The Historical Jesus

Catalog description

«Who do people say that I am?» (Mk 8,27). This question of Jesus has intrigued all who have come into contact with him since his ministry in Galilee. For much of Christian history, the faithful were content to live with the answer volunteered by Simon Peter. However, with the 18th century advent of the use of historical critical methods in biblical studies, academics in the West began to formulate a new understanding of who Jesus was, who the first Christians believed him to be, and how that belief developed over time. After a brief review of these investigations, we will explore the criteria used by exegetes for exploring historicity in Gospel narratives. The bulk of the course will then examine significant events in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth to see how/if the «Jesus of History» is reconciled with the «Christ of Faith».