Problems in the Study of Religion

Problems in the Study of Religion

RS 104

Spring Quarter 2007

Sex, Cosmogony, and God in Early Christianity

Tuesdays 12:00-2:50; HSSB 3041

Roger Friedland: Office HSSB Tower 3083 • friedland@religion.ucsb.edu

Telephone: 5695 • Office hours: 11-12 Tuesdays

Christine M. Thomas: Office: HSSB Tower 3067 • thomas@religion.ucsb.edu

Telephone: 4004 • Office hours: 12:30-2 pm Thursdays

Link to schedule of student presentations

Books

Eilberg-Schwartz, Howard, God's Phallus and Other Problems for Men and Monotheism (Boston: Beacon, 1994).

Foucault, Michel, The History of Sexuality, vol. 2: The Use of Pleasure (New York: Vintage Books, 1990).

Gaca, Kathy L., The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity (Berkeley: University of California, 2003).

Martin, Dale B., Sex and the Single Savior: Gender and Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation (Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 2006).

Plato, The Symposium (London: Penguin, 2005).

All readings from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament can be found online in the New Revised Standard Version, a theologically neutral and relatively accurate translation, at http://www.devotions.net/bible/00bible.htm.

Many of the shorter readings can be found on Electronic Reserves (e-reserves), as noted in the schedule of readings below. They can be found under the course reserves heading on the library website (www.library.ucsb.edu > library services > course reserves > electronic reservations). You need a password to access it, which will be distributed in class. The readings can be read online, saved for on-screen display as a PDF, or printed. You can access them outside of UCSB webspace by setting up a proxy server on your home browser. See: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/help/proxy/.

Schedule of Readings

I. Talking about Sex

Week 1, April 3: Introduction

Week 2, April 10: Platonic Relationships

& Foucault, Michel, The History of Sexuality, vol. 2: The Use of Pleasure (New York: Vintage Books, 1990): Part One: The Moral Problematization of Pleasures, 33-94; and Part Four, Erotics, 185-226.

& Plato: The Symposium. Entire.

II. Sexual Innuendoes

Week 3, April 17: Creating the Pornographic

& Gaca, Kathy L., The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity (Berkeley: University of California, 2003): chapter 5, “Rival Plans for God's Sexual Program in the Pentateuch and Paul,” and chapter 6, “From the Prophets to Paul: Converting Whore Culture into the Lord's Veiled Bride,” 119-89. Also available on E-reserves.

Week 4, April 24: Christian Slanders

& Knust, Jennifer Wright, Abandoned to Lust: Sexual Slander and Ancient Christianity (New York: Columbia University, 2006): introduction; chapter 1, “Sexual Slander and Ancient Invective”; chapter 2: “Paul, the Slaves of Desire, and the Saints of God,” 1-87. On E-reserves.

& Paul: Romans 1 (homosexuality); 1 Corinthians 5-7 (incest, prostitution, marriage), 11 (prophecy, women, and social order)

& Anonymous: 1 Timothy 3 (social order)

Week 5, May 1: Roman Games

& Foucault, Michel, The History of Sexuality, vol. 3: The Care of the Self (New York: Vintage Books, 1988): intro to Part Two, “The Cultivation of the Self,” and Part Two, Chapter Two, “The Political Game,” 39-68, 81-95. On E-reserves.

& Brown, Peter R. L., The Body and Society: Men, Women, and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity (New York: Columbia University, 1988): chapter 3, “Martyrdom, Prophecy, and Continence”; chapter 4, “‘To Undo the Works of Women’,” 65-102. On E-reserves.

III. Divine Fertility

Week 6, May 8: Phallic Discourses

& Eilberg-Schwartz, Howard, God's Phallus and Other Problems for Men and Monotheism (Boston: Beacon, 1994). Entire.

& Hebrew Bible: Genesis 33-34 (Rape of Dinah); Genesis 38 (Tamar, Onan); Exodus 4 (Zipporah circumcision of Moses' son); Exodus 34 (jealous God, don't lust for others); Song of Songs; and others texts TBA.

& The David cycle: 1-2 Samuel, specific texts TBA.

Week 7, May 15: Spermatic Discourses

& Martin, Sex and the Single Savior: chapter 5, “Paul without Passion: On Paul’s’ Rejection of Desire in Sex and Marriage,” 65-76; chapter 8, “Familiar Idolatry and the Christian Case Against Marriage,” 103-124.

& Buell, Denise Kimber, Making Christians: Clement of Alexandria and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1999): chapter 1, “Tracing Origin Stories: The Origins of Origin Stories,” and chapter 2, “The Social Force of Metaphors of Procreation,” 21-49. On E-reserves.

Week 8, May 22

& Martin, Sex and the Single Savior: chapter 6, “The Queer History of Galatians 3:28,” 77-90; chapter 7, “Sex and the Single Savior,” 91-102.

& Anonymous: Matthew 1, Luke 1 (virgin birth)

& Paul: Galatians 3-4 (spermatic descent)

IV. Consummating Sex

Week 9, May 29: Procreation, Gender, and Cosmogony

& Pagels, Elaine H., Adam, Eve, and the Serpent (New York: Random House, 1988): chapter 3, "Gnostic Improvisations on Genesis," 57-77; chapter 4, "The 'Paradise of Virginity' Regained," 78-97; chapter 5, "The Politics of Paradise," 98-126.

& Genesis 1-3.

& Plato: Timaeus, cc. 27-39. On E-reserves.

& Nag Hammadi Library: The Hypostasis of the Archons (The Reality of the Rulers). On E-reserves.

& Anonymous: 1 Timothy 2 (women, Eve, and teaching).

Week 10, June 5: The Body of G-d, Gender, and Pollution

& Martin, Dale B., The Corinthian Body (New Haven: Yale University, 1995): chapter 7, “Sex, Food, and the Pollution of the Corinthian Body,” and chapter 9, “The Dangers of Desire,” 139-228. On E-reserves.

& Paul: 1 Corinthians 10-14 (food, prophecy, the body, women)

& Rabbinic texts on sex and food, specific texts TBA

Requirements:

Each of the following requirements will count for 1/3 of the grade:

1. Participation in discussion. This class, which is meant to be the capstone class of your major in this department, will be conducted as a seminar. We intend to follow the practice of academic discussion, by which we explore the ideas within the readings through orderly and informed conversation. It is not necessary to grasp the readings in all their depth to participate actively; discussion is meant, rather, to facilitate understanding, and an honest and direct question can be a very helpful stimulus to better comprehension.

2. Two written commentaries during the course of the quarter, to be distributed and discussed in the class. Students will sign up for the various weeks, and prepare the class for discussion by writing a one-page, single-spaced exploration (in 12 pt. Times Roman font) of the arguments in one or more of the readings from secondary literature assigned for the week. Both summary/clarification and critique are important parts of this assignment. The commentary should also suggest issues for further discussion.

3. A final oral examination. Each student will participate in a 15-minute oral examination with both professors present. To prepare, they are expected to have a basic knowledge of the main arguments of the major readings from this class, and to be able to compare and contrast them to one another -- that is, having some awareness of the connections between readings is important. Additionally, students are to prepare one exam question of their own, which they will ask and answer during the examination.