Jesus of Nazareth
RELIGSTUD 260-210A
McGill University, Faculty of Religious Studies
Instructor: Dr. Jim Kanaris
E-mail: jim.kanaris@mcgill.ca
Office Hours: TBA
Every Christian [or thinking westerner] sooner or later has to ask the question, “Who was Jesus
really?” And we ask this in our age in a special way because we are very historically oriented. We are
modern, or perhaps post-modern, people, but all of us have a sense that we want to know what
things were really like. We know that the past is different from the present. We have experienced
rapid change, all of us in our generation. And so we want to know what was Jesus really like. And
that quest to understand what he was really like has turned out to be very disappointing. So how do
we really get at that? We must, first of all, understand that in history facts always [“]lie under[”]
interpretations and we never get to the [so-called] facts. They’re [“]only[”] interpretations. There is
only an interpreted Jesus, there are many interpreted Jesuses. So where do we begin? We begin not
with Jesus, we have no access to him. We begin with the responses to Jesus, by his followers, by outsiders who heard about him... We begin with those reactions as they’re enshrined in the text we have.
Wayne A. Meeks, Professor of Biblical Studies, Yale University
Course Description and Objectives
This course will be a critical study of selected ancient and modern accounts of the
aims and person of Jesus. Attention will be given also to the question of the historical sources and to the relationship between faith and history.
A centuries-long analysis of Jesus has become a major touchstone for what history
can and cannot disclose about historical figures. With regard to Jesus what counts
as history, although inviting some consensus, can be as varied as the personality
traits of scholars and the methods they bank on. A recent example is the Jesus
Seminar and its rivals. The situation is further muddied by the “non-historical”
nature of the sources. Who Jesus of Nazareth was and what he did is often inseparable from the theological convictions (and literary customs) of those who wrote
about him. Nor are theological convictions moot in historical Jesus scholarship.
Scholars often rely on their theological convictions when historical research
allows for varying interpretations. Sometimes a theological stance will influence
scholars despite what may be concluded through historical research.
The primary objective of this course is to sort through these issues and to stimulate critical thinking and responsible dialogue about history, theology, and faith as
competing and/or complementary ways of retelling the storied past of Jesus. Students will be equipped to read and judge scholarly essays on the subject and to
use them and other resources as aids to formulating, testing, and explaining their
own historical understandings of Jesus.
Evaluation
1) Four short assignment-learning cells; class participation (30%): One typed
page (c. 300 words) of questions or short responses to an assigned reading. The
reading and a few leading questions will be assigned a week in advance. They will
be available also on WebCT (see Web Resources below). On the due date students
will bring their paper to class to discuss in groups. Questions/responses should
aim to identify problematic or interesting issues for understanding Jesus historically. Truly fruitful group discussion will be assessed on the basis of additional,
handwritten comments (i.e., in the margins). Papers will be submitted for marking at the end of the class period. Due dates are noted below (Tentative Schedule
of Topics and Readings). Late papers will not be accepted unless medical documentation is provided. These are not essays, and so one’s presence and participation is absolutely essential.
2) One ten-to-fifteen page, typed research paper (40%): Topics include: historical
Jesus methodology, Jesus’ parables, healings and/or exorcisms, eschatology, and
his trial and death. Papers should reflect students’ own thought. Reading and
research in the primary sources (e.g., New Testament) is expected, as is use of
secondary, scholarly sources. Students are also strongly encouraged to follow the
“Faculty of Religious Studies Style Sheet” available at the Faculty of Religious
Studies and on the Faculty website <ww2.mcgill.ca/religion/style.
htm#style%20sheet>. The due date for the essay is noted below (Tentative Schedule of Topics and Readings). Papers submitted after due date will have 3% per day
deducted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. No
papers will be accepted after the final day of classes.
3) Final Examination (30%): The exam will comprise three sections: (1) definition
of technical terms and political and religious groups from a choice; (2) evaluation
and brief discussion of short sections from texts discussed in class from the point
of view of historical Jesus research; (3) short essay on some major question of historical Jesus research.
NB: The Final Examination is scheduled by the Faculty of Arts in the Examination period, December 7–21. Instructors have no authority to make special examination arrangements without instruction from the Associate Dean’s
office. If such special arrangements may apply to you, please read section 5.2 of the McGill Undergraduate Programs Calendar 2001-2002 well in advance of the exam.
Required Texts
Sanders, E.P. 1993. The Historical Figure of Jesus. London: Penguin Books. —
BT301.2 S254 1993 (Birks)
New Testament. Recommended versions: Revised Standard Version (RSV) or New
Revised Standard Version (NRSV); New International Version (NIV); New English
Bible (NEB) or Revised English Bible (REB); Jerusalem Bible (JB) or New Jerusalem
Bible (NJB). Avoid: King James Version (KJV) or Authorized Version (AV) or New
King James Version (NKJV); Today’s English Version (TEV) or Good News Bible or
2 of 4
The Living Bible. A Study Bible (includes scholarly notes and introductions) based
on a recommended version above is also highly recommended (e.g., The New
Jerusalem Bible; The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha; The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocryphal/Deutrocanonical Books; The NIV Study Bible: New International Version.
Recommended Texts
Theissen, Gerd and Annette Merz. 1998. The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive
Guide. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. — On reserve (Birks) and also available at
the McGill University Bookstore
Theissen, Gerd. 1987. The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest of the Historical
Jesus in Narrative Form. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. — On reserve (Birks)
Web Resources
Course Site
WebCT <webct3.mcgill.ca>: WebCT (Web Course Tools) is an on-line course management system. It allows instructors to create and manage Web-based or Webenhanced courses. Via WebCT students may access important course information,
read recent announcements for their course, have real-time discussions with
other class participants, keep track of their grades, and so on. It’s a vital education medium today. All McGill students are entitled to use WebCT and have, in
fact, been assigned a Global UserID based on their official McGill records. See
attached handout for futher information and instructions on accessing WebCT.
Related Sites
Jesus of Nazareth in Early Christian Gospels <www.earlygospels.net>
The New Testament Gateway <www.ntgateway.com>
The Jesus Seminar <westarinstitute.org/Jesus_Seminar/jesus_seminar.html>
Jesus Seminar Forum: A Gateway to the Research of the Jesus Seminar <religion.
rutgers.edu/jseminar/index.html>
Frontline: From Jesus to Christ <www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/
religion>
The Jewish Roman World of Jesus <www.uncc.edu/jdtabor>
Anno Domini: Jesus Through the Centuries <www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/
Annodomini>
3 of 4
Tentative Schedule of Topics and Readings
Sept. 5:
7, 10, 12,
14, 17:
19,
21:
21, 24, 26:
Oct.
28,
1, 3, 5:
Assignment-learning cell #1
Topic: History and Interpretation
Topic: Nature of the Ancient Sources
Reading: Sanders 49-97
Thanksgiving Day (No classes)
10:
10, 12,15,
17, 19:
Assignment-learning cell #2
31:
31,
2, 5, 7,
9:
12, 14,
16:
16, 19, 21,
23, 26,
28:
28:
Dec.
Topic: Quest for the Historical Jesus
Reading: Sanders xiii-9
8:
22, 24, 26,
29:
Nov.
Orientation
30,
3:
Topic:
Nature of the Ancient Sources (cont’d)
Topic: Tradition-History: Its Criteria and Rules
Reading: Sanders 63, 94, 167, 180, 182, 189, 198-200,
238-9, 263
Assignment-learning cell #3
Topic: Jesus’ World
Reading: Sanders 15-48
Research paper
Assignment-learning cell #4
Topic: Themes and Topics in Jesus’ “Ministry”
Reading: Sanders 132-204
Topic: Resurrection and Historical Research
Reading: Sanders 276-81
5:
Last day of classes
Conclusion
7-21:
Examination period
4 of 4