This course is a 6-week overview of the New Testament. After an opening session that introduces the 1st-century context of the New Testament, the course will examine the 4 Gospels, highlighting major themes and giving general interpretive guidance. Following that study, an overview of the book of Acts will serve as a transition between the gospel literature in the New Testament and the epistles. The course will then continue to examine the letters of Paul and the other general letters, and end with an overview of the book of Revelation. A general overview of the historical setting and major themes of these works will be provided, with a focus on how these books form our faith, theology, and practice today.
Instructor: Dr. Daniel Berge
What You Will Learn
- To describe the historical, geographical, cultural, and religious contexts of the New Testament, and explain how these contexts affect our contemporary reading of the New Testament.
- To explain the uniqueness of each gospel as well as their overall similarities. An emphasis will be given to reading each evangelist’s unique narrative in the greater canonical context.
- To describe the early expansion of God’s Word in creating the Christian church, as described in the book of Acts. Students will also be able to understand major themes and interpretive issues relevant to the contemporary interpretation of Acts.
- To describe the geographical, historical, and theological aspects of the ministry of Paul, and how these aspects affect our interpretation and application of his letters today.
- To explain basic overview information about the non-Pauline New Testament letters, and major issues relevant to their interpretation today.
- To explain relevant background information for understanding the book of Revelation, describe a variety of interpretive approaches to this book, and describe major themes important to any interpretation of Revelation.
Course Objective
To provide a basic understanding of the context, content, and interpretive issues involved in the New Testament so that students will be better prepared to study the Bible personally and corporately.
Textbook Requirement
An English New Testament is the only required textbook. Several study Bibles will be recommended in the first module for those looking to go a bit deeper.
Course Module Topics
- Opening Up the World of the New Testament
- The Gospels
- The Book of ActsPaulThe General Letters
- Revelation