 62, 300, 436-9 |
| YS 82-83 | Masses fed | 5G 421 |
| YS 84 | Signs misunderstood | 5G 74, 421 |
| 8. IMPACT:Power & Politics | ||
| YS 85-86 | Who has authority? | 5G 95, 389 |
| YS 87-88 | Temple purged | 5G 97+, 349, 406+ |
| YS 89 | Temple upset | 5G 107-112 |
| YS 90-92 | Time of conflict | 5G 343-4 |
| YS 93 | Foreign taxes | 5G 102, 526 |
| YS 94 | Rejection & defense | 5G 110, 456+ |
| YS 95 | Triumphal entry | 5G 96+ |
| YS 96 | Who is Messiah? | 5G 105 |
| YS 97 | Anointing | 5G 115, 539+ |
| 9. FATE: Arrest & Execution | ||
| YS 98 | Passover plot | Arrest & Execution; LL 3.3.1-2 |
| YS 101-102 | Last meal | 5G 115-118, 447-48 |
| YS 103-104 | Betrayal & arrest | 5G 120+ |
| YS 105-106 | Peter's denial | 5G 118+ |
| YS 107-108 | Priest's interrogation | 5G 121-3 |
| YS 109-111 | Crucifixion | 5G 126, 396+ |
| YS 112-114 | Pontius Pilate | 5G 124, 462+ |
| YS 115-117 | Death & burial | |
| 10. VISION: Appearances | ||
| YS 118-119 | Apostolic visions | LL 3.3.3 |
| YS 120-122 | Women & tomb | |
| Epiphanies | ||
| YS 123-124 | Storms calmed | |
| YS 125-126 | Transformation | |
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This page was revised 16 July 1998