Prof

MJ524: The Gospels in Their Jewish Context (4 units)

John Fischer, Visiting Professor of Judaic Studies
Summer 2005 Pasadena

DESCRIPTION:

The study of the gospels is undeniably indispensable for understanding Jesus the Messiah, both as to who he is and what he came to do. Therefore, gospel study is absolutely essential to a living faith. Further, it is important to know as much about Jesus' environment and background as possible, so as to accurately comprehend his life and teachings as found in the gospels. Israel and Judaism in the Second Temple period provide THE context for Jesus. As Hershel Shanks expressed it (“Beyond the Passion,” MOMENT, June 2004, p.10): “Many new and varying portraits of Jesus have been painted in recent scholarly studies, but all agree on one thing: Jesus was not incidentally Jewish, he was thoroughly Jewish. He lived and died as a Jew. And if you want to understand Jesus, you have to understand the Jewish world in which he lived.” Yet, often this background is neglected or simply not known. This course seeks to remedy that deficiency.

COURSE OVERVIEW:

• The nature of "gospel" and its interpretation
• The sources and origins of the gospels
• The backgrounds of the gospels
• The Jesus of the gospels
• The "portraits" of Jesus the Messiah by the gospels

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• To understand something of Second Temple Judaism and Israel
• To grasp the relationship of the Messiah to Judaism and its traditions
• To explore the richness, beauty and depth of the gospel presentations of Jesus
• To discover the underlying structure and patterns the gospel writers incorporated into their texts in order to communicate Jesus to their audience(s)
• To appreciate the various images, references and allusions used to convey Jesus' Messiahship and his relationship to Jewish history
• To more accurately interpret the gospels in their total context
• To stimulate further study in this field
• To get to know Jesus better

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture format, allowing time for questions and discussion.

REQUIRED READING:

D. Daube, The New Testament And Rabbinic Judaism
H. Falk, Jesus The Pharisee (Wipf &Stock)
B. Lee, The Galilean Jewishness Of Jesus (Paulist Press) [Skip 1st 50pp.]
D. Stern, Restoring The Jewishness Of The Gospel (Lederer Publications)
W.D. Davies, "My Odyssey in New Testament Interpretation," Bible Review (June 1989, pp. 10-18) (Available from Biblical Archeological Review http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbMktBook.html)
J. Fischer, “Jesus through Jewish Eyes: A Rabbi Looks at Jesus” (paper presented at the Evangelical Theological Society Convention, November 2003, available at: www.menorahministries.com)