Jesus: Person, Politics & Ethics
 

Who was Jesus?  The search for the Jesus of history, which has occupied the attention of scholars for centuries, has produced a bewildering array of answers to this question.  This unit begins by considering how to use the gospels and other sources to reconstruct what can be known about the life of Jesus.  Jesus of Nazareth lived and taught in a time of intense nationalism and social unrest.  Contrary to the popular portrait of Jesus standing aloof from governmental concerns and calling his disciples to an apolitical life, Jesus took a keen interest in issues of power and status, and taught on subjects as perennial and secular as taxation and civil disobedience.  Along with considering such material the unit will examine the ways in which traditions about Jesus have been and are used in Western politics today, with examples drawn from the USA, the UK and Australia.


When & Where Offered

This unit is offered in Semester 2 2008.  Classes will be held in two locations: at Macquarie University and on the University of New South Wales Campus.

What students have said about this subject

"I had not given sufficient (if any) consideration to the historical and social context of Jesus. It has been really rewarding and beneficial to consider who he was in the context of first century Palestine.  In the past I have fallen into the trap of considering Jesus totally through my 21st

century lens."

"My view of Jesus has significantly changed. One of the most significant things I learnt was how to critically analyse the text and the importance of understanding the context in which the story is written. Using these methods, I learnt so much more about Jesus' personality, teachings

and mission. The ethics and particularly the political views of Jesus' were also areas I had very little knowledge in."


Unit Convenors

John Dickson

John has had a varied life as a singer/songwriter, a television show host, an Anglican Minister, and an author. John studied theology at Moore Theological College and did his Ph.D. in ancient history at Macquarie University, exploring the expansion of earliest Christianity in the Greco-Roman world. John holds the position of Honorary Associate in the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University, and is engaged in continuing research. He is co-drector (with Greg Clarke) of The Centre for Public Christianity

Murray Smith, B.A. USyd, M.A. Mod. Hist. USyd, M.A. ECJS. MacU, PhD Cand.

Murray has a B.A. and M.A. (Honours) in Modern History from Sydney University.  He has also completed his M.A. in Early Christian and Jewish Studies from Macquarie University.  He is currently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Ancient History at Macquarie University working on Early Christian Second Coming Expectation.

Unit Code and Details

IN416 (MCSI 206/306) Jesus: Person, Politics and Ethics
This unit is equivalent to a standard semester unit at advanced level.  For example it is worth:
3 credit points at 200* level towards Maccquarie University undergraduate degrees
4 credit points at 400 level towards Australian College of Theology undergraduate degrees.

For advice on how to credit this subject to other institutions please contact our advisor.

*Note: from January 2008 MCSI units are no longer able to be credited at 300 level towards Macquarie Degree programs.  Students enrolling in this unit will receive 3 credit points at 200 level.

Prerequisites: the equivalent of 6 months (1 semester) full time study (4 subjects) of university level study should be completed before enrolling in this subject.   (Students not meeting this prerequisite can request permission from MCSI Dean to enrol) 


It is recommended but not required that students have completed either or both of:

Worldview Survey: IN301 (MCSI 100) or
Bible Survey: IN302: (MCSI 101)

Unit Content /Lecture Topics

Week 1         Faith, History and Worldview         

Week 2         Gospels - Canonical and Apocryphal

Week 3         The Quests for the ‘Historical Jesus'

Week 4         The Social and Political World of First Century Palestine

Week 5         Jesus in First Century Judaism

Week 6         Jesus, Eschatology and the ‘Kingdom of God'

Week 7         Jesus, Ethics and the Law

Week 8         The ‘Sermon on the Mount'

Week 9         Messianic Ethics for Today?

Week 10        Resurrection?; Counter-cultural community

Week 11        Wealth and Poverty

Week 12        Violence, War and Peace

Week 13        Resistance, Assimilation and Protest


Textbooks and Reading

There are two required texts for this unit:
Witherington, Ben.  The Jesus Quest.  The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth. 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1997)

Storkey, Alan.  Jesus and Politics. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2005)