Understanding the New Testament

On Sundays at 9:45am our educational series, Understanding the New Testament, presented by David Brakke, Ph.D., takes place in the Sunday School room. All are welcome to join anytime!

The New Testament is a fascinating book—the canonical root of Christian history and theology. Yet the book is also a paradox, because this single “book” is comprised of 27 different books by more than a dozen authors, each of whom has a different perspective and is responding to a different set of historical circumstances. How do you reconcile this diversity of voices into a single, unified belief system? And should you even try?

For an historian, the diversity of authors is not a challenge to be reckoned with, but rather an exciting opportunity. In the New Testament, we have 27 primary sources that offer a doorway to the extraordinary history of the early Christian communities. In these books, you can discover how:

  • Christian practices developed;

  • Conflicts of belief were debated and addressed;

  • The institution of the Church evolved; and

  • A man named Jesus of Nazareth was transformed into the Messiah.

Join Professor David Brakke, an award-winning Professor of History at The Ohio State University, for Understanding the New Testament. In these 24 eye-opening lectures, he 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 will explore Jewish lives under Roman occupation, reflect on the apocalyptic mood of the first and second centuries A.D., witness the early Christians’ evangelism beyond the Jewish communities, and witness the birth of a faith that continues to shape our world today.

Upcoming lectures:

6 September - The Community of John after the Gospel

13 September - In Search of the Historical Jesus

20 September - Interpreting Abraham in Hebrews and James

27 September - Churches in Crisis in 1-2 Peter and Jude

4 October - New Leaders in the Pastoral Epistles

11 October - Revelation: Envisioning God’s Reality

18 October - The Quest for Unity in the New Testament

Educational Series