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

[[File:Madonna Child Islam.jpg|thumb|200px|An Islamic representation of Maryam and Isa (Mary and Jesus)]]
[[File:Crucifixion White Chagall.jpg|thumb|200px|A Jewish representation of Yoshua (Jesus) by Marc Chagall (1939)]]
[[File:Christ 6cent.jpg|thumb|200px|Portrait of Jesus (Sinai, 6th cent.)]]
[[File:Jesus Hunt.jpg|thumb|200px|[[The Light of the World (1854 Hunt), art]]]]
[[File:Isa Islam.jpg|thumb|200px|Isa (Jesus) bringing down heavenly food for his disciples (Quran 5:111-115 [cf. John, ch. 6])]]
[[File:Jesus Synagogue Tissot.jpg|thumb|200px|Yeshua (Jesus) preaching at the synagogue]]

[[File:Henderson-Bland Jesus Olcott.jpg|thumb|200px|Robert Henderson-Bland as ''Jesus'' in [[From the Manger to the Cross (1912 Olcott), film]]]]
[[File:Irazoqui Jesus Pasolini.jpg|thumb|200px|Enrique Irazoqui as ''Jesus'' in [[Il vangelo secondo Matteo (1964 Pasolini), film]]]]
[[File:Neeley Jesus Superstar.jpg|thumb|200px|Ted Neeley as Jesus in [[Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 Jewison), film]]]]
[[File:Jesus Godspell.jpg|thumb|200px|Victor Garber as Jesus in [[Godspell (1973 Greene), film]]]]
[[File:Kosi SonMan.jpg|thumb|200px|Andile Kosi as Jesus in [[The Son of Man (2005 Dornford-May), film]]]]
[[File:Nia Jesus Talebzadeh.jpg|thumb|200px|Ahmad Soleimani Nia as Jesus in [[Mesih (2007 Talebzadeh), film]]]]
[[File:Morgado Jesus Spencer.jpg|thumb|200px|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?
* See [[Jesus Myth Theory]] & [[Relics of Jesus]]
 
<2> Mon Sept 10, 2018:

-- Jesus in Christianity: An Overview (Paul & the synoptic tradition, The gospels of Thomas and John, the NT Apocrypha).
* See [[Paul of Tarsus]] -- [[Gospel of Mark]] -- [[Q Gospel]] -- [[Gospel of Matthew]] -- [[Gospel of Luke]] --  [[Gospel of John]] -- [[Gospel of Thomas]] -- [[NT Apocrypha]]
* Read the [[Gospel of Mark]]

<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. 
* See [[Jesus of Nazareth (sources)]]
* See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism%27s_view_of_Jesus Jesus in Judaism]
* Read Ancient Jewish Sources on Jesus


<4> Mon Sept 17, 2018:

-- Jesus in Islam: An Overview (I): the Qur'an & the Gospel of Barnabas
* See [[Jesus in Islam]] 
* See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVIxqXUjBoM "Inside Islam", National Geographical Documentary]
* See [[Gospel of Barnabas]] 
* See [[Mesih (2007 Talebzadeh), film]]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f7yqAucoHQ YouTube]


< 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
* See [[Historical Jesus Studies]]

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


<6> Wed Sept 26, 2018:

-- The diverse world of Second Temple Judaism. Competing ideas about evil and competing messianic expectations
* The diversity of Jewish parties: [[Sadducees]], [[Pharisees]] ([[Zealots]]), [[Essenes]], [[Hellenistic Judaism]]
* The diversity of Jewish views on the [[Messiah]]: [[Son of David]], [[Son of Man]], [[Melchizedek]], etc.
* See also [[Evil]], [[Last Judgment]]


[ 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. 
* See [[John the Baptist]] and [[John the Baptist (sources)]]
* See [[Preaching of John the Baptist]]
* See: [[Beheading of John the Baptist]], and [[Salome]]
* See [[Baptism of Jesus]]


<8> Wed Oct 3, 2018: 

-- The announcement of the Kingdom. -- Healing and Forgiveness -- The Beginnings of Jesus’ Ministry as a Miracle-Worker
* See [[Question about Fasting]]
* See [[Messengers from John the Baptist]] 
* See [[Beginning of Galilean Ministry]]
* See [[Man with an Unclean Spirit]]
* See [[Paralytic at Capernaum]]
* See [[Recruiting the Tax Collector]]
* See [[Jesus and the Adulteress]]
* See [[Lost Sheep]]
* See [[Prodigal Son]]
* See [[Workers in the Vineyard]]

<9> Mon Oct 8, 2018:

-- The Family and the Disciples, the Male and the Female 
* See [[Call of the First Disciples]]
* See [[Hometown Rejection]]
* See [[Jesus' True Relatives]]
* See [[Would-be Followers of Jesus]]
* See [[Choosing of the Twelve]]
* See [[Peter's Confession]]

<10> Wed Oct 10, 2018:

-- Relation with the Other Jewish group -- Agreements and Controversies with the Sadducees and the Pharisees
* See [[Question about the Resurrection]]; see also [[Sadducees]]
* See [[Great Commandment]]
* See [[Tradition of the Elders]]
* See [[Pharisee and the Publican]]
* See [[Question about the Son of David]]
* See also [[Pharisees]] and [[Pharisees (sources)]]

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

<11>  Wed Oct 17, 2018:

-- Relation with non-Jews (Gentiles)
* See [[Gerasene Demoniac]]
* See [[Canaanite Woman]]
* See [[Centurion's Servant]]

<12> Mon Oct 22, 2018:

--Teaching of Jesus -- The Parables

* See [[Workers in the Vineyard]]

(a) Forgiveness. Good Works, Moral Integrity
* See [[Unforgiving Servant]]
* See [[Talents]]
* See [[Judgment of the Son of Man]]
* See [[Sermon on the Mount]]
* See [[Little Children Blessed]]
* See [[Temptations to Sin]]

(b) Teaching of Jesus (II): Service, Love, [[Sharing of Goods]]
* See [[Rich Young Man]]
* See [[Rich Man and Lazarus]]
* See [[Zacchaeus]]
* See [[Feeding the Multitude]]
* See [[Greatest in the Kingdom]]
* See [[James' and John's Request]]
* See [[Good Samaritan]]


<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
* See [[Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem]]
* See [[Cleansing of the Temple]]
* See [[Plot to Kill Jesus]]
* See [[Betrayal of Judas]]

<15> Wed Oct 31, 2018:

-- The messianic claim: the Messiah has come-- Last Supper and Arrest of Jesus
* See [[Anointing of Jesus]]
* See [[Last Supper]]
* See [[Arrest of Jesus]]

<16> Mon Nov 5, 2018:

-- The Messiah claimant on trial before the authority of the Temple and the Romans
* See [[Trial of Jesus before the High Priest]]
* See [[Peter's Denial]]
* See [[Annas]] and [[Caiaphas]]
* See [[Trial of Jesus before Pilate]]
* See [[Pilate]], [[Herod Antipas]], and [[Barabbas]]

<17> Wed Nov 7, 2018

-- The Death and the Claim of Resurrection. Interpretation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
* See [[Way to Golgotha]], [[Crucifixion of Jesus]]
* See [[Thieves of Golgotha]]
* See [[Burial of Jesus]] and [[Empty Tomb]] 
* See [[Appearances of Jesus]]
* See [[Ascension of Jesus]]
* See [[Joseph of Arimathea]] and [[Nicodemus]]


<18> Mon Nov 12, 2018:

Appendix: Nativity and the Hidden Years
* See [[Nativity of Jesus]]
* See [[Jesus Hidden Years]]


====PART 4 - Cultural Portraits of Jesus ====

<19> Wed Nov 14, 2018:

-- Jesus in the visual Arts (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) 
* See [[Jesus in Visual Arts]]

<20> Mon Nov 19, 2018:
-- Jesus in the movies: Christian Jewish and Muslim
* See [[Jesus of Nazareth (cinema)]]


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


<21> Mon Nov 26, 2018:

-- Jesus in Music  (Christian)
* See [[Jesus in Music]]
* [[Godspell (1971 Schwartz), musical]]
* [[Jesus Christ Superstar (1971 Webber), opera]] & [[Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 Jewison), film]] 

<22> Wed Nov 28, 2018:

-- Jesus and the contemporary Jewish-Christian Dialogue.
* See [[Jewish-Christian Relations]] and [[Jewish views of Jesus]]

<23> Mon Dec 3, 2018:

-- Jesus and the contemporary Christian-Muslim Dialogue.
* See [[Muslim-Christian Relations]] and [[Muslim Jesus]]

<24> Wed Dec 5, 2018:

-- The Multi-Ethnic Jesus
* See "[[Black Jesus]]" & [[The Son of Man (2005 Dornford-May), feature film]]

<25> Mon Dec 10, 2018:

-- Wrap-Up Session—-Who Was Jesus?  
* See [[Jésus de Montréal (1989 Arcand), film]]

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.