RLMgB603 Historicity of religious figures: Jesus and Buddha

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Kristýna Čižmářová
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The question of the historicity of various religious figures, but also of other phenomena, has been the subject of much controversy in the past and is still frequently debated in contemporary discussions. How to work with the question of historicity and dating of specific, not only religious, figures and phenomena? Using the founding figures of Jesus and Buddha as examples, the course will address the issues of the relationship between history and myth and the criteria of historicity. Through a detailed analysis of selected sources related to the founding figures of Jesus and Buddha, students will deepen their knowledge of the principles of critical historical work and reading of literary sources. In this approach, the course is an appropriate bridge to quantitative textual analysis methods.
Learning outcomes
After the course completion, students will be able to:
  • work with the basic criteria of historicity of religious figures and events from their lives and public activities;
  • consistently apply the principles of textual and source critical reading to selected relevant texts;
  • to reflect the relationship between myth and history in terms of emic and ethical approaches.
    • Syllabus
    • Introductory Lecture - The Quest for the Historical Jesus
    • Birth of Jesus I (Synoptic Versions, the Proto-Gospel of James, Toldot Yeshu)
    • Birth of Jesus II (Synoptic Versions, the Proto-Gospel of James, Toldot Yeshu)
    • Passion Narrative I (Synoptic Versions, the Gospel of Peter, Josephus Flavius)
    • Passion Narrative II (Synoptic Versions, the Gospel of Peter, Josephus Flavius)
    • Introductory Lecture - The Quest for the Historical Buddha
    • Buddha as a Teacher I (The Life of Buddha in the Sutras of the Pali Canon)
    • Buddha as a Teacher II (The Life of Buddha in the Sutras of the Pali Canon)
    • Buddha as a Transcendental Being I (Mahayana Versions of the Life of Buddha)
    • Buddha as a Transcendental Being II (Mahayana Versions of the Life of Buddha)
    • Final Meeting - How to work with the historicity of certain religious figures (or themes).
    Literature
    • Schröter, Jens - Christine Jacobi (eds.), The Jesus Handbook, Grand Rapids: William. B. Eerdmans 2022.
    • Theissen, Gerd - Dagmar Winter, The Quest for the Plausible Jesus: The Question of Criteria, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press 2002.
    • Holmén, Tom - Stanley E. Porter (eds.), Handbook for the Study of the Historical Jesus I-IV, Leiden - Boston: Brill 2011.
    • Theissen, Gerd - Annette Merz, The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide, Minneapolis: Fortress Press 1998.
    • Faure, Bernard, The Thousand and One Lives of the Buddha, Honolulu: University of Hawai´i Press 2022.
    • Gombrich, Richard F., What the Buddha Thought, corrected edition, (Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies Monographs), Sheffield: Equinox 2013.
    Teaching methods
    At the beginning of each thematic block, there is an introductory lecture, followed by seminars. In the introduction to the course, students choose one source from a selection of sources, about which they prepare a detailed presentation in terms of its source and textual criticism. The presentation, which will take place in a specified seminar, will include a reflection on the particular problem the source raises with respect to the question of historicity. An important part of the seminars is the discussion of the content of the assigned source in relation to the historical context presented. All seminar participants are assumed to be familiar with the source on the basis of home reading.
    Assessment methods
    The course is evaluated with 200 points overall, the minimum for obtaining the colloquium is 60%, i.e. 120 points. A detailed presentation in which the student presents the chosen source in terms of the criteria of textual and source criticism is assessed with a maximum of 60 points. Discussions in seminars are assessed collectively for a maximum of 40 points. In the sum of both semester outcomes, at least 60 points out of a possible maximum of 100 points must be obtained. The topic of the presentation will be developed into an essay of 6-10 standard pages in the course, with standard notes and a list of sources used. The essay will be graded out of 100 points, and at least 60 points must be earned in this category to meet the required score threshold.
    Language of instruction
    Czech
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    The course is taught once in two years.
    The course is taught: every other week.
    Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujících.
    Teacher's information
    The course is administered in ELF (e-learning environment of the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University).
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