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NBST 611LIFE OF CHRISTLEO PERCER, PHD(434) 592-4178LPERCER@LIBERTY.EDULBTS CARTER BUILDING ROOM 217Please note that this syllabus may change at the instructor’s discretionI.COURSE DESCRIPTIONUsing a harmony of the Gospels as a basis, the life of Christ will be studied in the light of itshistorical background, geographical setting, political situation, and religious conditions.Special emphasis will be given to Jesus’ mission and message. Each Gospel will also beconsidered in order to get a general understanding of the respective presentations of Christ.In those studies emphasis will be placed on matters of text, authorship, date, authorialpurpose, and theme development.II.RATIONALEAny in-depth study of the New Testament needs to be based upon a general knowledge of thelife of the founder of Christianity. Jesus Christ is the primary focus of the writings of theNew Testament, and his life and mission provide for us not only salvation, but a model bywhich to compare our own lives and ministries. Without knowledge of the life of Christ, thestudy of Scripture seems to lack context. Students often possess many bits of piecemealinformation which need structure, unity, and completion. This course will try to “tie thesetogether” while supplementing the student’s knowledge with other perhaps new information.In addition, a thorough, systematic understanding of the Christ’s life and ministry isabsolutely essential for Christian leadership as well as for all the various ministries performedin today’s church. Such knowledge will form the foundation for preaching, teaching, andministry and may well act as a guard against heresy and errors of interpretation.III.PREREQUISITESNoneIV.MATERIALS LISTA. Required TextbooksSteven L. Cox and Kendell H. Easley. HCSB Harmony of the Gospels. Nashville, TN: HolmanReference, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8054-9444-0

NBST 611 – Life of ChristKenneth E. Bailey. Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels.Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-8308-2568-4James K. Beilby and Paul Rhodes Eddy, editors. The Historical Jesus: Five Views. DownersGrove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-8308-3868-4Craig L. Blomberg. Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey. Second Editions.Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2009. ISBN 978-0-8054-4482-7Mark L. Strauss. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels. Grand Rapids,MI: Zondervan, 2007. ISBN 978-0-310-22697-0V.MEASURABLE LEARNING OUTCOMESUpon successfully completing this course, you should be able to:A. Identify the historical background, political situation, and religious conditions surrounding the lifeand ministry of Jesus Christ as found in the Gospels (Exams; Book Critiques; Research Paper).B. Identify the main themes and context of the message of Jesus (Exams).C. Evaluate some major critical and hermeneutical problems confronting the study of the life ofChrist (Research Paper; Book Critiques).D. Analyze the major theme/purpose, general contents, and the special features of each of theGospels (Book Critiques; Exams).VI.COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTSA variety of activities comprise the basic requirements for this class. Some of these activities willbe graded and those combined grades will constitute the student’s score for the class. A studentMUST complete all the assignments listed below in order to pass this course.A. Reading AssignmentsThe student is required to read the portion from the textbook and/or the New Testament textas assigned. The reading must be completed before class for the day assigned. Additionalreading may be assigned as needed during the semester.B. Exams (400 total points)—Learning Outcomes A, B, DTwo exams will be given during the course of the semester. Exams will count 200 pointseach towards the final grade (for a total of 400 points of the final grade). Each exam will test youover the materials previously covered in class lecture materials and reading assignments. Detailswill be given in class regarding the exam contents and form. Exam dates will be given inadvance. NO make-ups will be allowed.C. Book Critiques (150 points each/300 points total)—Learning Outcomes A, C, DEach student will do two (2) book reviews. The first book reviewed must be The HistoricalJesus: Five Views. The second book for review will be Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes. Thisassignment is worth a total of 300 points of the final grade. Instructions for the propersubmission and form of these reviews will be posted in the appropriate area on Blackboard.Page 2 of 7

NBST 611 – Life of ChristThese critiques should include a summary and analysis of the book and should be between 5 to 10pages long. These papers should be double-spaced, use a 10 or 12 point Times New Roman font,and contain one inch margins. The first critique is due September 24, and the second review isdue November 5. Papers submitted after the due date will receive a penalty.D. Outline and Thesis Statement (50 points)Students will be required to turn in a copy of the following materials for their final researchpapers: thesis statement, outline, and bibliography. This assignment will be turned in before thepaper, so students will want to pick a topic in advance. Papers submitted after the stated due datewill receive a penalty.E. Research Paper (250 points)—Learning Outcomes A, CThe student is required to write a research paper (not less than 12 pages and not more than 20pages) on a topic chosen by the student from a list of approved topics. Approved topics will beprovided in advance by the professor. Style guidelines will be provided and detailed instructionsfor the paper will be given in class and posted on Blackboard. This research paper must be atleast 12 pages but not over 20 double-spaced typewritten pages (including footnotes but notcounting the bibliography, title page, or table of contents). Papers submitted after the due datewill receive a penalty.VII.COURSE GRADING AND POLICIESA.PointsThesis and OutlineMid-TermFinal ExamBook CritiquesResearch Paper50200200300250TotalB.1000Scale:AAB BBC CCD 819760-779740-759700-739680-6990-679Page 3 of 7

NBST 611 – Life of ChristVIII.POLICIESA.Atttendance PoliciesYour participation in this class is indispensable. Attendance will be taken daily,and a student runs the risk of seriously affecting his or her final grade with excessiveabsences. According to Liberty’s policy, excessive absences for this class will be definedas missing more than 2 classes unexcused. Since the class is based on a 1000 point score,each unexcused absence over 2 will result in 75 points off the final grade. An absence maybe excused if a student can properly document the reason for the absence, and if thatreason includes one of the following: participation in an authorized Liberty Universityevent or ministry, documented illness, a family or other emergency, or any other eventdiscussed in advance with and approved by the instructor. Such documentation should begiven to the instructor within a week of the recorded absence. An absence will beconsidered unexcused if the student fails to present proper documentation. Tardystudents should report to the instructor at the end of class to remove the absencefrom the attendance records. Drop/adds will be processed according to LibertyUniversity policy, and students are referred to the policies of the university regardingbehavior in the classroomB.Other Policies1.Academic MisconductAcademic misconduct is strictly prohibited. Students are referred to theGraduate Catalog and the seminary web site for policies regarding academichonesty and integrity. Some specific policies for this class include the following:Students should not recycle papers from other classes without obtaining explicitpermission from the instructor. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The penalty forplagiarism is a failing grade on the assignment and an F for the class. Plagiarism inthis class is the presentation of another person’s works or ideas as your own,whether you mean to or not. Copying or paraphrasing passages from another’swork without acknowledging that you’ve done so is plagiarism. Copying anotherperson’s work without proper attestation or citations is plagiarism. Quoting asource without quotation marks (even if you give a citation) is plagiarism. Simplyput, plagiarism will cost you because you will fail this class. Your papers and otherassignments may be submitted to Safe Assign or a related source to check forplagiarism.2.Drop/Add PolicyConsult the Graduate Catalog for drop/add policies.3.Dress Code (applies to classes meeting on campus)Page 4 of 7

NBST 611 – Life of ChristStudents are expected to maintain a neat, professional appearance while inclass. Consult your department for additional guidelines.4.Classroom Policies (applies to classes meeting on campus)Students are expected to conduct themselves in the classroom in a mannerconsistent with the respect due to the topic addressed. With that in mind, thiscourse will require that all cell phones be turned off or set to vibrate prior to thebeginning of the class. Also, while computers may be used for note taking, pleasebe aware that choosing to use your computer for other purposes during class maycause problems for your classmates. Be respectful of the needs of others in thisarea or your computer use may be curtailed or even banned.Page 5 of 7

NBST 611 – Life of ChristIX.X.TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE—TO BE ANNOUNCEDBIBLIOGRAPHYBauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. GrandRapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2006.Bruce, F. F. Jesus: Lord and Savior. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1986.Bock, Darrell L. Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods. GrandRapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.Bock, Darrell, and Herrick, Gregory. Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study.Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005.Bockmuehl, Marcus. This Jesus: Martyr, Lord, Messiah. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1994.Carson, D. A., and Moo, Douglas. An Introduction to the New Testament. Second Edition.Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2005.Casey, P. M. From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God: The Origins and Development of NewTestament Christology. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991.Charlesworth, James H. Jesus Within Judaism: New Light from Exciting ArchaeologicalDiscoveries. New York: Doubleday, 1988.Chilton, Bruce. Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography. New York: Doubleday, 2000.Dunn, James D. G. The Evidence for Jesus. Louisville, KY: Westminster, 1985. Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry into the Origins of the Doctrineof the Incarnation. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2005. A New Perspective on Jesus: What the Quest for the Historical Jesus Missed. GrandRapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005.Ehrman, Bart. Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1999.Evans, Craig A. Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies. Leiden: Brill, 1995.Green, Joel B., McKnight, Scot, and Marshall, I. Howard. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels.Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992.Hengel, Martin. Studies in Early Christology. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1995.Hurtado, Larry W. Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity. Grand Rapids,MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003.Jeffrey, Grant R. Jesus: The Great Debate. Nashville, TN: Word, 1999.Page 6 of 7