RLB218 Historical Jesus

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2023

The course is not taught in Autumn 2023

Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Ivona Vrzalová
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course follows three wawes of the "quest of historical Jesus" and their contemporary criticism in theology and the study of religions. It is focused on methodological aspects of Jesus research, especially on transformations of his character within the process of early Christian mythmaking.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will be able to:
  • distinguish different layers in ancient sources about Jesus on the basis of textual criticism;
  • analyze theological and ideological tendencies in different sources relating to the figure of Jesus;
  • formulate methodological problems connected with the question of Jesus' historicity;
  • evaluate the possibility of historical reconstruction of Jesus' life and teaching on the basis of available sources;
  • appraise the "quest of historical Jesus" as a theological concept of modern times.
    • Syllabus
    • Introduction to the course.
    • Outline of Jesus research.
    • Criteria in the research of Jesus' historicity.
    • Christian sources to the historical Jesus.
    • Non-Christian sources to the historical Jesus.
    • Forms of Jesus' teaching.
    • Jesus' biography in socio-historical context.
    • Jesus' trial, execution and burial.
    • Jesus' titles and attributes.
    • Variety of Jesus' profiles.
    • Jesus in confrontation with analogical characters.
    • Tensions between the historical Jesus and early Christology.
    Literature
      recommended literature
    • POKORNÝ, Petr. Ježíš Nazaretský : historický obraz a jeho interpretace. 1. vyd. Praha: Oikoymenh. 174 s. ISBN 8072981358. 2005. info
    • FUNDA, Otakar Antoň. Ježíš a mýtus o Kristu. Vyd. 1. Praha: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, nakladatelství Karolinum. 366 s. ISBN 9788024612768. 2007. URL info
    • THEISSEN, Gerd and Annette MERZ. Der historische Jesus : ein Lehrbuch. 3., durchgesehene und um Lit. In Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. 570 s. ISBN 3525521987. 2001. info
    • HURTADO, Larry W. Lord Jesus Christ : devotion to Jesus in earliest Christianity. Pbk. ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans publishing company. xxii, 746. ISBN 0802831672. 2005. info
    • MACK, Burton L. The Christian myth :origins, logic, and legacy. New York: Continuum. 237 s. ISBN 0-8264-1355-2. 2001. info
    Teaching methods
    Lectures, class presentation on a chosen topic; semestral written commentaries; class discussions; presentation and defense of colloquial essay.
    Assessment methods
    Requirements for the colloquium:
  • semestral presentation of a chosen topic;
  • five semestral written commentaries on assigned texts;
  • at least three presentations in class discusion concerning commentaries;
  • colloquial essay including its defense.
    The final assessment includes: semestral commentaries and presentations in class discussions (100 points in a ratio 60:40 = 50 %, limit 60 points); semestral presentation a chosen topic and colloquial essay (100 points in a ratio 50:50 = 50 %, limit 60 points).
    • Language of instruction
    Czech
    Follow-Up Courses
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    Course is no more offered.
    The course is taught: every week.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
    Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2007, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2016.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2023/RLB218