The four canonical Gospels of the New Testament each paint a
unique portrait of Jesus, his life, ministry, death and resurrection.
How can we account for the differences and similarities in the Gospels?
This course will introduce students to the unique portrait of Jesus and to
the particular message that each Gospel writer intended for their
respective
audience in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. In order to
observe each portrait of Jesus with greater clarity and nuance, the
Gospels will be situated within their original political, cultural,
social, and religious contexts of the Jewish and Greco-Roman worlds of
Jesus and his early followers. Methods of critical interpretation will
be utilized to illuminate the Gospels' major themes while attention will
be given to how early Christian writings were composed, used, preserved and
collected.
