- Overview
- Module description
Encountering the Historical Jesus (THE2031)
Staff | Professor Louise Lawrence - Convenor |
---|---|
Credit Value | 30 |
ECTS Value | 15 |
NQF Level | 5 |
Pre-requisites | None |
Co-requisites | None |
Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
The main objective of the module is to provide you with specialised knowledge and critical understanding of the sources, methodologies, and ideological/contextual assumptions which surround the construction of the historical Jesus. An important aim of the seminars and assessments will be evaluation of scholarship on particular aspects of Jesus’ identity, purpose, and mission, and the gradual construction of one’s own picture of the historical Jesus. You will be equipped to understand and interpret a number of different texts, but also how scholarship reflects/responds to/and interacts with not just ancient, but also contemporary socio-political contexts and movements.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the various aims, agendas, sources and methodologies of contemporary historical Jesus scholarD
- 2. Apply diverse historical critical tools to selected New Testament texts and other relevant literature and evidence
- 3. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of diverse interpretive methods and judge the plausibility of various constructions of the historical figure of Jesus
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. Demonstrate knowledge of, and critical reflection on, contrasting scholarly and historical perspectives
- 5. Show the ability to make careful use of core methods of historical-critical and social-scientific biblical interpretation
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 6. Communicate clearly and imaginatively in both written and oral form
- 7. Construct logical and lucid arguments using appropriate methods
- 8. Participate appropriately within group work
- 9. Generously engage with methods and people who represent opinions and viewpoints different from your own
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Jesus Inside and Outside the New Testament
- Methodologies, Ideologies, and Scholarship
- Non-Historicity?
- Class, Social-Position, and Marital Status
- John the Baptist; Parables; Miracles; Birth, Death, Resurrection
- Receptions of Historical Jesus
- Jesus of Metropole and Global South
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
34 | 266 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 | 11 x 2 hour lectures |
Scheduled learning and teaching | 11 | 11 x 1 hour seminars |
Scheduled learning and teaching | 1 | 11 x 1 hour tutorial |
Guided independent study | 266 | Private study |
Formative assessment
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|
Plan/Draft of one 3000 word essay | Up to 3000 words | 1-7 | Individual tutorial |
Weekly WIKI post | 150 words x 10 | 1-7, 9 | Whole cohort feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
---|---|---|
100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Essay | 50 | 3000 words | 1-9 | Marked script |
Module Reflection/Review | 20 | 2000 words | 1-7, 9 | Marked script |
Presentation | 20 | 15 minutes | 1-9 | Marked script |
Participation | 10 | WIKI postings logged | 1-7, 9 | Marked |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Essay | Essay | 1-7 | Refer/Defer period |
Module Reflection/Review | Review | 1-7, 9 | Refer/Defer period |
Presentation | Script/Recording | 1-7 | Refer/Defer period |
Participation | Log of WIKI postings | 1-7, 9 | Refer/Defer period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Helen K. Bond, The Historical Jesus: A Guide for the Perplexed (T&T Clark, 2010). Available as electronic resource:
- https://r1.vlereader.com/Reader?ean=9780567456489
- J. M. Roberton, The Historical Jesus: A Survey of Positions (2016). Available as electronic resource.
- Amy-Jill Levine, Dale Allison, J.D. Crossan, The Historical Jesus in Context (2006). Available as electronic resource:
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7s40q
- P. Botha, ‘Historical Jesus Research and Relevance in South Africa’ HTS (2009) https://www.ajol.info/index.php/hts/article/view/56631
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
2009
Last revision date
27/01/2021
Key words search
Historical Jesus; New Testament Sources; Messianic/Prophetic Movements; Historical Methodologies/Ideologies; Receptions of Jesus