| Genres: | Documentary, Special Interest |
|---|
In these 24 eye-opening episodes, Professor David Brakke takes you behind the scenes to study not only the text of the New Testament, but also the authors and the world in which it was created.
You'll explore Jewish lives under Roman occupation, reflect on the apocalyptic mood of the first and second centuries AD, and witness the early Christians’ evangelism beyond the Jewish communities.
The New Testament is comprised of 27 books by more than a dozen authors, yet it is also presented as a single, unified text. How do you resolve the paradox of one book versus many? In this opening episode, see how historians view the New Testament and why they are excited by its diversity of voices.
Before delving into the New Testament, you first must look at ancient Judaism for context about the birth of Christianity. Here, explore key stories and themes of the Old Testament (including God’s covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David, as well as Jewish eschatology) to understand the world of Jesus of Nazareth.
The New Testament includes many types of narrative, among them gospels, epistles, and revelations. In this first episode on Paul’s epistles, reflect on the chronologically earliest book of the New Testament, examine the structure of a Pauline letter, and find out what his mission of evangelism was all about.
Continue your study of Paul’s epistles with a detailed look at his letter to the Galatians. In it, he offers a scathing rebuke to a congregation he believes has backslid after his departure. Find out why he believed it was so important to establish faith in Jesus as the one and only quality that gets you into heaven.
Paul’s letter to the Romans is his theological masterpiece. Because he had never been to Rome, he wrote this letter to introduce himself and his teachings to lay the groundwork for his arrival. Unpack the key message of his theology: namely, that one is made righteous solely through faith in Jesus Christ.
In this first of two episodes about Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, you will consider one tension inherent to Christian congregations. In Paul’s theology, everyone is equal in the eyes of the Lord, yet Corinth was a prosperous and diverse city. How did Paul reconcile economic, intellectual, and educational diversity with religious unity?
