Overview
Who is Jesus and what is his significance? Considers Christian thinking about the person and work of Jesus from the early church to the present day.
Jesus of Nazareth is without doubt the most influential figure in human history. It is claimed by Christians that this lowly human being, a friend of outcasts and sinners who was eventually crucified for disturbing the religious and political waters of ancient Judea, is both one with us in his humanity, but also the one in whom God is present. What are we to make of this claim? What foundation does it have in the Bible? How have its implications been understood through the course of Christian history? This paper investigates the reality of Jesus and considers his ongoing significance for human life today.
About this paper
| Paper title | The Person and Work of Christ (Advanced) |
|---|---|
| Subject | Christian Thought and History |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1
(Distance learning)
Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Delivery mode | The Distance Learning offering of this paper involves in-person assessment |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,103.10 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 200-level CHTH or CHTX paper
- Restriction
- CHTH 211, CHTH 218, CHTH 311, CHTX 211, CHTX 311
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Notes
- May not be credited together with CHTH217 or CHTH317 passed in 2007, 2009 or 2011 or CHTX217 or CHTX317 passed in 2007, 2009 or 2011.
- Eligibility
- Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.
- Contact
- Professor Murray Rae: murray.rae@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
View more information on the Theology Programme’s website
- Teaching staff
- Lecturer: Professor Murray Rae
- Paper Structure
The paper will be comprised of four modules.
Module 1: Doing Christology
Module 2: In the Beginning was the End? Classical Christology
Module 3: Modern Developments in Christology
Module 4: The Work of Christ- Teaching Arrangements
Campus: One two-hour lecture per week.
Distance: Five videoconferences through the semester, and a teaching day.- Textbooks
Textbooks are not required for this paper. Readings will be available online.
- Course outline
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- Students who successfully complete the paper should have
- Acquired a sound grasp of the key stages in the classical development of Christian claims about the status, nature and significance of Jesus and discovered some of the major ways in which these claims have been challenged, interpreted and restated in modern Christian theology
- Developed an ability to discern the connections between the logic of Christological statements and the contours of Christian belief as a whole
- Furthered their assessment of the relevance of historical doctrinal developments for a contemporary systematic theology and extended their understanding of how habitual ways of approaching doctrinal themes may be enriched by an awareness of past as well as present thinking
- Considered the ways in which the study of Jesus Christ can be enriched through attending to a range of cultural perspectives
- Advanced their skills of critical analysis, their sensitivity to diversity of opinion and their ability to articulate coherent intellectual arguments
- Extended their capacity to read and think deeply about the internal logic of Christology and the interrelations between its core concerns concerning the nature of faith, history, knowledge, salvation and ethics
- Acquired a deeper appreciation of the degree to which Christology necessarily lies at the heart of an entire Christian vision of God and the world
- Assessment details
- Essay (2,500 words) 25%
- Essay (3,000 words) 35%
- Exam (two hours) 40%
Overview
Who is Jesus and what is his significance? Considers Christian thinking about the person and work of Jesus from the early church to the present day.
Jesus of Nazareth is without doubt the most influential figure in human history. It is claimed by Christians that this lowly human being, a friend of outcasts and sinners who was eventually crucified for disturbing the holy and political waters of ancient Judea, is both one with us in his humanity, but also the one in whom God is present.
What are we to make of this claim? What foundation does it have in the Bible? How have its implications been understood through the course of Christian history? This paper investigates the reality of Jesus and considers his ongoing significance for human life today.
About this paper
| Paper title | The Person and Work of Christ (Advanced) |
|---|---|
| Subject | Christian Thought and History |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2027 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 200-level CHTH or CHTX paper
- Restriction
- CHTH 211, CHTH 218, CHTH 311, CHTX 211, CHTX 311
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Notes
- May not be credited together with CHTH217 or CHTH317 passed in 2007, 2009 or 2011 or CHTX217 or CHTX317 passed in 2007, 2009 or 2011.
- Eligibility
- Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an enquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the Theology Programme's website.
- Teaching staff
- Lecturer: Professor Murray Rae
- Paper Structure
The paper will be comprised of four modules.
Module 1: Doing Christology
Module 2: In the Beginning was the End? Classical Christology
Module 3: Modern Developments in Christology
Module 4: The Work of Christ- Teaching Arrangements
Campus: one 2-hour lecture per week.
Distance: five videoconferences through the semester and an optional teaching day.- Textbooks
Textbooks are not required for this paper. Readings will be available online.
- Course outline
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper should have:
- Acquired a sound grasp of the key stages in the classical development of Christian claims about the status, nature and significance of Jesus and discovered some of the major ways in which these claims have been challenged, interpreted and restated in modern Christian theology.
- Developed an ability to discern the connections between the logic of Christological statements and the contours of Christian belief as a whole.
- Furthered their assessment of the relevance of historical doctrinal developments for a contemporary systematic theology and extended their understanding of how habitual ways of approaching doctrinal themes may be enriched by an awareness of past as well as present thinking.
- Considered the ways in which the study of Jesus Christ can be enriched through attending to a range of cultural perspectives.
- Advanced their skills of critical analysis, their sensitivity to diversity of opinion and their ability to articulate coherent intellectual arguments.
- Extended their capacity to read and think deeply about the internal logic of Christology and the interrelations between its core concerns concerning the nature of faith, history, knowledge, salvation and ethics.
- Acquired a deeper appreciation of the degree to which Christology necessarily lies at the heart of an entire Christian vision of God and the world.
- Assessment details
- Essay (2,500 words) 25%
- Essay (3,000 words) 35%
- Exam (two hours) 40%