LIBS 329: Jesus and the Gospels

Course Description

Full Course Title: Jesus and the Gospels: Between Fact and Fiction- Who was Jesus of Nazareth? For centuries people seeking an answer have turned to the four gospels of the New Testament. But how reliable are those texts? Were they written in biographies, histories, or to fulfill other purposes? This course will address these and other questions associated with the quest for the historical Jesus. Students will be introduced to a variety of approaches involved in the literary historical study of the gospels and New Testament backgrounds, and learn about the methods scholars employ to move from these texts and contexts to an historical portrait of Jesus.