|
|
This class will open a doorway to antiquity. Jesus' and the
apostle Paul's contemporaries: Jews, Greeks, Romans and early
Christians of the first century of the Common Era will open
their houses to us, in Judea and Galilee, Asia Minor, Greece
and Rome. We will learn about their daily lives, their political
and economic struggles, their religious convictions and hopes.
The ancient writings which have been incorporated in the canon
of the church and are known to us as the 'New Testament' will
serve as starting points for our investigation into the ancient
Mediterranean world. Our approach to the New Testament writings
will be that of a historian of the ancient world. This means:
We will start from the assumption that the diverse texts united
in the New Testament were written by ancient authors for their
contemporary ancient audiences for a number of different purposes.
These authors as well as their audiences were shaped by the
world of the early Roman Empire which they populated and the
texts reflect this ancient world. As historians, it is our
duty and our aim to reconstruct the original setting of the
texts that have been handed down to us, using these texts
and all other sources available. We will pursue this task
starting from the realization that the "fear of false familiarity
is the beginning of historical wisdom" (Paula Fredriksen).
|
|
The following books are all mandatory for this class and
will be available at the University Supply Store by the beginning
of the semester:
B. D. Ehrman. A Brief Introduction to the New Testament.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
W. A. Meeks (ed.). The HarperCollins Study Bible. New
Revised Standard Version. San Francisco: Harper SanFrancisco,
1997.
G. Theissen. The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest of the
Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. Philadelphia: Fortress
Press, 1987.
|
| Gorgas
Course Reserves |
|
Fall
2004 Syllabus (PDF)
(Updated 9/10/2004)
|
| |
|
Final Examination
The final exam in this course is a multiple choice test, using
"bubble" scoring sheets. To fill in the answer sheet
during the test you will need to use a pencil and you
will need to know your new Campus-Wide ID (CWID) number.
Once the test is graded, you will be able to obtain your test
results over the web by visiting www.ssc.ua.edu/query
and selecting "Student Grades," and then entering
your CWID number and your password. Note: If you incorrectly
entered your CWID on the test scoring sheet you will not be
able to access your test grade online, since your test score
will not be matched correctly to your login. In that case,
contact the instructor.
|
|
