Marriage and Sexuality in the New Testament Schedule of Assignments

Schedule of Assignments

These assignments are subject to change by the professor.
 Students who miss a class should check the Courseware site for
announcements about the course, updates to the syllabus, and handouts. 



Students should bring the assigned readings (or detailed notes) to
class every day.

An* indicates an assignment in the Coursepack.

Tu Jan 21	Introductions
Th Jan 23	Backgrounds: The Family in the Roman World; Studying the New Testament Historically Explore all of the maps at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/roman.html Assignment in handout: - Rawson, "The Roman Family," in Rawson (ed.) The Family in Ancient Rome - Ehrman, "The Historian and the Believer," in Ehrman, The New Testament Recommended: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/tensions.html
Tu Jan 28	Gender and the Body Dirt, Greed, & Sex, 11-19 Rousselle, Porneia*, 5-46
Th Jan 30	Sex & Marriage in the Non-Christian Ancient World Dirt, Greed, & Sex 20-44 Brooten, Love Between Women, 1-9, 42-71
Tu Feb 4	Jesus Traditions on Marriage and the Family Learn about the Gospels at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/gospels.html Mt 10:34-39, Lk 12:51-53, Lk 14:26-27 Mt 12:46-50, Mk 3:31-35, Lk 8:19-21 Mt 22:23-24, Mk12:18-27, Lk 10:25-28, Lk 20:27-40 Mt 19:23-30, Mk 10:23-31, Lk 18:24-30 Jn 2:1-11 Countryman, Dirt, Greed, & Sex 45-66, 80-96, 147-156 Check out Jesus's family tree at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/tree.html
Th Feb 6	Dreamweaver Workshop HTML worksheet due Visit A Portrait of Jesus's World and read about "Jews in the Roman Empire" and "Apocalypticism" and post to the Courseware discussion board http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/
Tu Feb 11	Jesus Traditions on Adultery and Divorce Mt 5:27-32, Mk 9:42-48 Mt 19:1-12, Mk 10:1-12, Lk 16:18 Jn 7:53-8:11 Philo, Special Laws 594-602 Dirt, Greed, & Sex, 157-189 Rousselle, Porneia, 78-101
Th Feb 13	Jesus Traditions on Sexuality: Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven Mt 19:10-12 Mt 5:27-30, Mk 9:42-48 Lk 23:26-31 *Porneia 107-128
Tu Feb 18	Paul on Marriage and Sexuality, Part I 1 Cor 5-7, 11:1-12, 14:34-35 2 Cor 12:20-21 1 Thess 4:3-8 Gal 3:26-28, 5:19-20 Dirt, Greed, & Sex 97-98, 104-109, 190-220 *Musonius Rufus 85-89
Th Feb 20	Paul on Marriage and Sexuality, Part II Martin, The Corinthian Body, selections (handout)
Tu Feb 25	Paul on Homosexuality Part I Brooten, Love Between Women, 73-113 Rom 1:1-32 Dirt, Greed, & Sex 109-123
Th Feb 27	Paul on Homosexuality Part II Brooten, Love Between Women, 215-266
Tu Mar 4	Paul on Homosexuality Part III Brooten, Love Between Women, 267-302, 359-362 review *Philo 597-599 Bullough & Brundage, Sexual Practices, 55-71
Th Mar 6	Dreamweaver Workshop Paper #1 due
Tu Mar 11- Th Mar 13	No Class -- Spring Break
Tu Mar 18	The Household Codes 1 Cor 14:34-35 Col 3:18-4:1 Eph 5:21-6:9 1 Peter 2:18-3:7 1 Timothy 2:8-15, 5:1-8, 6:1-2 Titus 2:1-10, 3:1 Musonius Rufus 89-97 Plutarch, Advice to Bride and Groom Dirt, Greed, & Sex 124-129, 224-229, 232-234
Th Mar 20	Early Christian Asceticism and the Apocryphal Acts, Part I Chaereas and Callirhoe (selections) Acts of Thecla
Tu Mar 25	Early Christian Asceticism and the Apocryphal Acts, Part II 1 Tim 4:1-5 2 Tim 3:1-9 1 Peter 2:11 *MacDonald, The Legend and the Apostle, 54-77
Th Mar 27	Augustine on Lust, Marriage, and Original Sin Clark, St. Augustine, 13-31, 71-78, 99-105
Tu Apr 1	Augustine and Jerome: Marriage vs. Asceticism *Jerome, Against Jovinian I:1-15 Clark, St. Augustine, 42-70, 78-94 Bullough & Brundage, Sexual Practices, 22-33
Th Apr 3	The Perpetual Virginity of Mary Mt 1:1-25, Lk 1:1-2:40 Mk 3:31, 6:3, Mt 12:46, Mt 13:55-56, Lk 8:19, Jn 2:12, Jn 7:3-5, Acts 2:14, 1 Cor 9:5, Gal 1:19 *Proto-gospel of James, selections Clark, St. Augustine, 94-96 Bullough and Brundage, Sexual Practices, 102-117 Lecture by NT Scholar Bart Ehrman at Cornell, details TBA
Tu Apr 8 Updated 4/7/03	Prostitution and the Legend of Mary Magdalene Mt 26:6-13, Mk 14:3-9, Lk 7:36-50, Jn 12:1-8 Mt 27:55-61, Lk 8:1-3 Lk 10:38-42, Lk 12:1-3 Mt 28:1-10, Mk 6:1-13, Lk 23:49-24:35, Jn 19:25, 20:1-18, 1 Cor 15:4-8 Mary Rose D'Angelo, "Reconstructing 'Real' Women from Gospel Literature: The Case of Mary Magdalene," in Women and Christian Origins, 105-128 Gospel of Mary and Gospel of Philip selections (handout) Sexual Practices & the Medieval Church 34-42, 149-160 "St. Mary Magdalene" in the Golden Legend
Th Apr 10	Marriage and Celibacy in the Middle Ages, Part I Sexual Practices & the Medieval Church, 141-148 Letters of Abelard & Heloise, 57-108
Tu Apr 15	Marriage and Celibacy in the Middle Ages, Part II Sexual Practices & the Medieval Church, 118-134 Letters of Abelard & Heloise, 109-158, 180-82
Th Apr 17	Marriage and Virginity in the Reformation Luther, On Monastic Vows* & The Estate of Marriage (selections TBA) Merry Wiesner-Hanks, "From Spiritual Virginity to Family as Calling" in Gender, Church, & State in Early Modern Germany, 36-46 Merry Wiesner-Hanks, "Luther and Women: The Death of the Two Mary's" in Feminist Theology: A Reader, ed. Anne Loades, 123-34
Tu Apr 22	Modern Debates about Homosexuality Richard Hays, "Relations Natural and Unnatural: A Response to John Boswell's Exegesis of Romans 1," Journal of Religious Ethics 14 (1986) 184-215 Dale Martin, "Heterosexism and the Interpretation of Romans 1:18-32" Biblical Interpretation 3 (1995) 332-55 *Carter Heyward, "Heterosexist Theology: Being Above It All," Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 3.1 (1987) 29-38
Th Apr 24	AIDS * Cheryl J. Sanders, "Sexual Orientation and Human Rights Discourse in the African American Churches" in Sexual Orientation and Human Rights in American Religious Discourse, 178-184 *Victor Anderson, "Deadly Silence: Reflections on Homosexuality and Human Rights" in Sexual Orientation and Human Rights in American Religious Discourse, 185-200
Tu Apr 29	Women in Marriage Clarice J. Martin, "The Haustafeln (Household Codes) in African American Interpretation: 'Free Slaves' and 'Subordinate Women'" in Cain Hope Felder (ed), Stony the Road We Trod Southern Baptist Statement on the Family Paper #2 Due
Th May 1	Priestly Celibacy Sacerdotalis Caelibatus: Encyclical of Pope Paul VI on the Celibacy of the Priest (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/ hf_p-vi_enc_24061967_sacerdotalis_en.html) The Married Priest movement at http://www.rentapriest.com Theresa Mancuso, "Quest for an Undivided Heart" Review for Religious 1994:189-95 (handout)

Tues May 6

Final Projects Due and Presented to the Class

8 am, Final Exam Room

Schedule of Assignments

Tu Jan 21

Introductions

Th Jan 23

Backgrounds: The Family in the Roman World; Studying the New Testament Historically

Tu Jan 28

Gender and the Body

Th Jan 30

Sex & Marriage in the Non-Christian Ancient World

Tu Feb 4

Jesus Traditions on Marriage and the Family

Th Feb 6

Dreamweaver Workshop

Tu Feb 11

Jesus Traditions on Adultery and Divorce

Th Feb 13

Jesus Traditions on Sexuality: Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven

Tu Feb 18

Paul on Marriage and Sexuality, Part I

Th Feb 20

Paul on Marriage and Sexuality, Part II

Tu Feb 25

Paul on Homosexuality Part I

Th Feb 27

Paul on Homosexuality Part II

Tu Mar 4

Paul on Homosexuality Part III

Th Mar 6

Dreamweaver Workshop

Paper #1 due

Tu Mar 11- Th Mar 13

No Class -- Spring Break

Tu Mar 18

The Household Codes

Th Mar 20

Early Christian Asceticism and the Apocryphal Acts, Part I

Tu Mar 25

Early Christian Asceticism and the Apocryphal Acts, Part II

Th Mar 27

Augustine on Lust, Marriage, and Original Sin

Tu Apr 1

Augustine and Jerome: Marriage vs. Asceticism

Th Apr 3

The Perpetual Virginity of Mary

Lecture by NT Scholar Bart Ehrman at Cornell, details TBA

Tu Apr 8

Prostitution and the Legend of Mary Magdalene

Marriage and Celibacy in the Middle Ages, Part I

Tu Apr 15

Marriage and Celibacy in the Middle Ages, Part II

Th Apr 17

Marriage and Virginity in the Reformation

Tu Apr 22

Modern Debates about Homosexuality

Th Apr 24

AIDS

Tu Apr 29

Women in Marriage

Th May 1

Priestly Celibacy

Tues May 6

Final Projects Due and Presented to the Class