DESCRIPTION: This course introduces the study of the four canonical Gospels and their witness to Jesus in historical context.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) a familiarity with the content and literary structure of the New Testament Gospels; (2) an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts in which these narratives are located; (3) an appreciation of the distinctives and some of the main theological emphases of each Gospel's portrayal of Jesus; and (4) an ability to interpret these canonical texts as both human word and holy Scripture.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The four Gospels of the New Testament are our primary witnesses to the life and ministry of Jesus. A thorough knowledge of their contexts is crucial for understanding Jesus and his message, for shaping Christian discipleship, as well as for the various tasks of preaching and teaching in the church today.

COURSE FORMAT: The course, which consists of lectures and discussion, will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions.

REQUIRED READING:

Aland, Kurt. Synopsis of the Four Gospels. Greek-English, 7th ed. United Bible Societies, 1984.
OR the same synopsis in English only.

Barton, Stephen C., ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels. Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Stanton, Graham. The Gospels and Jesus. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 2002.

Theissen, Gerd. The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest for the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. Fortress, 1988.

Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. Doubleday, 1997.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. 3rd ed. Eerdmans, 2003.

Green, Joel B., Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. InterVarsity Press, 1992.

1. A midterm exam (25%).

2. A review (3-4 pp.) of Theissen's Shadow of the Galilean (10%).

3. A short paper (6-8 pp.) on an assigned topic to be distributed in class (30%).

4. Final exam (in class during exam week) (35%).