Undergraduate Course: Jesus and the Gospels (BIST08021)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is the partner to Paul and his Letters (level 8). It is an introduction to the study of Jesus and the Gospels within their Jewish and Graeco-Roman contexts and is aimed at students beginning their study of the New Testament. We will pay particular attention to recent work on the historical Jesus and Mark's Gospel (the earliest extant 'life of Jesus'), besides surveying a range of other gospels, both canonical and apocryphal. Finally, we will ask why some Gospels were included in the Christian canon while others were not. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course is the partner to Paul and his Letters (level 8). It is an introduction to the study of Jesus and the Gospels within their Jewish and Graeco-Roman contexts and is aimed at students beginning their study of the New Testament. We will pay particular attention to recent work on the historical Jesus and Mark's Gospel (the earliest extant 'life of Jesus'), besides surveying a range of other gospels, both canonical and apocryphal. Finally, we will ask why some Gospels were included in the Christian canon while others were not.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
The course begins with a survey of the Jewish and Roman contexts of Jesus's Galilee and the cities where the Gospels emerged. We'll look at what we can know about the historical Jesus, and then go on to analyse the ways in which we might approach the Gospels. Several weeks will be spent looking at Mark's Gospel, followed by a quicker look at Matthew, Luke and John. We'll also look at Gospels which didn't make it into the New Testament (for example, the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Peter), and ask what processes led to their exclusion.
Student Learning Experience Information:
The course is taught through 3 weekly lectures and a regular tutorial. Background reading is listed for each lecture, and specific tutorial tasks are assigned for each week. In addition, students will be put into small groups to work on one 'artefact' from the time of Jesus, which they will present to the rest of the class in week 11. Students will demonstrate their achievement of the intended learning outcomes through regular essays, the group 'artefact', contribution to tutorial discussion, and the final exam.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Will be able to demonstrate an understanding of some of the issues surrounding the reconstruction of Christian Origins.
- Show a familiarity with Jewish and Graeco-Roman contexts of the early Jesus movement and the Gospels.
- Demonstrate good abilities in the interpretation of early Christian literature, particularly Mark's Gospel.
- Demonstrate the ability to evaluate secondary literature, think critically, construct an argument, and formulate a prose composition.
- Show an ability to identify key terms and their meanings, and to judge the relative importance of items on course bibliographies.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Empathy and imaginative insight, with a tolerance of diverse positions
- Ability to gather, evaluate and synthesise different types of information
- Writing skills, including clear expression and citing relevant evidence
- Ability to engage critically with the meaning of documents and recognise that meanings may be multiple
- Ability to present and defend an argument in a critical setting
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| Keywords | Jesus,Gospels,Mark's Gospel,canonical Gospels,apocryphal Gospels,Jewish and Graeco-Roman contex |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Philippa Townsend
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Jamie Smith
Tel: (0131 6)50 8913
Email: |
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