The Life of Jesus course is a book club with a difference. Over six sessions you will watch a full scale documentary on the life of one of history’s most intriguing figures. You will also have the chance to read one of the ancient biographies, the Gospel according to Luke, on which the documentary is partly based.

The purpose of the course is straightforward: to provide the inquiring, the sceptical and believers alike with an opportunity to explore Jesus’ life and to consider its significance for today. Whatever your current perspective, we are confident you will be informed and entertained.

For a video introduction to the course click here.

Downloads

Feel free to download the Guidebook contents page, course overview and the questions for sessions one and two.

Click here for an editable PowerPoint slide advertising the Life of Jesus course (or here for the JPEG image only)

Click here for an editable double-sided A5 flyer for laser printing (to edit the flyer simply insert this PDF into a Word or Publisher document and add your own text boxes in the 'details' area). For a version of the flyer suitable for professional printing (with crop marks for printing to edge of page) click here.

The Guidebook itself can be purchased through this website or from Koorong Books.


About the course

 

The ethos of the course is open, questioning and practical, even if at
times the material is challenging. Jesus was not a conformist, so it
shouldn’t surprise us if parts of his story contradict some of our current
views of the world and of ourselves. If your group has a facilitator, as
we suspect most will, it is his or her task to strike a balance between
careful attention to the historical record and open-minded reflection on the
relevance of Jesus’ life today.

The Jesus presented in the course is not a ‘denominational’ figure; he is not even particularly religious. He is the Jesus of history. We have worked hard to provide viewers with a portrait of the man from Galilee that is faithful to both the Gospel of Luke and contemporary scholarship on him. For a detailed account of the historical issues surrounding Jesus’ life see John Dickson’s Jesus: A Short Life (Oxford: Lion-Hudson, 2009). We urge facilitators, in particular, to access this book as a supplement to the course material.

The presenters

The presenter of the documentary is John Dickson. A former musician, John is now co-director of the Centre for Public Christianity, an independent organisation promoting the public understanding of the Christian Faith. With a PhD in the origins of Christianity he is a Senior Research Fellow of the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University in Sydney, where he teaches about the historical Jesus and the world religions. He is the author of numerous books.

Greg Clarke takes us ‘Behind the Life of Jesus’, a series of on-location discussions of key issues arising from the historical material: the existence of God, the problem of evil, religious violence, miracles and many more. Expanded print versions of these discussions can be found throughout the course Guidebook. Greg is a specialist in the interface between Christianity and contemporary culture. With a PhD in English Literature, he is co-director of the Centre for Public Christianity and an Honorary Associate of the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University in Sydney, where he teaches about the history and literature of the Bible. Going ‘Behind the Life of Jesus’ allows participants to ponder some of the intellectual and practical challenges to the Christian faith today. 



The gospel according to Luke

In addition to watching the DVD, you are invited to read the Gospel according to Luke, which appears in full in the course Guidebook. Unlike most modern biographies, Luke is very brief. In just twenty pages we move from the traditional Christmas stories in quiet Bethlehem to the tragic events three decades later in the bustling city of Jerusalem. Luke’s compact, punchy style takes a few pages to get used to but, once the rhythm is found, it sweeps us along to the story’s dramatic climax. The English translation printed in the Guidebook comes directly from the ancient Greek texts.

Beyond the life of Jesus




Jesus’ life has had an enormous impact on the culture, morality and politics of the Western world and on the personal experience of countless millions of individuals throughout history. With this in mind, it is only natural to want to move beyond history and philosophy to consider the ongoing relevance of Jesus’ claims today. Within each episode guide of the Guidebook you will find a section titled ‘Beyond the life of Jesus’. It is the heart of the course and is designed to facilitate further conversation about the practical relevance of Jesus’ life and teaching. We urge groups and individuals to allow plenty of time to read the material printed there and to reflect on the discussion questions. Whether you approach these as a springboard for group conversation or as a prompt for the facilitator’s input, we are confident you will find these sections a rewarding part of the Life of Jesus experience.

By the end of the six sessions, participants will have a clear idea not only of Jesus’ historical life but also of the ‘life’ Christians believe he offers today. This historical documentary, then, functions as the perfect introduction to the core beliefs and practices of contemporary Christianity.

John Dickson and Greg Clarke