Understanding the New Testament by David Brakke

This course is presented almost in reverse chronological order - it opens by recounting the events of the old testament, then skips straight to Paul's letters, which can be difficult to understand if you are not familiar with the Gospels. To me, the word 'Understanding' in the title should imply a more beginner-friendly lecture, as it did in the previous 'Understanding the Old Testament' course by The Great Courses, which I could easily follow despite having never read the text previously. These lectures are highly informative and interesting, but the way that they are presented will make the topic very difficult to understand for newcomers. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. You will explore Jewish lives under Roman occupation, reflect on the apocalyptic mood of the first and second centuries AD, witness the early Christians’ evangelism beyond the Jewish communities, and witness the birth of a faith that continues to shape our world today. 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. Join Professor David Brakke, an award-winning Professor of History at The Ohio State University, for Understanding the New Testament.

A man named Jesus of Nazareth was transformed into the Messiah.The institution of the Church evolved and.Conflicts of belief were debated and addressed.

In the New Testament, we have 27 primary sources that offer a doorway to the extraordinary history of the early Christian communities. How do you reconcile this diversity of voices into a single, unified belief system? And should you even try?įor a historian, the diversity of authors is not a challenge to be reckoned with, but rather an exciting opportunity. 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.

The New Testament is a fascinating book - the canonical root of Christian history and theology.

Understanding the New Testament by David Brakke