jeremy.garber@iliff.edu
Who is Jesus of Nazareth, and what is his relationship to Jesus Christ? This course will examine this central question in multiple religious and non-religious cultural contexts. We will use the methods of comparative theology to read ideas about Jesus in the contexts of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Paganism, Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR), and non-theistic texts. Students will compare and contrast these ideas of Jesus to create their own understanding of Jesus’ narrative and his relationship to our present world in their particular context.
Who is Jesus of Nazareth, and what is his relationship to Jesus Christ? This course will examine this central question in multiple religious and non-religious cultural contexts. We will use the methods of comparative theology to read ideas about Jesus in the contexts of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Paganism, Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR), and non-theistic texts. Students will compare and contrast these ideas of Jesus to create their own understanding of Jesus’ narrative and his relationship to our present world in their particular context.
Participation and Class Discussion: 40%
Short Papers and Discussion Facilitation: 20%
Final Project: 20%
Students will be required to post a short response to weekly discussion prompts in the asynchronous online forum and respond to at least two other posts during the following week. This will be assessed in participation and class discussion. Missing more than one week will mean automatic failure of the class. Posting one week late will mean a reduction of one letter grade. Posts after two weeks will be an automatic zero.
There will be three mandatory 90-minute Zoom synchronous sessions for discussion and participation.
Each student will write a three-page response paper to the readings for the week and three discussion questions, and lead discussion on that week’s forum. This will be the short paper assignment.
Masters students will write a 12- to 15-page final paper on their own comparative or constructive Christology, or other topic on consultation with the instructor. PhD students will write a 25- to 30-page paper.
DMin students will design a teaching curriculum or sermon series presenting key aspects of the course for use with their research community.
I am an ADA coordinator myself and sensitive to the needs of disabled students. You can find DU’s accommodation policy at https://www.du.edu/studentlife/disability-services/facultystaff/index.html
You can find the DU Religious Accommodation policy at https://www.du.edu/studentlife/religiouslife/aboutus/policy.html
Date | Day | Details | |
Jun 14, 2022 | Tue | Week One: Jesus, Comparative Theology, and Hermeneutics | due by 05:59AM |
Jun 20, 2022 | Mon | Week One Discussion: Jesus in the Gospels | due by 05:59AM |
Jun 21, 2022 | Tue | Week Two: Jesus in His Context | due by 05:59AM |
Jun 23, 2022 | Thu | Week Two Zoom Check-In | due by 10:30PM |
Jun 27, 2022 | Mon | Week Two Discussion: Jesus in His Context | due by 05:59AM |
Jun 28, 2022 | Tue | Week Three: Jesus and Empire | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 04, 2022 | Mon | Week Three Discussion: Jesus and Empire | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 05, 2022 | Tue | Week Four: Jesus and Modernism | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 11, 2022 | Mon | Week Four Discussion: Jesus and Modernism | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 11, 2022 | Mon | Project Proposal | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 12, 2022 | Tue | Week Five: Jesus and Atheism | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 14, 2022 | Thu | Week Five Zoom Check-In | due by 10:30PM |
Jul 18, 2022 | Mon | Week Five Discussion: Judaism, Atheism, and Jesus Problems | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 19, 2022 | Tue | Week Six: Jesus and New Religious Movements | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 25, 2022 | Mon | Week Six Discussion: Jesus and New Religious Movements | due by 05:59AM |
Jul 26, 2022 | Tue | Week Seven: Jesus and Paganism | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 01, 2022 | Mon | Week Seven Discussion: Jesus and Paganism | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 01, 2022 | Mon | Project Check-In | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 02, 2022 | Tue | Week Eight: Jesus and Islam | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 04, 2022 | Thu | Week Eight Zoom Check-In | due by 10:30PM |
Aug 08, 2022 | Mon | Week Eight Discussion: Jesus and Islam | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 09, 2022 | Tue | Week Nine: Jesus and Asian Religions | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 11, 2022 | Thu | Peer Review | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 15, 2022 | Mon | Week Nine Discussion: Jesus and Asian Religions | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 16, 2022 | Tue | Week Ten: Your Own Personal Jesus | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 22, 2022 | Mon | Short Paper and Discussion Facilitation | due by 05:59AM |
Aug 22, 2022 | Mon | Final Project | due by 05:59AM |