Conclusion

Five Scenes from the Death of Jesus

After exploring the Gospel passion narratives by means of this mini-course, it might be useful to take note of the following:

  1. The four accounts have five scenes in common: Jesus is arrested at night in a garden, he is questioned by priestly leaders, he is questioned by Pilate and ordered to be crucified, he is executed, and he is buried in a nearby stone tomb.
  2. Each account also has distinct theological interests:
    • Mark stresses that Jesus is utterly abandoned by all his companions, none of whom have ever truly understood him. It is only with his death that his identity as the embodiment of God’s love becomes perceptible.
    • Matthew portrays Jesus’ death as the passing of the King. Israel’s scriptures and nature itself testify that the death of God’s living Wisdom means life beyond death for all.
    • Luke emphasizes that the innocent savior, the ultimate prophet, brings reconciliation and peace to a divided world, thereby bringing glory to Israel and light to the nations.
    • John depicts Jesus’ death as his triumphant return to the world above from whence he came. By thus being “lifted up,” Jesus draws to him all believers in the relationship of love that unites the Father and the Son.
  1. There are limits to what can be known historically about the death of Jesus. However, for Christian faith the most important concern is to discern the spiritual meaning each evangelist intends to convey.
  2. The subject of this mini-course is the four scriptural passion narratives. It is important to stress, however, that one only partially grasps the significance of Jesus and of Christian faith without also considering the Gospels’ resurrection narratives. See Mark 16:1-20 (though the oldest form of the Gospel seems to have concluded at 16:8); Matthew 28:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; and John 20:1-21:25. These, too, reflect the individual insights of the evangelists:
    • Mark ends his Gospel so abruptly that early on, other editors added two different supplemental conclusions. The original ending shows women fleeing from the empty tomb in terror and astonishment, fearing to say anything to anyone. The writer apparently wants to confront his readers with a decision: will they see past the tomb’s emptiness to faith in what it truly means or will they be reduced to silence about the story of Jesus?
    • Matthew concludes his Gospel with the raised Jesus appearing to his disciples on a mountain in Galilee, though some doubt what is happening. There, the Raised Wisdom of God instructs his disciples to go to all the Gentile nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe everything that Jesus has commended.
    • Luke’s concluding verses include the powerful episode of the disciples going home to Emmaus, thinking that their hopes for Jesus have ended in calamity. Perhaps reflecting the experience of the earliest churches, it is in the breaking of the bread that these disciples come to realize that the raised Jesus is present among them.

John’s Gospel offers two endings. The first, the story of “doubting Thomas,” culminates in a message to Christians of all generations: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (20:29). The second ending in chapter 21, presents a remarkable encounter between the Raised Jesus, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple, which in some ways represents a late first-century reconciling of the unique perspectives of the Johannine church (represented by the Beloved Disciple) and the emerging consensus of the Petrine churches. Spiritually, the triple confession of Peter’s love for Jesus atones for his earlier triple denial of him. The ministry to feed the sheep that is given to Peter must be based on love for Jesus if it is to be authentic service.

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Coming online courses:

Old Testament Narrative

Old Testament Narrative

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Often we only hear Scripture a few verses at a time. Would you like a better grasp on how all those pieces of the Old Testament fit together? In this course we explore a narrative arc through the Old Testament, illustrating a history of God’s relating with humankind. 

ENROLL NOW

Beginning with God transforming chaos into life-sustaining order through creation, we’ll survey the development of covenant as God’s means for engaging us in relationship, review the ongoing calling of prophets to communicate God’s will, and investigate the appointment of kings as agents of God’s justice and deliverance for the people.

Topics

  • Week 1: Introduction to the course
  • Week 2: Creation
  • Week 3: Covenant
  • Week 4: Prophecy
  • Week 5: Kingship

Digital text available in the course: Andrew R. Davis. Exploring the Old Testament, Twenty-Third Publications, 2018.

Content Scholars:

Andrew R. Davis (text), associate professor of Old Testament; Richard J. Clifford, S.J., (video), professor emeritus of Old Testament; Michael Simone, S.J., (video), assistant professor of Old Testament; and Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., (video), professor of Old Testament; Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

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Saint Mary Magdalene

Saint Mary Magdalene

Fee: $30 | Four Weeks
Who was Saint Mary Magdalene? What does scripture tell us about her ministry? What impact does her saintly life have on us today? This course explores the imagery of Saint Mary Magdalene, both positive and negative, that have shaped our view of the Apostle to the Apostles.

AVAILABLE COURSES

This course also explores the impact of her life on the ministry of women in the church. To complement the informative text and videos, a scripture study text is included to provide an optional prayer experience of St. Mary of Magdala as portrayed in the Gospels.

This course has an optional text:  Dinah Chapman Simmons.  Mary Magdalene: Apostle to the Apostles. Little Rock Scripture Study, 2018.
(Little Rock) (Amazon)

Content Scholars:

  • Madeleine Boucher, Ph.D. (text) is a former professor of New Testament and director of the Women's Studies Program, Fordham University
  • Barbara Reid, O.P., (video) is Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP, Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies and President of Catholic Theological Union at Chicago.
  • Christine Axen, Ph.D., (video) is a medieval scholar and professor at Fordham University and Manhattan College.
  • Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., (video) is professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame.
  • Sandra Schneiders, I.H.M., (video) is professor emerita of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.
  • Nontando Hadebe, Ph.D., (video) is a theologian and senior lecturer at St. Augustine College in South Africa.
  • Dinah Chapman Simmons (optional prayer text) is director of Sacramental Preparation and Liturgy at Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax. She also serves in parish ministry in the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

Image Credit: Original photo by Fr. Ted Bobosh (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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John in Holy Week and Easter

John in Holy Week and Easter

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
In this course, participants explore the Gospel of John in Holy Week and themes throughout the Easter season with videos from Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., and Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.

AVAILABLE COURSES

The Gospel of John is used prominently throughout Holy Week and the Easter season in the liturgy. Explore with us what makes John's Gospel unique, the challenge of accepting Salvation, and the story of the final "hour" of Jesus's life. Fathers Harrington and Stegman artfully present on the Passion Narrative in John, through the Resurrection to a discussion on what it means for Christian disciples to carry out the mission of Jesus according to John's farewell discourses. This STM Online: Crossroads course is based on a campus workshop presented in Spring 2011.

Topics

  • Week 1: Introduction to the Course
  • Week 2: The Gospel of John is Different
  • Week 3: John's Passion Narrative

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials provided.  Note: this course is based exclusively on video content.  Transcripts of the videos are provided.

Although there is a Bible available online, you may wish to have a Bible available in hard copy also. For online Bibles, we recommend:

Content Scholars:

Rev. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., and Rev. Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.

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Encore Access
Praying the "Our Father" with Jesus

Statue of Jesus with raised hand

This resource is a guide to using the presentation of Michael Simone, S.J. exploring the Lord’s Prayer through the Old Testament influences Jesus might have used, in adult formation and Bible study groups.

Encore Video Lecture Archive
Recent Lectures on Scripture

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