New Testament Gospels

3 credits

This is an introductory core course on the four New Testament Gospels. Among the primary aims of this course is to provide an overview of the structure and content of each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and an analysis of various scholarly methods for interpreting them. This course will review what scholars call the Synoptic Problem, an investigation into the relationship of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to one another, and discuss the arguments for and against the hypothetical source known as Quelle. This course will also discuss the relationship between the Gospel of John to the Synoptic Gospels, and the relationship between the Gospels and other relevant texts like the Gospel of Thomas. This study of the Gospels will be situated in an ecclesial framework that includes a theological perspective.