New Testament: Advanced Gospel Studies Study Bundle

by Michael R. Licona; Jeannine K. Brown; Andrew W. Pitts; Jonathan T. Pennington

and

5 more

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2014–2022

Overview

In the New Testament: Advanced Gospel Studies Study Bundle you’ll study the four gospels in detail. You will explore the genre of the gospels as well as their historical reliability. You’ll be able to identify the specific audiences for each of the gospels and distinguish the themes emphasized by the different authors. These courses will help you better understand and appreciate the message of the gospels.

Product Details

• Title: New Testament: Advanced Gospel Studies Study Bundle
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
• Courses: 11
• Video Hours: 70

NT317 Book Study: The Gospel of Matthew

• Instructor: Craig S. Keener
• Video hours: 11

Analyze the Gospel of Matthew as an ancient biography meant to communicate historical information as well as moral, theological, and political lessons. This course is primarily focused on the major themes in Matthew, including cross-cultural ministry, evangelism, Christian education, and making disciples of the nations, while highlighting Jesus’ teaching and His love and patience for His disciples.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Course and the Speaker

Unit 1: The Great Commission

• Cross-Cultural Command
• Cross-Cultural Love
• Baptizing in the Name
• Discipleship by Grace

Unit 2: Ancestry and Infancy of Jesus

• The Genesis of Jesus (Matt 1:1–17)
• Unique Genealogy for Unique Purpose (Matt 1:1–17)
• Focus on Jesus’ Adoptive Father (Matt 1:18–25)
• Matthew’s Use of Isaiah 7:14 (Matt 2:22–23)
• The Magi and Herod the Great (Matt 2:1–18)
• Jewish-Pagan Role Reversal (Matt 2:1–18)
• Jesus and Egypt (Matt 2:13–21)
• The Massacre of the Innocents and Jesus’ Return (Matt 2:16–23)

Unit 3: Prepare the Way of the Lord

• John the Baptist: Lifestyle (Matt 3:1–6)
• John the Baptist: Mission (Matt 3:1–12)
• Baptism with Fire (Matt 3:10–12)
• Jesus’ Baptism and Divinity (Matt 3:13–17)
• Testing in the Wilderness Matt 4:1–11)
• The Power of Scripture
• Galilee and the Kingdom of God (Matt 4:12–17)
• Calling Fishers of People (Matt 4:18–22)
• Healing and Popularity (Matt 4:23–25)

Unit 4: Ethics of the Kingdom: Part 1

• Sermon on the Mount Overview (Matt 5–7)
• Sermon Rhetoric and Setting
• The Beatitudes (Matt 5:2–11)
• Disciples’ Character: Salt and Light (Matt 5:13–16)
• The Law of Moses (Matt 5:17–48)
• Law Limits Sin, Jesus Delivers from Sin (Matt 5:21–48)
• Divorce (Matt 5:31–32)
• Integrity and Surrender (Matt 5:33–42)

Unit 5: Ethics of the Kingdom: Part 2

• Love Your Enemy (Matt 5:43–48)
• Glorify God, Not Yourself (Matt 6:1–18)
• The Kingdom Prayer: Part 1 (Matt 6:9–10)
• The Kingdom Prayer: Part 2 (Matt 6:11–13)
• Fasting and Treasure (Matt 6:16–24)
• Trusting God for Our Needs (Matt 6:25–34)
• Judging and the Golden Rule (Matt 7:1–12)
• Present Claims versus Future Judgment (Matt 7:13–27)

Unit 6: Examples of Jesus’ Miracles

• Jesus’ Miracles: Sovereignty, Love, Mission (Matt 8:1–4)
• A Roman’s Expectation (Matt 8:5–13)
• Jesus the Healer (Matt 8:14–17)
• What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus? (Matt 8:18–22)
• Jesus’ Authority over Nature and Demons (Matt 8:23–34)
• Jesus’ Authority to Forgive Sins (Matt 9:1–8)
• Sinners Need a Physician (Matt 9:9–13)
• A Time for Everything (Matt 9:14–26)
• Cures for Disabilities (Matt 9:27–38)

Unit 7: Discipleship, Warnings, and the Sabbath

• All about Apostles (Matt 10:1–15)
• Judgment and Persecution (Matt 10:5–33)
• Unrivaled Devotion to Jesus (Matt 10:34–42)
• Miracles: Doubt versus Evidence
• The Blind See, the Lame Walk (Matt 11:1–6)
• The Deaf Hear, the Dead Are Raised (Matt 11:5)
• Deeper than Miracles (Matt 11:1–6)
• Elijah and Divine Wisdom (Matt 11:7–30)
• Lord of the Sabbath, Servant of God (Matt 12:1–21)
• Blaspheming, Judgment, and Kingdom Priorities (Matt 12:22–50)

Unit 8: Kingdom, Miracles, and Costs

• What Is a Parable?
• Sower, Soils, and Weeds (Matt 13:1–30)
• The Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 13:31–53)
• Herod and Herodias versus John the Baptist (Matt 14:1–12)
• Water and Tradition under Divine Authority (Matt 14:22–15:20)
• Bread and Leaven (Matt 15:10–16:12)
• Peter’s Confession of Christ (Matt 16:13–23)
• Jesus’ Transfiguration and the Spiritual World (Matt 16:18b–17:20)
• Anthropology, Psychiatry, and Demon Possession
• Tax Miracle (Matt 17:24–27)

Unit 9: Teaching and Triumph

• Humility and Church Discipline (Matt 18:1–5, 15–20)
• The King Settles Accounts (Matt 18:21–35)
• Grounds for Divorce and Welcoming Children (Matt 19:1–15)
• Cost of Discipleship and the Generosity of God (Matt 19:16–20:16)
• Path to Honor, Cleansing the Temple (Matt 20:20–21:32)
• Parable of the Murderous Tenants (Matt 21:33–46)
• Scorning the King’s Son (Matt 22:1–14)
• Conflicts with the Elite (Matt 22:15–46)

Unit 10: Signs, Watchfulness, and Judgment

• Hypocrisy and Universal Temptation
• Call to Humility (Matt 23:2–12)
• Woe to Human Religion (Matt 23:13–28)
• Scribes and Pharisees: Purity Challenged (Matt 23:24–28)
• Blood on a Generation (Matt 23:29–39)
• Temple Destruction Foretold (Matt 24:1–51)
• Jesus’ Instructions to Flee (Matt 24:15–20)
• Jesus’ Return (Matt 24:21–31)
• Parables of Jesus’ Return and Judgment (Matt 24:45–25:46)

Unit 11: Passion, Death, and Resurrection

• Jesus’ Worth (Matt 26:1–16)
• The Last Supper (Matt 26:17–30)
• Betrayal, Arrest, and Trial (Matt 26:31–68)
• Into the Jaws of Rome (Matt 26:69–27:37)
• Jesus’ Crucifixion (Matt 27:32–56)
• Guardians of Jesus’ Body (Matt 27:57–66)
• Jesus’ Resurrection (Matt 28:1–14)

Conclusion

• Discipleship and Multiplication (Matt 28:16–20)

Craig S. Keener is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary and is the author of 17 books, 4 of which have won book awards in Christianity Today. One, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, has sold more than half a million copies. He has authored scholarly commentaries on Matthew, John, Acts, Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, and Revelation.

NT315 Book Study: The Gospel of Mark

• Instructor: Mark L. Strauss
• Video hours: 8

Enjoy an in-depth study of Mark’s Gospel from New Testament expert Dr. Mark Strauss. In this course, Dr. Strauss focuses on the words of Mark and the themes, theology, and purpose of the book. He describes the context of the Gospel as a whole and then examines the text passage by passage.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Background and Introduction to Mark

• Introducing Mark’s Gospel
• The Author of Mark
• Audience and Place of Writing
• Date and Occasion of Writing
• Structure
• Purpose and Main Themes
• Literary Features
• Highlighting Mark’s Use of “Immediately”
• Method and Approach
• Finding All the Geographic Places Mentioned in Mark

Unit 2: Part 1: The Authority of the Messiah—Prologue

• “The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah”
• Fulfillment of Prophecy
• John the Baptist
• Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

Unit 3: The Kingdom Authority of the Messiah

• Proclaiming the Kingdom
• Researching the Kingdom of God with the Topic Guide
• Kingdom Authority in Teaching, Healing, and Exorcism
• Healing the Leper
• Researching the “Messianic Secret”
• Forgiving Sin and the Beginning of Conflict
• Conflicts with Leaders and Jesus’ Authority
• Lord of the Sabbath

Unit 4: The Division of Israel

• Choosing the Twelve—Reconstituting Israel
• Jesus’ True Family and the Beelzebul Controversy
• Parables of the Kingdom
• Authority over Natural and Supernatural Forces
• Authority over Disease and Death
• Examining Mark’s Use of Aramaic Phrases
• Rejection by His Hometown
• Locating and Labeling the Miracles of Jesus

Unit 5: The Expanding Mission of the Messiah

• Sending Out the Twelve and Death of John the Baptist
• Feeding the 5,000 and Walking on Water
• The Question of Defilement
• Moving Outside Israel’s Borders

Unit 6: Part 2: The Suffering Servant—The Revelation of the Messiah’s Suffering

• Beginning an Introduction to Part 2 of Mark’s Gospel
• The Conclusion of an Introduction to Part 2 of Mark’s Gospel
• Examining the Different Verbs for “Seeing” in Mark 8:23–25
• Peter’s Confession and the First Passion Prediction
• The Transfiguration
• Exploring the Significance of the Phrase “Listen to Him”
• Second Passion Prediction
• Teaching on Divorce
• Riches and the Kingdom of God
• Third Passion Prediction and Request of James and John
• Blind Bartimaeus and the End of the Journey

Unit 7: The Messiah Confronts Jerusalem

• The Triumphal Entry
• Finding the Fulfillment of Prophecies in Mark’s Gospel
• Prophetic Action in the Temple and Cursing the Fig Tree
• Question about John and the Parable of the Wicked Tenant Farmers
• Taxes to Caesar and Marriage in the Resurrection
• The Greatest Commandment and a Riddle
• Warning against Scribes and Commending a Widow’s Offering
• The Olivet Discourse

Unit 8: The Passion of the Messiah

• The Plot against Jesus
• The Last Supper
• Gethsemane
• Understanding Literary Techniques in Mark’s Gospel
• Arrest and Trial of Jesus; Peter’s Denial
• Trial before Pilate
• The Crucifixion
• Researching the Crucifixion
• Death and Burial of Jesus

Unit 9: The Epilogue

• Resurrection Announced
• Studying Textual Variants in Mark 1:41 and 16:9–20
• The Endings of Mark

Conclusion

• Summary Overview and Conclusion to Mark

Dr. Mark L. Strauss is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in San Diego. He has written several books, including The Davidic Messiah in Luke-Acts, Distorting Scripture?, and Luke in the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary series.

NT319 Book Study: The Gospel of Luke in Its Gentile Context

• Instructor: Craig Evans
• Video hours: 10

Dr. Craig Evans examines how Luke transformed the Jesus story into something that Gentiles in his time could appreciate. Luke wanted his readers to know that his account was based on early sources—credible eyewitness testimony that he himself had accessed for the composition of this Gospel. Remember, this was a Jewish story, one about Jesus the Jew, fulfiller of the Jewish Scriptures, and was part of the history of the people of Israel. So, what relevance did it have for Gentiles? Luke wanted the Gentiles to know that this Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, was their Savior too. And that is still true today—He’s our savior also. Luke’s other emphases—election, the unity of the church, proper use of wealth, and what constitutes true righteousness—remain valid for the church today as well.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Introduction to the Gospel of Luke

• Early Textual Witnesses
• Who Wrote the Gospel of Luke?
• Structure and Themes
• Luke’s Incipit

Unit 2: Infancy Narrative Themes

• The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Annunciation
• Son of God
• The Canticles of Israel
• Samuel and the Temple Typology

Unit 3: Good News and Controversy

• Preaching in Nazareth: Part 1
• Preaching in Nazareth: Part 2
• Preaching in Nazareth: Part 3
• The Calling of Peter
• Jesus Heals and Forgives the Paralytic
• The Calling of Levi
• Sabbath Controversies

Unit 4: Teaching and Compassion

• Twelve Disciples and Many Prayers
• Sermon on the Plain: Blessings and Woes
• Sermon on the Plain: Love for Enemies
• Healing the Centurion’s Servant
• Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son
• The Sinful Woman: Part 1
• The Sinful Woman: Part 2

Unit 5: Parables and Power

• Parable of the Sower and the Soils
• Jesus’ Relationships and Power
• Casting Out a Legion
• Healing a Woman and Raising a Child

Unit 6: Jesus and the Twelve

• The Ministry of Jesus Is Multiplied
• Feeding the Five Thousand
• Peter’s Confession of Christ
• The Transfiguration
• Disciples and Children

Unit 7: Discipleship

• Jesus Sets His Face to Go to Jerusalem
• Samaritans and Would-Be Followers
• The Purpose of Luke’s Central Section
• Fall of Satan
• Inheriting Eternal Life
• The Good Samaritan
• Martha and Mary, Bread and Word
• The Lord’s Prayer
• Asking and Receiving

Unit 8: Judgments, Warnings, and Exhortations

• Jesus and Beelzebul
• The Sign of Jonah
• Woes against the Scholars
• Parable of the Rich Fool
• Jesus the Shepherd
• Eschatological Warnings
• The Need for Repentance
• Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
• Healing on the Sabbath

Unit 9: God’s Kingdom and the Lost

• Narrow versus Broad Door
• Destiny Approaching: Jesus and Jerusalem
• Who Will Attend the Heavenly Banquet?
• Parable of the Banquet
• Parables of the Lost
• Parable of the Lost Son: Part 1
• Parable of the Lost Son: Part 2

Unit 10: Wealth, Poverty, and Spiritual Reality

• Parable of the Shrewd Manager
• Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
• Attitude of Service and Thanksgiving
• Overcoming Indifference and Self-Righteousness
• The Rich Ruler
• Jesus and Zacchaeus

Unit 11: Ministry in Jerusalem

• Parable of the Pounds
• Jesus’ Triumphal Entry
• Jesus Cleanses the Temple
• Jesus’ Authority Questioned
• Parable of the Wicked Tenants
• Is the Christ the Son of David?
• More Eschatological Warnings

Unit 12: Last Supper and Betrayal

• The Lord’s Supper
• Who Is the Greatest?
• Jesus Predicts Simon’s Denial
• Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
• Jesus before the High Priest
• Jesus Condemned to Death

Unit 13: Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

• The Cross
• The Death of Jesus
• Jesus Is Buried
• Easter Morning
• Three on the Road to Emmaus
• The Risen Jesus Teaches His Disciples

Conclusion

• A Gospel for Today

Craig A. Evans is Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament and director of the graduate program at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He has written extensively on the historical Jesus and the Jewish background of the New Testament era.

NT323 Book Study: The Gospel of John

• Instructor: Joel Willitts
• Video hours: 11

Dr. Joel Willitts brings his experience in both ministry and academia to this detailed, application-based study of the Gospel of John. Dr. Willitts encourages students to read the Gospel as an ancient text written to an ancient community of believers, inspiring a unique encounter with Jesus.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Background

• Introduction
• Using the Clause Participants Section in the Bible Word Study Tool
• What Is John?
• Why Did John Write?
• Using Greek Searching to Discover the Form of Faith in John’s Gospel
• How John Wrote: Elements of His Plot, Part 1
• How John Wrote: Elements of His Plot, Part 2
• How John Wrote: Elements of His Plot, Part 3
• How John Wrote: Elements of His Plot, Part 4
• Seven Exegetical Questions
• Major Narrative Divisions

Unit 2: Initial Presentation (John 1:1–4:54)

• Prologue: Introduction
• Prologue: Historical-Cultural Background
• Prologue: Setting, Characters, and Key Terms
• Prologue: Theological Ideas
• Creating a Syntax Query to Discover the Greatness of Grace
• Gospel of John’s Christology
• John the Baptist’s Testimony about Jesus
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples
• John and Jesus’ Disciples: Historical-Cultural Background
• John and Jesus’ Disciples: Characters and Function
• John and Jesus’ Disciples: Key Terms and Theological Ideas
• Filtering a Bible to Display Only Verses on a Specific Topic
• Wedding at Cana: Setting in the Larger Narrative
• Exploring John’s Chronology with Inline Searching
• Wedding at Cana: The Story and Its Meaning
• Jesus Cleanses the Temple
• Historical-Cultural Background of John 2
• Function and Theology of John 2
• Nicodemus Visits Jesus: Setting
• Nicodemus Visits Jesus: Insufficient Faith
• John’s Final Testimony to Christ
• Nicodemus: Historical-Cultural Background, Part 1
• Nicodemus: Historical-Cultural Background, Part 2
• Nicodemus: Function in the Larger Framework of John
• Nicodemus: Key Terms and Theological Ideas
• Gospel of John’s Theology of Discipleship and the Church
• Jesus and the Woman of Samaria
• Jesus Heals an Official’s Son in Galilee
• Historical-Cultural Background of John 4
• Theological Ideas of John 4
• Gospel of John’s Theology of Salvation

Unit 3: Intensifying Polarization (John 5:1–10:42)

• Introduction: Jewish Festival Cycle
• Using Different Tools to Study Feasts in the Gospel of John
• Jesus and the Sabbath: Introduction
• Jesus and the Sabbath: Historical-Cultural Background
• Jesus and the Sabbath: Theology
• Event: Jesus Testing His Disciples
• Teaching: Jesus Teaching about True Discipleship
• Response: The Disciples Responding to Jesus
• Function of John 6
• Key Terms of John 6
• Using the Clause Search to Find Instances of God Gathering Israel
• Theological Ideas of John 6
• Gospel of John’s Sacramentalism
• Jesus and the Festival of Tabernacles: Introduction
• Festival of Tabernacles: Conflict over Jesus’ Identity
• A Pause: Woman Caught in Adultery, Part 1
• A Pause: Woman Caught in Adultery, Part 2
• Festival of Tabernacles: Rejection of Jesus’ Self-Revelation
• Festival of Tabernacles: Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind
• Festival of Tabernacles: Jesus as the Good Shepherd
• Festival of Tabernacles: Summary
• Searching for the “I Am” Statements in John
• Festival of Tabernacles: Key Terms
• Festival of Tabernacles: Theological Ideas
• Festival of Dedication: Historical-Cultural Background
• Festival of Dedication
• Festival of Dedication: Function and Theological Ideas

Unit 4: Final Presentation and Private Preparation (John 11:1–17:26)

• Death and Resurrection of Lazarus: Context and Characters
• Death and Resurrection of Lazarus: Function
• Jesus’ Impending Death: Place in the Larger Framework of John
• Jesus’ Impending Death: Function and Key Terms
• Jesus’ Impending Death: Theological Ideas
• Gospel of John’s Theology of Atonement
• Using the Bible Sense Lexicon to Find Animals Used for Sin Offerings
• Private Preparation: Context
• Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
• Gift of Bread for a Betrayer
• Jesus’ Words about His Departure: Part 1
• Jesus’ Words about Abiding and Loving
• Jesus’ Words about His Departure: Part 2
• Jesus’ Words about His Departure: Function
• Gospel of John’s Theology of the Holy Spirit
• Finding the Trinity Using an Inline Search and Visual Filters
• Jesus’ Prayer before His Arrest
• Jesus’ Prayer before His Arrest: Function and Theology

Unit 5: Climactic Passion, Resurrection, and Epilogue (John 18:1–21:25)

• Jesus’ Arrest, the Priest’s Interrogation, and Peter’s Denial
• Pilate’s Interrogation and Jesus’ Kingdom
• Jesus’ Crucifixion, Death, and Burial
• Jesus’ Crucifixion, Death, and Burial: Function and Theology
• Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances
• John’s Epilogue
• Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances: Function
• Using Factbook and Visual Copy to Create a Custom Bible Introduction Presentation
• Gospel of John: Jesus and the Beloved Apostle
• Gospel of John: Old Look/New Look
• Gospel of John: Authorship
• Researching the Reliability of John’s Gospel with the Factbook
• Gospel of John: Audience and Date
• Gospel of John: A Jewish Gospel

Conclusion

• Review

Dr. Joel Willitts is a professor in the biblical and theological studies department at North Park University. He has researched and published several books, essays, and journal articles on the New Testament’s Jewish context.

NT203 The Literary Context of the Gospels

• Instructor: Andrew W. Pitts
• Video Hours: 4

The Literary Context of the Gospels (NT203) examines the genre of the gospels. The course examines what type of literature the gospels may be as well as what the implications are for interpretation. It looks at both ancient and modern genre and surveys the history of the interpretation of the gospel genre. The course explores different structural features of the gospels and shows how these features fit with genres like history or ancient biography. By understanding the genre of the gospels, you’ll gain insight into how the gospel writers intended to communicate their message about the person, life, and ministry of Jesus.

Contents:

• Genre Theory: Ancient and Modern
• The Gospels as Ancient Biography
• Features of Gospel Literature
• Gospels, History, and Bios

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Genre Theory: Ancient and Modern

• What Are the Gospels?
• What Is Genre?
• Genre and Literary Types

Unit 2: The Gospels asSui Generis

• The Historical-Critical Paradigm
• Martin Dibelius on the Genre of the Gospels
• Rudolf Bultmann and the Synoptic Tradition
• C. H. Dodd and the Gospel as Kerygma
• Other Contributors to Sui Generis

Unit 3: The Gospels as Bios

• The “Life of Jesus” Project
• The Initial Assessments
• The Work of Charles Talbert
• Philip Shuler, Albrecht Dihle, David Aune, and a New Trajectory
• Richard Burridge and the Graeco-Roman Bios
• A New and Emerging Consensus
• Responses to Richard Burridge
• Craig Keener andThe Historical Jesus of the Gospels
• Jonathan Pennington’s Critique of Burridge
• A More Comprehensive Assessment
• Justin Smith and the Study of Bios
• Michael Licona and Applying Bios
• Licona’s Five Compositional Strategies: Part 1
• Licona’s Five Compositional Strategies: Part 2
• Licona’s Five Compositional Strategies: Part 3
• Licona’s Five Compositional Strategies: Part 4
• Licona’s Five Compositional Strategies: Part 5
• The Problem of Luke’s Gospel

Unit 4: Other Proposals for the Gospels’ Genre

• Aretalogy, Drama, Mythography, and Mimesis
• Mimesis: Part 1
• Mimesis: Part 2
• Mimesis: Part 3
• Ancient Novel or Historical Monograph?

Unit 5: Richard Burridge and the Gospels as Bios

• Burridge’s Criteria: Part 1
• Burridge’s Criteria: Part 2
• Burridge’s Criteria: Part 3
• Burridge’s Sample Group
• Problems with Burridge’s Criteria: Part 1
• Problems with Burridge’s Criteria: Part 2
• Problems with Burridge’s Criteria: Part 3
• New Criteria

Unit 6: The Gospels, History, and Bios

• Preface Criteria Applied
• Event-Participant Criteria Applied
• Authoritative Citation Criteria Applied
• Implications and Moving Forward

Conclusion

• Course Review

Dr. Andrew W. Pitts is the chair of the biblical studies department and assistant professor of biblical studies and Christian ministries at Arizona Christian University. He is editor of the Brill Exegetical Commentary and is coauthor of Fundamentals of New Testament Textual Criticism. He is also coeditor of three recently released books on early Christianity and has published articles in multiple peer-reviewed journals.

NT301 The Gospels as Ancient Biography: A Theological and Historical Perspective

• Instructor: Jonathan T. Pennington
• Video hours: 4

Dr. Jonathan Pennington, a specialist in the Gospels, discusses how to interpret these ancient biographies based on their genre rather than focusing only on their content. This course shows how a literary reading of the Gospels reveals the beauty of Jesus’ life.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: What Are the Gospels?

• The Meaning of “Gospel”
• Using the Bible Word Study to Discover Usages of the Word “Gospel”
• “Gospel” in the Gospels
• Gospels as Bios: Genre Options
• Customizing the Passage Guide to Look at Genre Coding
• Gospels as Bios: Adapting a Graeco-Roman Genre
• Gospels as Bios: Particular Aspects in the Gospels
• Gospels as Bios: Implications
• Gospels: A Fuller Definition

Unit 2: Why Do We Need the Gospels?

• The Gospels: Benign Neglect
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 1
• Using the Context Menu to Research “Abba”
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 2
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 3
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 4
• Finding Allusions to Exodus in the Gospel of Matthew
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 5
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 6
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 7
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 8
• Discovering Narrative Preaching Illustrations with the Sermon Starter Guide
• Why We Need the Gospels: Reason 9

Unit 3: How Do We Deal with Having Four Gospels?

• Introduction: To Harmonize or Not
• Four Gospel Accounts: The Angst
• Using Different Synopses to Analyze the Gospels
• Four Gospel Accounts: Harmonizing Solutions
• Four Gospel Accounts: The Joy

Unit 4: How Do We Read the Gospels?

• Cultural Hermeneutics: The Prodigal Son Goes to Russia
• Studying Background Information with the Faithlife Study Bible and Factbook
• Cultural Hermeneutics: The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross
• Narrative Analysis: Introduction
• Narrative Analysis: A Model for the Gospels
• Narrative Analysis: Method
• Narrative Analysis: Payoff and Limitations
• Narrative Analysis: Circles of Context
• Narrative Analysis: Application (Luke 7:1–10)
• Doing Narrative Analysis with the Explorer and Sentence Diagramming Tools

Unit 5: What Is Our Goal in Reading the Gospels?

• Introduction: Why We Ask the Question
• Centrality of the Gospels: Historical Arguments
• Searching for Early Church Uses of “Gospel" with the Bible Word Study Guide
• Centrality of the Gospels: Canonical and Theological Arguments
• Centrality of the Gospels: Implications
• Using the Topic Guide to Find a Gospel’s Themes in the Rest of Scripture

Dr. Jonathan T. Pennington is the associate professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He also served as a visiting professor at Southeastern Seminary, as well as the Institute of Biblical Studies in Orlando, Florida and Melbourne, Australia.

NT309 Critical Issues in the Synoptic Gospels

• Instructor: Craig S. Keener
• Video Hours: 3

Explore the historical reliability of the Gospels and the controversy of miracles. Probe the Gospels as biographies recounting historical information passed down through written and oral traditions and eyewitness accounts.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Gospels and History

• Introducing the Gospels
• The Genre of the Gospels
• The Basics of Ancient Biography
• Ancient Biographers
• Source Criticism
• Form Criticism
• Redaction Criticism
• Oral Tradition
• Memorization
• Advanced Education in Antiquity
• Linguistic Evidence for Authenticity
• Eyewitnesses
• The Gospels’ Appeal to Common Knowledge
• Objections to Gospel Reliability

Unit 2: Miracles in the Gospels

• Miracle Reports
• Jesus’ Miracles
• Philosophical Foundations of Naturalism
• The Principle of Uniformity
• Human Experience of the Miraculous
• Eyewitness Reports of Miracles
• More Modern Eyewitness Accounts
• Raised from the Dead
• Accounts from the Congo
• Nature Miracles

Conclusion

• Course Summary

NT311 The World of Jesus and the Gospels

• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Video hours: 3

The decline of the Persian Empire, the rise of Alexander the Great, Israel’s military engagements and religious movements—the events between the final book of the Old Testament and the first Gospel are the backdrop for Christ’s appearance and the development of Christianity. Dr. Craig Evans’ course on intertestamental history describes the events that built the New Testament world, providing for a deeper, more robust understanding of Scripture.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Intertestamental Socio-Religious World

• Timeline
• Succession of Imperial Powers
• Using the Timeline to Trace the History of the Intertestamental Period
• Antiochus Epiphanes
• Accessing and Utilizing the Perseus Classics Collection in Logos
• Hasmoneans
• Using the Topic Section in Search Results to Research Antiochus IV
• Roman Intervention
• Creating a Custom Series and Layout to Study the Bible with Apocrypha
• History of Rome
• Herod the Great
• Using the Favorites Tool to Store and Organize Research
• Roman Prefects and Procurators
• Using the Bible Facts Tool to Distinguish between the Herods
• Jewish Agitators: “Messiahs”
• Jewish Agitators: “Prophets”
• Searching the Writings of Josephus for Mentions of Christ
• Time of Jesus: Religious and Cultural Background
• Time of Jesus: Social and Economic Background
• Temple
• Finding and Exporting Images with the Bible Facts Tool
• Synagogues

Unit 2: Intertestamental Ideas

• Interpreting Scripture
• Using a Proximity Search to Find Images of the Synagogue at Capernaum
• Intertestamental Literature
• Extracanonical Insights: Parable of the Vineyard
• Creating a Layout to Study the Targums
• Extracanonical Insights: John the Baptist’s Messianic Doubts
• Extracanonical Insights: John’s Prologue
• Intertestamental Development of Old Testament Ideas
• Graeco-Roman Philosophies
• Summary and Conclusions

BI271 Interpreting New Testament Narrative: Studies and Methods

• Instructor: Jeannine K. Brown
• Video hours: 5

Using the methods described in Introducing Literary Interpretation (BI131), Dr. Jeannine Brown shows how to interpret the Gospel narratives—not with a piecemeal approach, but by understanding each Gospel narrative as a whole. Gain insight on the literary context, genre, and historical setting of the Gospels. Understand how the Graeco-Roman and Jewish cultures combined to create the unique setting that God chose to reveal Himself in. Explore the setting, characters, and plot in the Gospels, as well as literary devices like the arrangement of pericopes and different points of view in the story.

After describing interpretive methods, Dr. Brown applies them to specific passages, providing step-by-step guidance and giving you confidence to interpret the Gospel narratives yourself.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: What Are the Gospels?

• Genre
• A Formal Resemblance to Graeco-Roman Biography
• A Substantive Resemblance to Graeco-Roman Biography
• Using Louw-Nida to Study Geographic Settings
• Distinctions from Graeco-Roman Biography
• Implications for Interpreting the Gospels

Unit 2: Reading the Gospels as Wholes

• Literary Context
• Investigating the Textual Variant in Mark 16:9–20
• The Two Levels of a Gospel
• The Story Level
• The Discourse Level: Themes
• Discovering Repeated Terms in the Gospels
• The Discourse Level: Sequencing
• The Discourse Level: More Sequencing Strategies
• The Discourse Level: Point of View
• Finding Specific Characters’ Speeches
• The Implied Reader

Unit 3: Other Methods for Reading the Gospels

• A Range of Methods
• Historical Criticism
• Identifying Genres and Subgenres in the Gospels
• Source Criticism
• Form Criticism
• Redaction Criticism

Unit 4: Reading the Gospels in Their First Settings

• Two Potential Time Frames
• The Two Worlds of the First Century
• Political Background of First-Century Judaism
• Roman Occupation during the Time of Jesus
• Working with a Graeco-Roman Setting
• Identifying Historical Figures in the Gospels
• Rome and Jesus’ Crucifixion
• Core Beliefs of First-Century Judaism
• Expectations within First-Century Judaism

Unit 5: Examples of Working with a Jewish Setting

• Torah Adherence in Exodus and the Psalms
• Torah Adherence in the Prophets
• Purity Laws
• Pharisees
• Messianic Expectations
• Locating Early Interpretations of Isaiah 11:1–3
• The Royal Messiah
• Other Figures and Terms

Unit 6: Reading Matthew as a Whole

• Keeping Three Values in View
• The Title of Matthew’s Gospel
• Genealogy as a Subgenre
• Comparing Old Testament Genealogies
• The Pattern of the Genealogy in Matthew 1:2–17
• Breaks in the Pattern
• Themes in Matthew 1:2–17
• Themes Reiterated in Matthew 28:16–20

Unit 7: The Scramble for Status

• An Example from Matthew 20:20–28
• Backing Up Slightly: Matthew 20:17–19
• Backing Up Further: Matthew 20:1–16
• Backing Up to the Key Juncture: Matthew 16:21
• Themes That Emerge
• Checking Themes across Matthew as a Whole
• Historical Assessment of Themes: Status Reversal
• Historical Assessment of Themes: The Servant of the Lord
• Returning to Matthew 20:20–28

Unit 8: John’s Prologue

• A Look at the Passage
• Themes
• Historical Setting
• John’s Prologue and Genesis 1
• John’s Prologue and Exodus
• Exodus and John 1:17

Conclusion

• Tools to Use When Reading the Gospels as Wholes

Dr. Jeannine K. Brown has taught at Bethel Seminary for nearly two decades in the areas of New Testament, hermeneutics, and integration. Her books include Scripture as Communication: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics, Becoming Whole and Holy: An Integrative Conversation about Christian Formation, and the forthcoming volume on Matthew in the Teach the Text Commentary series. She’s also associate editor of the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 2nd ed..

BI314 Matthew’s Use of the Old Testament: Kingdom and Christology

• Instructor: Jeannine K. Brown
• Video hours: 4

Dr. Jeannine K. Brown examines a number of themes in Matthew and describes their thorough grounding in the Hebrew Scriptures. Highlighting references to the Psalms, Daniel, and more, Brown explores Matthew’s Old Testament–based Christology, including the imagery of Jesus as the representative of Israel, as Davidic king, as the embodiment of wisdom, and as the servant of Yahweh in the Servant Songs of Isaiah. Along the way, Brown provides a guide to the methodology of intertextual study and interpretation.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker

Unit 1: Introductory Matters

• Introducing Matthew
• Authorship and Dating
• Dating: Manuscript Evidence
• Examining Fragments of Matthew
• Matthew’s Emphases
• Incipit (Matt 1:1–17)
• Outline of Matthew
• Using Logos Notes to Highlight the Structure of Matthew
• Five Discourses: Contents
• Comparing Gospel Accounts with the Parallel Gospel Reader

Unit 2: Messiah’s Coming (Matt 1–2)

• Themes: Jesus-Moses Typology
• Themes: Fulfillment through Genealogy
• Fulfillment Formulas in the Infancy Narrative
• Fulfillment Formula 1
• Fulfillment Formula 2
• Fulfillment Formula 3
• Fulfillment Formulas 4 and 5

Unit 3: Messiah’s Preparation and Program of Ministry (Matt 3–7)

• John Baptizes Jesus (Matt 3)
• The Devil Tempts Jesus (Matt 4:1–11)
• Examining the Speeches of Satan
• Jesus Begins His Ministry (Matt 4:12–24)
• Sermon on the Mount: Beatitudes (Matt 5:1–11)
• Sermon on the Mount: Law (Matt 5:17–20)
• Sermon on the Mount: Antithesis 1 (Matt 5:21–26)
• Sermon on the Mount: Antithesis 2 (Matt 5:27–32)
• Researching Divorce in Ancient Literature with Cultural Concepts
• Sermon on the Mount: Antitheses 3 and 4 (Matt 5:33–42)
• Sermon on the Mount: Antithesis 5 (Matt 5:43–48)
• Sermon on the Mount: Almsgiving (Matt 6:1–4)
• Sermon on the Mount: Prayer (Matt 6:5–15)
• Sermon on the Mount: Fasting (Matt 6:16–18)
• Sermon on the Mount: Treasures and the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 6:19–34)
• Sermon on the Mount: Hypocritical Judgment (Matt 7:1–5)
• Sermon on the Mount: Pearls before Pigs and Asking, Seeking, and Knocking (Matt 7:6–11)
• Sermon on the Mount: Golden Rule and the Narrow Gate (Matt 7:12–14)
• Searching the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
• Sermon on the Mount: False Prophets and Their Fruit (Matt 7:15–23)
• Finding References to Fruitbearing Trees in the Words of Jesus
• Sermon on the Mount: Wise and Foolish Builders (Matt 7:24–27)
• Sermon on the Mount and Fulfilling Righteousness (Matt 3:15)
• Searching the Dead Sea Scrolls for “Righteousness”

Unit 4: Messiah’s Authority Established (Matt 8–10)

• Cleansing the Leper (Matt 8:1–4)
• Healing the Servant (Matt 8:5–13)
• Letting the Dead Bury the Dead (Matt 8:18–22)
• Stilling the Storm (Matt 8:23–27)
• Healing the Demoniacs (Matt 8:28–34)
• Son of Man Claiming Authority on Earth (Matt 9:1–8)
• Physicians, Fasting, and Fresh Wineskins (Matt 9:9–17)
• Calling and Sending the Disciples: Introduction (Matt 10)
• Finding What Jesus Says about the Gentiles
• Calling and Sending the Disciples: Freely Give and Jesus as “Cynic”? (Matt 10:5–15)
• Calling and Sending the Disciples: Fear Not (Matt 10:16–23)
• Calling and Sending the Disciples: Fear Not (Matt 10:24–42)

Unit 5: Messiah’s Kingdom and Its Coming (Matt 11–13)

• John’s Question about Jesus (Matt 11:1–6)
• Qumran and the Messiah (4Q521)
• Rejecting John and Jesus (Matt 11:7–24)
• My Yoke Is Easy (Matt 11:25–30)
• Lord of the Sabbath and God’s Chosen Servant (Matt 12:1–21)
• Son of David and the Sign of Jonah (Matt 12:22–42)
• Tagging Beelzebul as a Reference to Satan
• Kingdom Parables: Survey (Matt 13)
• Kingdom Parables: Wheat and Weeds (Matt 13:24–30, 36–43)
• Finding All the Parables in the Bible
• Kingdom Parables: Have You Understood? (Matt 13:51–58)

Unit 6: Life in the New Community (Matt 14–18)

• Walking on Water (Matt 14:22–33)
• Tradition of Man versus Law of God (Matt 15:1–20)
• Faith of the Canaanite Woman (Matt 15:21–28)
• Peter’s Confession (Matt 16:13–20)
• Jesus’ First Prediction of His Death (Matt 16:21–28)
• Jesus’ Transfiguration (Matt 17:1–13)
• Paying the Temple Tax (Matt 17:24–27)
• Community Regulations (Matt 18)

Unit 7: Consummation of the Age (Matt 19–25)

• Rich Young Man (Matt 19:16–26)
• Judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Matt 19:27–30)
• Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt 20:1–16)
• Jesus’ Second Prediction of His Death (Matt 20:17–28)
• Son of David Healing the Blind Men (Matt 20:29–34)
• Consummation of the Age: Overview (Matt 21–25)
• Triumphal Entry (Matt 21:1–11)
• My House (Matt 21:12–17)
• Cursing the Fig Tree (Matt 21:18–27)
• Parable of the Two Sons (Matt 21:28–32)
• Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matt 21:33–46)
• Finding Different Interpretations of Isaiah 5 in Ancient Literature
• Criticism of Religious Leaders (Matt 23)
• Eschatological Discourse: Mount of Olives Declaration (Matt 24:1–26:5)
• Eschatological Discourse: Parables (Matt 24:45–25:13)
• Eschatological Discourse: Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matt 25:31–46)

Unit 8: Messiah’s Humiliation and Exaltation (Matt 26–28)

• Plotting and Anointing for Jesus’ Death (Matt 26:1–16)
• Last Supper: Words of Institution (Matt 26:26–29)
• Testimony of Jesus (Matt 26:47–68)
• Jesus’ Trial before Pilate (Matt 27:11–26)
• Jesus’ Crucifixion and Burial (Matt 27:27–66)
• Resurrected Saints (Matt 27:52–53)
• Guard at the Tomb (Matt 27:62–66)
• Resurrection: Women at the Tomb (Matt 28:1–10)
• Great Commission (Matt 28:18–20)

Conclusion

• Closing Remarks

AP113 Objections to the Gospels

• Instructor: Michael R. Licona
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 6

In his Objections to the Gospels course, Dr. Michael R. Licona explores the major objections to the reliability of the Gospels posed by modern critics. This course provides you with strong historical background to the text and authorship of the Gospels and a greater appreciation for these works.

Contents:

Unit 1: Answering the Major Objections to the Gospels

• Having an Accurate View of the Gospels
• The Basis of our Biblical Text
• Conclusions of New Testament Textual Criticism
• Why So Many Translations?
• Is the Bible True?
• Undesigned Coincidences
• Criteria for Canonicity

Unit 2: Authorship of the Gospels

• Who Wrote the Gospels?
• Who Wrote the Gospels?: Mark
• Who Wrote the Gospels?: Luke
• Who Wrote the Gospels?: John
• Who Wrote the Gospels?: Matthew

Unit 3: Dating of the Gospels

• Evidence of Authorship
• Gospel Dating: Mark
• Gospel Dating: Matthew and Luke
• Gospel Dating: John
• Remembering the Past

Unit 4: Eyewitness Testimony

• Gospels: Written Accounts of Eyewitnesses
• Protective Anonymity
• Oral Tradition

Unit 5: Objections to Miracles

• Are Miracles Metaphysically Possible?
• Balancing Argument from Hume
• Bayes’ Theorem
• Probable Explanations and Miracles
• Near Death Experiences
• Parallels
• Gospels Are Novels

Unit 6: Contradictions

• Putting Contradictions in Perspective
• Genre of the Gospels
• Genealogical Redaction for Theological Purposes
• What Are the Differences among the Gospels?
• Writing Ancient History

Unit 7: Why Are There Differences among the Gospels?

• Plutarch’s Lives
• Transferal
• Spotlighting
• Simplification
• The Implications of Literary Devices in the Gospels

Dr. Mike Licona is associate professor of theology at Houston Baptist University. He holds a PhD in New Testament Studies from the University of Pretoria, which he earned with distinction and the highest marks.

Dr. Licona was interviewed for Lee Strobel’s book The Case for the Real Jesus and he appeared in Strobel’s video The Case for Christ. He is the author of numerous books, including The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach and Paul Meets Muhammad: A Christian-Muslim Debate on the Resurrection, coauthor with Gary Habermas of the award-winning book The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, and coeditor of Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science. His next book will concern ancient compositional devices resulting in discrepancies in the Gospels and Plutarch’s Lives. Dr. Licona is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. He has spoken on more than seventy university campuses and has appeared on dozens of radio and television programs.