RLG 323F (JESUS OF NAZARETH)
St. George Campus, University of Toronto, Fall 2007
Instructor: Dr. Scott G. Brown
Office: Medical Arts Building, rm 324 (NW corner of Bloor and St. George)
Home Telephone: (705) 733-0601 (evenings only); no office phone
E-mail: scottg.brown@sympatico.ca
Classroom: LA 248
Lectures: Tues. 6–8 pm
Office Hour: Tues. 8–9 pm
NATURE OF THE COURSE
This course is an introduction to historical Jesus research, the quest to uncover the Jesus of history
by using the procedures and theoretical assumptions employed by historians elsewhere in the
Humanities. This approach, though not in itself “religious,” has nevertheless come to be favoured
by mainstream biblical scholars over the course of the last two centuries, and its results have much
to offer individuals seeking a better understanding of their faith. Since this is a third year course, it
is assumed that students are already familiar with, and amenable to, this academic approach to the
study of religion. Prerequisite RLG 241Y, or 1.5 religion courses and permission from the
instructor (who must consult with the associate chair).
REQUIRED TEXTS
Powell, Mark Allan. Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from
Galilee. Westminster: John Knox Press, 1998.
Sanders, E. P. The Historical Figure of Jesus. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1995.
The Bible. Not all Bibles offer reliable, literal translations, so please use only the Revised Standard
Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the Jerusalem Bible, or the New International
Version. Thou shalt not use the King James Bible (or NKJV).
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
Robinson, James M., ed. The Sayings of Jesus: The Sayings Gospel Q in English. Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 2002. (xviii + 35 pages)
Instead of buying this booklet, students can access the same reconstruction of Q from Dr.
Kloppenborg’s webpage: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~kloppen/iqpqet.htm. The books by Powell
and Sanders and the booklet by Robinson are available at the U of T Bookstore at 214 College St.
They are priced at $26.20, $20.00, and $8.25, respectively.
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Various academic articles on the Internet will also be assigned, most of which are brief. Please
bring the Bible and the booklet by Robinson (or a printout of Kloppenborg’s reconstruction of Q) to
each class.
COURSE WEBPAGE
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~browns/323F.html
(or through Blackboard)
TESTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Book Review (October 9)
First Test (October 23)
Essay (November 13)
Second Test (December 4)
Class Preparation and Participation
15%
20%
30%
25%
10%
The two tests will be on materials covered in the lectures as well as the assigned books, gospel
readings, and Internet articles.
The first assignment is a 750-word review of a book on the historical Jesus selected from the
bibliography attached to this syllabus. These books represent academic studies by respected
scholars. If you cannot find a book to your liking on this list, you may read a different book with
the approval of the professor. Note that some of these books are very long. If need be, you may
read and review only 250 pages of a very long book. Consider choosing a book that is relevant to
your essay topic. Please follow the guidance in the following online guide to writing book reviews:
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/bkrev.html
Pay attention to the difference between a book report and a book review. This book review by
Donald Wiebe may serve as an example:
http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1994/v51-3-bookreview14.htm
Unlike Wiebe’s review, you must give page numbers (in parentheses) for all of your quotations
from the book (use footnotes to document other secondary literature; no bibliography is necessary).
The second assignment is a 2000-word essay. The essay must reflect extensive research and should
have a proper thesis and a logical, argumentative structure. Use footnotes and a bibliography.
The university does not tolerate plagiarism, so please read the following discussion of how to avoid
it: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml. Note that students who drop a course
while being investigated for plagiarism will automatically be reinstated in the course.
ADDING OR DROPPING THIS COURSE
The final date to “add” this course is September 23, and the final date to “drop” this course is
November 4. If you drop a course, it is necessary to do this officially by using the Student
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Telephone System or the Student Web Service. According to the Academic Handbook, “Merely
ceasing to attend classes is not in itself the act of dropping.”
PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF WORK
There is no provision for students to rewrite test questions or assignments in order to improve a
grade. Consequently, students who are unsure about how to produce a particular kind of paper
should take advantage of the instructor’s office hour, various online writing resources, and the
writing labs offered by the university before doing the work. In particular, participants are
encouraged to show the instructor a point-form outline of their essays well in advance of
completion. Assignments are normally evaluated in terms of content; writing style, grammar, and
spelling; structure and organization; independent thought; and proper documentation. The
regulations concerning missed tests and the regrading of tests and papers are contained in the
Academic Handbook (http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/rules.htm#term). All
assignments must be submitted to me directly, either in person or electronically as e-mail
attachments in MS Word format. Please do not leave assignments or messages for me at the
Department for the Study of Religion or under my office door.
The penalty for late papers is 1% per day (5% per week). Extensions must be arranged at least a
week in advance of the due date.
LECTURE TOPICS AND ASSIGNED READINGS
09/11/2007
1. Introduction to the academic study of Jesus. The synoptic problem.
Assigned reading:
 Powell, Jesus, intro., ch. 1; Sanders, Figure, ch. 1.
 Allen, “The Search for a No-Frills Jesus” (http://www.tomcoyner.com/jesus.html).
09/18
2. The Two-Source Hypothesis and the Johannine problem.


09/25
Sanders, Figure, chs. 2–4.
Robinson, “The Real Jesus of the Sayings ‘Q’ Gospel” (http://www.religiononline.org/showarticle.asp?title=542). This is a much fuller and clearer version of
the preface in Robinson’s booklet.
3. Oral tradition and Christian sources outside of the canonical gospels.




Powell, Jesus, ch. 2; Sanders, Figure, chs. 5–6.
Davies, “The Gospel of Thomas: Frequently Asked Questions”
(http://home.epix.net/~miser17/faq.htm).
Tabor, “Josephus on Jesus” (http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/josephus-jesus.html).
Humm, “Ancient Jewish Accounts of Jesus”
(http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/JewishJesus/).
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10/02
4. The historical context of Jesus’ life: Jesus’ birth and relations with his family. The
chronology of his public life.



10/09
Matt 1:1–2:23; Luke 2:1–52, 3:23–38; Mark 3:19b–35, 6:1-6.
Powell, Jesus, ch. 3; Sanders, Figure, ch. 7–8, appendix I.
Boismard, “In What Year Was Christ Born?”
(http://www.stjoanvv.org/!_SJOFA_htm/Church%20History/in_what_year_was_c
hrist_born.htm).
5. Jesus as follower of John the Baptist and apocalyptic preacher. Palestinian sects.


Powell, Jesus, ch. 4; Sanders, Figure, ch. 9, appendix II.
Examine the different characterizations of John the Baptist in Q, Mark, John,
and Josephus: Q 3:2–22; 7:18–35; 16:16; Mark 1:1–14; 2:18–22; 6:14–29; 8:27–
29; 9:9–13; 11:27–33; John 1:1–8, 14–15, 19–41; 3:22–36; 4:1–3; 5:31–38;
10:39–42 (these are on a handout); Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews XVIII.5.1-2
(sections 1 and 2 of: http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/john.html).
 Book Review Due
10/16
6. Jesus as eschatological prophet: The motif of the kingdom of God. The title Son
of Man.



“Q” (in Robinson, Sayings of Jesus, 1–31; or Kloppenborg:
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~kloppen/iqpqet.htm).
Sanders, Figure, chs. 10–11.
Tabor, “What the Bible Says about Death, Afterlife, and the Future”
(http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/future.html).
10/23
7. First Test
10/30
8. The “New Quest” criteria of authenticity. The title Son of God.


11/06
Powell, Jesus, chs. 5–6.
The Gospel of Thomas (trans. by Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer)
(http://www.misericordia.edu/users/davies/thomas/Trans.htm).
9. Jesus as miracle worker, healer and exorcist.



The Gospel of Mark.
Powell, Jesus, chs. 7–8.
Tabor, “The Signs of the Messiah: 4Q521”
(http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/4q521.html).
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11/13
10. Jesus as social and religious reformer: His concern for the marginal and
“undesirable” members of his society, particularly, women, the poor, the sick, the
insane, flagrant sinners, tax-collectors, and prostitutes.

Sanders, Figure, chs. 12–13.
 Essay Due
11/20
11. Jesus as rabbi: Jesus’ teachings concerning the law.


Powell, Jesus, ch. 9; Sanders, Figure, chs. 14–15.
Fredriksen, “Did Jesus Oppose the Purity Laws?”
(http://www.bu.edu/religion/faculty/bios/fredriksen/purity_laws.pdf).
11/27
12. Jesus’ arrest, trials, and crucifixion.
 Mark 14:22–15:47; Luke 22:14–23:56; John 18:1-19:42.
 Powell, Jesus, ch. 10; Sanders, Figure, ch. 16–17.
12/04
13. Second Test
NB: Occasional changes may be made to the lecture topics and readings.
ESSAY TOPICS
For the essay, participants may choose from the following options:
 Argue in favour of understanding Jesus in terms of a particular, normal, first-century social type
(e.g., prophet, sage, holy man, apocalyptic preacher, restoration movement founder).
 Evaluate some of the more important arguments that have been offered in support of one
particular unconventional characterization of Jesus, such as Cynic-like wisdom teacher (Crossan,
Mack, Downing), magician (Morton Smith), political revolutionary (Brandon), spirit-possessed
healer (Davies), social prophet (Horsley, Herzog), anti-Zionist Christian theologian (Wright).
 Provide a scholarly (not a theological) answer to one of the following questions about Jesus: Why
did Jesus associate with “undesirables”? Did Jesus claim to be (or think of himself as) the
messiah? Did Jesus really predict his second coming as the Son of man? What sort of commotion,
if any, did Jesus cause in the temple? Why was Jesus executed by the Romans?
 Argue for or against the authenticity of a particular saying or act of Jesus.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY (Books for the Book Review)
Allison, Dale C. Jesus of Nazareth: Millenarian Prophet. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.
Borg, Marcus J. Conflict, Holiness & Politics in the Teachings of Jesus. 1984 rpt. Harrisburg, PA:
Trinity Press International, 1998.
———. Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary. San
Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006.
Chilton, Bruce. Rabbi Jesus, An Intimate Biography: The Jewish Life and Teachings that Inspired
Christianity. Doubleday, 2002.
Crossan, John Dominic. The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant. San
Francisco: Harper, 1991.
———. Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
Davies, Stevan L. Jesus the Healer: Possession, Trance, and the Origins of Christianity. New
York: Continuum, 1995.
De Jonge, Marinus. God’s Final Envoy: Early Christology and Jesus’ Own View of His Mission.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
Ehrman, Bart. Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2001.
Flusser, David, with R. Steven Notley, Jesus. 2nd ed., corrected and augmented. Jerusalem:
Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1998.
Fredriksen, Paula. Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of
Christianity. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999.
Herzog II, William R. Prophet and Teacher: An Introduction to the Historical Jesus. Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2005.
Meier, John P. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Vol. 1, The Roots of the Problem
and the Person. New York: Doubleday, 1991.
———. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Vol. 2, Mentor, Message, and Miracles.
New York; Toronto: Doubleday, 1994.
———. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. Vol. 3, Companions and Competitors.
New York: Doubleday, 2001.
Meyers, Ben F. The Aims of Jesus. San Jose: Pickwick, 2002.
Perrin, Norman. Rediscovering the Teaching of Jesus. New York: Harper and Row, 1967.
Robinson, James M. The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News.
HarperSanFrancisco, 2005.
Sanders, E. P. Jesus and Judaism. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.
Smith, Morton. Jesus the Magician. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1978.
Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Augsburg: Augsburg Fortress, 1994.