Religious Studies 435 -- Robert A. Kraft, University of Pennsylvania

Sources for the Life of Jesus (or, Ancient Traditions about Joshua/Jesus)

kraft@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Distribution III: Arts and Letters

Brochure Description:

From as far back as we can get, competing traditions about Jesus and his significance are attested, some of which found their way into the "New Testament" collection, while others survived elsewhere in the early Christian world. Close examination of these ancient materials exposes a variety of obstacles to reconstructing a convincing historical picture of the man and his message, but along the way a great deal can be learned about the historical enterprise, whether exercised in the form of the controversial "Jesus Seminar" or in less publicized efforts. This is not a "Bible School" class, but it may result in a rewarding experience of academic enlightenment – and excitement!

Online course materials can be accessed through the instructor's home page.

Detail:

Primary Goal: To understand what factors are at work in the origination, recording, transmission and application of information about memorable figures of the past (or present) such as Joshua (Jesus) who came to be called by his followers "the Messiah" (Christ).

Means to the Goal: Familiarity with the ancient sources (including fragmentary ones) that make claims about Jesus' life and status; familiarity with the diverse attitudes towards Jesus in antiquity; familiarity with modern theories about the relationships of the ancient materials.

Assignments and Course Work: No textbooks have been ordered for this course, since it is possible to do all the required reading online, following the links listed below and/or finding others of you own. The first two weeks of the course should be spent sampling the online resources to be aware of what is there and how to use it. After that we will spend most of our time reading the ancient source materials and discussing their significance for understanding their background and context as well as their relation to other early sources and claims (who, when, where, why, what, wherefore?). Along the line, we will also attempt to keep informed about what modern scholarship (and popular interest) has done with this evidence, but the focus will be on antiquity.

For those who may wish (also) to have hardcopy publications in hand, or to do other background reading, recommendations may be found on the web page for RelSt 135.

Resources:

Previous class notes from this course
Modern books for reviewing and some online reviews
Some key web sites (search for others through google.com, etc.): "gospels.net"; "Jesus Archive"; Early Christian Writings

INTRODUCTION (see also the materials for RelSt 135, including class notes):
Working Backwards through the Sources and Traditions

The Greco-Roman ("Hellenistic") Melting Pot
Christianities in the Ancient World (see also RelSt 535)
Judaisms in the Ancient World (see also RelSt 525)

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND RELATED "REALIA" OF POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANCE

Astronomical evidence ("star" of Bethlehem)
Calendric calculations (passover on Saturday)
Crucifixion evidence (nail through heel bone example)
"Shroud of Turin" (also here) and Related Claims