EXCEL FILE OF GRADES TO DATE 

Note: if your grades are blank that is because you have not yet submitted the results of the academic integrity test. Please do so asap. Updated Nov. 20.

Atkinson School of Arts and Letters ~ Fall 2008

Instructor: Dr. Tony Chartrand-Burke
E-mail: tburke@yorku.ca
Phone: 416-736-2100 ext. 22329
Office Hours and Location: Mon. and Tues. 5:30-6:30 pm and other times by appointment, Atkinson 617.
Class Time and Location: Tuesdays, 7-10 pm, CFA 312. 

1. Course Description

A historical and literary study of the traditions of Paul and of the Beloved Disciple (“John”) as they developed from the time of their founders through several generations of followers. The course begins with a study of Paul’s own writings (seven letters written ca. 50-60 CE to Christian communities throughout the Mediterranean world), through early biographical traditions (the Book of Acts), and into traditions about Paul used in later conflicts between rival Christian groups (the pseudo-Pauline letters, the so-called Pastoral Epistles, and the non-canonical Acts of Paul and the Pseudo-Clementine Romance). Emphasis will be placed on examining the Greco-Roman background to Paul’s teachings and on reconstructing the situations that led to the composition of the texts. A similar approach will be taken with the Johannine writings: moving through the gospel and letters attributed to John, and finishing with a look at later Johannine traditions in the non-canonical Apocryphon of John and the Acts of John. For the Gospel of John, the goals will be to understand the complicated composition history of the text and to place it in its appropriate socio-historical and theological contexts.

2. Prerequisites

May be taken independently of AK/HUMA 3422 3.0. Not open to students who have taken AK/HUMA 3420 6.0.

3. Required Texts

Ehrman, B. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2007 (previous editions are acceptable).

E. Randolph Richards, Paul and First-Century Letter-Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection. Intervarsity Press, 2004.

New Revised Standard Version, The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha, College Edition. M. Coogan et al (eds.). Oxford University Press, 2001 (another Bible is also acceptable but it must be the New Revised Standard Version).

A Supplementary Readings Package available from the book store.

4. Methods of Evaluation

All written work in this course is expected to be of high quality—i.e., it must conform to the style and format guidelines typical of Humanities courses—and it must be your own. To help ensure that these requirements are met, you are urged to visit the on-line guides listed below. In addition, a style sheet of my own design is to be attached to your assignments (see the assignment descriptions below). No paper will be accepted without the style sheet attached. For additional writing assistance, visit the following web sites:

http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/Writing/tutoring.htm

http://www.arts.yorku.ca/caw/resources.html

NOTE: All graded work in this course is to be submitted to Turnitin.com (and brought to class in a hard copy). For an overview of this service and the University’s policies regarding Turnitin.com, please see HERE: It is very simple to use. Go to www.turnitin.com for instructions on how to create a user profile. You can use whatever email address you wish but it must be a working one since you will receive emails over the course of the year. It is recommended that you NOT use internet email accounts (e.g., Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.). You create your own password so make it easy to remember. You will also require the following information to sign in initially: Class ID: 2370367. Password: Bible.

A. Academic Integrity: York University is very concerned about the increase in student plagiarism. As heinous a crime as plagiarism is, sometimes it is perpetrated in ignorance. The university has set up an on-line tutorial to help students recognize acts of plagiarism. You are required to complete this tutorial (no papers will be accepted until you do so). Go to the web site and work your way through the tutorial. Print off the results of the quiz and hand them in by Sept. 23. There is no grade value for this assignment, but no papers will be accepted until the test results are handed in to the instructor. Site address:   http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/ (select “For Students”).

B. History and Geography of the Greco-Roman World Quiz: Learning about biblical literature necessitates knowledge of the land and cultures in which it was written. To that end, study chapters 2 and 3 (ch. 15 in 3rd. ed.) of Ehrman’s textbook and the map that precedes chapter 1 in preparation for a quiz that will take place in the first 15 minutes of class Sept. 23. The quiz comprises two sections: a site map, and matching terms/names with descriptions. Be prepared to place the following locations on the blank map provided at the quiz: Rome, Carthage, Cyrene, Alexandria, the Nile River, the Mediterranean Sea, Sinai, Judaea, Jerusalem, Damascus, Laodicea, Syria, Mesopotamia, Tarsus, Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, Athens, Dora-Europos, Antioch. There is a practice map available HERE. Grade value: 10%.

C. Tutorial Assignments: Each week or so you are asked to prepare for class answers to questions related to the assigned readings. Three of these are to be handed in for grading (prepare for all five, but you can choose which three to hand in for credit). Your answers must be approximately two pages in length (double-spaced) and should be brought to class to aid you in contributing to group work and class discussions. Each assignment will be graded out of 10. Your assignments wil be accepted only if the required style sheet is attached (you can find it HERE). If you are unable to attend a class in which an assignment is due, you may e-mail the assignment to the instructor; no late assignments will be accepted. WARNING: the ideas presented in your assignments must be your own; DO NOT use secondary sources. Total Grade Value: 30%.

D. Book Review: E. Randolph Richards’ Paul and First-Century Letter-Writing is an excellent treatment of letter-writing in antiquity. It deals also with the thorny issue of divine inspiration of scripture. Prepare a review of Richards’ book providing a summary of its contents (roughly 60% of your review) and a critique of his approach, style, methodology, and arguments. Examples of scholarly book reviews are available HERE. Your book review will be accepted only if the required style sheet is attached (you can find it HERE). WARNING: start reading the book early, as it will be difficult to keep up with other assigned readings if you leave it too late. Required length: five pages. Due date: Oct. 28. Grade Value: 20%.

E. Film Analysis: in the class on Nov. 11 we will view The Gospel of John, a recent word-for-word film adaptation of the fourth gospel. The filmmakers faced certain challenges in bringing this gospel to the screen: What should Jesus look like? How should Jesus’ conflicts with “the Jews” be depicted? How can Jesus’ extended monologues be made to look interesting? For this assignment you must consider these and other questions about filming the Gospel of John. How successful were the filmmakers in capturing the text? What liberties were taken? What would you have done differently? To prepare for the assignment be sure to have read the entire gospel and think beforehand of the important aspects of the text that you feel you need to watch for when you see the film. In your essay be sure to refer frequently to the gospel, using appropriate documentation style (i.e., citing chapter and verse). A successful paper will demonstrate a solid knowledge of the gospel and a nuanced discussion of the choices made by the filmmakers in adapting the text. The essay must be five pages long (and no longer). Your film review will be accepted only if the required style sheet is attached (you can find it HERE). Due date: Dec. 2. Grade Value: 30%.

F. Class participation: each class is divided between lecture material and discussion sessions. To encourage engagement and attendance in the discussion sessions, you will be graded on participation. Part of that grade is assigned to attendance, and part to active participation when we discuss the material as a class.  Value of final grade: 10%.

Missing papers: In the event that papers go missing, it is your responsibility to keep a hard copy of all written work submitted for the course.

Late papers: the instructor, like you, is a very busy person. He likes to receive papers on time so that he can give them back to you within a reasonable time and then get on with other things he has to do (the instructor has other courses to teach and other papers to grade). Late papers complicate his life. So, he cannot accept late papers unless they are accompanied with documentation from Special Needs or Health Services. Contact the instructor if you foresee problems handing in papers on time.

5. Important Dates

September 18: Last date to enroll in Fall term courses without the permission of the instructor.
October 3: Last date to enroll in Fall term courses with the permission of the instructor.
November 7: Last date to drop Fall term courses without receiving a grade.

6. Class Schedule

Please come to class having read the assigned primary and secondary readings and having consulted the on-line resources. A lecture outline for each week’s class will be posted on-line by Monday morning of each week. It is your responsibility to print your own copy of the outline and bring it to class.

Sept. 9: Introduction; the New Testament World
Read after class today: Ehrman, chs. 1-2.
On-line Resources: for more information on life in the first-century Roman Empire visit http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/.

Sept. 16: The Historical Paul
LECTURE OUTLINE
Read for today’s class: Ehrman, ch. 19; Acts; Gospel of the Hebrews (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/gospelhebrews-ogg.html).
Assignment: Read closely Acts 9 and 15, two stories in which Paul (or “Saul” as he is named in Acts 9) meets the apostles in Jerusalem. How would you characterize relations between Paul and the Jerusalem church? In your answer consider the following: how do the Jerusalem Christians (including James and Peter) feel about Paul’s conversion? where does each party stand on the issue of converting Gentiles (i.e., non-Jews)? what role does Paul play in settling the dispute?
On-Line Resources: Paul traveled through Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece, and even to Rome to preach his “gospel.” To follow in the footsteps of Paul on his missionary journeys visit http://www.abrock.com/Greece-Turkey/FootstepsIntro.html.

Sept. 23: The Thessalonian Correspondence.
LECTURE OUTLINE
Read for today’s class: Ehrman, ch. 20; 1 Thessalonians.On-line Resources: learn more about first-century Thessalonica at http://www.bibleplaces.com/thessalonica.htm.
** Greco-Roman world quiz in class today **

Sept 30: No class 

Oct. 7: Paul and the Crises of his Churches: 1 & 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Philippians, Galatians
LECTURE OUTLINE
Read for today’s class: Ehrman, ch. 21; 1 & 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Philippians, Galatians.Assignment: 1 Corinthians figures heavily in debates about the roles of women in both early and modern Christianity. Read closely the entire letter taking note of what Paul says here about women. How would you characterize Paul’s views? Is he liberal or conservative? Do you see any problems of consistency (i.e., does he seem to hold different views about women's roles in the church in different sections of the text)?
On-line Resources: learn more about first-century Corinth at http://www.bibleplaces.com/corinth.htm.
** Integrity Test Results due today **

Oct. 14: Romans.
LECTURE OUTLINE
Read for today’s class: Ehrman, ch. 22; Romans; James.Assignment: James is not a letter by Paul, but a letter apparently written by James, the brother of Jesus. Though both Paul’s letters and James are found within the New Testament, they appear to represent two different forms of Christianity. Contrast Paul’s letter to the Romans and the letter of James. How do the two writers differ? What issue appears to divide them?
On-line Resources: When Paul finally journeyed to Rome, what do you think he found there? Perhaps a virtual tour of ancient Rome can help us with the answer (http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/rome_italy_travel.htm).

Oct. 21: The Legacy of Paul I: The Deutero-Pauline Epistles.
LECTURE OUTLINE
Read for today’s class: Ehrman chs. 23 & 24 (pp. 380-392); 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians; 3 Corinthians (Reader).
On-line resources: For today’s class you read the “apocryphal” text, 3 Corinthians. To learn more about such texts (and read more of them for yourself) see http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/.

Oct. 28: The Legacy of Paul II: The Pastoral Epistles and Second-Century Traditions.
LECTURE OUTLINE
Read for today’s class: Ehrman, ch. 24 (pp. 393-402) & 24; 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus; Acts of Paul and Thecla (Reader); Pseudo-Clementine Romance (3. Kerygmata Petrou) (Reader); Treatise on Resurrection (Reader).
Assignment: the author of Treatise on the Resurrection considered himself a Christian and is deeply indebted to Paul for his beliefs. Yet other Christians (both in antiquity and today) would disagree with the writer’s view of the resurrection. What exactly is this view? Do you think it is consistent with Paul’s own thoughts on resurrection?
On-line Resources: Today’s lecture and readings on the Pastoral Epistles look again at the roles of women in early Christianity. For an informative introduction to the topic visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/women.html.
** Book Review due in class today **

IN ANTICIPATION OF A POSSIBLE STRIKE, THE CLASS SCHEDULE HAS BEEN REVISED FOR THE FOLLOWING DATES

Nov. 4: Film: The Gospel of John.
On-line Resources: For more information on the film we are viewing today, visit the film’s official website at http://www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com/. Addendum: most of the promotional material for the film is no longer available on the site, but you can view the trailer.

Nov. 11: The Gospel of John.
LECTURE NOTES
Read for today’s class: Ehrman, ch. 11; Gospel of John.Assignment: the Gospel of John has been labeled the most anti-Semitic of the NT gospels. Do you think this is true? Is the Gospel of John anti-Semitic? Be sure to note in your answer which particular material from the gospel could be considered anti-Semitic.
On-Line Resources: Part of our discussion today will focus on the identity of the enigmatically named "Beloved Disciple." For an introduction to the issue of the gospel author's identity, read this Wikipedia article.

Nov. 18: The Johannine Trajectory.
LECTURE NOTES
Read for today’s class: Ehrman, ch. 12; Letters of John 1, 2, 3; Apocryphon of John (Reader).
On-line Resources: Today we will read and discuss the Apocryphon of John, an example of Christian Gnostic thought. If you would like to read more about Gnosticism, you can check out the web page of the Gnosis Society (http://www.gnosis.org), an organization dedicated to preserving the history of the movement and to promoting Gnosticism as a viable modern religion.

Nov. 25: No class (conference) 

Dec. 2: The Legacy of John: Acts of John.
Read for today’s class: Acts of John (Reader).
On-line Resources: If you wish to continue learning more about the Johannine literature visit the best Johannine meta-site on the web at http://myweb.lmu.edu/fjust/John.htm. Here you will find maps, bibliographies, images, and links to other useful research and teaching material.
** Gospel of John Film Analysis paper due today **