Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Transforming Traditions in Early Christian Literature

Unit Code: 
BN/CH476
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

This unit examines a variety of early Christian texts from the first two centuries CE, ranging from biblical and early patristic sources to works from Nag Hammadi (such as the Gospel of Thomas) and other apocryphal texts (such as the Acts of Peter). It will focus on how the texts employ oral and written traditions (from the Torah and Prophets, about Jesus, and about the apostles), interpreting them for new theological and ecclesial contexts. Some attention will be paid to the emergence of the New Testament canon and to how the categories of orthodoxy and heresy developed. The unit will rely upon a close reading of primary sources, except that the research essay will require secondary sources too. Texts will be studied in English translation, although students are encouraged to use the appropriate ancient languages where possible.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate knowledge of and serious engagement with a broad cross-section of Christian literature from the first two centuries CE
  2. identify and comment upon the use of oral and written traditions in early Christian literature
  3. comment on the early Christian theological and ecclesial factors influencing which traditions were selected for interpretation and how they were transformed in the course of the interpretation
  4. engage in class discussions that are grounded in close reading of primary texts and supported by the exegetical, theological, and historical sophistication expected at the student’s level of theological studies
Lecturer/s: 
Catherine Playoust
Timetabling
Unit Frequency: 
Occasional
Years Offered: 
2009
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Master of Arts (Theology)
Courses: 
Master of Theological Studies
Courses: 
Postgraduate
Field: 
Field B Biblical Studies
Field: 
Field C Christian Thought and History
Disciplines: 
Biblical Studies
Disciplines: 
Church History
Disciplines: 
New Testament
Department Name: 
Department of Biblical Studies
Mode of Teaching: 
Semester
Teaching Methods: 

Lectures, discussions, tutorials and short student presentations.

Workload
Number of timetabled hours per week: 
3
Expected personal study hours per week: 
9
Total workload hours per week: 
12
Total workload hours for unit: 
144
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

An essay of 6,000 words

Weighting: 
100%
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

Ehrman, Bart D. After the New Testament: A Reader in Early Christianity. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. [the sourcebook for most of the readings]

Ehrman, Bart D. Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Franzmann, Majella. Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Writings. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996.

Koester, Helmut. Ancient Christian Gospels : Their History and Development. London: SCM, 1990.

Robinson, James M. The Nag Hammadi Library in English. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.

Schneemelcher, Wilhelm. New Testament Apocrypha. Rev. ed. Cambridge, UK: James Clarke & Co., 1991.

Williams, Michael A. Rethinking “Gnosticism”: An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.