Religious Studies 135: Christian Origins 
Some Suggested Research Paper Topics (R.A.Kraft, J.C.Treat) 
 
1. Topics relating to Jesus' Life and Teachings 

--Primary focus on how materials were reported or preserved: 

Literary relationships between the Gospel of John and the 
  Synoptic gospels 
Comparison of the hypothetical "Q" source and the Gospel of 
  Thomas 
Comparison of "Sermon on the Mount" material in Matthew 5-7 and 
  in Luke 
The "Little Apocalypse" of Mark 13 and parallels 
Matthew's use of Jewish Scriptures 
Internal organization of Matthew 
Influence on Jewish Scriptures on development of the death-
  resurrection accounts (including Gospel of Peter, and Gospel of 
  Nicodemus) 
Discipleship as a theme in Matthew 
The "Messianic Secret" in Mark 
Luke's use of geographical detail 
The Jerusalem orientation of Luke-Acts 
Non-Markan aspects of Luke's account of Jesus' last days 
The purpose of the Gospel of John discovered from within 
The Johannine Jesus compared with the Jesus of the Synoptics 
Gnostic elements in the picture of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas 
Characteristics of Jesus in "Jewish Christian" sources 
Traditions about the Last Supper and the Eucharist 
 
--Primary focus on the historical situation in Jesus' life: 

Jesus' birth (comparison of Matthew, Luke, etc.) 
Jesus between Birth and Maturity (Infancy Gospel of Thomas, etc.) 
Chronology and Geography of Jesus' Ministry 
Jesus' Relationship to John the Baptist 
Traditions about Jesus and about "Divine Men" in the Greco-Roman 
  world 
Jesus and the Essenes 
Jesus and the Pharisees 
Jesus and the Zealots 
Jesus and Hellenistic Mystery Cult practices 
Jesus as a timeless Gnostic revealer 
Jesus' teachings on marriage, family, and divorce 
Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God 
Jesus' teachings about the Messiah (did he see himself as a 
  Messiah?) 
Jesus as a miracle-worker in a world full of miracle-workers 
Jesus' use of parables 
Jesus' use of the term "Abba" as an address to God 
Table-fellowship in the ministry of Jesus 
Jesus as exorcist 
Jesus' Gospel as good news for the poor 
Jesus' attitudes towards Jewish worship 
Jesus' attitudes towards social justice 
Jesus as an apocalyptic preacher 
Was Jesus a revolutionary?  
The roles of women in Jesus' life and ministry 
The circumstances of Jesus' death (or trial) 
Traditions of Jesus' resurrection 
Traditions about Judas Iscariot 


2. Topics relating to Earliest Christianity 

--The earliest sources and traditions (Paul, Acts, etc.)

The earliest Jerusalem community (as seen especially in Acts of 
  the Apostles) 
Early Christian preaching according to Acts of the Apostles 
Stephen's speech in Acts 7 
Early Christians as "the Poor" 
The social setting of early Christianity 
Paul's attitude to Jewish law (or to Judaism, or to Jesus) 
Paul's use of Jewish scriptures 
Is "Justification by Faith" the center of Paul's thought? 
Evidence in Paul's writings of earlier Christian materials 
Paul's turn to Christianity according to Paul and according to 
  Acts 
Paul and Corinth:  their problems, his writings, his opponents 
Paul's opponents at Galatia 
The purpose of the letter to the Galatians 
Who wrote the Pastoral Epistles? 
Setting and analysis of 3 Corinthians 
Paul's Attitudes towards Jewish eschatology and apocalyptic 
Did the author of Acts know Paul's letters? 
Paul's travels and death according to Acts of Peter and Paul 
Paul's correspondence with Seneca 
Peter's travels and death according to Acts of Peter 
James, the brother of Jesus 
The influence of Judas Thomas on Christianity 
John's travels and death according to Acts of John 
Women leaders and heroes in early Christian traditions 
Patterns of power and authority in early Christianity 
 
--Topics relating to early Christianity after 70 C.E. 

The purpose of Epistle to the Hebrews (or Epistle of Barnabas, or 
  Shepherd of Hermas, or Justin's Apology, or 1 Clement, or another 
  book) 
The relationships between Jude and 2 Peter 
Hospitality and excommunication in 1 John 
Attitudes to Jewish scriptures in Gnostic Christian circles 
Marcion's view of God (of or Paul, or of his Christian rivals) 
Ebionite Christianity, its Origins and Developments 
Montanus and Montanism 
Christian attitudes about sex and marriage in the second century 
Early Christian reverence for martyrdom as evidenced in the 
  Martyrdom of Polycarp 
The Didache and the development of Christian rules 
Jesus in the Apocalypse of John 
Development of early Christian apocalypses 
Gnostic Christian views of God (or of Judaism, or of the origin 
  of this world) 
Worship and ethics in 2 Clement 
Justin's attitudes regarding Hellenistic religions and cultures 
Barnabas' view of Judaism and its scriptures 
Epistle to Diognetus regarding Judaism and Hellenistic culture 
1 Clement's use of Jewish traditions 
Christian worship according to Justin and Pliny's letter 
Irenaeus' primary problems with Gnosticism 
Tertullian's critique of Marcion 
Miracles in the canonical and apocryphal Acts 
Early Christian attitutudes toward slavery (or pacifism) 

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