NES 2629 - [Introduction to New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature]

(crosslisted)
(also CLASS 2613, JWST 2629, RELST 2629)(GHB) (HA-AS)

Spring. 3 credits.

Next offered 2014-2015.

K. Haines-Eitzen.

This course provides a literary and historical introduction to the earliest Christian writings, most of which eventually came to be included in the New Testament. Through the lens of the gospel narratives and earliest Christian letters, especially those of Paul, the course explores the rich diversity of the early Christian movement, from its Jewish roots in first-century Palestine through its development and spread to Asia Minor and beyond. Careful consideration is given to the political, economic, social, cultural, and religious circumstances that gave rise to the Jesus movement, as well as those that facilitated the emergence of various manifestations of early Christian beliefs and practices.