Secret Gospels: the Hidden Life and Teaching of Jesus

In this course we will evaluate the historical value of what some have called the Secret Gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of Mary. Students will learn about the literary genre, the content and the reception of these texts in Early Christianity. An introductory presentation of Gnosticism will also be given, since it is the underlying ideology of most of the Secret Gospels. This course will also enable students to engage in the interpretation of these enigmatic texts. (S) (lec 3) cr 3.