Historical Jesus, in Christianity, Judaism and Islam (2022 Boccaccini), course

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File:Crucifixion White Chagall.jpg
A Jewish representation of Yoshua (Jesus) by Marc Chagall (1939)
An Islamic representation of Maryam and Isa (Mary and Jesus)
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 in-person course offered by Gabriele Boccaccini at the University of Michigan in the Fall 2022.

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: Tue Thu 2:30pm-4:00pm

Office: 4145 Thayer, Department of Near Eastern Studies

e-mail: gbocca@umich.edu; skype: "gboccaccini"; Facebook Messenger: "Gabriele Boccaccini"

Office Hours: Tue Thu 4pm-5:20pm or by appointment

GSI: Ahmet Baris Ekiz <bekiz@umich.edu>

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.

Textbook

Cecilia Wassen and Tobia Hagerland, Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet (2021)

Syllabus (Fall 2022)

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

PART 1 - Ancient Christian, Jewish and Islamic sources on Jesus (7 meetings)

<1> Tue Aug 30, 2022

-- Introduction: Jesus as an Historical Character: Facts and Opinions (Beliefs). News and Fake News. Do we have any evidence from Jesus himself or from 1st century historians?


<2> Thu Sep 1, 2022

Jesus in Christianity -- The Son of God, The Messiah. Truth and Historical Accuracy.


<3> Tue Sep 6, 2022:

-- Jesus in Judaism: An Overview. Main sources: A Teacher, a Martyr -- Flavius Josephus, Gamaliel, the Talmud, the Toledot Jeshu up to Yaqub al-Qirqisani and Maimonides.


<4> Thu Sep 8, 2022:

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


<5> Tue Sep 13, 2022:

-- The Historical Jesus: History of Research: (I) from Reimarius to the Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls - (II) Jesus with Judaism; The Rediscovery of the Jewishness of Jesus in the contemporary scholarly debate.


<6> Thu Sept 15, 2022:

-- The diverse world of Second Temple Judaism. Competing ideas about evil, the law and the eschaton.

  • Read: Textbook, 2. Judaism in the Time of Jesus, 29-59.


<7> Tue Sept 20, 2022:

-- The diverse world of Second Temple Judaism: competing messianic expectations


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

PART 2 - What kind a Jew was Jesus? His Life and Teaching (8 meetings)

See The Gospel according to Matthew

<8> Thu Sept 22, 2022:

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

<9> Tue Sept 27, 2022:

-- The announcement of the Kingdom. -- Not unlike the Baptist -- The Call for repentance: Forgiveness. Good Works, Moral Integrity, Service, Love, Sharing of Goods

  • Read: Textbook, 5. The Prophet Leader, 6. The Kingdom, 113-127.


<10> Thu Sep 29, 2022:

-- The Family and the Disciples


<11> Tue Oct 4, 2022:

Jesus the Agent of God's Forgiveness -- The Healing and Forgiveness -- The Beginnings of Jesus’ Ministry as a Miracle-Worker -- Jesus the Messiah

  • Read: Textbook, 7. In Conflict with Satan

The fight for God's kingdom was against Satan himself, his demons and their works. Jesus was not the only person in antiquity with a reputation for being able to heal people. People were not amazed by the "miracles" he did (others were doing the same), but by the meaning he gave to his healing power. Since illness was understood as the result of the action of evil spirits, the healing power of Jesus was interpreted as evidence of his authority over the evil forces, as signaling the coming of God's kingdom. Furthermore, since sin also was understood as the result of the action of evil spirits, healing was understood as a manifestation of Jesus's power of forgiveness. Jesus was stronger than Satan. Miracles, however, are possible only if there is "faith". See Miracles of Jesus.


<12> Thu Oct 6, 2022:

-- Relation with the Other Jewish group -- Agreements and Controversies with the Sadducees and the Pharisees -- About the role of the Messiah and the interpretation of the Law.


<13> Tue Oct 11, 2022:

-- Relation with non-Jews (Gentiles)


<14> Thu Oct 13, 2022:

--Teaching of Jesus -- The Parables


< Tue Oct 18, 2022, recess >


<15> Thu Oct 20, 2022

Jesus and Women (one-hour class)

Oct 20, 2022 (4-5:30pm): Drs. Sheinfeld, Parks, and Warren present their recent publication on Jewish and Christian Women in the Ancient Mediterranean at 4pm.


<16> Tue Oct 25, 2022:

  • Mid-term Exam (in class)

PART 3 - The Last Week in Jerusalem

<17> Thu Oct 27, 2022:

The Entry at Jerusalem - The End has come


<18> Tue Nov 1, 2022:

-- The messianic claim: the Messiah has come -- Anointing and Last Supper


<19> Thu Nov 3, 2022:

-- The Messiah claimant "on trial" before the Sadducees


<20> Tue Nov 8, 2022:

-- The Messiah claimant "on trial" before the Romans


<21> Thu Nov 10, 2022:

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


<22> Tue Nov 15, 2022:

Appendix: Nativity and the Hidden Years


< Thanksgiving Recess, no classes >


PART 4 - Cultural Portraits of Jesus

<23> Tue Nov 29, 2022:

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

<24> Thu Dec 1, 2022:

-- Jesus in Music (I & II)


<25> Tue Dec 6, 2022:

-- Jesus in the movies: Christian Jewish and Muslim


<26> Thu Dec 8, 2022:

-- Wrap-Up Session—-Who Was Jesus?


Final Exam

  • TBA

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 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 questions. 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 (f).

(d) As a written assignment (25% of your final grade), you have to pick up two major movies on Jesus (your choice must be pre-approved by your GSI) and write (by Dec 6, 2022) 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 questions aimed at a general review of the entire course), 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. 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. Upon request, you may be give some extra-assignments to improve your 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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