COMP 263
Reading Jesus, Writing Gospels: Christian Origins in Context Spring 2024
Division I Writing Skills
Cross-listed REL 270 / CLAS 270

Class Details

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 reconstructions of early Christian history? The course is divided into four parts. The first part establishes the courses’s interpretive approach. The second part of this course explores aspects of the formation of Christianity from its origins as a Jewish movement until its legalization. The third part of the course focuses on the earliest literature produced to memorialize Jesus. The final part of the course emphasizes modern interpretations of Jesus and the movement of which he was a part; here we shall be examining how scholars make use of ancient materials to frame their arguments and the modern contexts and legacies of making meaning out of biblical and other ancient materials.
The Class: Format: seminar; lecture/discussion
Limit: 19
Expected: 19
Class#: 3717
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: three 3-page papers (with revisions), one 5- to 7-page paper (that builds on one of the earlier 3 page papers), and a final paper (7-10 pages, that draws on some of the earlier writing in addition to new writing)
Prerequisites: none; open to all
Enrollment Preferences: sophomores, especially potential majors in Religion, Classics, and Comparative Literature
Distributions: Division I Writing Skills
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
REL 270 Division II COMP 263 Division I CLAS 270 Division I
WS Notes: Students will write a series of short essays, with required revisions, to develop their skills in close reading of ancient texts and interpretive analysis of modern scholarship about Christian origins. In each successive section of the course, writing from the prior unit will inform the subsequent papers.

Class Grid

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