{"id":2152,"date":"2015-06-04T09:55:06","date_gmt":"2015-06-04T14:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/?page_id=2152"},"modified":"2016-03-09T08:53:55","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T13:53:55","slug":"course-outline-for-diversity-in-early-christianity-huma-4825-2015-2016","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/harlands-courses\/course-outline-for-diversity-in-early-christianity-huma-4825-2015-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Course Outline for Diversity in Early Christianity (HUMA 4825; 2015-2016)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>General information: <\/em>Phil Harland, <a href=\"mailto:pharland@yorku.ca\">Click here to email me<\/a>. Vanier 248. Office hours: Wednesdays 2:30-3:30, or by appointment.\u00a0 Seminar: Wednesdays 11:30-2:20, Bethune College 225<\/p>\n<p><i>Course description: <\/i>This course explores diversity in thought and practice among followers of Jesus in the Roman empire by investigating various groups and writings traditionally viewed as &#8220;heretical&#8221;, marginal, or non-canonical. We will study these groups by looking at opponents addressed in canonical literature, by considering the so-called heresiologists (e.g. Irenaeus), and by studying writings that did not come to be included in the canon (namely the New Testament Apocrypha and Nag Hammadi writings).<\/p>\n<p>In identifying the various types of groups devoted to Jesus, we will ask questions such as: What forms of ideology and practice do we encounter in the literature? How are these different forms or groups related to one another? What are the key issues of debate among them? How might we plot these out on a &#8220;map&#8221; of the early Jesus movements? In the process we will address theoretical and historiographical issues in the study of Christian origins, including problems with the concepts of &#8220;orthodoxy&#8221; and &#8220;heresy,&#8221; as well as issues relating to the category of &#8220;gnosticism.&#8221; In the first term we will focus attention on differing groups in one particular region, Asia Minor, and in the second term we will concentrate on different forms and groups reflected in the early Apocrypha and gnostic writings.<\/p>\n<p><i>Required readings:<\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Principal ancient and scholarly readings linked in this syllabus<\/li>\n<li>Bible (modern translation: <i>NRSV, NIV, NEB, Jerusalem<\/i>). Recommended edition: <i>The HarperCollins Study Bible. New Revised Standard Version with the Apocryphal \/ Deuterocanonical Books<\/i> (available in the bookstore with the texts for HUMA 2830).<\/li>\n<li>Bart D. Ehrman, <i>Lost Christianities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew<\/i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. (ISBN 0195182499, paper back)<\/li>\n<li>Dennis MacDonald, <i>The Legend and the Apostle: The Battle for Paul in Story and Canon<\/i>. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983. (ISBN 0664244645, paperback)<\/li>\n<li>P. Harland, &#8220;Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean&#8221; weblog, entries listed in syllabus and &#8220;Diversity 1.x&#8221; series (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/\">https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Useful resources:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Antti Marjanen and Petri Luomanen, <i>A Companion to Second-Century Christian \u201cHeretics\u201d<\/i> (Leiden: Brill, 2008).\u00a0 (ebook <a href=\"http:\/\/booksandjournals.brillonline.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/content\/books\/9789004186866\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Oskar Skarsaune and Reidar Hvalvik, eds., <i>Jewish Believers in Jesus: The Early Centuries<\/i> (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2007). BR 195 J8 J49 in Scott library<\/li>\n<li>John D. Turner&#8217;s webpage with the full-text of many of his scholarly articles on &#8220;Sethian gnosticism&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/jdt.unl.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>Evaluation:<\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ongoing participation, surprize quizzes (3 per term), discussion leadership, and presentation (= 35%)<\/li>\n<li>Book review (Ehrman, due Fall week 5, 5-6 pages = 10%)<\/li>\n<li>Test 1 (Fall week 11 in class =<i> <\/i>15%)<\/li>\n<li>Essay proposal and critical bibliography (due Winter week 5; 3 pages = 10%)<\/li>\n<li>Major research paper (due Winter week 12; 10-12 pages = 15%)<\/li>\n<li>Test 2 (Winter week 11 in class: 15%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>Important things to know:<\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>Readings and participation:<\/i> Participation and interaction is an important part of the process of learning. For this reason it is <i>essential that you do the readings (especially the primary, ancient sources) before attending classes for a particular week<\/i>, coming prepared for discussion. You will also have an opportunity to lead discussion and to present on a topic (to be discussed).<\/li>\n<li><i>Penalties for lateness:<\/i> All assignments are due at the beginning of class. To avoid giving some an unfair advantage over others, late submissions will be penalized by one full grade (e.g. from a B to a C) and a further grade for each additional day beyond the due date. The only exceptions to this standard will be in cases of serious crisis, which should be discussed with me (the instructor) as soon as possible to determine an appropriate solution together. My aim is fairness both to you and to your fellow students.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>_____________________________________<br \/>\n<i>DISCUSSION SCHEDULE:<\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong><i>Fall: Forms and Groups in Asia Minor \u2013 Opponents in the Literature<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><i>Orientation<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Week 1 (Sept 16): Intro \u2013\u00a0 Unity (Eusebius), duality (F.C. Baur) and plurality\/diversity (Walter Bauer) in the study (historiography) of Christian origins; Methods and problems in reconstructing the perspectives of opponents \/ &#8220;heresies&#8221;; Asia Minor and the early Jesus movements<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings (in class): Hegesippus&#8217; and Eusebius&#8217; views on purity and unity in Eusebius, <i>Ecclesiastical History, <\/i>3.32.7-8 and 4.7.1-15 (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Eusebius and Hegesippus on Unity of Church.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Sumney, &#8220;Who are those \u2018Servants of Satan\u2019?&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Sumney, Who are those Servants of Satan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Readings after class: Harland, &#8220;Early Christian Apocrypha and the historiography of early Christianity (NT Apocrypha 6)&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/2005\/09\/01\/early-christian-apocrypha-and-the-historiography-of-early-christianity-nt-apocrypha-6\/\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><i>Judean and Philosophically-minded (&#8220;docetic&#8221;) or Ascetic Trajectories<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Week 2 (Sept 23): Paul and his opponents in Galatia<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: Galatians (Bible); Barclay, &#8220;Mirror-Reading a Polemical Letter: Galatians as a Test Case,&#8221; <i>Journal for the Study of the New Testament<\/i> 31 (1987) 73-93 (<a href=\"http:\/\/journals1.scholarsportal.info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/pdf\/0142064x\/v10i0031\/73_maplgaatc.xml\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); start reading Ehrman&#8217;s <em>Lost Christianities<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s (prof) additional article: Walt Russell, \u201cWho Were Paul\u2019s Opponents in Galatia?\u201d <i>Bibliotheca Sacra<\/i> 147: 587 (1990): 329-350 (<a href=\"https:\/\/faculty.gordon.edu\/hu\/bi\/ted_hildebrandt\/NTeSources\/NTArticles\/BSac-NT\/Russell-OpponentsGalatians-BS.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 3 (Sept 30): The opponents of John the elder: &#8220;docetism&#8221;? (Inna)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: 1-3 John (Bible), see especially 1 John 1:5-10, 2:18-25 and 4:1-6; 2 John 5-11; 1 Corinthians 15 (Bible, on philosophical debates about the body and spirit); Raymond E. Brown, &#8220;When the Epistles Were Written: Johannine Internal Struggles&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Brown 1979 Johannine Internal Struggles (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); continue reading Ehrman&#8217;s <em>Lost Christianities<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Leader\u2019s additional article: Maarten J.J. Menken, \u201cThe Opponents in the Johannine Epistles: Fact or Fiction?\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/booksandjournals.brillonline.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/deliver\/nij9789004165977_191-210.pdf?isFastTrackArticle=false\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 4 (Oct 7): The opponents of Ignatius of Antioch: &#8220;docetists&#8221; and\/or &#8220;judaizers&#8221;?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: Ignatius\u2019 letters to the Magnesians, Philadelphians, and Smyrnaeans (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Ignatius Letters Magn, Philad, Smyrn (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Jerry L.\u00a0Sumney \u201cThose Who Ignorantly Deny Him: The Opponents of Ignatius of Antioch,\u201d <i>Journal of Early Christian Studies <\/i>1 (1993): 345\u201365 (<a href=\"http:\/\/muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/journals\/journal_of_early_christian_studies\/v001\/1.4.sumney.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); continue reading Ehrman&#8217;s <em>Lost Christianities<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Leader\u2019s additional article: John W. Marshall, \u201cThe Objects of Ignatius\u02bc Wrath and Jewish Angelic Mediators,\u201d <i>JEH<\/i> 56 (2005): 1\u201323 (<a href=\"http:\/\/journals2.scholarsportal.info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/pdf\/00220469\/v56i0001\/1_tooiwajam.xml\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 5 (Oct 14): Overall discussion of diversity in the historiography of early Christianity (Ehrman and others)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: complete reading Ehrman&#8217;s <em>Lost Christianities<\/em>; browse Walter Bauer, <em>Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity, <\/em>1934 (<a href=\"http:\/\/ccat.sas.upenn.edu\/rak\/publics\/new\/BAUER00.htm\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">**<em>Book review (Ehrman) due week 5 in class<\/em>**<\/p>\n<p>Week 6 (Oct 21): <i>The Acts of Paul and Thecla<\/i> and debates on the role of women<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings:<i> Acts of Paul,<\/i> especially the Thecla episodes (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/oso\/downloaddoclightbox\/$002f10.1093$002f0198261829.001.0001$002facprof-9780198261827-chapter-23\/The$0020Acts$0020of$0020Paul?nojs=true\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); MacDonald, <i>The Legend and the Apostle<\/i>, pp. 13-53; Harland, &#8220;Thecla, Tertullian, and controversies over women\u2019s leadership (NT Apocrypha 18)&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/2005\/10\/24\/thecla-tertullian-and-controversies-over-womens-leadership-nt-apocrypha-18\/\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Leader\u2019s additional article: Melissa Aubin, \u201cReversing Romance? <i>The Acts of Thecla<\/i> and the Ancient Novel\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Aubin 1998 Thecla Reversing Romance (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>; course password required).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 7 (Oct 28): Opponents in the Pastoral epistles<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: 1-2 Timothy, Titus (Bible); MacDonald, <i>The Legend and the Apostle<\/i>, pp. 54-96<\/li>\n<li>Leader\u2019s additional article: P.H. Towner, \u201cGnosis and Realized Eschatology in Ephesus (of The Pastoral Epistles) and the Corinthian Enthusiasm,\u201d <i>JSNT<\/i> 31 (1987): 95\u2013124 (<a href=\"http:\/\/journals2.scholarsportal.info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/pdf\/0142064x\/v10i0031\/95_gareiepeatce.xml\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 8 (Nov 4): The &#8220;philosophy&#8221; at Colossae (Joshua) \/ Opponents of 2 Peter and Jude and methods of attack (Ma)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: Colossians (esp. 2:8-2:23; Bible); Robert M. Royalty, &#8220;Dwelling on Visions. On the Nature of the so-called \u2018Colossians Heresy\u2019,&#8221; <i>Biblica<\/i> 83 (2002) 329-357 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/stable\/pdfplus\/42614382.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>) \/\/ 2 Peter and Jude (Bible); Lilly Nortj\u00e9-Meyer, \u201cVilification in 2 Peter 2: A Comparison with the Letter of Jude,\u201d <i>Scriptura<\/i> 112 (2014): 1\u201310 (<a href=\"http:\/\/scriptura.journals.ac.za\/pub\/article\/download\/95\/100\" target=\"_blank\">link)<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Leader\u2019s additional article: H. V. Broekhoven, \u201cThe Social Profiles in the Colossian Debate.\u201d <em>JSNT<\/em> 66 (1997) 73\u201390 (<a href=\"http:\/\/web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/ehost\/viewarticle?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bBQtK20ULKk63nn5Kx95uXxjL6nrkevr61KrqezOLawsky4qLI4v8OkjPDX7Ivf2fKB7eTnfLujs0uzrbFJt6mvPurX7H%2b72%2bw%2b4ti7iuTepIzf3btZzJzfhru30mS%2fpq5Ir6awS7Sutj7k5fCF3%2bq7iOLcxI3q4tJ99uoA&amp;hid=123\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>) \/ Andrie du Toit, \u201cVilification as a Pragmatic Device in Early Christian Epistolography,\u201d <i>Biblica<\/i> 75 (1994): 403\u2013412 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/stable\/pdf\/42611405.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><i>Apocalyptic and prophetic trajectories<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Week 9 (Nov 11):\u00a0John\u2019s Apocalypse, the Nicolaitans \/ Jezebel, and group-society relations (Zubair)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: John\u2019s Apocalypse (Revelation) (esp. chapters 1-3, 13-18); Numbers 22-25; 1 Kings chapters 18-19 and 21 (Bible); 1 Peter 2: 11-3:7 (Bible); Philip A. Harland, &#8220;Honouring the Emperor or Assailing the Beast,&#8221; <em>JSNT <\/em>77 (2000): 99-121 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/publications\/Harland%202000%20Apocalypse%20John.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>Leader\u2019s additional article: David A deSilva, \u201cThe Revelation to John: A Case Study in Apocalyptic Propaganda and the Maintenance of Sectarian Identity,\u201d <em>Sociology of Religion<\/em> 53 (1992), 375-395 (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Desilva 1992 Revelation Sectarian (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>; course password).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 10 (Nov 18): The Phrygian &#8220;New Prophecy&#8221; (Montanism) and prophetic strands<del><\/del><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: Eusebius, <em>Ecclesiastical History<\/em> 5.14-19 (citing various opponents of the Phrygian heresy; <a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Eusebius, EH 5.14-19 Montanists.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); &#8220;Montanist oracles&#8221; collected by Heine (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Heine 1989 Montanist Oracles trans.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Christine Trevett, \u201cGender, Authority and Church History: A Case Study of Montanism,\u201d <i>Feminist Theology<\/i> 6 (1998): 9\u201324 (<a href=\"http:\/\/journals1.scholarsportal.info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/pdf\/09667350\/v06i0017\/9_gaachacsom.xml\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>Leader\u2019s additional article: Alistair Stewart-Sykes, \u201cThe Original Condemnation of Asian Montanism,\u201d <i>Journal of Ecclesiastical History<\/i> 50 (1999): 1\u201322 (<a href=\"http:\/\/journals.cambridge.org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/action\/displayFulltext?type=1&amp;pdftype=1&amp;fid=11872&amp;jid=ECH&amp;volumeId=50&amp;issueId=01&amp;aid=11871\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 11 (Nov 25) : **<em>In class test 1<\/em>**<\/p>\n<p>Week 12 (Dec 2) \u2013 Film<\/p>\n<p>_____________________________________________________________________<br \/>\n<strong><i>Winter: Forms of Christianity reflected in the Christian Apocrypha and Nag Hammadi Literature<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><i>Judean (Jewish) and Anti-Judean Trajectories<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Week 1 (Jan 6): &#8220;Judean&#8221; Christianity, Ebionites, and &#8220;Judean&#8221; gospels<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: &#8220;Jewish-Christian Gospels&#8221; (<em>Gospels of the Nazareans, Ebionites and Hebrews<\/em>) (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/oso\/downloaddoclightbox\/$002f10.1093$002f0198261829.001.0001$002facprof-9780198261827-chapter-1\/Lost$0020Gospels?nojs=true\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Pseudo-Clementines, <em>Epistle of Peter to James<\/em> and <em>Homily<\/em> 17.13-19 (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Pseudo-Clementines on Simon ~ Paul.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>) + Harland, &#8220;Peter vs. Simon Magus (alias Paul) in the Pseudo-Clementines (NT Apocrypha 17)&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/2005\/10\/17\/peter-vs-simon-magus-alias-paul-in-the-pseudo-clementines-nt-apocrypha-17\/\">link<\/a>); Sakari H\u00e4kkinen, &#8220;Ebionites&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/booksandjournals.brillonline.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/deliver\/9789004186866_webready_content_s010.pdf?isFastTrackArticle=false\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); see also Ehrman, ch. 5<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article: Craig A. Evans, \u201cThe Jewish Christian Gospel Tradition\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Evans 2007 Jewish Christian Gospel Tradition (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>; course password).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 2 (Jan 13): Marcion and Marcionite groups (Denise)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: &#8220;Marcion and Marcionism&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Hultgren and Haggmark 1996 Marcion (protected).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); also <em>browse <\/em>Tertullian, <i>Against Marcion (Adversus Marcionem<\/i>), book 1 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tertullian.org\/articles\/evans_marc\/evans_marc_00index.htm\">link<\/a>); Heikki R\u00e4is\u00e4nen, &#8220;Marcion&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/booksandjournals.brillonline.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/deliver\/9789004186866_webready_content_s005.pdf?isFastTrackArticle=false\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Ehrman, ch. 11<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article: Judith Lieu, &#8220;The Principals of Marcion&#8217;s Thought and Their Context 1: God&#8221; (pp. 323-366) and &#8220;Life and Practice (pp. 387-397), in <em>Marcion and the Making of a Heretic<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.york.eblib.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/patron\/FullRecord.aspx?p=1936570\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a> to ebook)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><i>&#8220;Gnostic&#8221; (Demiurgical) and Related Philosophically-minded Trajectories<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Week 3 (Jan 20): Introduction to &#8220;gnosticism&#8221; and its philosophical background<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: Williams, &#8220;What Kind of Thing Do Scholars Mean by \u2018Gnosticism\u2019: A Look at Four Cases&#8221; in <i>Rethinking \u2018Gnosticism\u2019<\/i> (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Williams 1999 What kind of thing Gnosticism (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Plato&#8217;s <i>Timaeus<\/i> (&#8220;On the Origin of the Universe,&#8221; sections 27-43; <a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Plato Timaeus On the Nature of the Universe (27-52).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); E. Moore, &#8220;Middle Platonism&#8221;, <i>The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy<\/i>, especially the introduction and the discussion of Numenius of Apamea\u2019s triad (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.iep.utm.edu\/m\/midplato.htm\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article: John D. Turner, \u201cThe Gnostic Sethians and Middle Platonism: Interpretations of the \u2018Timaeus\u2019 and \u2018Parmenides,\u2019\u201d <i>VC<\/i> 60 (2006): 9\u201364 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/stable\/pdf\/20474740.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 4 (Jan 27): The Sethian (?) <em>Secret Book According to John<\/em>, the creation of the world, and scriptural interpretation<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: <em>Secret Book According to John<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Secret Book According to John (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Genesis 1-6 (in the Bible); Plato, <em>Timaeus<\/em> (refresh your memory and bring it); Michael A. Williams, &#8220;Sethianism&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/booksandjournals.brillonline.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/deliver\/9789004186866_webready_content_s003.pdf?isFastTrackArticle=false\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); see also Ehrman, ch. 6<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article:\u00a0Karen L. King, \u201cReading Sex and Gender in the Secret Revelation of John,\u201d <i>JECS<\/i> 19 (2011): 519\u201338 (<a href=\"http:\/\/muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/journals\/journal_of_early_christian_studies\/v019\/19.4.king.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 5 (Feb 3): <em>Sophia of Jesus Christ \/\/ Eugnostos the Blessed<\/em> and Platonism<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: <em>Sophia of Jesus Christ \/\/ Eugnostos the Blessed<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Eugnostos and Sophia of JC (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); E. Moore, &#8220;Middle Platonism&#8221;, <i>The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy<\/i>, especially the introduction and the discussion of Numenius of Apamea\u2019s triad (again; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iep.utm.edu\/m\/midplato.htm\">link<\/a>);\u00a0 Williams, \u201cNegative Theologies and Demiurgical Myths in Late Antiquity&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Williams 2000 Negative Theologies (protected).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article:\u00a0Louis Painchaud, \u201cThe Literary Contacts between the Writing without Title On the Origin of the World (CG II,5 and XIII,2) and Eugnostos the Blessed (CG III,3 and V,I),\u201d <i>Journal of Biblical Literature<\/i> 114 (1995) 81\u2013101 (<a href=\"http:\/\/web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/ehost\/viewarticle?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bBQtK20ULKk63nn5Kx95uXxjL6orUmtqK5JtJa2UrKtuEm0lr9lpOrweezp33vy3%2b2G59q7Ra%2bttU60rq5Jt6%2bkhN%2fk5VXj5KR84LPwfuac8nnls79mpNfsVb%2fKylmupq5Itq%2bzUK6npH7t6Ot58rPufOS884TqyuOQ8gAA&amp;hid=4207\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 6 (Feb 10): Valentinian <em>Gospel of Truth<\/em> and Ptolemy&#8217;s <em>Letter to Flora<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: <em>Gospel of Truth<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Gospel of Truth (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>) + Gospel of John 1:1-18 (in the Bible); Ptolemy&#8217;s <em>Letter to Flora<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Ptolemy Letter to Flora (password).pdf\">link<\/a>); \u00a0Ismo Dunderberg, &#8220;The School of Valentinus&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/booksandjournals.brillonline.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/deliver\/9789004186866_webready_content_s004.pdf?isFastTrackArticle=false\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>**Reading week Feb 15-19 \u2013 no classes**<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Week 7 (Feb 24): Valentinian <em>Gospel of Philip<\/em> and gnostic practices and rituals (Alyssa)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: <em>Gospel of Philip<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Gospel According to Philip (password).pdf\">link<\/a>); Paul Foster, &#8220;The Gospel of Philip,&#8221; <i>Expository Times <\/i>118 (2007), 417-427 (<a href=\"http:\/\/ext.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/content\/118\/9\/417.full.pdf+html\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article: J. J. Buckley and D. J. Good, \u201cSacramental Language and Verbs of Generating, Creating, and Begetting in the Gospel of Philip,\u201d <i>Journal of Early Christian Studies<\/i> 5 (1997) 1\u201319 (<a href=\"http:\/\/muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/journals\/journal_of_early_christian_studies\/v005\/5.1buckley.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 8 (March 2): The &#8220;Gnostic&#8221; Worldview in Modern Film &#8211; Truman Show<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><i>Refuting &#8220;heresies&#8221;and the formation of &#8220;orthodoxy&#8221;<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Week 9 (March 9): Rhetorical attacks on marginal groups \/ literature: Irenaeus on Valentinus&#8217; school and Epiphanius on the Phibionites (Shinedle)<del><\/del><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: Irenaeus, <i>Against Heresies<\/i>, preface and book 1, chapters 1-7, 10 (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Irenaeus, Against the Heresies (books 1-11 on Valentinus) (protected).pdf\">link<\/a>); Epiphanius, <i>Panarion<\/i>, book 1, section 26, esp. from 3,3-5,8 (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/P Epiphanius, book 1 section 26 Borborites (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>); Williams &#8220;. . . or Libertinism?,&#8221; pp. 163-165, 175-188 (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Williams 1996, chapter 8 Libertinism (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Leader&#8217;s additional article: Ingvild S\u00e6lid Gilhus, \u201cThe Construction of Heresy and the Creation of Identity: Epiphanius of Salamis and His Medicine-Chest against Heretics,\u201d <i>Numen<\/i> 62 (2015) 152\u201368 (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Courses\/Readings\/4825\/Gilhus 2015 Construction of Heresy Epiphanius (password).pdf\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 10 (March 16): The Gospel of Judas (National Geographic film)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readings: <em>Gospel of Judas<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/lostgospel\/_pdf\/GospelofJudas.pdf?fs=www9.nationalgeographic.com\">link<\/a>); &#8220;April D. DeConick\u2019s The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/2007\/11\/23\/april-d-deconicks-the-thirteenth-apostle-what-the-gospel-of-judas-really-says\/\">link<\/a>); Simon Gathercole, &#8220;The Gospel of Judas,&#8221; <i>The Expository Times<\/i> 118 (2007), 209-215 (<a href=\"http:\/\/ext.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca\/content\/118\/5\/209.full.pdf+html\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Week 11 (March 23): **<i>In class test 2**<\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><i>Modern popular perceptions of ancient &#8220;heresies&#8221;<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Week 12 (March 30): The &#8220;Gnostic&#8221; Worldview in Modern Film &#8211; TBA<\/p>\n<p>___________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><strong><i>Book Review Paper (5 pages double-spaced, <\/i><i>no longer<\/i>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Carefully read and study the assigned book, making note of the main arguments of the author. Write a review of the book, which entails:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Outlining the main argument (or point) of the book and how the author builds up this argument in sub-arguments throughout the chapters.<\/li>\n<li>Discussing the author\u2019s methods (or approach) and use of evidence to support his or her points.<\/li>\n<li>Providing a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the book. Does the author achieve what she set out to do? Is the argument convincing or not, and in what ways? What theoretical assumptions and\/or value judgements influence the author\u2019s reconstruction of history? Be sure to provide concrete examples (citing page numbers in parentheses) of the problems or strengths you discuss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The review paper should have a <i>clear thesis statement<\/i> (concerning your evaluation of the book) which is supported throughout the paragraphs. The paper should be clearly written and structured with <i>no spelling or grammatical errors<\/i>. <i>Be succinct<\/i> and do not exceed the prescribed length.<\/p>\n<p>In order to prepare for this assignment and to understand what is an academic book review, you will want to read a number of book reviews in academic journals such as the <i> Journal of Biblical Literature<\/i> or <i>Review of Biblical Literature<\/i> (online here: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bookreviews.org\/\"> http:\/\/www.bookreviews.org\/<\/a>) and <i>Journal of the American Academy of Religion<\/i>.<br \/>\n<i><br \/>\n<strong>Major research paper proposal and critical bibliography (2-3 pages)<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<p>Choose a topic relating to the course that interests you. Speak with me to confirm that the topic will work and to get advice on how to proceed. Write a succinct proposal and outline of the paper, which entails:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stating your topic, its relevance to the course, and the sort of material you expect to cover.<\/li>\n<li>Outlining your tentative thesis or main argument and how you expect to structure the paper.<\/li>\n<li>Discussing primary and secondary sources that will be useful in research. Provide a bibliography (following an accepted academic style of bibliography correctly).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><i>Major Research Paper (12 pages double spaced)<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This paper will build upon your earlier proposal, demonstrating research and analysis of both primary and secondary sources. A good research paper includes the following characteristics (and more):<\/p>\n<p>Form:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Opening paragraph that provides context by noting the broader relevance of the topic. Ease the reader into the subject, yet get to your main topic or point promptly.<\/li>\n<li>Clear thesis statement that encapsulates your main argument or point.<\/li>\n<li>Clearly structured paragraphs, with each paragraph addressing a specific point (or sub-thesis) that helps to support your overall thesis.<\/li>\n<li>Clearly written sentences that communicate your ideas in a direct and succinct manner (without repetition).<\/li>\n<li>Succinct concluding paragraph that pulls things together without merely repeating what has already been said.<\/li>\n<li>No spelling or grammatical errors.<\/li>\n<li>Complete bibliography listing all sources consulted or cited in the paper. Follow an accepted academic format of bibliography (do not create your own variations).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Content:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Early indication of your purpose, the way you will be approaching your topic, and the methods you will be using (e.g. historical, sociological, anthropological, psychological).<\/li>\n<li>Discussion of a range of material relevant to your topic and purpose.<\/li>\n<li>Provision of historical and cultural context. Where does your topic fit within the broader historical trends of the period you are studying? How does your topic relate to political, social or cultural developments of the time?<\/li>\n<li>Thorough references to the sources (both primary and secondary) of your information throughout the paper (using an accepted form of citation). Find out what plagiarism is and avoid it like the plague.<\/li>\n<li>Critical use and analysis of primary sources (that is, materials from the period you are studying produced by contemporary participants or observers). Primary sources include not only writings but also visual and artefactual materials (e.g. archeological findings, buildings, artistic productions, films in the modern context).<\/li>\n<li>Critical use and analysis of secondary sources (that is, scholarly materials). Demonstrate that you have read relevant scholarly sources. Show that you are aware of the key issues of debate among scholars and take sides in the matter. Which scholarly positions do you agree or disagree with and why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Possible presentation topics and useful resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Johannine Christianity \u2013 Raymond E. Brown, <i>The Community of the Beloved Disciple<\/i> (New York: Paulist Press, 1979). BS 2601 B76<\/li>\n<li>Ignatius of Antioch \u2013 Allen Brent, <i>Ignatius of Antioch: A Martyr Bishop and the Origin of Episcopacy<\/i> (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007). BR 1720 I4 B74<\/li>\n<li>The Cult of Thecla \u2013 Stephen J. Davis, <i>The Cult of Saint Thecla: A Tradition of Women\u2019s Piety in Late Antiquity<\/i>, Oxford Early Christian Studies (Oxford: OUP, 2001). BR 1720 T33 D38 (also ebook)<\/li>\n<li>Outside critics on women in the Jesus groups \u2013 Margaret Y. MacDonald, <i>Early Christian Women and Pagan Opinion: The Power of the Hysterical Woman<\/i> (Cambridge: CUP, 1996). BR 195 W6 M23<\/li>\n<li>John&#8217;s Apocalypse and Roman imperialism \u2013 Steven J. Friesen, <i>Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John: Reading Revelation in the Ruins<\/i> (Oxford: OUP, 2001) (ebook <a href=\"http:\/\/www.library.yorku.ca\/e\/resolver\/id\/2388706\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>Gender issues and Montanism \u2013 Christine Trevett, <i>Montanism: Gender, Authority, and the New Prophecy<\/i> (Cambridge: CUP, 1996). BT 1435 T74<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2014<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historiography of &#8220;gnosticism&#8221; \u2013 Karen L King, <i>What Is Gnosticism?<\/i> (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2003).<\/li>\n<li>Marcion \u2013 Judith M. Lieu, <i>Marcion and the Making of a Heretic: God and Scripture in the Second Century<\/i> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015).<\/li>\n<li>Sethians and the Ophites \u2013 Tuomas Rasimus, <i>Paradise Reconsidered in Gnostic Mythmaking: Rethinking Sethianism in Light of the Ophite Evidence<\/i> (Leiden: Brill, 2009) ebook (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.library.yorku.ca\/e\/resolver\/id\/1926917\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Hermetica \u2013 Garth Fowden, <i>The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind<\/i> (Cambridge: CUP, 1986). BF 1591 F75)<\/li>\n<li><em>Gospel of Mary <\/em>\u2013 Karen L King, <i>The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle<\/i> (Santa Rosa: Polebridge Press, 2003). BT 1392 G652 K56<\/li>\n<li>Valentinian ethics \u2013 Philip L. Tite, <i>Valentinian Ethics and Paraenetic Discourse<\/i> (Leiden: Brill, 2009). ebook (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.library.yorku.ca\/e\/resolver\/id\/2261053\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Rituals in the Gospel of Philip \u2013 Lubbertus Klaas van Os, &#8220;Baptism in the bridal chamber: the gospel of Philip as a Valentinian baptismal instruction&#8221; (Doctoral dissertation: University of Groningen, 2007) (<a href=\"http:\/\/dissertations.ub.rug.nl\/faculties\/theology\/2007\/l.k.van.os\/\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Manichees \u2013 Nicholas J. Baker-Brian, <i>Manichaeism: An Ancient Faith Rediscovered<\/i> (London: Bloomsbury, 2011).<\/li>\n<li>Mandaeans \u2013 Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley, <i>The Mandaeans: Ancient Texts and Modern People<\/i> (Oxford: OUP, 2002) \u2013 ebook (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.library.yorku.ca\/eresolver\/?id=990609\" target=\"_blank\">link<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Cathars \u2013 Malcolm D. Lambert, <i>The Cathars<\/i> (Wiley, 1998). BX 4891.2 L35 1998<\/li>\n<li>Problems in interpreting the <em>Gospel of Judas<\/em> \u2013 April D. DeConick, <i>The Thirteenth Apostle: What The Gospel of Judas Really Says<\/i> (London: Continuum, 2007).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General information: Phil Harland, Click here to email me. Vanier 248. Office hours: Wednesdays 2:30-3:30, or by appointment.\u00a0 Seminar: Wednesdays 11:30-2:20, Bethune College 225 Course description: This course explores diversity in thought and practice among followers of Jesus in the Roman empire by investigating various groups and writings traditionally viewed as &#8220;heretical&#8221;, marginal, or non-canonical. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":962,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2152","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2152\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}