Master of the Historical Jesus ................$65

Master of the Historical Jesus

Hello,

Welcome to a sample of lesson THREE of the Master of The Historical Jesus program. If subscribed, each week you will receive a discourse that talks about recovering information about the life of Jesus. You'll be getting lessons once a week for approx. 20 weeks.

To order this course, go to: Historical Jesus Course

 

The Life and Teachings of the Historical Jesus

In this lesson we are going to take a look at the different quests for the historical Jesus that have taken place over the past two hundred years. We know that history concerns itself with reconstructing the past including the lives of historical figures. The best that they can do is to gain access to their lives through written documents. They do not have a telescope into the past. They can’t step back into the past and experience what the people in ancient times experienced.

The authority belongs to the historian as to what is historical. The historian to the best of his/her ability tries to interpret what may have happened in the past with the documents that he/she has access to. History can therefore be subjective rather than objective. Historians have their own leanings. They must put that professionally aside if it is at all possible and work on an objective reconstruction of the past.

 

Consider that you are an attorney and you must go to court to present your case. You need good evidence. The strength of your case depends on your evidence. If you lack the necessary evidence or if the evidence seems unreliable, that will increase the chance that you will come up with a theory that will match what evidence that you have. This theory will be weak because you do not have enough evidence to even postulate your theory. Your theory of the case turns into fiction rather than fact.

 

A historian needs to consider the sequence of events that took place in the life of the person they are trying to reconstruct. They have to consider what this person may have been thinking. What where their innermost feelings and thoughts? According to W. Barnes Tatum, a biographer needs to “chronologize and psychologize” the life of the person they are reconstructing.

 

There are five periods in the quest for the historical Jesus. All use the historical critical method.

 

Below is a chart of the five quest periods for the historical Jesus and the historical critical methods used in each quest.

 

Welcome to the exciting and controversial field aptly named, “Jesus Studies.” A brief introduction to Jesus Studies. Jesus studies is an exciting new field of scholarship that aims to reconstruct the original teachings and life of Jesus Christ. Only in title is this a “new” field of study. For two hundred years scholars have been devoted finding the historical Jesus. Scholars have devised many different theories regarding the Jesus of history. They want to know about the “man” Jesus as a historical figure not a theological construct of the Christian Church. Once again, Jesus studies is strictly devoted uncovering the historical Jesus, not the Jesus of Christian theology.

 

As stated above, scholars have been searching for the historical Jesus for many years. Let us examine the many different “quests” as they are called that have been undertaken by Jesus scholars.

 

1. Historical Quest (Period 1)

a. Pre-quest (Before 1778)

b. Jesus of History = Jesus of Faith

c. Scholars had long noticed discrepancies in the gospel accounts but; considered them as “a test of faith” or allegorical.

2. Historical Quest (Period 2)

a.. Old Quest (1778-1906)

b. Hermann Samuel Reimarus’ “Concerning the Intention of Jesus and His Teaching.”

c. Postulates that Jesus never intended to suffer and die. Jesus’ cry on the cross, “my god, my god why have you forsaken me?”

d. Postulates that the disciples stole Jesus’ body and claimed he rose from the dead.

e. The Old Quest says that the quest is methodologically possible and theologically necessary.

f. Thus the rise of source criticism: What is the literary relationship between Matthew, Mark, and Luke that makes them so similar to each other and so different from John?

3. Historical Quest (Period 3) No Quest (1906-1953)

a. Albert Schweitzer’s 1906 “In Quest of the Historical Jesus.”

b. Postulated that historical methods simply reflected theological interests of 19 th century authors.

c. Jesus was expecting an end of the world that never came.

d. History not needed about Jesus as he has spiritually risen.

e. Rudolf Bultmann postulates that the gospels need to be “demythologized” to get to the existential meaning.

f. Quest is methodologically impossible and theologically unnecessary.

g. Rise of form criticism: What communities, what situations in life, gave rise to various forms such as sayings, hymns, prayers, parables, that were incorporated into the gospels?

4. (Period 4) Second Quest

1953 Kasseman and other students of Bultmann call for a new quest.

a. Gospels are primarily kerugma (statements of faith)

b. Historical method is limited to verifying the sayings of Jesus.

c. The burden of proof that something is historical is on the historian.

d. Quest is methodologically possible and theologically necessary.

e. Rise of redaction criticism: How did the gospel writers “redact” or “spin” the forms and sources found in the gospels? What editorial perspective did each gospel writer bring to the gospel?

5. (Period 5) Third Quest 1985-present

Jesus Seminar formed by Funk and Crossan in 1985.

a. Extended the method of the second quest.

b. “Q” and “Thomas” main concentration.

c. Reaction to rise of fundamentalism.

d. Methodologically possible and theologically neutral or necessary

e. Rise of narrative criticism and social scientific criticism: Narrative criticism points out that however the stories came to be (oral forms and written sources) what we now have is a literary whole that needs to be interpreted as a whole. It is the discipline that studies the formal literary dimensions of the individual gospels. Social-scientific criticism looks at the social world presupposed by the text and asks how does the text reflect or contrast with that world.

Just as there were different “quests” for the historical Jesus so it is with the historical search criteria.

1. Criterion of independent attestation

a. When saying is found in multiple sources;

b. Mark, “Q”, “M”, “L”, John and Thomas

c. E.g., Jesus know as miracle worker, worked among outcasts etc.

2. Criterion of Dissimilarity

a. When saying are dissimilar from sayings or emphasis of early church, on one hand, and Judaism

on the other.

b. E.g., Teaching in parable and referring to God as “Abba.”

3. Criterion of Coherence

a. When saying, etc., is coherent or in keeping with results of previous criteria.

b. E.g., Jesus called God, “father.”

4. Criterion of Language and Environment

a. A negative check of the results of previous findings--if a result could not fit into the language and environment of Jesus’ context, then it is rejected; if a result does fit, then it is all the more likely to be authentic

b. E.g., Jesus spoke Aramaic, possibly Greek.

5. Criterion of Embarrassment

a. If a deed or saying attributed to Jesus is such that it would be embarrassing to early church, it is all the more likely to be authentic.

b. E.g., baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

Now on to the quests!

PERIOD ONE: PRE-QUEST

 

Period one was the pre-quest. It was before 1778. Once the four gospels were canonized they went unquestioned. There was no substantial interest in the historical Jesus. The emphasis was on the Christ of faith. The historical Jesus and the Christ of faith were one in the same. Underlying the surface, the church leaders knew that there were obvious differences in the gospels and that they needed to find a way to harmonize the gospels.

During the middle of the second century a man by the name of Tatian from Mesopotamia took upon himself the task of harmonizing the gospels by combining them into one narrative story. His work was called “Diatessaron” meaning “Four-in-One.” It was the Syriac version (not Greek) that gained notoriety. This “Diatessaron” was introduced to the Tigers-Euphrates area before the four gospels. It is generally considered that the “Diatessaron” was widely used by the early churches in this area up until the fourth century.

 

ENTER MARTIN LUTHER

Along comes the Protestant Reformation. There was a revolutionary feeling in the air. The father of the Protestant Reformation or actually one could call it “revolution” was Martin Luther who was a priest who broke ranks with the Roman Catholic Church after much personal Bible study. Luther discovered what the Church taught and what was written in the scriptures did not match up. His discovered that God’s grace alone and not a person’s works was sufficient for salvation. He called the Book of James, which was written by Jesus’ brother, a “bed of straw” because James said that “faith without works is dead.” In James’ defense, he was saying that because of God’s free gift of grace the individual would produce the fruit of good works. The good works were done as a result of God’s grace. They were proof that God’s grace was at work in the individual.

 

So began the movement away from Papal authority to Bibliology which was the authority of the scriptures alone. This doctrine was called “Sola Scripture” which states that the Bible and the Bible alone is the source for all matters of faith and right practice, not the Pope’s decrees. The Church went from one extreme of the Pope having the authority of Christ on earth (actually the Pope is called “The Vicar of Christ” this literally means, according to Roman Catholic doctrine that the Pope is infallible) this is called the doctrine of Papal Infallibility. Luther went to the other extreme and set the Bible as the object of worship (this is called Bibliology this means that the Bible is infallible). So the Roman Catholics have the Pope and the Protestants have the Bible. What about the rest of us? Where does Jesus fit into all of this? How can this split have possibly helped in the spreading Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God? We are lost in the middle. The historical Jesus didn’t fit into the equation of either the Catholics or the Protestants. Jesus’ message of the Kingdom turned into a message about Jesus as the half man/half divine being who was also GOD incarnate. So we go from the message of the Kingdom of God, God’s sovereign reign that is available immediately to anyone who has “ears to hear,” to Jesus as the Anointed Christ who was also God (Jesus was God the Son) and who came to die for the sins of the world.

 

If the Father is God and Jesus is God, Christianity is no longer monotheistic. At the moment that the doctrine of Jesus as God in the flesh was established, Christianity became polytheistic. They now had two gods. Later on, after Jesus breathes the Spirit into the disciples to empower them to spread the message of the Kingdom, this Spirit becomes the person (male of course) named the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is GOD too! So now Christianity has three gods!

 

But enter the doctrine of the Trinity and as the song goes, “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.” That is as far as I am going with this subject. I will refrain from any further comments for a different paper or dissertation.

 

On to the next quest for the historical Jesus.

ENTER THE ENLIGHTENMENT

The Enlightenment was a time when the quest for the historical Jesus started taking shape. There was a renewed interest in the literary relationship between the four gospels. The intellectual setting rather than the strictly dogmatic study of the historical Jesus and the gospels gave the scholar freedom to pursue their studies without regard to what the Church taught about Jesus. So the gospels and Jesus were viewed as different from what the church taught.

 

PERIOD TWO: OLD QUEST (1778-1906)

The father of this quest was Hermann Samuel Reimarus in 1778. He was from Hamburg, Germany and a professor of Oriental languages. During his lifetime, he never talked about his personal historical quest for Jesus. Even during the Enlightenment period there was still some censorship of freedom of speech by the religious hierarchy. He could have lost his academic post and perhaps been put in jail for his opinions on the historical Jesus.

 

In fear of retribution, Reimarus’ views, which were mostly negative toward Christianity, did not become published until after his death. Between 1774-1778 some fragments of his work began to be discovered and were published. In 1778 the seventh fragment was published entitled “On the Intention of Jesus and His Disciples.”

 

In this work, Reimarus distinctly drew a line between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. In his work Reimarus said that Jesus and his disciples were establishing a earthly kingdom with himself as the Messiah. Jesus’ ministry was the proclamation of the Kingdom of God that was coming immediately within their lifetime. He points to when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the people wanted to crown him as king. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

Jesus was executed and the sign over the cross stated what he was charged with and subsequently executed for, “King Of The Jews.” When Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), Reimarus concludes,

“It was clearly then not the intention or the object of Jesus to suffer or to die, but to build up a worldly kingdom, and to deliver the Israelites from bondage. It was in this that God had forsaken him, it was in this that his hopes had been frustrated.”

 

As you can see, this is in direct contradiction to what the gospels teach according to Church doctrine. The gospels portray Jesus as a spiritual Messiah. Jesus’ death and subsequent resurrection were to atone for the sins of mankind.

 

Reimarus said that the disciples invented this “suffering Messiah” concept:

“The new system of a suffering spiritual savior, which no one had ever known or thought before, was invented only because the first hopes failed.”

Reimarus said that Jesus’ disciples had stolen his body to make it look like Jesus had bodily resurrected from the dead and thus he had atoned for the sins of the world. Reimarus used Matthew 28:11-15 as historical:

“Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among Jews until this day.”

Although Reimarus’ historical reconstruction of Jesus was questionable, he did make an important contribution to the study of the historical Jesus. The spiritual Messiah and the Jesus taught by the Church in the gospels were not equivalent to each other. This discontinuity between the Christ of faith and the Jesus of history was a major breakthrough for the quests in the nineteenth century. It was methodologically possible and theologically necessary to recover the historical teaching of the man Jesus.

As far as the examination of the four Gospels, they were considered important in the quest for the historical Jesus. The gospel of Mark emerged as the most reliable of the gospels because it was the earliest to be written and considered highly reliable in regards to the historicity of the mission of Jesus. The gospel of John was considered practically irrelevant. The gospel of Q, an early source of Jesus’ teachings, was considered highly reliable in reconstructing the teachings of Jesus.

During this period there emerged the recognition that Jesus should be understood within the context of the first century, Second Temple Judaism in Palestinian culture. In other words, Jesus was historically embedded in the culture of his day. If you take Jesus out of his historical context of first century Judaism then you have misunderstood his message. We know that the Jewish people of the first century were expecting a Kingly messiah who would bring in the reign of God, defeat the oppressive Roman authorities and establish a Jewish nation.

 

Reimarus used his quest to discredit Christianity. But as a result of his work, many who believed in the doctrines of the Church sought the historical Jesus. This nineteenth century theological movement was called Protestant liberalism. It does not mean “liberalism” as is negatively referred to in modern day theological circles. These scholars wanted to establish a firm foundation for Christian belief and practice. They stressed the faith of Jesus rather than faith in Jesus. They did not look at the gospels or the creeds but at the historical personality and original teachings of Jesus. According to liberal theology, Jesus was a teacher and taught the “Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man.” Liberal theology postulated that the Kingdom of God was attainable on earth by following Jesus’ commandments, to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself.

H.J. Holtzmann, a German scholar, exemplifies nineteenth century Jesus scholarship, liberal theology and gospel criticism. He was the postulator of the “two-document hypothesis,” stating that Mark was the earliest gospel written.

 

In his study of the synoptic gospels in 1863, Holtzmann made a short description of the life of Jesus using Mark’s gospel. By arranging Jesus’ ministry into stages he showed how Jesus gradually became aware of his call by God to be the Messiah. His work of source analysis and development of the historical Jesus was highly esteemed among liberal theologians in the nineteenth century.

In conclusion, the “old quest” or the nineteenth century quest was characterized by great variety. It was also held that the search for the historical Jesus was theologically necessary. Many biographies of Jesus were written by historians, scholars, and amateurs alike. They told the story of Jesus by arranging his activities into distinct time periods and related that to how Jesus might have understood himself and his mission.

The most infamous of these writings was by German Protestant David Friedrich Strauss entitled, “ Life of Jesus Critically Examined.” 1846 (English Translation)

Another writing was by French Catholic Ernest Renan entitled, “Life of Jesus.”

Strauss ended up forfeiting his chance for academic post as a result of his work and Renan did lose his academic post. So much for the Enlightenment!

Any story of the life of Jesus or a biography of Jesus that arranges his activities chronologically and tries to understand the thought world of Jesus during his ministry is an example of the “old quest” mentality.

In our next lesson we will be looking at the work of Albert Schweitzer. But if you would like to look at a detailed account of this “old quest” that we have just studied, I would direct you to his remarkable and groundbreaking work entitled, “The Quest of the Historical Jesus.” You can find it by clicking on the link below.

Quest of the Historical Jesus

POINTS TO PONDER:

Do you think that Martin Luther helped in opening the door to historical Jesus studies? Why or why not?

Why was it so difficult for believers to separate the Jesus of history from the Christ of faith?

What is your opinion of Reimarus’ theory that Christ’s body was stolen from the cross?

 

Since we did not go into great detail on each and every gospel, I have provided some additional information for additional study. Sometimes you will find a question that invokes some thought. Other times there may be something that you may like to comment on for your own personal enrichment and perhaps will provoke further study. This is not a graded exercise. It is for your personal reflection. Please post your thoughts on the forum.

http://www.onlineseminary.org/forum

Please post your comments in the appropriate section. I.E. POINTS TO PONDER: LESSON THREE-post your thoughts there and so forth.

 

I would like to thank you for your time and effort. You are doing great so far. If you have any questions for me you can contact me at drlmorris@yahoo.com. Make sure that in the subject line that you put ULC Course.

 

Good luck and enjoy the rest of the course!

 

Rev. Dr. Lisa A Morris

DR. OF CHRISTIAN STUDIES: THE FOUR GOSPELS: (5 credits) >>> CLICK TO ORDER A course on the four gospels. When you sign up for this course, you will receive a text in the mail and e-mails over the course of 4 months that will help you to learn about these four books of the bible. While this is obviously a course of interest to Christians, it is also of interest to those who wish to look at the words and deeds of Jesus in a more spiritual sense, rather than in a religious sense. What you may find in this Greek translation, is that there are more similarities between religions than there are differences and if you look closely enough, you will see deeper spiritual truths in these books than you (if not Christian) would expect to find. You will receive a Dr. of Christian Studies at the end, along with your course credits. $75.00	MASTER OF METAPHYSICS - SPIRIT-QUEST:  (5 credits) > >> CLICK TO ORDER This exciting 8 month course will help you to understand yourself as spirit and will give you some of the tools you need to move forward in your life and move past the stumbling blocks that keep you from your spiritual goals. It's written in a straightforward, conversation tone. It avoids a lot of 'new age' type of talk and makes you feels as if it's something easy to understand and use for yourself in everyday life. If you wish to get a feeling for what others have learned from the course, please visit our forum, where the final essays are posted. When you have completed the final course, you will be asked to complete your own final essay. Upon it's completion and review, a Master of Metaphysics degree will be mailed to you. Your course credits will be recorded and applied towards your graduation. $75.00
DR. OF METAPHYSICS - METAPHYSICS AND MIRACLES:  (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This interesting email course is based on A Course In Miracles and teaches you how to create miracles in your everyday life. Written by Dr. Loretta Siani, a published author and respected therapist. Upon completion of this informative and interesting course, you will be asked to complete an essay. Once received and reviewed, you will be mailed a Dr. of Metaphysics degree. $ 75.00	MASTER OF SPIRITUAL AWARENESS : (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This amazing course is based on the Celestine Prophecy. In this 20 week email course, you will enhance your spiritual awareness and clarity. The course is interesting and informative. Topics include: Finding your sacred space, awakening to spirit, the universe as energy, our need for energy, message of the mystics, engaging in the flow of evolution and much more. $ 60.00
DR. OF SPIRITUAL AWARENESS: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is a fascinating email course on developing spiritual awareness. If you've taken and enjoyed Spirit Quest, you'll love this course. The information is along the same lines, some completely new, some of it is a new look at similar information. This is a weekly email course with approximately 20 email lessons, written by Charles Grooms. An excellent choice for a program to take.   $ 70.00	MASTER OF WICCAN STUDIES: (4 credits) >>> CLICK TO ORDER This 24 week email course is perfect for those interested in learning the path of Wicca, a Pagan belief system. It's a weekly email course, written by Daven, sent straight to your mailbox for about 7 months. This course discusses what Wicca is, the spiritual aspects of it, the practical application and much more. For more information about what others ahve learned from this valuable course, please visit our discussion board, where final essays from this Master of Wiccan Studies course are posted.   $60.00
MASTER OF SPIRITUALITY -DEFINING SPIRITUALITY:  (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This fascinating 20 week email course teaches you how to counsel to science-minded 'prove it' sort of people. It gives an in-depth look of where spiritualism came from and how it has evolved. Upon completion of this course, you will have a much more rounded spiritual education, which will tremendously enhance your ministerial skills.   $60.00	DR. OF SPIRITUALITY - The Miracle of Prayer :  (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This interesting course is also based on A Course In Miracles and teaches you how to understand and use the miracle of prayer. Written by Dr. Loretta Siani, a published author and respected therapist. If you've taken the Dr. of Metaphysics course already, you know what an informative and enlightening author she is. Upon completion of this informative and interesting email course, you will be asked to complete an essay. Once received and reviewed, you will be mailed a Dr. of Spirituality degree.   $75.00
MASTER OF MYSTICAL CHRISTIANITY:  (4 credits) >>CLICK TO ORDER Have you ever wondered if there is more to the Christian story than you were taught? Are you a seeker for the truth, a truth that may very well lead beyond the well-worn paths of traditional religion? The Faith That Time Forgot presents new insights and alternative perspectives to many spiritual and theological issues, inviting you to come on a mystical, magical journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth. In this series of emailed lessons, you will find different answers to common questions such as: Does Genesis truly teach that woman is destined to be subordinate to man? What was the nature of the “Fall” in the Garden of Eden? What do the ancient Gnostic manuscripts teach us about early Christianity? What is feminine and what is masculine in the 21st century? These and many other questions are addressed in well-researched, well-documented studies that challenge the seeker to go beyond their preconceived limitations and explore the reaches of the unknown.   $65.00	DR. OF SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT:  (5 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER We have an excellent email course, by Dr. David Crouch, called Dr. of Spiritual Development. It's a college-level course about spiritual development. The course uses NLP techniques, among others, to show you how to improve the quality of your life and your intereactions with others. Some of the topics include: Improving clarity of Purpose Stacking anchors to concentrate focus and intent Implementing the nature of purpose into your daily lives -- Futurepacing change Connecting with the Divine through naturally occurring altered states (Shamanic and Meditative States of Consciousness) Sacred Trance -- Listening for the still voice within Deepening Levels of Sacred Trance -- How to reach Focus Points of Awareness Out of Body Journeying/Soul Journeys Generative Visualization -- Connecting with the Divine through the Movies in Your Mind For a sample of this course, click Spiritual Development $ 70.00
MASTER OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY:  (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is a historical survey covering the history of Christianity up to 1054. The growth of the Christian church has taken place within a historical context. The history of Christianity and world history are in many ways intertwined. With this in mind, we will engage in a historical journey that begins with the founding of the Christian church in the midst of the Roman Empire of the 1st century A.D. and continuing up to the break between Western and Eastern Christianity in The Great Schism of 1054. This is a 20-week email course that you will enjoy tremendously. $60.00	MASTER OF RELIGION: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This email course is a bible-based, Christian Studies course for those interested in learning more about the Bible and Christianity. In it, we will cover topics like: The Old Testament The New Testament The lost Scriptures of the Bible Effective Bible Study and much more. This course is written by a scholar in this field of study. If you are a practicing Christian, interested in becoming more fluent in the Bible and what its words mean in your life, this is the course for you. It has a distinctly Catholic feel to it, so it's more geared towards Christians of that belief system. $60.00
MASTER OF RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY: (4 credits)  >> CLICK TO ORDER Unlike the Comparative Religion course , this email course is not an exercise in comparing and contrasting different religions. It is an analysis of religion itself. There is, however, a certain degree of similarity to Comparative Religion, for it is nearly impossible to study anything in a vacuum. Therefore, examples of material covered are provided in the religions of the world — not for the purpose of comparing one to another, or in how they differently address particular issues, but as illustrative examples of the topic being covered. $ 60.00	MASTER OF GNOSTICISM:  (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER Course Includes: A Definition of Gnosticism, Gnostic scriptures, Texts, Gnosticism, Philosophical and Religious Ideals, The main features of Gnosticism, Moral and ritual practice, Major Gnostic movements and their texts, Important terms and concepts, History, Gnosticism: Ancient and modern, Gnosticism and the New Testament, Gnostic and Gnostic-Christian ties. Gnosticism vs. Christianity, The Gnostic Gospels -- Are they the real history of Jesus? Why is Gnosticism Important Today? Since the Da Vinci Code, this Religion Has Been Gaining Interest Nag Hammadi Library, Gospel of Judas - Who Wrote It and What Does it Say. The Secret Teachings, Gnosticism Today. $ 65.00
MASTER OF METAPHYSICAL HEALING :  (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This email course is about metaphysical healing. Through this course, you can learn to use the energy of both God and the Universe to give wonderful spiritual healings. This is a step-by- step guide, teaching you how to use your hands to heal. It gets straight to the point, highlighting what is important and each chapter has revision exercises and model answers. $ 60.00	MASTER OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION: (5 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is one of the more scholarly email courses offered by the Seminary. It is taught by an expert in the field who teaches this course at several colleges. It is a very well-written course on the origins of various major religions with comparisons and contrasting views of the different world religions. The HTML coding for this course is also very well done, so if you have the option, try to get it that way as well. Taking this course will expand your knowledge and competency as a minister tremendously.   $ 75.00
MASTER OF DRUIDISM: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is an email course on the study of Druidism. It is 17 lessons long and you'll receive one lesson a week for the duration. You'll learn about the culture of this faith, the belief system and much more. It's very interesting and told in an easy-to-understand, friendly, personable style. $ 60.00	MASTER OF BUDDHISM: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is a re-developed email course from the Seminary. As with all the courses, there are 20 lessons (a few courses have more). Through this course, you can learn about the interesting religion of Buddhism. Learn the history, origins, practice, philosophy and more. Upon completion of this course, you will receive a Master of Buddhism degree. $ 60.00
MASTER OF SHAMANISM: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This email course on the study of Shamanism. Shamans have been revered in many religions as the conduits to the gods. This course will discuss the role of the Shaman, drumming, different kinds of Shamans, etc.. This course is well-written and covers this fascinating topic with great respect and neutrality. $ 60.00	DR. OF CHRISTIAN ETHICS: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This email course is on the study of Christian Ethics. It's a very detailed look at the various aspects and beliefs of the Christian Religion. There is information about early Christian Ethics and how it pertains to Jewish Law, the differences in perspective between the old and new testaments and a lot more. $65.00
MASTER OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is an email course about Spiritual Leadership and how to become a Spiritual Leader in your community. The hardest path, journey or pilgrimage for a spiritual leader is not those steps taken outwards, but rather inwards. This course is adapted from Rev. Dr. Tyler Ragan's book Pilgrimage to the Heart of the Sacred, the course itself is a 20 week self-discovery pilgrimage to aid a leader in defining their mission and calling. Begin to explore the roots of your spirit and how you are growing and have grown as a leader.  Through a series of experiential exercises (dubbed Soul Work) you begin a journey of self actualization. $ 65.00	MASTER OF ASTRAL PROJECTION: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is an email course about Astral Projection and how to understand and control your astral projection experiences. In this 6 month course, the student will be exposed to two sides of Astral Projection, the theoretical and the practical. This class was first offered to students back in 2003. Since then, over 1000 students have taken the course and had amazing results. In each emailed lesson you will be presented with two parts; a theoretical lecture of how the Astral Plane works and what you will experience while you are there, as well as a practical discussion on how to achieve these results for yourself. At the end of each lesson is a set of assignments to help focus you on the goal of achieving Out of Body Experiences. $ 65.00
MASTER OF CHAPLAINCY STUDIES: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is the core course for the Chaplaincy program you all have been asking for. This course discusses the history of chaplaincy, as well as what the duties of a chaplain are. The program covers topics of where one minister and what makes it a chapel, the importance of listening, grief counseling and a lot more. When you complete this program, you will receive a Master of Chaplaincy Studies. When you graduate from the program, you will have earned the title, 'Chaplain.' To join the program, go to CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM to sign up. $65.00	MASTER OF PAGANISM: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER Welcome to Paganism for the New Age. This course is an introductory course to Paganism and offers, upon its completion, a Masters in Paganism degree. The course is 20 lessons long, sent to your email box once a week. You will learn about the different beings, beliefs and important knowledge about Paganism. It is worth 4 credits in the Seminary. The course differs from the Wicca study course in that all Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are necessarily Wiccans. As ULC Ministers, we pride ourselves on our breadth of knowledge about all belief systems. The more you study, the more you begin to recognize the similarities, rather than the differences. $ 60.00
MASTER OF HISTORICAL JESUS: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This email course reviews the life of Historical Jesus. Many have wondered what his life was like. We all know about the few years of his ministry, but what of the rest of his life? What of the man? Lesson One-- Introduction to Historical Jesus Studies/Source and Gospel Synopsis Lesson Two-- Religious Sects of Jesus' Day Lesson Three-- Quests For the Historical Jesus: Period One and Period Two Lesson Four--Quests For the Historical Jesus: Period Three and Period Four Lesson Five--Quests For the Historical Jesus: Period Five (Renewed Quest/Post Quest) The Jesus Seminar Lesson Six-- The Q Source (The Hypothetical Gospel of Q) Lesson Seven--Discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library- The Gospel of Thomas Part 1 Lesson Eight--Discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library- The Gospel of Thomas Part 2 Lesson Nine--The Secret Gospel of Mark Lesson Ten--The Gospel of Mary, etc. $60.00	BACHELOR OF SUFISM: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER An Overview of this course This course provides the student with an introduction to the phenomenon of Sufism which is often referred to as Islamic mysticism.  We will begin by exploring a number of definitions and theories of origin as well as the relationship of Sufism with Islam along with the question of whether one must be a Muslim to become a Sufi. What is Sufism?            Sufism is often referred to as Islamic Mysticism but at its best this is an inadequate definition.  One well-known Sufi teacher, Llewellyn Vaughn-Lee, defines Sufism as follows: “Sufism is a mystical path of love in which God, or Truth, is experienced as the Beloved.  The inner relationship of lover and Beloved is the core of the Sufi path.  Through love the seeker is taken to God.  The mystic seeks to realize Truth in this life and God reveals Himself within the hearts of those who love Him.” (Vaughn-Lee, p. 1)   $ 65.00
MASTER OF THE LIFE OF ST PAUL: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This is a course about the life of the apostle Paul. The author has spent years devoted to research and study of this early Christian leader and is sharing this with you. There will also be 5 lessons in the end of the program about prayer, repentence, worship and faith for those who are devout Christians interested in learning more about the practice of your faith. This course is interesting from a historical perspective as well, so even if you are not of the Christian faith, it will further educate you in the religion of so many others. $ 60.00	DR. OF BIBLICAL EGYPTOLOGY: (4 credits) >> CLICK TO ORDER This course reviews the various if, when, and who facts and theories regarding Exodus and Moses focused on Pentateuch era Biblical Egyptology. Uniquely, the instructor translates hieroglyphs so the student can read critical artifact inscriptions and make intelligent self determinations! The debates about statues, steles and artifacts are discussed including which Pharaoh was most likely associated with the Egyptian “Israelites” immigration, their enslavement and ultimate departure. You will be introduced to ancient authors like Artapanus, Manetho, and Josephus and their quotations such as: “…he was from Heliopolis and when he led his people he changed his name to Moses…” $65.00
FAVORITES: Ordination Application Minister Supplies Minister Credential Chaplaincy Program Wedding Laws OTHER ULC sites? Spiritual Links   Seminary Essays	Seminary Registration Form First name Full name Street address Town or city State or province Zip or postal code Country E-mail address Subscribe