The Four Gospels of the New Testament

In this autumn course, we will read the four “canonical” gospels as the first part of a three quarter sequence on the New Testament. Matthew, Mark and Luke, the first three gospels, are often called “the synoptic gospels” because the plots and compositions are similar. In the seminar portion of this course, we will read these synoptic gospels with the aid of a book that publishes them in parallel columns. In this way, we will see the similarity in their accounts, as well as telling details that distinguish one gospel from the other. In the tutorial, we will focus on the Gospel of John because it tells the story of Jesus differently with more dialogue and thematic development. All four Gospels arise from the world of Second Temple Jewish literature and the Jewish culture of the first century (CE). Moreover, this study of the Gospels will show signs of the views of the early church on the life of Jesus and raise questions about the historical Jesus that have occupied scholars for centuries.

Notes

Online registration closes September 24 at 5 pm CT.

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