PREMIUM | The Great Courses Presents: Understanding The New Testament | Lectures
In this opening episode, see how historians view the New Testament and why they are excited by its diversity of voices.
Speakers:David Brakke
Topics:New TestamentHistoriansGreat Courses
Source:The Great Courses
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 ...
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 unco...
Continue your study of Paul's epistles with a detailed look at his letter to the Galatians. Find out why he believed it was so important to establish faith in J...
Paul's letter to the Romans is his theological masterpiece. Unpack the key message of his theology: namely, that one is made righteous solely through faith in J...
How did Paul reconcile diversity with religious unity? In this first of two episodes about Paul's letters to the Corinthians, consider tensions inherent to Chri...
How did early Christian believers worship? Who were the church leaders? What were the roles for men and women? Find out what Paul's letters tell us about the ea...
In this episode, gain insight into Paul's views around imprisonment, as well as his ideas about Christ's humanity and divinity.
Examine how Paul's letters seek to reassure readers that events must occur before the end times arrive, and that faith in Christ is all that is necessary for sa...
After reviewing what historians know about the Gospel According to Mark, Professor Brakke surveys the time of Jesus' ministry and death, and explicates key them...
Whereas Jesus in Mark is a mysterious figure, Matthew emphasizes Jesus' divinity. In this episode, compare the two gospels and what scholars believe about their...
Here, continue your study of the Gospel of Matthew, which gives us the only mention of the word "church" in all of the four gospels.
Consider the two-volume Luke-Acts as a historical work. Who were Luke's sources? What story does he want to tell? How and why does his story unfold?
Encounter a truly inclusive vision for Christianity in the grand narrative of the books Luke through Acts, which spans 60 years and presents a unified narrative...
Unpack Luke's vision of early Christian history and consider what message he is sending to his readers. Compare that message to the earlier "Gospel according to...
In this episode, discover what makes the "Gospel according to John" an anomaly, set apart from the New Testament's three "Synoptic Gospels."
In addition to its spiritual philosophy, the Gospel of John also contains troubling rhetoric around Jews and Judaism. Investigate the reasons behind John's depi...
Disagreements over theology were common, and the letters of John tackle these problems head-on. Here, delve into early efforts to unify a fractured church.
Trace the development of biblical scholarship and research after the Renaissance and Enlightenment, when scholars began to think critically about the man named ...
You might think of Abraham as belonging to the Old Testament, but investigate the mighty (and controversial) role he plays in the writings of the New Testament....
In this episode, see what the most recent books of the New Testament (1-2 Peter and Jude) tell us about a mature and growing religious movement.
See how Paul's first and second letters to Timothy and the letter to Titus form a special group of epistles because they were written not to congregations but t...
In this episode, Professor Brakke outlines why the Romans persecuted the Christians before turning to the fascinating and challenging content of Christ's revela...
Revisit the paradox between the New Testament's diversity and unity, and see how theologians and scholars over the years have tackled this paradox.
The New Testament is a fascinating bookâthe canonical root of Christian history and theology. Yet the book is also a paradox, because this single "book" is co...
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