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HIST4217: Jew, Greek and Roman:
Backgrounds of Early Christianity
Spring 2016, Monday/Wednesday 2:01-3:20, BLB040
Instructor: Prof. Christopher Fuhrmann ()
Office: 264 Wooten Hall (565-4527). Office hours: Monday 8:40-10:50, and by appointment.Please let me know if you are planning to come to my office hours. Unfortunately, because of my schedule, I cannot talk with students one-on-one right before or right after class. The best way to contact me is via email. If I do not reply to your email within 24 hours of your sending it, I did not receive it and you should re-send it to me.
Course description:
This course provides a historical introduction to the origins and early spread of the world’s largest religion. Topics include the historical climate into which Christianity first emerged(ancient Judaism, the Roman Empire, and the cosmopolitan culture of the Hellenistic Greek cities) and the origins and growth of Christianity itself(the ministry of Jesus, persecutions, the career of Paul, the slow growth of Christian communities, and the conversion of Emperor Constantine.) This semester we will focus particularly on the text of the Christian New Testament, and the later emergence of Gnosticism. We will not focus on theology.
This is a discussion-driven course where all students are expected to participate often and equally (otherwise, class will really stink). The reading and writing load, and overall expectations, are very high. Do not attempt to take this class if you don’t really have at least ten hours per week to devote to it. If you prefer lecture courses, consider dropping this course and enrolling in my HIST 3760 instead.
Course objectives:
-To understand the roots of Christianity; to appreciate the context of first-century Christianity.
-In general, to read and discuss interesting books of and about ancient religion (primary sources and modern scholarship); and sharpen your academic skills.
-To understand complicated historical problems in early Christian texts; to learn about diversity within early Christian thinking, and the eventual emergence of orthodoxy and of the Catholic Church.
-To practice the discipline of accomplishing hard things; to know the satisfaction of achieving something difficult.
-To conduct class without any cell phone use whatsoever at any point by anyone; to re-evaluate what went wrong with your life if not playing with your “smart” phone for an hour or two is somehow difficult. Failure to follow this and other straightforward guidelines will utterly frustrate and perplex the professor.
Required textbooks (6):Buy them all now, in the student stores in Denton. I have ensured the right books are physically there for you.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: NRSV (College Edition, ed. Coogan), 4th edition. 9780195289541
B. D. Ehrman: The New Testament: A Historical Introduction. 6th edn. Oxford. 9780190203825
C. E. Hill: Who Chose the Gospels? Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy. Oxford. 9780199640294
E. P. Sanders: The Historical Figure of Jesus. Penguin. 9780140144994
Sarah Ruden: Paul among the People. Image (Penguin). 9780385522571
Nicola Denzey Lewis: Introduction to "Gnosticism": Ancient Voices, Christian Worlds. Oxford. 9780199755318
In addition, some primary sources, information packets, and handouts will be distributed via our Blackboard internet space atlearn.unt.edu(log on using your EUID; call 565-2324 for help). I will use this tool extensively to post announcements and materials. Be sure to check it at least twice a week.
Note: All the above books are absolutely required, and are (or soon will be) available in both UNT branches of Voertman’s, and in the UNT on-campus bookstore. Please buy them there, now; cheaper used copies for most titles are available in the stores. Please do not buy the books piecemeal from random online used booksellers. Bring the books and/or a scan of all assigned readings to class when the readings are to be discussed. If you “can’t afford the books” then you can’t afford the class—trying to take the class without the assigned books will be a fruitless waste of time. If you are in financial difficulties I would be glad to suggest which possessions you should sell in order to afford the books. Having lived much of my own life in miserable pennilessness, I have no problem with you living in soul-crushing poverty.
Course requirements: Do not use the internet for any assignments in this class.
Midterm and final exam: 20% each (40% total) of your final grade.
Book review: 20%
Reaction papers: 20%
Participation and preparation, broadly defined: 20%
Final grades will be determined as follows, based on percent-averages of your grades:
100-90=A (excellent)89-80=B (good) 79-70=C (mediocre)69-60=D (poor)>60=F (fail)
Details:
The two exams will require long, hand-written essay responses to questions over our reading assignments, lectures, and discussions, along with short-answer questions on specific texts and issues. Certain elements of the final exam will be cumulative. Further details will be announced before each exam.
The book reviewwill be a 5-6 page original and informed reaction to an approved book about the history of ancient religion. You will choose your own book, but I must approve it in an individual consultation. Possible titles are legion; see Blackboard for several examples (some of the books from that long list I know by title only, so do not assume each is pre-approved; browsing the library shelves may be a good idea). The criteria for a suitable book include rigorous documentation, applicable subject matter, historical methodology, and accessibility; books which are mostly theological, devotional, apologetic, or polemic are rarely suitable for this assignment. There is no specific due date for these reviews; each of you will need to review your overall class schedule, select your own due date on a class day in March or April which is best for you, and make a contract with me promising that you will turn in your paper by the selected date. You will need to make your due date selection by the fourth week of class, but you will not necessarily need to have a specific book picked out by then.
Guidance on writing the review is posted on Blackboard (“BookReviewInstructions.doc”).
Each student will submit the book review in two formats: hardcopy, and electronically via Blackboard (where it will be checked by the plagiarism-detection program TurnItIn). The most important requirement is that all your work in this class is your own work; once you have made your book selection DO NOT USE THE INTERNET or any other outside resource in composing your review. Each student must adhere to the class’s Academic Integrity standards; I cannot grade your review until I have a signed Academic Integrity statement from each of you (see attached, and on Blackboard). Any plagiarism – especially cutting and pasting from the internet – will earn you an F in the course and a formal university prosecution. I promise.
If you would rather do a research paper instead of a book review, talk to me. I am open to that possibility.
If you ever feel the need to appeal a grade you have received on any piece of work, please wait 24 hours, then state your case in writing, and resubmit the graded item with your statement.
Reaction paperswill be turned in at the beginning of class, covering the reading assigned on that day, and will be one to two pages long, typed, single spaced. (The preferable format is 11 or 12 pt. Times New Roman font, 3-4 paragraphs.) These must fit on one sheet of paper, no exceptions. Really. Do not exceed 1000 words. The goal of these papers is to get you to read and think about the primary sources in advance of the discussion; it’s OK to give a “wrong” answer or dubious interpretation in your paper, as long as it represents your own good-faith effort to analyze the readings. The point is not to summarize the reading, but to offer an informed reaction to it, answering the posted analytical questions (which will be posted on Blackboard). There are about 30 chances to do a reaction paper; you must turn in 10 papers, including two before the second week of February (i.e. beforeFebruary 8). Turning in more than 10 papers will earn you some extra credit. The main basis for the grade you’ll receive on each paper is how well you show me that you have read and pondered the entire assignment (proven by ample specific references to the reading material) and thought about the posted analysis questions. In addition, I want you to offer a personal reaction and evaluation of the readings (e.g. what you liked or disliked about the reading). Papers should also be well written and free of grammatical or typographical errors. Again: do not merely summarize the reading or tell me what it says. Plagiarism on any reaction paper will yield the same results described above.
Participation and preparationencompasses a number of things.
1. Attendance. Each student is expected to attend every class session and be prepared to participate. You may have two unexcused absences, no questions asked. Save them for an emergency. An absence may be excused only with proper documentation (doctor’s note, funeral program/obituary, etc. Absences due to work commitments are not excusable.) Each unexcused absence after the two permitted ones will result in a five point deduction from your final grade. A roll will be called or passed at each class meeting; it is your responsibility to make sure you are counted present. I will drop students who attain 7 unexcused absences and assign them a grade of F or WF.
2. Punctuality. I understand the difficulties of student life; coming in late does not offend me and I would much prefer you to come in late than not at all. But late entries distract me and your classmates. Each tardy or early departure will count as one-half absence (with a parallel effect on your grade; i.e. a 2.5 point deduction for a tardy or early departure if you already have 2 unexcused absences or 4 tardies/early departures).
3. Regular, active engagement in class discussion. I understand some students are shy and might be hesitant to speak up. I might call on such students (in a friendly way). The goal is to have all students participate on a relatively equal basis. I cannot, will not allow any particular student to dominate discussion. After every class I will assign each student an actual grade for that day’s discussion. You may ask yourself, “What if I’m completely unprepared for class? Should I just skip?” No! Come and take your chances. Each student will have two “Get out of jail free cards,” which allow you to lay low for a class if you need the break. Students who always come prepared will be handsomely rewarded.
Participation in class discussion is required of all students, and again “hogging the mic” is as bad as never contributing. Actually, it’s worse. If you try to answer every comment or point with a self-promoting and lengthy soliloquy, everyone will hate you, and no one more than I. The ideal we must shoot for is to have a class where everyone chips in a few well-informed comments or questions in class discussion. How good or bad our class meetings are depends entirely on you.
4. Maintaining classroom etiquette and a respectful atmosphere. Religious matters can be touchy; it is absolutely essential that we maintain a respectful atmosphere. In general, let’s follow Jesus’ golden rule, and treat each other as you would like to be treated (cf. Tobit 4:15; Sirach 31:15; Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31; Talmud Shabbat 31a). Try to see things from my perspective; lecturing and leading class discussion is demanding and I am easily distracted by certain atrocious student behaviors. As a result, the class suffers, and so will your grade if necessary. Avoid the following at all costs:
A. Talking (any private conversation, even if it’s supposedly about class, is very distracting).
B. Punching buttons on a cell phone (put them away and KEEP them away – I don’t want to see them).
C. Surfing the web or playing games on laptop, also use of email or chat; if I have any more problems with laptops, I will have to ban them.
D. Reading a newspaper, doing a crossword puzzle, etc. Listening to an I-POD or having earphones in.
5. Quizzes. You should be ready to take a quiz on all readings, and these are an important part of your grade. Note that there may be a quiz in January or February covering the very policies outlined in this syllabus.
6. Near-perfect class attendance is essential; if you think you will have to miss more than one class, you should drop the course.
Important points:
1. If you ever feel the need to appeal a grade you have received on a piece of work, please wait 24 hours, then state your case in writing, and resubmit the graded item with your statement. Keep permanent electronic copies of all papers and take-home essays; keep all graded quizzes, papers, and exams until your final grade is posted. Do the same with all email messages you send me or receive from me or the TA.
2. More on classroom etiquette: Turn your cell phones off and PUT THEM AWAY. I DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM. No text messaging in class. Don’t read the newspaper, do the crossword puzzle, play solitaire on your laptop, etc., in class. Do not start putting away your things during the last few minutes of class. Above all, do not talk in class. This sort of behavior could lead to a reduction of your final grade (see “Participation” above).
3. Lateness. I know the difficulties of college life; tardiness does not offend me, but unfortunately, it is distracting when people drift in late. It will also cause you to miss a chance to hear important announcements, sign the class roll, and take quizzes. Leaving early or arriving late may be assessed as a half absence. However, I would rather have you come in late than not at all.
4. Each day, an attendance roll will be passed around, sometimes twice. Make sure you sign it.
5. If you cheat or commit any other act of academic dishonesty, you fail the course, or worse. This includes falsification of attendance records and looking off someone else’s quiz or exam. Papers, take-home quizzes and take-home essays must be individual endeavors (though I encourage you to go to the Writing Lab). I am particularly determined to prevent WEB PLAGIARISM. If you cut and paste from the web on one of your papers or take-home quizzes, I will do everything in my power to have you expelled from the university. The use of unauthorized web-pages (i.e., ones not pre-approved by me) is not permitted. For more information, see .
6. UNT makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at or call them at 940-565-4323.
7. The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus.
8.Laptops and tablets are permitted in class as long as they are not distracting to you or others, but they cannot be used during quizzes. I will try to be open-minded about use of E-books as long as the format you use provides the full and exact same text as the assigned paper copies, with identical pagination. In the rare event of an open-book quiz, only paper copies of a book can be consulted. Students may audio-record the class discussion if they wish to.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
Wednesday,January 20th: Introductions, historical background.
MondayJan. 25:Historical background, continued. Skim (but do not skip) Ehrman, chapters 1, 2, and closely read chapters 3-4. Also read Denzey Lewis ch. 3.
Wed. Jan. 27: The gospel of Mark, entire (i.e., pp. 1409-1443 in our edition of the Bible). Also read “Bible Guide” on Blackboard.
Mon. Feb. 1: Background on the gospels. Read Ehrman chapters 5, 6, and 7; bring and recall Mark again, and if possible, get a start on reading the gospel of Matthew.
Feb 3: The gospel of Matthew, entire, plus Ehrman chapters 8-9.
Feb. 8: continued discussion of the gospel of Matthew; introduction to “Luke”. Read Ehrman ch. 10.
Feb. 10:The gospel of Luke, entire, plus Ehrman ch. 10
Feb. 15: The other gospel: John (entire), and Ehrman ch. 11.
Feb. 17:Ehrman on the quest for the historical Jesus: rapidly skim chs. 12-13; carefully read 14-18
Feb. 22: Another view: read (in its entirety) E. P. Sanders, The Historical Figure of Jesus.
Feb 24:Saul Paul, intro. Ehrman chs. 19-22. *BOOK REVIEW CONTRACTS DUE*
Feb 29: Paul in practice: 1 Corinthians and Romans (read entirely in NOAB); also Ehrman ch. 23