Not offered 2007-2008
REL 210 Reading Jesus, Writing Gospels: Christian Origins in Context (Same as Classics 210) (W)
What were the religious and cultural landscapes in which Christianity emerged? How did inhabitants of the ancient Mediterranean world speak about the concept and significance of
religion? How have scholars of early Christianity answered these questions? What are the
implications of their various readings of early Christian history? In the first half of this
course, we shall address these questions by examining the formation of Christianity from its
origins as a Jewish movement until its legalization, using a comparative socio-historical
approach. In the second half of the course, we shall examine the earliest literature produced
by the Jesus movement and consider it within a comparative framework developed in the
first half of the course.
Format: lecture/discussions. Requirements: one class presentation; three 3-page papers, one
5- to 7-page paper, and a final paper (15 pages).
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 10). Preference given to sophomores but is
open to all classes.
BUELL