• This schedule is subject to change at the Professor's discretion. It is the responsibility of each student to keep up with schedule changes, even if absent.
• Assignments should be completed in time for class on the day on which they are listed on the syllabus.
• Students should bring to class any texts assigned for the day or detailed notes.

Part I: What is a socio-historical and literary study of the NT anyway??

M Jan 12 Introduction: What is religion? What is this class?

W Jan 14 Why Study the New Testament? What is the Academic Study of the Bible?

Survey on Blackboard
Ehrman, Excursus to Chapter 1 ("The Historian and the Believer")
In order to receive a passing grade for class participation, students must read this excursus and attend class Wednesday. Students who add the course after January 14 must provide a 1-2 pp. paper explaining the significance of this reading assignment in their own words and how Ehrman's points might affect their own personal experience of this course.

F Jan 16 Studying the New Testament Historically – Class meets online, not in our classroom today!

"What Can We Really Know About Jesus" at http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/reallyknow.html
"The Historian's Task" at http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/historians.html
Modified: Watch Sections 1 & 2 of Part 1 of the video "From Jesus to Christ" online at the PBS website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/watch/. The sections to watch are titled "The Quest for the Historical Jesus" and "The Place and Times in Which Jesus Grew Up"

On Friday morning from 9:30-10:30, go to the Discussion Board on Blackboard to post about the reading and video assignment; instructions will be on Blackboard.

M Jan 19 MLK Day: No Class

W Jan 21 The Winners Write History: Texts, Scribes, and the Christian Canon

Ehrman Chapter 1 (except Excursus)
Watch Obama's Inauguration on January 20. Identify religious themes, language, references, etc., in the speech, and any New Testament references in the inaugural prayers.
Daily Reading Response Assignment begins today! Submit your Reading Response on Blackboard by 8:30 am.

NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

Part II: The Greco-Roman and Jewish Context

F Jan 23 Civilization and Its Discontents: The Roman Empire

REVISED!
ADDED: Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, "Roman Empire: The Paradox of Power"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/empire_01.shtml
Valerie Hope, "Social Pecking Order in the Roman World" at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/social_structure_01.shtml

NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

DELETED: "Portraits of Greco-Roman Cities" at http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/portraits.html

M Jan 26 Pagans and Polytheism: Roman Religiosity

Ehrman Chapter 2
"The Empire's Religions," http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/empire.html
Optional: Visit the Roman Religion Gallery at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/roman_religion_gallery.shtml

NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

W Jan 28 Diversities of Judaism in the Roman Empire

Ehrman Chapter 3 -- READ THIS FIRST!!!!!
2 Maccabees introduction and chapters 8-11, 15 (in Study Bible)
2 Samuel 7:1-17
Psalm 2
Daniel 7
Read selections from the Dead Sea Scrolls at http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/scrollindex.html

NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

F Jan 30 Temple, Law, and Synagogue

Blackboard: Reading assignment on Philo and early rabbis on Jewish Law
"Temple Culture," http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/temple.html
Josephus on the Sack of Jerusalem, http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/josephussack.html

M Feb 2 Literacy and Literature

Ehrman Chapter 4
Bring questions for Exam to class.

W Feb 4 Exam 1

Part III: Jesus and the Readers and Writers of the Gospels

F Feb 6 Mark: The Secret Messiah

Ehrman Chapter 5
Mark (the Gospel of Mark in the Study Bible)
NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Feb 9 The "Synoptic Problem"

Review Ehrman Chapter 5 section "The Synoptic Problem"
On Blackboard: Throckmorton, Gospel Parallels selections
NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE (don't panic if you didn't see this before doing the reading; we're going over everything in class)

W Feb 11 Jesus' Birth and Baptism

Mark, review chapter 1
Matthew 1-4
Luke 1-5:11
Ehrman Chapter 6 section entitled "The Importance of Beginnings"; Chapter 7 section entitled "Luke's Birth Narrative in Comparative Perspective"
NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

F Feb 13 Jesus' Life and Teachings in Matthew & Luke

Matthew 5-25
Luke 5:12-chapter 21
Ehrman unread sections of Chapters 6 & 7
NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Feb 16 Presidents' Day: No Class

W Feb 18 Jesus' Trial, Death, and Resurrection

Matthew 26-28
Luke 22-24

NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

F Feb 20 John: Jesus as Divine Logos

Ehrman Chapter 8
John

NEW: STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Feb 23

Gospel of Thomas and "lost gospels" moved to Wednesday 2/25

W Feb 25 Jesus' Life and Teachings in the Gospel of Thomas and "Lost Gospels" REVISED!

Gospel of Thomas at http://pbs.gen.in/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/gthomas.html
The Gospel of Mary at http://www.gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm
Blackboard: The Gospel of Peter (found in Assignments on Blackboard)

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

F Feb 27 From Jesus to the Gospels to Early Christianity

Ehrman Chapter 10

REVISED!!! The Historical Figure of Jesus

Ehrman Chapter 9
Blackboard: Fredriksen, "Did Jesus Oppose the Purity Laws?"

M Mar 2 Review for Exam

For Reading Response, post questions and topics for review.

W Mar 4 Exam 2

F Mar 6 Assignment TBA

Mar 9-13 No classes: Spring Break

M Mar 16 Imagining Jesus’ Birth and Childhood

Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Proto-Gospel (Protoeuangelion) of James

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

W Mar 18 Individual paper conferences -- REVISED!!!

Sign up for paper conferences on Blackboard; do not come to the classroom

F Mar 20 Submit thesis and outline to paper # 1 on BB by 8:30 am.

Professor will review in class examples of potentially successful theses and unsuccessful theses in class (names removed, of course)
No Reading Response

M Mar 23 Paper #1 Due in Class and on Blackboard

Extra Credit:  Attend Lecture by Marc Brettler on Early Judaism (time and location TBA)

Part 4: Paul and the Pauline Communities

W Mar 25 Luke’s Second Act(s)

Ehrman Chapter 11
Acts

F Mar 27 Meet the Apostle: 1 Thessalonians

Ehrman Chapters 12-13
1 Thessalonians

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Mar 30 Sex in the City: Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians

Ehrman Chapter 14, section on 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

W Apr 1 More Sex in the City

Ehrman Chapter 14, section on 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

F Apr 3 Law & Order: Galatians

Ehrman Chapter 15, section on Galatians
Galatians

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Apr 6 Letters from an Asia Minor Jail (or Two)

Ehrman Chapter 15, sections on Philippians and Philemon
Philippians
Philemon

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

W Apr 8 All Roads Lead to Rome

Ehrman Chapter 16
Romans

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

F Apr 10 The Pretenders, Part 1

Ehrman Chapter 17 sections on Pseudonymity and the Deutero-Pauline Epistles
2 Thessalonians
Colossians
Ephesians

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Apr 13 Travel Day – No Class

W Apr 15 The Pretenders, Part 2

Ehrman Chapter 17, sections on the Pastoral Epistles to end of chapter
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

F Apr 17 The Pauline Tradition and Women

Ehrman, Chapter 18
Reread “Household Codes” in Colossians and Ephesians
Blackboard: Acts of Paul and Thecla

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Apr 20 Paper 2 due in class and on Blackboard

In class: screening of part of The DaVinci Code

W Apr 22 Debunking The DaVinci Code

Review:
• Mt 26:6-13, Mk 14:3-9, Lk 7:36-50, Jn 12:1-8 (anointing)
• Mt 27:55-61, Lk 8:1-3 (list of women followers)
• Lk 10:38-42; Jn 11:1-3; 11:17-22, 11:32-33 (Mary/Martha)
• Mt 28:1-10, Mk 16:1-13, Lk 23:49-24:35, Jn 19:25, 20:1-18 (resurrection)
Read Gospel of Mary at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/mary.html
Read handout of selections of the Gospel of Philip

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

Part 5: Persecution, Identity Crises, and the End of the World

F Apr 24 Christian and Jewish Self-Definition; Pagans and Persecution

Ehrman Chapter 19
Hebrews
1 Peter

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M Apr 27 Christians and Christians

Ehrman Chapter 20
James
Jude
2 Peter
1, 2, 3 John

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

W Apr 29 Apocalypse Now

Ehrman Chapter 21’s section entitled “Apocalyptic World Views and Apocalypse Genre”
The book of Daniel in your Study Bible
1 Enoch selections at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/primary/enoch.html
Optional: Surf around more on the PBS site http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/

F May 1 The End of the World as We Know It

Ehrman Chapter 21
Revelation
Blackboard: Apocalypse of Peter Cancelled!

STUDY GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE

M May 4 Review

For Reading Response, post questions and topics for review by noon Sunday

W May 13, 8-11 am: Exam 3 (covers material since Exam 2)