Jesus
of Nazareth apparently did not teach in logical propositions so much as in
parables, paradoxes, and poetry. When we rise to Jesus’ theopoetic bait, we may
find that we do not get off the hook easily.
His surprising plots and arresting metaphors challenge us to consider
for ourselves what we think and how we will respond. This research seminar will
examine selected poems and parables of Jesus as examples of, and sources for,
theopoetics. Without attempting reconstruct the exact words of the historical
Jesus, we will develop informed imaginations of how his remembered sayings and
stories would have sounded to Jewish audiences in first century Palestine, and
we will ponder their possible significance for people in our twenty-first
century contexts. We will also write and perform our own parables drawing
inspiration from the poetics of Jesus.
- Teacher: Dan Ulrich
- Teacher: Nancy Bowen
- Teacher: Jim Higginbotham