Mobile Ed: Craig A. Evans New Testament Backgrounds Bundle (6 courses)

by Craig A. Evans; Logos Mobile Education

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2014–2019

Overview

In this six-course collection, Dr. Craig Evans presents the fruit of his latest research to feed your fascination with the ancient world of the Bible. Find out how Jesus taught his disciples, how his methods compared to other Jewish teachers, and how his words and deeds were preserved in manuscripts for later generations. Survey the most recent discoveries in archaeology and grasp their impact upon the reliability of those manuscripts. Hear how the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered and how these ancient documents provide insight into elusive topics, such as the ministry of John the Baptist, the works of the Law, and the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation. Examine how other ancient writers—both Roman and Jewish—described Jesus and his ministry.

With hundreds of articles, reviews, and book publications to his credit, Dr. Evans has gained a reputation as one of the world’s foremost biblical scholars. He is sought after by television and radio networks for his expertise on all matters related to the Bible, and now his expertise is available through Mobile Ed.

Product Details

• Title: Craig A. Evans New Testament Backgrounds Bundle
• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Publication Date: 2014
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
• Courses: 6
• Video Hours: 18

NT306 The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament

• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Video hours: 5

Craig Evans combines his extensive knowledge of ancient manuscripts and New Testament studies to survey the contents, context, and influence of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He details the history of the scrolls and the Essenes, and shows how the scrolls affect our understanding of Jesus, John the Baptist, and the early church.

Contents:

Unit 1: Introduction and Overview

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course
• Overview of the Course
• Creating a Layout for the Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls
• The First Discovery
• Important Genizah Finds
• The Second Find
• Scripture Scrolls
• Pesharim: Commentary Scrolls
• Militant Messianic Pesharim
• Adding the Sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls to the Dead Sea Scrolls Layout
• Sectarian Scrolls
• The Essenes and the Origins of the Scrolls
• Building and Searching a Collection of Dead Sea Scrolls Resources
• What the Ruins Tell Us

Unit 2: Dead Sea Scrolls: Gospels

• John the Baptist: Part 1
• John the Baptist: Part 2
• Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Jesus’ Proclamation of Jubilee
• Jesus’ Exorcism and Healing
• Exorcism and the Psalms
• Strings of Beatitudes
• Jesus’ Assurance for John the Baptist
• Jesus on Divorce and Monogamy
• Qumran on Divorce and Monogamy
• Researching the Essenes’ Belief about Divorce
• The Temple Tax
• The Eschatological Banquet
• God’s Vineyard
• The Law and Life
• Conclusions: Value of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Unit 3: Dead Sea Scrolls: Epistles and Revelation

• Paul and Qumran: Ecclesiastical Terminology
• Paul and Qumran: “Works of the Law”
• James versus Priestly Zeal for the Law
• Qumran and “Works of the Law”
• The Sons of Light
• Mystery and Revelations
• The Flesh and Spirit
• Covered Heads and Angels
• Order in the Assembly
• James and Doing the Law/Word
• Hebrews on Melchizedek
• Qumran on Melchizedek
• Spiritual Sacrifice
• Qumran and John: Dualism
• Qumran and John: Conceptual Parallels
• Revelation on New Jerusalem
• Qumran on New Jerusalem
• New Jerusalem: Summary
• Use of the Scrolls for New Testament Interpretation
• Postscript: Possible Early Discoveries

NT307 Archaeology and the New Testament

• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Video hours: 5

In this course, Craig Evans describes the world of Jesus and the early church based on archeology. He draws connections between archaeological finds and relevant Scripture passages and theological issues. Evans discusses how archaeology sheds light on the synagogues of Israel, literacy of the time, Pilate and Caiaphas, and burial traditions.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Tasks of Archaeology

• Recovery of Material Culture
• Studying Archaeology with The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land
• Related Disciplines
• Contribution of Science
• Spectrometrical Analysis: An Example of Science Aiding Archaeology
• Other Enhancements and Analyses
• Important Excavation Sites
• Preview of Remaining Course Topics

Unit 2: Jesus and the Synagogues

• Jesus Visited the Synagogues
• Searching for Synagogue References in the New Testament
• But Were There Synagogues?
• The Capernaum Synagogue
• Have We Found Peter’s House?
• Gamla
• The Herodium
• Jericho
• Studying Jericho with Image Searching and the Bible Facts Report
• Jerusalem
• Magdala
• Masada
• Modi’in and Qiryat Sefer
• Nazareth and Sepphoris
• Researching the Theory that Jesus Was a Jewish Cynic

Unit 3: Books and Artifacts

• Book Culture and Literacy
• The Suffering Servant and Jesus
• Researching New Testament Quotes or Allusions to Isaiah
• The Qumran Scroll and the Leningrad Codex
• The Aramaic Targums

Unit 4: Pilate and Caiaphas

• The Caiaphas Ossuary
• Other High Priests and Miriam
• Finding and Exporting Images of Ossuaries
• Pontius Pilate
• Finding Pilate in the Writings of Josephus and Philo
• Procurator or Prefect?

Unit 5: Jewish Tombs and Burial Traditions

• The Importance of the Archaeology of Burial
• Jewish Burial Practices: Burial and Funeral
• Jewish Burial Practices: Ossilegium
• The Soul Departs Three Days after Death
• Resources for Studying Ancient Cultural Backgrounds

Unit 6: Jesus’ Death and Burial Compared with Jewish Burial Traditions

• Why Such Large Crowds Followed Jesus
• Whitewashed Tombs
• Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead
• Researching Matthew 8:22 with the Passage Guide
• Lazarus
• Jesus is Anointed with Perfume
• Two Sites Are Claimed to Be Jesus’ Burial Place
• Studying Joseph of Arimathea with Bible Facts
• Jewish Piety Required Burial
• Did Pilate Permit the Burial of Jesus?
• Burial Restrictions for Executed Criminals
• The Death and Burial of Jesus
• The Talpiot Tomb Prompts Speculation
• Solving the Mystery of the Gable
• More Conclusions Concerning the Talpiot Tomb

Conclusion

• Summing Up the Course

NT308 The Reliability of New Testament Manuscripts

• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Video hours: 1

In this course, Craig Evans answers a question commonly asked about the New Testament—can we trust the manuscripts? Because the answer has serious consequences, Dr. Evans clearly outlines the history of these important documents. He discusses the quality, quantity, and age of the manuscripts and how these elements compare to nonbiblical ancient texts. Numerous text examples as well as descriptions of the practices of ancient writers and scribes also contribute to his argument for reliable manuscripts.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Evidence for the Reliability of New Testament Manuscripts

• The Basics of New Testament Manuscripts
• Finding Manuscripts in Logos
• Examples Demonstrating the Quality of New Testament Manuscripts
• Adding Manuscript Images to Presentations or Documents
• Exploring Ancient Manuscripts and Resources
• The Comparative Strength of the New Testament Manuscript Record
• The Longevity of the Autographs
• Researching the Works of Tertullian
• The Number of Autographs
• Accessing and Navigating the Textual Apparatus
• The Preservation of the New Testament in Translations

NT311 The World of Jesus and the Gospels

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

Gain clarity in your reading of the Gospels with a study of the intertestamental period. 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 a backdrop for Christ’s appearance and the development of Christianity. Intertestamental history clarifies the context of the New Testament 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

NT312 The Gospels and Ancient Pedagogy

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

The Gospels are 2000-year-old texts, so as you read them it is important to understand the ancient genre they represent. In this course, Craig Evans surveys the Gospels, discusses issues of text criticism, and explains ancient teaching methods so you understand not only what Jesus taught, but how he taught it and why his lessons are recorded as they are across the Gospel texts.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Gospels: Chronology, Canonicity and Text

• Gospel of Mark
• Researching the Dating of Mark’s Gospel with Custom Collections
• Gospel of Matthew
• Surveying the Jewish Temples with Bible Facts and the Timeline
• Gospel of Luke
• Examining the Greek Word behind Paul and Barnabas’ “Sharp Disagreement”
• Gospel of John
• Examining the Identity of the “Beloved Disciple”
• Early Canonicity and Stable Text

Unit 2: Gospels: Jewish Versions

• A Hebrew Matthew?
• Hebrew Matthew: Two Approaches
• Shem Tov’s Hebrew Matthew: Part 1
• Finding the Frequency of “God” in the Gospels
• Shem Tov’s Hebrew Matthew: Part 2
• Shem Tov’s Hebrew Matthew: Part 3
• Using the Sermon Starter Guide to Research the Kingdom of God
• Shem Tov’s Hebrew Matthew: Part 4
• Patristic Evidence of a Hebrew Matthew
• Ways of Citing Jewish Gospels
• Origen: Gospel of the Nazarenes
• Epiphanius: Gospel of the Ebionites
• Jerome: Gospel of the Nazarenes

Unit 3: Historiography and Pedagogy

• Introducing Historiography and Pedagogy
• Historiography: Truthful but Not Verbatim
• Pedagogy: Memorization but Not Verbatim
• Researching Differences in the Gospels

Unit 4: The Synoptic Problem

• Introducing the Synoptic Problem
• Examples of the Synoptic Differences
• Synoptic Case Study: Stilling the Storm

Conclusion

• Summary Observations

NT313 Jesus and the Witness of the Outsiders

• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Video hours: 1

Evans’ study of the historical Jesus has led him to seek out a wide variety of ancient sources related to Christ. This course is a result of that study, focusing on the evidence from extrabiblical sources and seeing what they reveal about the life of Christ. Examine works by Roman and Jewish writers, and even invocations of Jesus’ name in pagan incantations, and discover what these works can tell us about Christ’s place in history.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Witness of Roman Writers

• Tacitus and Suetonius
• Pliny the Younger
• Celsus and Lucian
• Using Clippings to Document Ancient Non-Christian Witnesses to Christ
• Mara bar Serapion

Unit 2: The Witness of Jewish Writers

• Josephus’ Jewish Antiquities
• Using Timelines in Logos to Find Events in Jesus’ Life
• Translations of Josephus and Rabbinic Literature
• The Qur’an and Other Writings
• Building and Searching a Collection of Ancient Non-Christian Witnesses to Christ

Unit 3: Invocations of the Name of Jesus

• The Greek Magical Papyrus
• Silver Phylactery from Beirut
• Magic Bowls
• Curse Tablets and Lamellae
• The “Jesus Cup”

Conclusion

• Relevance of These Witnesses

About Craig A. Evans

Dr. Craig A. Evans received his PhD in New Testament from Claremont Graduate University and his DHabil from the Karoli Gaspar Reformed University in Budapest. He is the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University in Texas.

Evans taught at Trinity Western University in British Columbia for 21 years, where he directed the graduate program in biblical studies and founded the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. He has recently served on the advisory board for the Gospel of Judas for National Geographic Society and has appeared frequently as an expert commentator on network television programs.

Evans has written and edited extensively on the historical Jesus and the Jewish background of the New Testament era. His published works include From Prophecy to Testament, Jesus and the Ossuaries, Jesus: The Final Days, and Dictionary of New Testament Background.