The Death of Jesus: Four Gospel Accounts, is an online, self-paced mini-course written and narrated by Philip A. Cunningham, Executive Director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College, It is a collaborative project of the Center and C21 Online.
By the end of the mini-course, a participant will have explored:
- the four different Gospel passion narratives by examining five scenes that are common to each of the narratives
- the unique characteristics of each account
- the limits of our historical knowledge about Jesus’s death
- the spiritual message about the death of Jesus that each evangelist sought to convey
The mini-course begins by exploring how the Catholic tradition and recent biblical scholarship understand the origins of the Gospels and their proper interpretation.
In the main section of the mini-course, short presentations examine each of the four Gospel passion narratives in five different scenes. Before viewing the commentaries, read the pertinent biblical passages by clicking the links provided. After completing the commentaries for each scene, try out the Self-Check.
This final page sums up the mini-course and introduces the Gospel resurrection accounts. These narratives must also be considered to appreciate fully the evangelists' insights into the significance of Jesus' ministry.
Tips for Using This Site:
- Make sure your computer's sound is turned on in order to hear the commentary narration.
- The Java plug-in must be installed in order to view the commentary slides. Most computers have this installed already, but you can download the Java plug in by clicking here if necessary.
- MAC USERS: We recommend using Safari as your browser since it handles the Java applet better than Internet Explorer, Netscape, or Firefox.
