KAIROS Courses

June 7 - 9, 2010
JESUS AND THE GOSPELS: A CRASH COURSE ON RECENT BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP THAT’S WORTH KNOWING

Haven't read much from the world of biblical scholarship since you were a seminary student? Find it hard to keep up with what scholars are writing about Jesus? Is it difficult to separate what's good from what's not worth your time? Here are three well-written and thoughtful books, each published recently and each a reasonable length, that contribute much to our understanding of Jesus and the Gospels. Together they challenge us to think, preach and teach about Jesus in more informed and responsible ways.

• "The Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus," Dale C. Allison (2009)
  
• "Sinners: Jesus and His Earliest Followers," Greg Carey (2009)
  
• "The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus," Amy-Jill Levine (2006)
  Although all three books are informed by serious biblical scholarship, they are very readable and written for a wide audience. Each author works with recent scholarship and Gospel texts in engaging and inviting ways. In this course, we'll review and discuss not only the books themselves but also the ideas and methods that drive them. In doing so, we'll consider their relevance for our faith and ministry. Participants will be asked to read one or two of the books in advance of the course. Our meeting schedule will allow participants to do additional reading while on campus, allowing the course to be an opportunity for a reading retreat.