Part One: The Matrix

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The Interpretive Contexts I: The Historical-Critical Approach to Early Christian Literature

Reading: Barton, "Strategies for Reading Scripture" (HarperCollins Study Bible, xxxix-xliii); Ehrman, "The Historian and the Believer," 14-15

Note: The HarperCollins Study Bible will hereafter be abbreviated HCSB.

Supplemental Reading: Meeks, "Introduction to the HarperCollins Study Bible" (HarperCollins Study Bible, xiii-xix);

Supplemental readings are not required readings.  They are resources to go further into any subject that interests you.

The Interpretive Contexts II: Conflicts and Canons

Reading and Assignment: Ehrman, 1–16; "The Septuagint" (Ehrman, 39, Box 3.1).  Also, start getting acquainted with the The New Testament Online, an outstanding student resource that you will be using to help you study the textbook and prepare for quizzes and tests.

Supplemental Reading

The Interpretive Context III: Copies and Corruptions

Reading: Ehrman, 487-500; figures 1–8 which begin after p. 468; figures 1–11 which begin after p. 368; Discussion of Bible Translations; Daniel Wallace on the RSV.

The Daniel Wallace link takes you to part of an excellent lecture on the history of English Bible translations.  Read down through section A.3, "The Revised Standard Version."

Supplemental Reading: Experience Codex Sinaiticus!

The Greco–Roman Context

Reading: Ehrman, 17–29 and "The Material World of Jesus and the Gospels" (between pp. 184 and 185)

Supplemental Reading; Bible Maps

Assignment: Reflection Paper (For instructions, go to Assignments on Blackboard.)

The Greco-Roman Context (cont.)

Reading: Ehrman, 29–35

Supplemental Reading: Aune, "The Greco-Roman Context of the New Testament" (HCSB, xlix-lvi)

The Jewish Context

Reading: Ehrman, 36–46

Supplemental Reading: Meyers, "The Bible and Archaeology" (HCSB, lvii-lxi); Zangenberg, "Archaeology and the New Testament" (HCSB, lxii-lxvi); Lemaire, "Saul, Israel’s First King"; Lendering, The Province Judaea (6–66 C.E.); Imperial History of the Middle East

Reading: Ehrman, 46-55

Supplemental Reading: Hendel, "Israelite Religion" (HCSB, xliv-xlviii);  Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 18.55; The Jewish History WebRing

The Jewish Context (cont.)

Reading: Ehrman, 246-54

Supplemental Reading: A Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit; Tabor, "The Signs of the Messiah– 4Q521"

While neither Jesus nor his followers are mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, they are an essential resource for understanding the apocalyptic orientation of many NT traditions.

Part Two:

Jesus according to the Earliest Sources

and the Early Church According to Acts

Reading: Ehrman, 56–74

Supplemental Reading: Bar-Elan, "Illiteracy in the Land of Israel in the first centuries c.e."

Reading: Mark 1:1–10:52; Ehrman, 75–86

Supplemental Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-7; Daniel 7

Reading: Mark 11:1–16:8; Ehrman, 86–91

Supplemental Reading: Isaiah 50:4-11; 52:13–53:12; Jeremiah 31:31-34

Reading: Ehrman, 92-100; The Two Source Hypothesis; The Synoptic Problem; Three Gospel Synopsis

The first two links take you to lots of info supplementing the basics you get in the textbook and presenting alternative theories.  The last link takes you to a synopsis of the gospels.  Don't read the whole thing, just test drive it. E.g., find The Temptation in chapter 1 of Mark and click on the little color-coded Bibles at the beginning.

Be sure to do the readings for this session.  I will only give a very brief lecture on the synoptic problem before you do an in class small group exercise that will assume your familiarity with the readings.

Supplemental Exercises

Supplemental Reading:  "A Table of Parallel Passages in the Gospels" (HCSB, 1653-63)

Reading: The Q Source Based on Luke (print a copy, read it, and bring it to class)

Supplemental Reading: Papias; Q Resources Online

The Papias link takes you to the earliest surviving traditions concerning Papias, including his comments about Mark and Matthew as preserved by Eusebius.  Since what he ascribes to Matthew here does not sound like the book of Matthew we know but rather a collection of Aramaic "sayings" later "translated" (or "interpreted"), some scholars tend to think that the disciple Matthew could have been the author of the earliest edition of "Q."

Sept 28

Written Assignment: The Kingdom of God and Wealth in Mark and Q (Go to Assignments on Blackboard.)

Make-up Assignment: Go to Assignments on Blackboard.

Reading: The Q Source Based on Luke

Reading: Ehrman, 141–62; Acts 1–7

Supplemental Reading: Irenaeus; Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, chap. I, paragraph 1 and chap. XIV;  Intentional Communities: Lifestyles Based on Ideals; Myths about Intentional Communities

Reading: Acts 8–15; Galatians 2:1–14

Part Three: The Early Church and Paul

Reading: Ehrman, 291–308; 369-74; Dr. Mark's Annotated Chronology of Paul

Mini-Test on Part Two (30 questions)

Covers chaps. 4-6 and 10.  Ten of the questions will come from the online review quizzes for these chapters in The New Testament Online.  The rest will be based on readings and lectures from Sept 16 through Oct 2.

Reading: Ehrman, 309–23; Acts 16:1 – 18:1; 1 Thessalonians

Supplemental Reading: Ehrman, 426-31

Reading: Ehrman, 324, 339–48, 374–75; Galatians; cf. Gal 2:1–10 with Acts 15:1–35; cf. Gal 2:15 – 3:18 with James 2:14–26

Supplemental Reading: James

Supplemental Links

Reading: Ehrman, 325–30; Acts 18:1 – 19:20; 1 Corinthians 1–4

Reading: Ehrman, 331–39; 1 Corinthians 5–16

Supplemental Reading: Sumney, 2 Corinthians; "Who are those 'Servants of Satan'?"

Reading: Ehrman, 356–61; Acts 19:21–41; 2 Cor 3:1-18; Romans 1–3

Reading: Ehrman, 361–66; Romans 3–8

Reading: Romans 9–15; Ehrman, 366–68; Acts 20:1—23:11

Supplemental Reading: Acts 23:12 – 28:31; Philippians and Philemon

Part Four: The Later Jesus Sources

Cornerstone of a Petrine Church II: Matthew's Mosaic Messiah

Reading: Matthew 1:1–3:12; 5:17–24, 33–37; 6:1–8, 16–18; 7:18–20; 10:5–7, 21–25, 40–41; 11:28–30; 12:15–21, 36–37; 13:14–15, 24–30, 36–52; 14:22–33; 16:5–20; 17:24–27; 18:19–35; 19:10–12; 20:1–16; 21:1–5, 10–17, 28–32, 43; 22:1–15; 23:1–36; 25:1–13, 31–46; 26:51–54; 27:3–10, 24–25, 50–53, 62–66; 28:1–20

Since almost all of Mark is repeated in Matthew, and you have already read the materials found in both Matthew and Luke designated Q, the reading assignment only includes material unique to Matthew. Of course Matthew's form of the material in Mark and Q is often significantly different. I will include a few examples in class.

Supplemental Reading: Three Gospel Synopsis; Bar Mitzvah (from Judaism 101)

Cornerstone of a Pauline Church I: Luke's Cosmopolitan Christ

Reading: Ehrman, 121–40

Supplemental Reading: Three Gospel Synopsis

Cornerstone of a Pauline Church II: Luke's Cosmopolitan Christ

Reading: Luke 1:1–3:18; 4:16–30; 5:1–11; 6:24–26, 43; 7:1–5, 11–17, 36–50; 8:1–3; 9:44–45, 51–56; 10:1, 17–20, 25–42; 11:5–8, 27–28; 12:13–21, 33–53; 13:1–17, 31–33; 14:1–14, 25–33; 15:1–17:21; 18:1–14, 31–34; 19:1–11, 41–44; 21:20–24, 37–38; 22:15–16, 31, 35–38; 23:2–49; 24:1–53

Since a large percentage of Mark is repeated in Luke, and you have already read the materials found in both Matthew and Luke designated Q, the reading assignment only includes material unique to Luke.  Of course Luke's form of the material in Mark is often significantly different.  I will include a few examples in class.

Honors Section Written Assignment: The Resurrection Bodies of Paul and the Gospels (Go to Assignments on Blackboard.)

Supplemental Reading: Three Gospel Synopsis; Goldberg, "The Josephus-Luke Connection"

Reading: Ehrman, 163–75; John 1–11

Supplemental Reading: de Boer, "Anti-Judaism in John? The Depiction of 'The Jews' in the Fourth Gospel"; The Four Canonicals

Supplemental Link: The Gospel of John Film; The Five Gospels Parallels

Cornerstone of a "Johannine" Church II: John's Foreign Word

Reading: John 12–21

Reading: Ehrman, 175–84;

Supplemental Reading: The Johannine Literature Web; Fredriksen, "The Gospel of John and Christian Anti-Judaism"

The "Johannine" Legacies: Orthodox and Gnostic

Reading: Ehrman, 185–203, 377 ("Paul and Theudas"); 1, 2, 3 John

Supplemental Reading: The Gnostic Archive; Heracleon: Fragments from his commentary on the Gospel of John

Reading: Ehrman, 204–223; The Gospel of Thomas

Supplemental Reading

Test on Part Four (50 questions)

Covers chaps. 7-9 and 11-13.  Twenty of the questions will come from the online review quizzes for these chapters in The New Testament Online.  The rest will be based on readings and lectures from Oct 26 through Nov 13.

Part Five: The Historical Jesus

Would the Real Jesus Please Rise?

Reading: Ehrman, 224–45

Supplemental Reading: Search for the Historical Jesus; Sheler, "Jerusalem as Jesus Saw It"

Reading: Harris 259-78 (On Blackboard)

 Supplemental Reading; Ehrman, 254–80

Nov 23

Jesus of Montreal

Written Assignment: "Deja Vu All Over Again" (On Blackboard.)

This assignment involves watching a two hour movie outside of class.  Viewing opportunities will be announced.

Make-up Assignment:

Supplemental Reading

Part Six: Pseudo-Paul and the Apocalypse

Reading: Ehrman, 380–402; 1 Timothy

Supplemental Reading: 2 Thessalonians; Colossians; Ephesians; 2 Timothy; Non-canonical Homepage

Reading: Ehrman, 403–415; 375–77 ("Paul and Thecla")

Supplemental Reading: Titus; The Pseudo-dialogue of his Eminence Markus with Suzianna the So-called Woman Bishop

Reading: Ehrman, 416–434

Supplemental Reading: Hebrews

Reading: Koester, 1-27. Available on Blackboard site. 

Supplemental Reading: Revelation

Reading: Ehrman, 469–86; 465–67 ("2 Peter")

Supplemental Reading: 2 Thessalonians; 2 Peter; Ehrman 426–44

Dec 16

REL 102–1 Final Exam at 11:00 AM (Study Guide Three)

The Final Exam consists of an objective portion (50 pts.) and an essay (50 pts.).

Test on Parts Five and Six (50 questions)

Covers chaps. 14–16, 18, 24–26 and 29.  Twenty of the questions will come from the online review quizzes for these chapters in The New Testament Online.  The rest will be based on readings and lectures from Nov 18 through Dec 9.

For final exam essay instructions, see Assignments on Blackboard.