TRL-303A Jesus Christ in Time and Image
26-02-2006 07:53 MST

Fall 2006
Much work for this course must be completed during the Summer of 2006. Early enrollment only, therefore.

• 3 cr
• UGF core, religious dimension - theology, TRL major requirement, TRL minor elective
• Professor: J. Taylor
• Day & Time: Monday 7:00-10:00 PM (Usual)
  Exceptions: No class on Monday 18 Sept, subst. Fullam presentation on 22nd
  No class Monday, 2 Oct., subst. Dr. Barry Ferst presentations on 4th
  No class Monday, 16 Oct., subst. Dr. John Dunne presentations on 3 Nov.
  
• Places: PROV 108 and as announced

DESCRIPTION

A renewed pedagogy thus grants access to the basics, so that they do not seem to be mere neutrons of information, but parts of a whole system of teaching, meant to hand on in a time-tested way the story of God's love in Christ. Learning that Catholic teaching talks about Christ as two natures in one person is not a mildly amusing intellectual puzzle, something like two-in-one breath mints, only less useful. It is a apecial shorthand for talking about how the Son of God truly threw in his lot with us. Christ is the real God, not a high-ranking relation of God's who accepted the sorrows of human life under the same conditions we know. Thus, in speaking about the Incarnation, the connection to the doctrine of the Trinity emerges. Only by presenting the whole system is access granted to any of its parts. -John Cavadini

Cavadini touches on what we want to do in this course, at least synchronically: we want to see how Jesus has been interpreted at different moments in the past, and in the present; and how the doctrines about Jesus began as crystallized community thought about him, and then shaped the images we see. The course is, therefore, a study in how the image and concept of Jesus relates to, and perhaps shapes, our own concept of "What it means to be human" and our response to the call to transcendence that marks so many human endeavors. In what way does Jesus demonstrate and enable us to be 'spiritual'? Is modern individualism the result of or a reaction against Jesus?

PURPOSE

• Develop skills to discuss various perspectives on Jesus
  • New Testament views
  • Various views developing over the first five centuries of the Christian movement, and the reasons for them
  • Standard Doctrine - Nicaea, Ephesus, Chalcedon
• Discuss contemporary proposals
  • Problems from the Enlightenment & Empiricism perpsectives
  • Standard Doctrine - Wright, Brown, later Borg, &c.
  • Language vs. Meaning: Borg, Roger Haight
  • Jesus Seminar: Crossan, Hart
  • Expanded visions: Cobb, Schillebeeckx
  • Liberation view: Sobrino

PRODUCT & PERFORMANCE

• Weekly discussions of readings
• Discussion of the development of images in socio-poltical environments (Pelikan)
• Presentation of progress on specific topics and perspectives
• Development of bibliography
• Final panel (building on each participant's paper)

FEEDBACK LOOPS

For assessment of progress and of learning, to see if outcomes are in line with objectives;
all course activities call for feedback marking progress in learning.

• Critical Incident Report - feedback on each session
  The good, the bad, and the ugly. Questions or issues you'd like to discuss further? Something strike you especially? Take issue with something said?
• for student work (html - if you just want to look at it) (web-fillable form available here)
• for teacher work (html - if you just want to look at it) (web-fillable form available here)

Grading
See Grade Standards Sheet

• Completing the work is essential. Quality and commitment are outlined in the Standards sheet
• PASS/FAIL Option is available to eligible students who elect it at the beginning of the course.
  • P/F is not for everybody - majors in one of the three areas may not be eligible
  • P/F requires 'C' level work at a minimum - it is probably not a good option if you normally do 'B' or 'A' work
  • P/F does not affect grade point averages
• The question to ask in this course is not: "How do I get a better grade?" nor "Can I get extra credit?" but "How do I do better work?"

READING, LOOKING

• Pelikan, Jaroslav. Jesus through the Centuries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 19992. ISBN 0-300-07987-7
• Thomas P. Rausch.Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology. Collegeville MN: Liturgical Press, 2003. (A Michael Glazier Book) ISBN 0-8146-5078-3
  There is a good glossary at the end of Rausch's book - very helpful for the memory exercises on the vocabulary of Christology.
• Tyrone L. Inbody.The Many Faces of Christology. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002. ISBN 0-687-03003-X
  Inbody's book should be an easier read than Rausch's. He himself comes from the evangelical tradition, and teaches at an evangelical seminary. His insights on Christology in that perspective are valuable.
• Miles, Jack. Christ, a Crisis in the Life of God. New York: Vintage, 2002. ISBN: 679781609
• Haight, Roger. The Future of Christology. New York: Continuum, 2005. ISBN 0826417647
• __________, Jesus, Symbol of God. New York: Orbis Books, 2000. ISBN 1570753113
• Borg, Marcus. Meeting Jesus again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contermporary Faith. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, Harper, 1995. • ISBN: 0-06-060917-6
• Wright, N. T. Who Was Jesus? Grand Rapids MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993 • ISBN: 0802806945
  Borg and Wright are friends. The earlier Borg (of Meeting Jesus) was much further from Wright in his position on Jesus than the later Borg (of ...)