Jesus and the Synoptic Tradition

An exploration of who Jesus was and what he accomplished as recorded by the canonical witnesses of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in conversation with contemporary 'historical Jesus' research models. Focus will be on the questions: Where does Jesus belong within the Jewish world of his day? What were Jesus' aims and claims? Why did Jesus die? Why did the early church begin and why did it take the shape that it did? Prerequisites: RLGS 101, 102, 201.