Jesus and the Origins of Christianity

Jesus and the Origins of Christianity

Jesus and the Origins of Christianity

Patrick Rogers. DTE 224; Milltown Park; Spring 2011; Tuesdays 20:20 to 21:45
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Reading Material for the Course
Essays, for Course Assessment

Areas to be covered, week by week (attendance at all sessions is required)

We will examine what is said about Jesus in the New Testament and, briefly, in other documents from the early Christian era, each proposing an interpretation of the meaning of Jesus' message, his life and death. From this survey it will emerge how vital was the fixing of the New Testament canon for the subsequent faith of the Church.
In the process we will see some modern assessments of Jesus (John Dominic Crossan, C. H. Dodd, James Dunne, Sean Freyne, John Meier) and look in more detail at Hans Kung's interpretation, in the book On Being A Christian.

Topic 1

Christianity: a historical religion; our documents (New Testament; early apocryphal writings; early Christian Fathers; Canon of Scripture); Yet: genuine problems in establishing who was the " Historical" Jesus.

Topic 2a
Topic 2b

Earliest NT Writings: Pauline Letters: How Paul's thought about Jesus was developed & defended. How Paul's mission both spread and helped to form Christianity. Some of the characteristic Pauline teachings - about Christian faith, morality and community. His Christology compared with the Gospels. Pauline "imitation of Christ," and our understanding of Christianity.

Topic 3

How the "catholic Epistles" (of Peter and James) portray Jesus.
Discussion of students' essays in progress.

Topic 4

Our Four Gospels: What delayed the writing of the Gospels, and why were they finally written? How historical are they? How far do they interpret Jesus? How they compare with the "apocryphal" Gospels.

Topic 5

Mark's portrayal of Jesus: Earliest canonical Gospel: notable earthy quality; stress on Jesus' power and limitations, along with his mysterious identity. Tradition associating it with St. Peter

Topic 6

Matthew's Jesus: New and Greater Moses, with a higher Law; the Son of God, always with us; Future Judge of the Living and the Dead

Topic 7

Luke's Jesus: The turning-point of history; the teacher of prayer, mercy and forgiveness; the source of Spirit for his followers. (See summary of data on St Luke)

Topic 8

"Outward from Jerusalem" – how the Book of Acts portrays the spread of faith in Jesus, and the hope of salvation through him, into the Greco-Roman world.

Topic 9

Deepening theological understanding of the Risen Jesus: the exalted, divine Christ, in Hebrews and Apocalypse

Topic 10 The Eternal Word made Flesh. Portrayal of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. How this became the dominant Christology in the post NT era

Topic 11 Views of Jesus as found in the writings of Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch

Topic 12
Modern interpretations of Jesus' Message and Purpose by Hans Kung; Mahlon Smith; Josef Ratzinger; Charles H. Dodd; Wilfrid Harrington etc.

Reading Material for the course:
Brown, R.E., An Introduction to the New Testament, NY: Doubleday, 1997 (n.b. his chapters on the origins of the New Testament, and on the nature of the Gospels, on Luke's Gospel; on the Spirit in Luke-Acts, and the particularities of the Fourth Gospel)

Dodd, C. H., The Founder of Christianity, London, 1970

Dunn, J.D.G. Jesus Remembered (Christianity in the Making vol. 1. ) Grand Rapids, 2003

Freyne, Sean, The World of the New Testament, Glazier, 1988 (see his segments on the Greek, Roman and Jewish influences)

Freyne, Sean, Jesus, A Jewish Galilean. New York, Continuum, 2003

Harrington, W.J. Commentaries on the Four Gospels, Dublin, Columba Press (see esp. his Jesus of Matthew, The Jesus of Mark; and on the meaning of the Infancy stories)

Kung, Hans, On Being a Christian (about Jesus' Identity and Mission)

Murphy-O'Connor, J., Paul, A Critical Life, New York: OUP, 1997. (see especially his chapters on Paul's education in Tarsus and on Conversion and its Consequences)

Perkins, Pheme, Reading the New Testament New Jersey, Paulist, 1988. (see especially her chapters on the Life and Preaching of Jesus; on Mark's Gospel, and on the beginnings of Christology)

Ratzinger, J. (pope Benedict XVI), The Ministry of the Disciples of Jesus

Rogers, P., Inspirations (Library of Theology CD,) Dublin, 2008 (sections on Josephus, World of the NT, etc.)

Smith, Mahlon, Background material for the understanding of Jesus (Into His Own)

Suggested Essay Topics, for Course Assessment:

The nature of our Gospels: interplay of history and doctrinal treatise

Matthew's Jesus: Majestic Son of God, greater than Moses

Mark's Jesus: A powerful yet suffering, mysterious Messiah

Luke's Jesus: Merciful healer and guide to life's pilgrimage

John's Jesus: Almighty Word made Flesh, that we may have life

Paul's redemptive Christ, compared with the remembered, historical Jesus

Bizarre portrayals of Jesus, in the apocryphal Gospels

The message of Jesus, according to Hans Kung, On Being a Christian

Areas to be covered, week by week (attendance at all sessions is required) We will examine what is said about Jesus in the New Testament and, briefly, in other documents from the early Christian era, each proposing an interpretation of the meaning of Jesus' message, his life and death. From this survey it will emerge how vital was the fixing of the New Testament canon for the subsequent faith of the Church. In the process we will see some modern assessments of Jesus (John Dominic Crossan, C. H. Dodd, James Dunne, Sean Freyne, John Meier) and look in more detail at Hans Kung's interpretation, in the book On Being A Christian.
Topic 1	Christianity: a historical religion; our documents (New Testament; early apocryphal writings; early Christian Fathers; Canon of Scripture); Yet: genuine problems in establishing who was the " Historical" Jesus.
Topic 2a Topic 2b	Earliest NT Writings: Pauline Letters: How Paul's thought about Jesus was developed & defended. How Paul's mission both spread and helped to form Christianity. Some of the characteristic Pauline teachings - about Christian faith, morality and community. His Christology compared with the Gospels. Pauline "imitation of Christ," and our understanding of Christianity.
Topic 3	How the "catholic Epistles" (of Peter and James) portray Jesus. Discussion of students' essays in progress.
Topic 4	Our Four Gospels: What delayed the writing of the Gospels, and why were they finally written? How historical are they? How far do they interpret Jesus? How they compare with the "apocryphal" Gospels.
Topic 5	Mark's portrayal of Jesus: Earliest canonical Gospel: notable earthy quality; stress on Jesus' power and limitations, along with his mysterious identity. Tradition associating it with St. Peter
Topic 6	Matthew's Jesus: New and Greater Moses, with a higher Law; the Son of God, always with us; Future Judge of the Living and the Dead
Topic 7	Luke's Jesus: The turning-point of history; the teacher of prayer, mercy and forgiveness; the source of Spirit for his followers. (See summary of data on St Luke)
Topic 8	"Outward from Jerusalem" – how the Book of Acts portrays the spread of faith in Jesus, and the hope of salvation through him, into the Greco-Roman world.
Topic 9	Deepening theological understanding of the Risen Jesus: the exalted, divine Christ, in Hebrews and Apocalypse
Topic 10	The Eternal Word made Flesh. Portrayal of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. How this became the dominant Christology in the post NT era
Topic 11	Views of Jesus as found in the writings of Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch
Topic 12	Modern interpretations of Jesus' Message and Purpose by Hans Kung; Mahlon Smith; Josef Ratzinger; Charles H. Dodd; Wilfrid Harrington etc.
Reading Material for the course: Brown, R.E., An Introduction to the New Testament, NY: Doubleday, 1997 (n.b. his chapters on the origins of the New Testament, and on the nature of the Gospels, on Luke's Gospel; on the Spirit in Luke-Acts, and the particularities of the Fourth Gospel) Dodd, C. H., The Founder of Christianity, London, 1970 Dunn, J.D.G. Jesus Remembered (Christianity in the Making vol. 1. ) Grand Rapids, 2003 Freyne, Sean, The World of the New Testament, Glazier, 1988 (see his segments on the Greek, Roman and Jewish influences) Freyne, Sean, Jesus, A Jewish Galilean. New York, Continuum, 2003 Harrington, W.J. Commentaries on the Four Gospels, Dublin, Columba Press (see esp. his Jesus of Matthew, The Jesus of Mark; and on the meaning of the Infancy stories) Kung, Hans, On Being a Christian (about Jesus' Identity and Mission) Murphy-O'Connor, J., Paul, A Critical Life, New York: OUP, 1997. (see especially his chapters on Paul's education in Tarsus* and on Conversion and its Consequences)* Perkins, Pheme, Reading the New Testament New Jersey, Paulist, 1988. (see especially her chapters on the Life and Preaching of Jesus; on Mark's Gospel, and on the beginnings of Christology) Ratzinger, J. (pope Benedict XVI), The Ministry of the Disciples of Jesus Rogers, P., Inspirations (Library of Theology CD,) Dublin, 2008 (sections on Josephus, World of the NT, etc.) Smith, Mahlon, Background material for the understanding of Jesus (Into His Own) Suggested Essay Topics, for Course Assessment: The nature of our Gospels: interplay of history and doctrinal treatise Matthew's Jesus: Majestic Son of God, greater than Moses Mark's Jesus: A powerful yet suffering, mysterious Messiah Luke's Jesus: Merciful healer and guide to life's pilgrimage John's Jesus: Almighty Word made Flesh, that we may have life Paul's redemptive Christ, compared with the remembered, historical Jesus Bizarre portrayals of Jesus, in the apocryphal Gospels The message of Jesus, according to Hans Kung, On Being a Christian