Howdy! I hope you enjoy your break this week. For those of you feeling a little overwhelmed this term, I hope you can use this week to work ahead or think toward your final projects. Take the burden off your future selves!

If you want to read ahead:

• Please do! But also be kind to your future self by taking good notes/filling out those reading responses so that you don’t forget everything you’ve read by the time we get to class. (I am oh so guilty of this!)

If you want to think about your icons/creeds:

• Look over the assignment descriptions on the syllabus.
• Peruse slides from last week (Jan. 24) of the Syriac and Ethiopian icons, as well as the links provided in the notes section. Pay attention to what about these icons speaks to you, in terms of composition, color, and how Jesus is depicted (as a child, as victor, as crucified, with the people, etc.). Think about, what about the last week or so of class feels important for you to represent in your icon (e.g. Jesus’ Jewishness, Jesus’ incarnation vs. his Divinity, something about Jesus as the image of God, etc.)?
• Next time we meet, we will spend much more time on the creeds, and we will parse the Nicene Creed in a way that should be helpful for those of you wanting to do this assignment.

If you want to think about your Cultural Jesus Presentation:

• Look over the assignment description on the syllabus.
• Please sign up for a date to present.
• Remember, you can pick anything that depicts Jesus, whether an image, music, piece of writing, or video clip. Don’t let my example set the limits to what you can bring in this space.

If you want to think about final projects:

• Look over the assignment descriptions on the syllabus.
• Before you decide for sure whether you want to do a traditional research project or a creative project and a shorter paper, start a list of questions or topics that intrigue you, either from what we’ve already covered or where we’re heading, per the syllabus.
• Are there any perspectives on Jesus that you want to explore more in depth? (e.g. the disabled Jesus; a feminist, womanist, or mujerista perspective on Jesus; a queer or trans Jesus; the Jesus of Central American Liberation Theology, etc.) Do you want to trace a particular theology throughout church history? (e.g. salvation through the incarnation of Jesus)
• If even the above is too daunting, look through your notes so far this term and pay attention to what stirs you–what made you angry, what made you curious, what felt so TRUE to you? See if those resonances can lead to a specific question or direction for this project.
• Know that we will spend more time in class working toward thesis statements and building arguments.

See you on February 14! 💘 Be sure to check out the course website before we meet for reading tips.