This 3-credit hour course explores the central figure of Biblical revelation, Jesus Christ, in the light of two complementary exegetical approaches: historical-critical method and canonical exegesis. The former focuses on the historical author and his intended meaning within his historical context. The latter focuses on reading the texts within the totality of the one Scripture, and this includes the author’s being part of a living community to which God has spoken. The primary texts are Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth, Books 1 and 2. ENROLL HERE.
Required Texts:
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration (Ignatius Press; 2008; ISBN 978-1-58617-198-8).
Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection (Ignatius Press; 2011; ISBN 978-1-58617-500-9).
Course Objectives:
• To learn to read exegetical and theological texts carefully and critically.
• To be introduced to a major work of a prominent contemporary Catholic theologian.
• To understand the historical-critical and the canonical approaches to the Bible.
• To learn the fundamental elements of God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ.
Once you enroll in the course, you will be emailed a link along with a user name and password to get into the online classroom. Once in the classroom, you will have access to your theology course, the syllabus, video lectures and Fr. Fessio’s extensive coursework study questions. Each student is expected to prepare for each online class session by: (a) carefully reading the chapter or chapters to be covered, attempting to answer the Study Questions for that material; (b) attempting to determine the overall ­structure and intent of each chapter. The questions for the midterm and final will be taken exclusively from the Study Questions.