|
|
Description
|
|
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. 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).
|
|
|
Syllabus
|
|
Fall
2007 Syllabus (PDF)
|
|
|
Books (required)
|
|
Ehrman, Bart D.
The New Testament, A Historical Introduction to the Early
Christian Writings, 3rd Edition
Oxford University Press
ISBN 0195154622
|
|
|
|
