SC-540 The Synoptic Gospels

Syllabus 2018
Shanell T. Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins

Class Meets: Mondays 7:00pm – 9:45pm.

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 9:00-11:30am
Best Form of Contact: ssmith@hartsem.edu

Email Policy: The instructor will use the official HartSem student email addresses for all
communications. Please check your HartSem email account regularly.

I. Course Description
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the earliest surviving accounts of the life and
ministry of Jesus. This course will provide a detailed examination of these texts, paying special
attention to the distinctive portrait of Jesus that each gospel presents. We will study these biblical
texts in their ancient contexts and discuss contemporary application. We will explore various
theories regarding the so-called “Synoptic Problem”: Which gospel do you think came first? But
that’s not all! We will also survey different critical methods in Gospel analysis such as literary,
redaction, socio-historical, and tradition-critical. Best of all: we will have fun doing it!

II. Objectives

To help students:
 Gain an in-depth comprehension of the Synoptic Gospels
 Explore the historical and social background from which each Synoptic derives
 Articulate the similarities and differences among the various portraits of Jesus in the Synoptics
 Critically evaluate secondary scholarship (monographs, articles, essays, commentaries, etc.) by
asking questions and challenging arguments based on the student’s own biblical analysis
 Discover that “context matters,” and in the process, learn how to read the Synoptics with
theological and ethical sensitivity

III. Identified Seminary Learning Outcomes:

 To demonstrate foundational and critical knowledge of one’s own religion.

 To demonstrate knowledge and skills for dialogical and constructive engagement with diversity.

IV. Required Texts

1. Bible: New Revised Standard Version

2. Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels (Zondervan,
2007). [ISBN: 978-0310226970]

3. Free Online Synopses on NT Gateway:

http://www.ntgateway.com/gospel-and-acts/general-resources/texts-and-synopses/

Please bring the Bible and Strauss to every class.

V. Recommended Texts
The following books, all of which feed into different parts of the course, are recommended.
Students may wish to purchase them for their personal libraries.

1. Brian K. Blount et al., eds. True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament
Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007). [ISBN: 978-0800634216]

2. Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, The Synoptic Gospels Set Free: Preaching Without Anti-Judaism
(New York: Paulist Press, 2009). [978-0809145836]

3. Frank J. Matera, New Testament Christology (Westminster John Knox Press, 1999). [ISBN:
978-0664256944]

4. Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley, eds. Women’s Bible
Commentary: Revised and Updated (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012).
[ISBN: 978-0664237073]

5. Daniel Patte, ed. Global Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004). [ISBN:
978-0687064038]

6. Fernando F. Segovia and R. S. Sugirtharajah, eds. A Postcolonial Commentary on the New

Testament Writings (New York: T & T Clark, 2007). [ISBN: 978-0567637079]

VI. Course Requirements and Assessments

A. Presence, Participation, and Preparation (10% of Final Grade)

Regular attendance at all class sessions and active participation in discussion groups
are expected. If you are unable to attend a class session, please notify the professor in advance
or at the earliest opportunity via email. Please plan to arrive promptly to class, and stay for its
duration. It is also important that students return promptly after class breaks. Missing two
sessions without a legitimate excuse will result in an automatic lowering of your final grade
by 10%. Missing three or more sessions without explanation or permission will result in
automatic failure of the course.

Your presence is necessary and important for maximal learning for everyone. Be ready to
ask questions and participate in discussions in a positive and constructive way. Rich, critical
dialogue occurs when we discuss, debate, and consider the texts and various issues as a
collective. Care should be taken when speaking; however, to make sure that everyone (including
the less talkative ones) gets an opportunity to engage.

B. Essay: 35% of Final Grade

Students will write an essay comparing and contrasting two of the Synoptic Gospels. It will
address the following:

 Who is Jesus in each particular gospel?

Smith, SC-540 p.2
  Isolate the distinctive features of the portrait of Jesus being considered. Be especially
alert to differences of emphasis among the different portraits.
 How does the historical context affect the author’s presentation in each of the gospels
(rhetorical appeal)? (Use Strauss for background information.)
 What is the author’s overall message in each gospel?
 Evaluate the source. Does the author’s presentation/storytelling (what he said and did not
say, his underlying assumptions, his descriptions, his plot, etc.) coalesce well? Why or
why not? (e.g. What’s missing? What doesn’t make sense? What did Jesus do that you
find hard to believe?)
 Compare and contrast the information above for the two gospels.
 Which of the two gospels do you prefer and why? (Consider your own personal social,
cultural, political, etc. context when deciding.)

Students will present responses in essay form. Do not woodenly answer each question in the
order above, and no bullet points. Gather all of the information for each gospel, answering the
questions above, and then put it all together. You got this!

PROOFREAD. Again…proofread.

AVOID PLAGAIRISM. Use footnotes1 and/or parenthetical citations (e.g. Strauss, 207), to
acknowledge your debts to the scholarly literature on which you draw. Keep direct quotations to
a minimum, however. It is your voice that I want to hear in these analyses. Include scriptural
references when referring to specific parts of the primary text. E.g. (Matt. 7:2) Do not cut/paste
large sections of scripture.

Essay specifications:
 Length: 5 pages (1,200 word minimum – 1,300 word maximum)
Please note: Once word limit is reached, I will stop reading. Students will be penalized
for what’s “missing.”

 Double-spaced, 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, NO justification, 1 inch margins

Due Date: Monday, November 26, 2018. Please bring a printed copy to class and email to
ssmith@hartsem.edu by 7pm.

C. Major Presentation and Handout: 35% of Final Grade

Students will do a 15-20 minute thesis-driven presentation on a topic as outlined on the

syllabus. Students will give the professor a working thesis and a preliminary outline one week
prior to their presentation. If the student fails to do this, she/he is on their own, and may be
penalized for information not covered.

Each class presentation is to be accompanied by a one-page handout. The handout

(30% of grade), manuscript (15%), and presentation (55% of grade) should facilitate the
discussion of the class as a whole. See handout, “Major Presentation Guidelines,” for
additional pertinent instruction.

1
Shanell T. Smith, This Is Just an Example on How to Footnote (Hartford, CT: Synoptic Gospel Press, 2016), 15.
Smith, SC-540 p.3
 The best presentations encourage discussion, and the most helpful handouts offer
resources for further study. In other words, an effective presentation does not involve reading a
lengthy handout to the class. Neither the manuscript nor the handout is to be a printout of one’s
PowerPoint slides.

Be creative with these presentations, and have fun!

Topics may include: “Jesus and the Jerusalem Temple; “Material Possession in Luke”;
“The Disciples in Mark”; “The Poor Widow of Mark 12”; “The Messianic Secret in Mark”; “The
Prodigal Son”; “How Jewish is Jesus in Matthew?”; “Jesus – The Teacher in Matthew”; “Jesus’
Miracles in the Synoptics”; “The Women at the Tomb in the Synoptics”; “The Forgiveness of
Sins in the Synoptics” (to name a few).

A sign-up sheet will be distributed at the start of the semester.

D. Final Reflection Paper and Presentation: 20% of Final Grade

Students will write a 1000-1250 word reflection (4 to 5 pages) that will consider the
following question:

“Diversity is a given – a fact of life. Thus, how we view it (productive, harmful, difficult
to overcome, fecund, etc.) is the question. Generally speaking, and from your own interreligious
context, how (can) the study of the Synoptic Gospels, with their presentation of various portraits
of Jesus, inform how we do interreligious dialogue? How does it affect how you engage with
others of various religious affiliations? Does difference hinder or help dialogue? What are some
lessons to be learned in multiplicity?”

Due Date: Monday, December 17, 2018 LAST DAY OF CLASS. Students will email
their papers to the professor by the start of class time. Students should make every effort to
attend this class, as the presentation itself is 25% of this assignment’s grade.

VII. Learning Resources and Expectations

Hartford Seminary Grading Scale
Master’s Students:
A (95-100) Demonstrates excellent mastery of the subject matter, a superior ability to
articulate this, and provides helpful connections to daily life or contemporary
issues. Exceeds expectations of the course.
A- (90-94) Demonstrates mastery of the subject matter, ability to articulate this well, and
makes connections to daily life or contemporary issues. Exceeds expectations of
the course.
B+(87-89) Demonstrates a very good understanding of the subject matter, able to articulate
lessons learned in the assignment well. Meets expectations of the course.
B (83-86) Demonstrates an understanding of the subject matter and the ability to articulate
lessons learned. Meets expectations of the course.
B-(80-82) Demonstrates an understanding of the material at hand, has some difficulty
articulating this, and basic connection of the material to daily life or contemporary
issues/life. Meets basic expectations for the course.
Smith, SC-540 p.4
C+(77-79) Demonstrates a basic comprehension of the subject matter, weak articulation and
connections. Does not meet expectations for the course.
C (70-76) Demonstrates a minimal comprehension of the subject matter and has difficulty
making connections. Does not meet expectations of the course.
F (below 70) Unable to meet the basic requirements of the course.

 Grades range from A to C and F; A+’s and C-’s are not part of the grading system.
 On a 4.0 GPA scale – A (4.00), A-(3.66), B+(3.33), B(3.00), B-(2.66), C+(2.33), C(2.00)
and F(0.00). A grade point average of no less than B- (2.66) is required to maintain good
standing. The minimum G.P.A. required for graduation is 2.75.

DMin students: High Pass (95-100), Pass (83-94), Low Pass (70-82), and Fail (below 70)

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

Academic honesty and integrity are expected of all students. Plagiarism exists when: a) the
work submitted was done, in whole or in part, by anyone other than the one submitting the work,
b) parts of the work, whether direct quotations, ideas, or data, are taken from another source
without acknowledgement, c) the whole work is copied from another source [especially a web
based source], or d) significant portions of one’s own previous work used in another course. See
“Plagiarism” at http://www.hartsem.edu/current-students/policies/.

Appropriate Classroom Etiquette and Use of Technology:

In order to respect the community within the classroom: 1) Mute all cell phones during class; 2)
Utilize laptops for the sole purpose of taking class notes. Please do not surf the web, email, or
other programs during class time. Such use of the computer during class is disrespectful of the
class and professor, and may result in lowering your participation grade.

Inclusive Language:
Hartford Seminary is committed to a policy of inclusion in its academic life and mission. All
members of the community are expected to communicate in language that reflects the equality of
genders, openness to diverse cultural and theological perspectives, and sensitivity to one
another’s images of God.

Extensions:
Extensions for papers will be given for illnesses or family emergencies only in consultation with
the instructor.

Official Handbooks:
For all other questions you might have regarding policies or procedures, please check the student
handbook http://www.hartsem.edu/current-students/student-handbook/ and seminary policies at
Academic policies are listed at http://www.hartsem.edu/current-students/policies/

CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

** Please note that all readings are subject to change.

Students will be notified in advance.**

Smith, SC-540 p.5

Bonus Week (actually, the missing week): Jesus: A Plurality of Interpretations
(Adapted from Thomas W. Martin)

As indicated on the HartSem webpage:

“Classes run for 14 weeks unless indicated otherwise. Fall weekly semester courses start Tuesday, September 4,
2018. Due to the observance of Labor Day and Rosh HaShanah, the first meeting of Monday classes will be
September 17th. Please refer to the course syllabus for specific details, as some classes may have Canvas
assignments.

With that said, we will have our missing class completely online. Here’s what’s expected:

Students will interview two people regarding their views about Jesus of Nazareth. After doing
this you are to fill out the interview for yourself. (Thus, there are three interviews in total.) I will
mark it based on the effort apparent in the answers. Please ask your interviewees to take this
seriously and to give thought to their responses. It is important that you probe them for detail and
specification in their answers. Some guidelines:

- One interviewee may be a fellow student who is NOT taking this course.
- The other interviewee is to be someone of another generation than yourself
(this is to explore generational differences in thinking about Jesus).
- If you can interview someone of a non-Christian religion (Muslim, Jew, etc.),
that would be very interesting. (And it shouldn’t be hard to do here at Hartford
Seminary!)
- If your interviewees consent, I would like to know something about their
identity (age; occupation; religion; gender; etc.), but they may remain
anonymous if you or they prefer.

The interviews should be TYPED and posted on Canvas under the discussion prompt.
Students should cut/paste one set of questions and put the 3 different responses under each
question, identifying the responses with Interviewee #1; Interviewee #2; Interviewee #3.

Students will also include a 250-word paragraph discussing the process, describing the
interviewees while maintaining their anonymity, the responses received, and their “take aways,”
aha moments, concerns, etc. This post (3 interview responses and the 250-word paragraph)
is due on Canvas: Monday, October 15 by 7pm.

Students will then read and substantively respond to two of their colleagues’ posts.
Responses to colleagues due: Monday, October 22 by 7pm.

The purpose of this exercise is to expand the student’s appreciation for alternative ways of
imagining Jesus.

Interview Questions

 Imagine that you must describe the significance of Jesus to someone who knows nothing
about him. You must do this in five words or fewer. How would you describe the
significance of Jesus?
 What was Jesus’ physical appearance? Be as specific as possible. Describe his height,
weight, hair color, body build, skin tone, eye color, clothing, facial features, etc.
Smith, SC-540 p.6
  What experiences have influenced you in how you imagine Jesus’ physical appearance?
Be specific. Have TV, film, paintings, etc. been influential? Historical knowledge or
reading the Bible?
 What was Jesus like as a person? What was his character, his personality like? Again, be
as specific as possible, seeking to clearly define his nature as a person. (You may wish to
think of descriptors like: cheerful, calm, quick-tempered, sulky, troubled, serious,
humorous, a loner, a social person, etc.)
 For people who lived at the time of Jesus and encountered him, or heard of him, what
were some of the common reactions?
 If you had lived during Jesus’ lifetime, how do you think you would have reacted to him?
 What are some of the ways in which people today react to and/or think about Jesus?
 What sources have been most important in shaping your views about who Jesus was and
what he did? (For example: family, church, Bible, historical novels, films, etc. Please
name specific people, films, and books.)
 If you have seen it, what was your reaction to Mel Gibson’s The Passion? Why?
 How has your understanding of Jesus developed or changed over time?
 If you had one question to ask Jesus, what would it be?

Week 1 – Monday, September 17

- Introduction to the Course

o John Barton, “Strategies for Reading Scripture,” in The Harper Collins Study
Bible, pp. xxxix-xliii.

- Why All the Hoopla about Gospels? (Strauss, Four Portraits, pp. 23-42)

- The Quest for the Historical Jesus and Whose Jesus Is Found?

o Strauss, Four Portraits, pp.347-382

o Pablo Richard, “Jesus: A Latin-American Perspective,” in Global Bible
Commentary, 337-41.
o Nicole Wilkinson Duran, “Jesus: A Western Perspective,” in Global Bible
Commentary, 346-49.

Week 2 – Monday, September 24

- What Was Happening – Historically, Religiously, Socially and Culturally? (Strauss,
pp. 93-122, 123-148, 149-167 Do not be alarmed! There are lots of charts and pictures!)

- Forms of the Gospels (Strauss, pp. 43-46, 55-65)

- The Gospel as Story (Strauss, pp. 67-89)

- The Synoptic Problem (Strauss, pp. 46-55)

Week 3 - Monday, October 1: The Gospel of Mark I

- What’s this Gospel’s Story? (plot, characters, setting, rhetoric, etc.)

Smith, SC-540 p.7

 o Read the entire Gospel of Mark (preferably in one sitting). It’s the shortest gospel!
o Strauss, Four Portraits, pp. 171-211.

- The Progression of Discipleship?

- The Messianic Secret

- Theology of the Gospel of Mark

Student Presentation: “The Disciples in Mark” or “The Messianic Secret”

Week 4 – Monday, October 8: The Gospel of Mark II

- Thinking Historically about Jesus and the Temple

o Re-read Mark 1:40-44; 2:23-28; 11:1-12:12; 12:41-44; 13:1-14:2; 14:10-11, 43-

50, 53-65; 15:29-32, 38 (Consider Jesus’ attitude toward the Jerusalem temple
and its leadership based upon these passages.)

- A Hemorrhaging Woman and Jairus’s Daughter

o Re-read Mark 5:21-43

o Frances Taylor Gench, “A Hemorrhaging Woman and Jairus’s Daughter,” in her
Back to the Well: Women’s Encounters with Jesus in the Gospels (Sheffield
Academic Press, 1998), pp. 28-52.

- An Analysis of the Ending(s) of Mark

Student Presentation: “Jesus and the Jerusalem Temple in the Gospel of Mark”

Week 5 - Monday, October 15: The Gospel of Matthew I

**Original Posts for the Jesus Interviews due on Canvas by 7pm**

- What’s this Gospel’s Story? (plot, characters, setting, rhetoric, etc.)

o Read the entire Gospel of Matthew (preferably in one sitting)

o Strauss, Four Portraits, pp. 213-258.

- Theology of the Gospel of Matthew

- “The Jews” in Mathew’s Gospel and An Exercise in the Rhetoric of Social

Identification

(Students will be assigned one of the two.)

o Anthony J. Saldarini, “Reading Matthew without Anti-Semitism,” in The Gospel
of Matthew in Current Study (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s, 2001), pp. 166-185.
o Ulrich Luz, “Anti-Judaism in the Gospel of Matthew as a Historical and
Theological Problem: An Outline,” in his Studies in Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005), pp. 243-261.

Smith, SC-540 p.8

Student Presentation: “How Jewish is Jesus in Matthew?”

Week 6 - Monday, October 22: The Gospel of Matthew II

**Responses to two colleagues for Jesus Interviews due by 7pm.**

- Jesus and “the Law”

o Re-read Matthew chapters 5-7:29

- Jesus as Teacher of Righteousness

Student Presentation: “Jesus – the Teacher in Matthew”

- Analyses of the Canaanite Woman

o Re-read Matthew 15
o Leticia A. Guardiola-Sáenz, “Borderless Women and Borderless Texts: A
Cultural Reading of Matthew 15:21-28.” Semeia, no 78 (1997) 69-81.
o Gail R. O’Day, “Surprised by Faith: Jesus and the Canaanite Woman,” in A
Feminist Companion to Matthew, ed. Amy-Jill Levine with Marianne Blickenstaff
(Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2001), pp. 114-125.

Week 7 - Monday, October 29: The Gospel of Luke I

- What’s this Gospel’s Story? (plot, characters, setting, rhetoric, etc.)

o Read the Gospel of Luke (preferably in one sitting)

o Strauss, Four Portraits, pp. 259-296.

- Theology of the Gospel of Luke

- Structural Feature: The Travel Narrative (Luke 9-19)

Week 8 – Monday, November 5: Gospel of Luke II - ONLINE CLASS!

- The Gospel of Luke and Women

o Re-read all Lukan passages concerning women (esp. Luke 7:36-50 and 10:38-42).
o Jane D. Schaberg and Sharon H. Ringe, “Luke,” Women’s Bible Commentary, pp.
493-511.
o Teresa J. Hornsby, “The Woman is a Sinner/The Sinner is a Woman,” in A
Feminist Companion to Luke, ed. Amy-Jill Levine with Marianne Blickenstaff
(Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2001), pp. 121-132.

Students will read the above texts and write a 350-word post critically engaging Hornsby’s
article. Responses will include the following: What is her main argument? How does she support
it? Do you agree or disagree? Why? What are the implications Hornsby’s interpretation? How do
you think Schaberg and Ringe would respond to Hornsby’s article?

Smith, SC-540 p.9

Students will then write a 250-word post discussing which Lukan passage concerning women
intrigues them the most and why? What are the implications of this passage for contemporary
women?

Students will substantively respond to two colleagues’ posts.

A late posting, a missed posting, or a posting that is insufficient in critical engagement with the
above questions will equate an unexcused absence.

Week 9 - Monday, November 12: The Gospel of Luke II

Student Presentation: “Mary and Martha of Luke 10:38-42”

- “The Good Samaritan,” and the Parables of “the Lost and the Found”

o Re-read Luke 10:25-37; chapter 15

Student Presentation: “The Prodigal Son: A History of Interpretation &Future Perspectives”

Nov. 19-21 Reading Days – No Classes!

Week 10 - Monday, November 26: Synoptic Analyses I

**COMPARATIVE ESSAYS DUE**
(Please bring a printed copy to class and email to ssmith@hartsem.edu by 7pm.)

In these class sessions (“Synoptic Analyses”), students are expected to do a comparative

analysis of the texts. Students will write down the similarities and differences between the
synoptic passages, and note the significance of their findings. (You may find it helpful to print
out the parallel passages and use color pencils to note distinctions.)

- Infancy Narratives and the Miracles of Jesus

o Re-read all the relevant synoptic passages pertaining to the Infancy Narratives
(e.g. Matthew 1:1-2:23 and Luke 1:5-2:52) and the Miracles of Jesus.

o Strauss, Four Portraits, pp. 411-424, 455-468.

Student Presentation: “Jesus’ Miracles in the Synoptics”

- The Death of Jesus, Empty Tomb, and Resurrection Narratives

o Re-read all the relevant synoptic passages pertaining to the Death of Jesus, Empty
Tomb, and Resurrection Narratives

o Strauss, Four Portraits, pp. 493-509, 511-524.

Student Presentation: “The Women at the Tomb in the Synoptics”

Smith, SC-540 p.10

Week 11 - Monday, December 3: Synoptic Analyses II

Each student will be given the opportunity to present to the class their findings on the
similarities, differences, and the significance thereof, between the synoptic passages. As students
will not know which passage they will be asked to explicate, they are encouraged to be prepared
to discuss them all.

Topic and Texts:

 Wealth (Luke 18:18-30 and //s)
 Power (Mark 10:35-45 and //s)
 Authority (Matthew 21:23-27 and //s)
 Taxes (Luke 20:20-26 and //s)
 Divorce (Mark 10:2-12 and Matthew 19:1-12)
 The Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-34 and //s)
 The Son of David (Matthew 22:41-46 and //s)
 The Anointing of Jesus (Luke 7:36-50 and //s)

Student Presentation: “The Anointing of Jesus in the Synoptics”

Week 12 – Monday, December 10: Jesus at the Movies!

In today’s class the students will use a different part of their brains to engage the Synoptic
Gospels – through film! We will watch (no, no, no….You’ll have to wait and see…) for the first
part of class, and then discuss it in the second half of class. This will include exercises such as
deconstructing the movie into its various parts and determining from which gospel it originates,
and highlighting the ways in which Hollywood “beefs up” certain parts of the gospel for
audience appeal.

Week 13 - Monday, December 17: Final Reflection Paper Presentations & Course
Conclusion

Week 14 – We did it already! The Jesus interviews online assignment was our missing class!

Smith, SC-540 p.11