Historical Jesus, in Christianity, Judaism and Islam (2018 Boccaccini), course

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An Islamic representation of Maryam and Isa (Mary and Jesus)
File:Crucifixion White Chagall.jpg
A Jewish representation of Yoshua (Jesus) by Marc Chagall (1939)
Portrait of Jesus (Sinai, 6th cent.)
The Light of the World (1854 Hunt), art
Isa (Jesus) bringing down heavenly food for his disciples (Quran 5:111-115 [cf. John, ch. 6])
Yeshua (Jesus) preaching at the synagogue
Robert Henderson-Bland as Jesus in From the Manger to the Cross (1912 Olcott), film
Enrique Irazoqui as Jesus in Il vangelo secondo Matteo (1964 Pasolini), film
Ted Neeley as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 Jewison), film
Victor Garber as Jesus in Godspell (1973 Greene), film
Andile Kosi as Jesus in The Son of Man (2005 Dornford-May), film
Ahmad Soleimani Nia as Jesus in Mesih (2007 Talebzadeh), film
Diogo Morgado as Jesus in Son of God (2014 Spencer), film

Historical Jesus, in Christianity, Judaism and Islam is a course offered by Gabriele Boccaccini at the University of Michigan in the Fall 2018.

Overview

The course focuses on the Jewish religious leader and messianic claimant, and founder of the Christian movement, Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus son of Joseph, Joshua bar-Yosef, Isa), as an historical character. By examining all extant historical sources (Jewish, Christian, and Islamic), the course offers a critical reconstruction of the major stages of the life and deeds of the prophet from Nazareth, from his birth under Herod the Great to his death and crucifixion under Pontius Pilate, within the diverse world of Second Temple Judaism. In particular, the course explores the ever-changing interpretation of Jesus in modern and contemporary Christianity, Judaism and Islam, to the present. The format of the course consists of two lectures per week by the instructor and a weekly discussion session conducted by a GSI. The course grade will be based upon daily assignments and attendance; two midterms, a paper and a final exam.

Lectures: M W 2:30-4pm

Office: 4145 Thayer, Department of Near Eastern Studies

e-mail: gbocca@umich.edu; tel 763.1595; fax 936.2679

Office Hours: W 4-5:30pm (office), or by appointment

History

Gabriele Boccaccini is Professor of Second Temple Judaism and Christian Origins at the University of Michigan since the Fall 1992. He has been offering courses on Jesus & the Gospels since the mid-1990s.

Syllabus (Fall 2018)

[Note: The syllabus may be subjected to some minor changes]

PART 1 - Ancient Christian, Jewish and Islamic sources on Jesus

<1> Wed Sept 5, 2018:

-- Introduction. Shared facts and (not-shared) beliefs. News and Fake News. Do we have any evidence from Jesus himself or from 1st century historians?

<2> Mon Sept 10, 2018:

-- Jesus in Christianity: An Overview (Paul & the synoptic tradition, The gospels of Thomas and John, the NT Apocrypha).

<3> Wed Sep 12, 2018:

-- Jesus in Judaism: An Overview. Main sources (I): A Teacher, a Martyr

Flavius Josephus, Gamaliel, the Talmud, the Toledot Jeshu up to Yaqub al-Qirqisani and Maimonides.


<4> Mon Sept 17, 2018:

-- Jesus in Islam: An Overview (I): the Qur'an & the Gospel of Barnabas


< Wed Sept 19 - Yom Kippur - no class >


<5> Mon Sept 24, 2018:

-- The Historical Jesus (I): History of Research. (I): from Reimarius to the Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

-- The "Historical" Jesus (II): Jesus with Judaism; The Rediscovery of the Jewishness of Jesus in the contemporary scholarly debate.


<6> Wed Sept 26, 2018:

-- The diverse world of Second Temple Judaism. Competing ideas about evil and competing messianic expectations


[ First Mid-term – During discussion sessions -- Date: TBA]


PART 2 - The Life and Teaching of Jesus of Nazareth

<7> Mon Oct 1, 2018:

-- John the Baptist, the Precursor: His Life and Death.


<8> Wed Oct 3, 2018:

-- The announcement of the Kingdom. -- Healing and Forgiveness -- The Beginnings of Jesus’ Ministry as a Miracle-Worker

<9> Mon Oct 8, 2018:

-- The Family and the Disciples, the Male and the Female

<10> Wed Oct 10, 2018:

-- Relation with the Other Jewish group -- Agreements and Controversies with the Sadducees and the Pharisees

< Mon Oct 15, 2018 -- Study Break -- no class >

<11> Wed Oct 17, 2018:

-- Relation with non-Jews (Gentiles)

<12> Mon Oct 22, 2018:

--Teaching of Jesus -- The Parables

(a) Forgiveness. Good Works, Moral Integrity

(b) Teaching of Jesus (II): Service, Love, Sharing of Goods


<13> Wed Oct 24, 2018:

-- Mid-term Exam

PART 3 - The Last Week in Jerusalem

<14> Mon Oct 29, 2018:

The Entry at Jerusalem - The End has come

<15> Wed Oct 31, 2018:

-- The messianic claim: the Messiah has come-- Last Supper and Arrest of Jesus

<16> Mon Nov 5, 2018:

-- The Messiah claimant on trial before the authority of the Temple and the Romans

<17> Wed Nov 7, 2018

-- The Death and the Claim of Resurrection. Interpretation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.


<18> Mon Nov 12, 2018:

Appendix: Nativity and the Hidden Years


PART 4 - Cultural Portraits of Jesus

<19> Wed Nov 14, 2018:

-- Jesus in the visual Arts (Christian, Muslim, Jewish)

<20> Mon Nov 19, 2018: -- Jesus in the movies: Christian Jewish and Muslim


< Wed Nov 21 -- Thanksgiving Recess, no class >


<21> Mon Nov 26, 2018:

-- Jesus in Music (Christian)

<22> Wed Nov 28, 2018:

-- Jesus and the contemporary Jewish-Christian Dialogue.

<23> Mon Dec 3, 2018:

-- Jesus and the contemporary Christian-Muslim Dialogue.

<24> Wed Dec 5, 2018:

-- The Multi-Ethnic Jesus

<25> Mon Dec 10, 2018:

-- Wrap-Up Session—-Who Was Jesus?

Final Exam [TBA]

  • Wednesday, Dec 19, 10:30am-12:30pm (in class)

Grading System and Requirements (for students attending the course)

[Read this section of the syllabus very carefully. The syllabus is like a contract between the student and the instructors, which we are all bound to respect.]

ATTENDANCE: The course is based on lectures, weekly discussion session, three written exams, and one paper. Regular attendance is mandatory. If you happen to miss a session, it is your responsibility to ask the Professor or the GSI or a class-mate for information about what was discussed in class. Students whose attendance is poor (that is, have missed more than 1/3 of total classes, either lectures or discussion sessions, without justification) will see their final grade reduced up to six percentage points. Students who do not attend the class regularly (that is, have missed more than 50% of classes, either lectures or discussion sessions, without justification), or do not fulfill each and all the requirements of the course, will not be graded and will receive a NR report

GRADING SYSTEM: The final grade is based on five elements (of which the last one is optional): (a) Participation: 10% -- (b) First Midterm: 10% -- (c) Second Midterm: 25% -- (d) Paper 25% – (e) Final exam: 30% -- (f) Re-taking of the first & second Exam (optional): possible increase

(a) Quality of participation in class and discussion sessions makes 10% of the final grade. The evaluation will be made conjunctly by the Professor and the GSIs on the basis of the student’s attention, comments, questions, commitment for an enjoyable environment, etc., as follows: Outstanding (100%) / Excellent (95%) / Very good (90%) / Good (85%) / Average (80%) / Poor (75%) / Very poor (70%) / Insufficient (65% or less)

(b-c) The two mid-term exams are a series of multiple-choice questions from the lectures and the textbooks. The results of the test will be discussed in class and in the discussion sessions. The grade is determined proportionally to the amount of questions correctly answered (unanswered questions are counted as incorrect), as follows:

  • A+ (100%-98%) / A (97%-91%) / A- (90%-88%)
  • B+ (87%-85%) / B (84%-80%) / B- (79%-77%)
  • C+ (76%-75%) / C (74%-72%) / C- (71%-70%)
  • D+ (69%) / D (68%-67%) / D- (66%)
  • F (65% or less)

The first midterm exams (10% of the final grade) is a series of 50 questions about the contents of the Introduction to the course. It is aimed to be a sort of preparation to the more important second mid-term and final exams. If your grade is F, you must submit a written petition (by e-mail) to the Professor and receive written permission (by e-mail) to continue the class, provided that your attendance is good. If your grade is C+ or less and you need or want to improve your grade, you may retake your exam, following the instructions below (f).

The second midterm exam (25% of the final grade) is a series of 100 questions (80 new questions about the contents of the second part of the course, plus 20 questions from the first midterm). If your grade is F, you must submit a written petition (by e-mail) to your GSI and receive written permission (by e-mail) to continue the class, provided that your attendance is good. If your grade is C+ or less and you need or want to improve your grade, just followed the instructions below (g).

(d) As a written assignment (25% of your final grade), you have to pick up one major scholarly biography of Jesus (your choice must be pre-approved by your GSI) and write (by Dec 2, 2018) a (2,000/2,500 word) paper dealing with the interpretation given by the (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or secular) author and comparing it with what you have learned in class.

  • A+ = 99% / A = 94% / A- = 89%
  • B+ = 86% / B = 82% / B- = 78%
  • C+ = 76% / C = 73% / C- = 71%
  • D+ = 69% / D = 68% / D- = 66%

(e) The final exam (30% of the final grade) is a series of 120 multiple-choice questions aimed at a general review of the entire course: 80 new questions about the contents of all three parts of the course (but with special emphasis on the third and last part), plus 40 questions from the first two exams (15+35, respectively). The grading system will follow the same criteria as the midterm exams. No retake is allowed for the final exam.

(f) [Optional] The Instructor’s goal is to help the deserving students, who may have some initial difficulties, to improve their grade. If your grade is C+ or less and (77% or less), you may choose to retake your first and/or second exam. The questions will be the same, except for 5 new questions (in the first exam) or 10 new questions (in the second exam). Depending on your new grade, you will have an increase up to 9 points (if you get an A+), 7 points (A), 5 points (A-) or 3 points (B+) points (0 if you get B or less) on the grade of your exam. In no case, however, your final percentage can overcame 79%. No retake is allowed for the final exam.


NOTE: The use of personal electronic devices (lap-top, iPad, iPhone, etc.) is allowed in the classroom, ONLY for taking notes or class work, or for the special needs of students with disabilities. Individual students may be directed to turn off personal electronic devices if the devices are not being used for class purposes (and will receive an unexcused absence for the day). If the student does not comply, the student may be asked to leave the classroom (and a sanction of -30 points will be applied to their participation grade).

The College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts at the University of Michigan is a community in which personal responsibility, honesty, fairness, respect, and mutual trust are maintained. Students must behave honorably and take responsibility for their own actions. In addition, students are expected to take constructive action if they witness or are aware of behavior that violates the standards of academic integrity. Any student determined to have engaged in any form of academic dishonesty—including but not limited to plagiarism, cheating, unauthorized collaboration, and attendance forgery—will receive a zero on the assignment, and in particularly serious cases, a failing grade in the entire course. In accordance with University policy, all cases of misconduct will be reported to the Office of the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education.

VERY IMPORTANT !! If you have any questions or something goes wrong, or you realize that your attendance is going to be poor or insufficient, please do not wait until the very last moment to express yourself. I will be always available to talk to you immediately after class or during my office hours or, if necessary, scheduling a meeting at a different time. We can find together a solution to (almost) every problem. But, please, don’t ask the impossible when there is no more time.


IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, NEVER BLAME OTHERS. BLAME NO ONE BUT YOURSELF.

IF YOU ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY, YOU ARE IN THE POSITION TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

WHATEVER OTHER PEOPLE’S FAILINGS MIGHT BE, YOU ARE THE ONE TO SHOULDER RESPONSIBILITY.

THERE ARE NO EXCUSES.

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