For almost two thousand years Jesus of Nazareth has been central to one of the world’s most popular and widespread religions, namely Christianity. However, in-depth scholarly study of Jesus has only existed for approximately two centuries, and much of it has been marked by controversy and inconsistency. This course is intended to introduce students to the figure of Jesus, the early authors that strove to understand him and present him to their audiences, the Jewish culture from which he emerged, and the religious and political environments with which he interacted. To do so, we will examine biblical and post-biblical writings’ portrayals of Jesus and modern scholarly approaches to all aspects of Jesus scholarship.
This course is Cross-Listed with JUDC 2027.
