New Testament: Foundational Study Bundle

by Michael S. Heiser; Logos Mobile Education; Lynn H. Cohick; Darrell L. Bock

and

1 more

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2013–2020

Overview

In the New Testament: Foundational Study Bundle you’ll survey the story and structure of the New Testament from the Gospels through Revelation. You’ll learn the art and science of biblical interpretation and how the New Testament developed—from inspiration, to transmission, to translation. These courses will help you understand the books of the New Testament and equip you with interpretive tools for further study.

Product Details

• Title: New Testament: Foundational Study Bundle
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
• Courses: 5
• Video Hours: 33

BI101 Introducing Biblical Interpretation: Contexts and Resources

• Instructor: Michael S. Heiser
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 5

The Bible is a vast, complex book, and while some of its contents can be understood by a child, much of it requires careful thought. How do we interpret the Bible correctly? Why do biblical scholars disagree on interpretation?

Dr. Mike Heiser introduces students to the science and art of Bible interpretation. The Bible is a book written for us but not to us, so accurate interpretation needs to be informed by the ancient worldview of the biblical writers, their historical circumstances, cultural and religious beliefs of their day, literary genre, and the original languages of the Bible. Learn the necessary tools for accurate and meaningful biblical interpretation.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and Course
• My Task

Unit 1: Obstacles to Interpretation

• Meaning Is Not Self-Evident
• Obstacle #1: Presuppositions
• Obstacle #2: Author
• Obstacle #3: Reader
• Obstacle #4: Medium
• Obstacle #5: Meaning
• Obstacle #6: Translation
• Obstacle #7: Precedent
• Obstacle #8: Context
• Obstacle #9: Relevance
• Obstacle #10: Validation

Unit 2: Seeing the Bible in Context

• Reading Isn’t Seeing
• Three Biblical Contexts

Unit 3: Worldview Context

• Introduction to Worldview Context
• Historical Context
• Cultural Context
• Religious Context
• Tools for Worldview Context
• Primary Sources
• Reference Works
• Academic Monographs
• Bible Commentaries
• Devotional or Popular Commentaries
• Expositional Commentaries
• Scholarly Commentaries
• Journal Articles
• Digital Resources

Unit 4: Literary Context

• Introduction to Literary Context
• Genre
• How Genre Influences Meaning
• Genre and Structure

Unit 5: Literary Context: Old Testament Genres

• Old Testament Narratives
• Genealogies
• Legal Texts
• Psalms and Prayers
• Types of Psalms
• Psalm Interpretation
• Wisdom Literature
• Proverbs
• Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic
• Interpreting Prophetic Literature

Unit 6: Literary Context: New Testament Genres

• New Testament Narrative
• Gospels
• Epistles
• New Testament Hymns
• Domestic Codes
• Virtue/Vice Lists
• New Testament Apocalyptic

Unit 7: Literary Context: Understanding Prophecy

• Fulfillment
• Literalism and Single Intent
• Amos 9 and Acts 15: Part 1
• Amos 9 and Acts 15: Part 2
• Sensus Plenior: Part 1
• Sensus Plenior: Part 2
• Analogical Fulfillment
• Typological Fulfillment

Unit 8: Literary Context: Literary Devices

• Chiasm
• Gematria
• Hyperbole
• Imagery
• Metaphor
• Merism
• Parallelism

Unit 9: Linguistic Context

• Introduction to Linguistic Context
• Word Level
• Working at the Word Level
• Word-Level Analysis
• Summary of Three Competencies

Unit 10: Application and Conclusion

• Individual and Pastoral Application
• Conclusion to the Course

Dr. Michael S. Heiser is a Scholar-in-Residence for Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. His varied academic background enables him to operate in the realm of critical scholarship and the wider Christian community. His experience in teaching at the undergraduate level and writing for the layperson both directly contribute to Logos’ goal of adapting scholarly tools for nonspecialists.

Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages and holds and MA in ancient history and Hebrew studies. He is the coeditor of Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology and Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations, and can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He also specializes in Israelite religion (especially Israel’s divine council), contextualizing biblical theology with Israelite and ancient Near Eastern religion, Jewish binitarianism, biblical languages, ancient Semitic languages, textual criticism, comparative philology, and Second Temple period Jewish literature. In addition, he was named the 2007 Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar by the Society of Biblical Literature.

NT101 Introducing New Testament: Its Structure and Story

• Instructor: Lynn H. Cohick
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 6

Gain a better understanding of the New Testament’s structure and themes with New Testament scholar Dr. Lynn Cohick. You'll examine elements such as historical context, writing techniques of the Gospel authors, developments in the early church, the settings of the epistles, the genre of the book of Revelation, and the life of Jesus.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Professor and Course

Unit 1: The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

• The Story of Jesus
• Creating and Searching a Custom Collection of Bible Dictionaries
• Gentile Sources for Jesus
• Jewish Sources for Jesus
• Outline of Jesus’ Life
• The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry
• Finding Old Testament Allusions in the New Testament
• Jesus’ Teaching Methods
• The Content of Jesus’ Teachings
• The Miracles of Jesus
• The Importance of the Historical Study of Jesus

Unit 2: The Gospels

• The Concept of Gospel
• Interpreting the Gospels
• The Synoptic Problem
• Comparing Gospel Accounts with Harmony Resources
• The Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John

Unit 3: The Gospel of Matthew

• The Setting and Key Verses of Matthew
• The Authorship of Matthew
• The Structure of Matthew
• The Message of Matthew
• The Kingdom of Heaven
• Miracles in Matthew

Unit 4: The Gospel of Mark

• The Setting and Key Verse of Mark
• The Structure of Mark
• Using the Exegetical Guide to Look Up Grammatical Issues
• The Message of Mark
• Jesus’ Teachings in Mark
• The Ending of Mark

Unit 5: The Gospel of Luke

• The Perspective and Key Verse of Luke
• The Setting of Luke
• The Structure of Luke
• The Prologue and Background of Luke
• Historical Accuracy in Luke-Acts
• Geography and Theology in Luke
• Searching a Bible for Louw-Nida Numbers
• Themes in Luke

Unit 6: The Gospel of John

• The Setting and Key Verse of John
• The Structure of John
• The Message of John
• Finding Jesus’ “I Am” Statements in John
• The Timing of Jesus’ Death in the Gospels
• John’s Use of “the Jews”

Unit 7: The Story of the Early Church

• Introducing Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation
• The World of the Early Church

Unit 8: The Book of Acts

• The Structure and Key Verse of Acts
• The Growth of the Gospel in Acts
• The Conversion of Paul
• The Conversion of Cornelius
• Themes in Acts

Unit 9: Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles

• Paul’s Life before Christ
• Paul’s Life after Christ
• Searching for Maps of Paul’s Missionary Journeys
• Paul’s Letters
• Paul’s Theology

Unit 10: The Letters of Paul

• Galatians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• The Structure and Key Verse of Romans
• The Message of Romans
• Creating and Searching a Custom Collection of Commentaries
• Ephesians
• Colossians
• Philippians
• Philemon
• The Pastoral Epistles

Unit 11: The General Epistles

• Hebrews
• James
• 1 and 2 Peter and Jude
• The Johannine Epistles
• Using Word Lists to Identify Johannine Vocabulary

Unit 12: The Book of Revelation

• The Setting and Structure of Revelation
• Searching for Monographs and Other Similar Resources
• The Teaching of Apocalypse
• Interpreting Revelation
• The Message of Revelation

Conclusion

• Summary of the Course

Dr. Lynn Cohick is professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. She has written commentaries on Ephesians and Galatians, Women in the World of the Earliest Christians and coauthored The New Testament in Antiquity.

Dr. Cohick is interested in studying how average Jews and Christians lived out their faith in the ancient settings of Hellenism and the Roman Empire, as well as how Jews and Christians today can better appreciate and understand each other. She also studies women of the ancient world—especially how they celebrated their religions—and the impact of feminist thought on New Testament studies. She also enjoys studying the Apostle Paul and his epistles within their larger Jewish and Greco-Roman milieu.

Dr. Cohick had the privilege of teaching overseas at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Nairobi, Kenya for three years, and was challenged by the students’ dedication and sharp intellect.

NT211 Introducing the Gospels and Acts: Their Background, Nature, and Purpose

• Instructor: Darrell Bock
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 6

Study the key events of the Gospels and the book of Acts with prolific New Testament scholar Dr. Darrell L. Bock. Dr. Bock walks you through the pivotal events of history that shaped the social, religious, and political environment of Jesus and the early church. Find out why the religious leaders wanted Jesus crucified and how the resurrection demonstrated God’s approval of Jesus as Messiah. Discover how the early church remembered, shared, and recorded the events of Jesus’ life, and how those events became the catalyst for ministry in the book of Acts. Learn about the literary features of the gospel genre and why some “gospels” were not included in the New Testament.

Dr. Bock—an internationally recognized authority on theology and culture—developed this course for the Mobile Education platform so that you can read the Gospels and Acts with fresh eyes.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Background to the New Testament

• Understanding Backgrounds
• The Nature of Judaism
• Alexander the Great
• Hellenization and First Maccabees
• Jewish Responses to Hellenism
• The Temple Story
• The Start of the Maccabean War
• The Impact of Hellenism and the War on Jewish Identity
• The Romans in the Holy Land
• Psalms of Solomon
• The Ministry of Jesus
• Forgiving Sins: The Healing of the Paralytic
• Messing with the Sabbath
• Challenging Tradition and Ritual Purity
• Claiming to Be King
• Cleansing the Temple
• The New Testament Collection

Unit 2: The Nature and Purpose of the Gospels

• Orality and Memory
• The Value of a Voice
• The Quality and Types of Orality
• Corporate and Individual Memory
• Examples of Memory
• The Gospel Genre
• The Dates of the Gospels
• The Authorship of Mark
• The Authorship of Luke
• The Authorship of Matthew
• The Authorship of John
• The Four Gospels
• Four Perspectives
• The Missing Gospels
• Gnosticism
• The Gospel of Thomas
• Background of the Gnostic Creation Story
• The Gnostic Creation Story
• Summary of the Missing Gospels
• Summary of the Nature and Purpose of the Gospels

Unit 3: Resurrection in the Gospel Accounts

• An Introduction to Resurrection
• Resurrection in Judaism and the Graeco-Roman World
• Jesus’ Predictions about His Resurrection
• Resurrection and the Old Testament
• Jesus at His Jewish Examination
• Resurrection in Mark’s Gospel
• Resurrection in Matthew’s Gospel
• Resurrection in Luke’s Gospel
• Resurrection in John’s Gospel
• The Credibility of the Resurrection
• The Significance of the Resurrection

Unit 4: The Early Church in Acts

• The Ascension of Jesus
• Pentecost: The Spirit and the Resurrection
• Pentecost: The Exaltation
• To the Gentiles
• Jew and Gentile Together: The Jerusalem Council
• Jew and Gentile Together: Ephesians 2
• Persecution and Martyrdom: Acts 4
• Persecution and Martyrdom: Stephen
• Persecution and Martyrdom: Paul
• The Gospel Message
• The Core Message of the Gospel
• The House Church

Conclusion

• Course Summary

Dr. Darrell L. Bock, research professor of New Testament studies and professor of spiritual development and culture at Dallas Theological Seminary, serves as editor-at-large for Christianity Today, and is on the board of Chosen People Ministries and Wheaton College. From 2000 to 2001, Dr. Bock served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society.

He has earned international recognition as a Humboldt Scholar for his work in Luke-Acts, historical Jesus study, biblical theology, as well as with messianic Jewish ministries. He has published articles in the Los Angeles Times and The Dallas Morning News and is a well-known author of over 30 books. His publications include Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods, Jesus according to Scripture, an NIV Application Commentary on Luke, Breaking the Da Vinci Code, and commentaries on Acts and Luke in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT) series.

NT222 Introducing the Epistles and Revelation: Their Setting and Message

• Instructor: David A. deSilva
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 12

This course explores the books of Romans through Revelation with particular attention to their historical setting and culture. In addition to providing an overview of each book, topics such as authorship, audience, theology, major themes, presenting problems and pastoral strategies are discussed in depth.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course
• Our Scripture Is Somebody Else’s Mail

Unit 1: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

• Introducing Paul the Persecutor
• Introducing Paul the Preacher
• Introduction to the Galatian Church
• Gospel of the Rivals
• Paul’s Goal for His Converts
• Who Are You Going to Trust?
• Life in the Spirit

Unit 2: The Thessalonian Letters

• The Situation in Thessalonica
• Timothy’s Visit
• Insulating the Converts from Social Shame
• Affirming the Christian’s Honor
• Answering the Converts’ Questions
• Authorship of 2 Thessalonians
• Paul’s Goals in 2 Thessalonians
• Paul and the Thessalonians: Continued Ministry and Reflections

Unit 3: The Corinthian Letters

• The City of Corinth
• The History of Paul’s Relationship with the Corinthians
• Second Corinthians: One Letter or Many?
• Pastoral Issues of 1 Corinthians: Part 1
• Pastoral Issues of 1 Corinthians: Part 2
• Paul’s Reflections on Ministry
• Paul on Stewardship
• Did 2 Corinthians Work?

Unit 4: The Letter to the Romans

• Introducing Paul’s Letter to the Romans
• Romans 1–8 as Pastoral Word
• Romans 9–15 as Pastoral Word
• Paul’s Personal Goals for Romans
• Suggestions for Further Exploration

Unit 5: Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians

• The Story behind Philemon
• Paul’s Goals for Philemon
• Paul’s Strategy in Philemon
• The Problem in Colossae
• Paul’s Goals for Colossians
• Authorship of Colossians
• Colossians as an Authentic Pauline Letter
• Authorship of Ephesians
• Situation behind Ephesians
• Central Theme of Ephesians
• Contributions of Colossians and Ephesians

Unit 6: The Letter to the Philippians

• Paul’s Relationship with the Philippians
• Paul’s Location in Philippians
• One Letter or Several?
• The Reason for Philippians
• Paul’s Strategy in Philippians

Unit 7: Letters to Paul’s Delegates: Timothy and Titus

• The Implied Setting of the Pastoral Letters
• The Question of Authenticity: Part 1
• The Question of Authenticity: Part 2
• The Question of Authenticity: Part 3
• The Question of Authenticity: Part 4
• Principal Emphases of the Pastoral Epistles: Part 1
• Principal Emphases of the Pastoral Epistles: Part 2
• Ongoing Challenge of the Pastorals

Unit 8: The Letter “to the Hebrews”

• Introduction to Hebrews and Its Audience
• Addressees’ Background and Presenting Challenges
• Who Wrote Hebrews?
• The Pastoral Strategy of Hebrews
• Despising Shame: Exemplars of the Faith
• Reinterpreting Experiences of Disgrace
• Nurturing a Supportive Faith Community
• Responding to Divine Grace with Appropriate Gratitude: Part 1
• Responding to Divine Grace with Appropriate Gratitude: Part 2
• Contributions of Hebrews to Early Christianity

Unit 9: The Epistle of James

• Introduction to James
• James as Wisdom Literature
• James and Paul
• Major Emphases of James: Part 1
• Major Emphases of James: Part 2

Unit 10: The First Letter of Peter

• The Pastoral Challenge of 1 Peter
• Who Wrote 1 Peter and When?
• Peter’s Pastoral Response and Rhetorical Strategy
• Reinterpreting Experiences of Suffering
• Redefining the “Real” Challenge
• Shaping Relationships with Outsiders and Insiders

Unit 11: Jude and 2 Peter

• Introducing Jude and 2 Peter
• The Epistle of Jude and Its Setting
• Pastoral Challenge and Authorship of 2 Peter
• Grace and Response in 2 Peter
• Censuring and Answering the Opponents
• Contributions of Jude and 2 Peter

Unit 12: The Johannine Letters

• Introducing the Johannine Letters
• Authorship and Genre
• Believing Means Loving
• Sin and Righteousness

Unit 13: The Revelation of John

• The Genres of Revelation
• Who Wrote Revelation?
• The Date of Revelation
• The Situation of the Addressees: Part 1
• The Situation of the Addressees: Part 2
• The Public Story of Rome
• The Public Image of the Emperors
• John’s Unveiling
• John’s Goals
• Keeping the Words of This Prophecy

Conclusion

• Living the Challenge of the New Testament

Dr. David A. deSilva is the trustees’ distinguished professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ohio, where he’s taught since 1995. He’s written over 20 books in the areas of New Testament and Second Temple Judaism and is a leading expert on the cultural world of the New Testament.

NT281 How We Got the New Testament

• Instructor: Michael S. Heiser
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 4

In this course, Dr. Michael Heiser explains the story of how we got the New Testament—he guides you from the process of inspiration to the discovery and transmission of manuscripts. Dr. Heiser describes the role of scribes throughout time and discusses significant Greek New Testament manuscripts upon which modern translations are based. Because most students of the Bible read it in their own language, he also examines translation philosophies and controversies.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Preliminary Issues

• What Is the New Testament?
• The Term “New Testament”
• Exploring “Covenant” Using the Topic Guide
• The Scope of the New Testament
• Number of New Testament Books
• Order and Structure of New Testament Books
• Titles of New Testament Books
• The Authority of the Testaments
• Creating a Custom Guide to Study 2 Timothy 3:16
• Road Map for this Course

Unit 2: Inspiration

• Two Sides to Inspiration
• Flawed Conception of Inspiration
• Coherent Conception: Major Verses
• Coherent Conception: Textual Phenomena

Unit 3: The Composition of the New Testament Books

• Preview
• Researching Important Dates with the Timeline Tool
• The Language of the New Testament
• Defining “Autograph”
• Producing Documents in a Graeco-Roman World
• Understanding Technical Terms
• Amanuenses
• Use of External Source Material
• Exploring Ancient Texts Relevant to the Text of the New Testament
• Literary Intent and Occasion

Unit 4: Canonical Recognition of the New Testament Books

• Concept of Canon
• Early Development
• The Impact of Canon on Copying and Transmission

Unit 5: Manuscripts of the New Testament

• The Copying Enterprise
• The Innovation of the Codex
• Manuscript Types and Discoveries
• Papyri
• Uncials and Sinaiticus
• Using Textual Apparatuses in Logos
• Uncials: Alexandrinus
• Viewing Codex Sinaiticus in Logos
• Uncials: Vaticanus
• Uncials: Codex Bezae
• Minuscules
• Lectionaries
• Quotations from the Fathers
• Searching for New Testament Citations in the Early Church Fathers
• Early Versions of the New Testament
• Archaeological Factors in Dating Manuscripts
• Dating and the Forms of Manuscripts
• Dating and Paleography
• Carbon-14 Dating
• Manuscript Families
• Alexandrian Family
• Byzantine Family

Unit 6: The History of the Text’s Transmission

• The Early Centuries (1st–4th)
• The Byzantine Era (400–1516)
• The “Received Text” (1516–1633)
• Erasmus’ First Edition (1516)
• Erasmus’ First and Third Editions
• Later Editions of Erasmus’ Text
• The Period of Critical Research (1633–1881)
• Important Scholarly Work
• Westcott and Hort
• Positive Reaction to Westcott and Hort
• Negative Reaction to Westcott and Hort
• H. von Soden’s Text (1913)
• Eberhard Nestle (1898–1963)
• UBS First Edition
• UBS Third Edition and Nestle-Aland Edition
• Modern Majority Text Editions
• SBL Greek New Testament
• Comparing Major Editions of the Greek New Testament

Unit 7: The Impact of Textual History

• Pre-20th Century
• Evaluating Modern Translations
• The American Standard Version
• The Revised Standard Version
• The New American Standard Bible
• The New International Version
• The New King James Version
• The New Revised Standard Version
• The New English Translation
• The English Standard Version

Unit 8: Textual Criticism of the New Testament

• Preview of the Process
• Determining Variants
• Gathering Evidence: The Specialist
• Gathering Evidence: The Nonspecialist
• Using Digital Tools for Conducting Text-Critical Research
• Evaluating Evidence: Types of Variants
• Unintentional Variants: Word Division
• Unintentional Variants: Letter Confusion
• Unintentional Variants: Eye Skipping
• Unintentional Variants: Haplography
• Unintentional Variants: Dittography
• Unintentional Variants: Transposition
• Unintentional Variants: Faulty Hearing
• Intentional Variants: Clarifying the Text
• Intentional Variants: Conflation
• Intentional Variants: Harmonization and Smoothing
• Evaluating Variants
• Evaluating Variants: Internal Considerations
• Evaluating Variants: External Considerations
• Evaluating Variants: Logical Considerations
• Investigating the “Johannine Comma” with Various Tools
• Textual Criticism, Inspiration, and Inerrancy

Unit 9: The “King James Only” Controversy

• Preview of the Issue
• The Merit Argument
• The Providence Argument
• The Satanic Argument
• The Heresy Argument
• A Personal Note

Conclusion

• Course Summary

Dr. Michael S. Heiser is a Scholar-in-Residence for Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. His varied academic background enables him to operate in the realm of critical scholarship and the wider Christian community. His experience in teaching at the undergraduate level and writing for the layperson both directly contribute to Logos’ goal of adapting scholarly tools for nonspecialists.

Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages and holds and MA in ancient history and Hebrew studies. He is the coeditor of Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology and Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations, and can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He also specializes in Israelite religion (especially Israel’s divine council), contextualizing biblical theology with Israelite and ancient Near Eastern religion, Jewish binitarianism, biblical languages, ancient Semitic languages, textual criticism, comparative philology, and Second Temple period Jewish literature. In addition, he was named the 2007 Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar by the Society of Biblical Literature.