Lectures on the New Testament

This interactive lecture introduces you to the New Testament world. We tangibly learn some of the often surprising facts about life during this time, such as mortality rates and the role of citizens. We appraise what it meant to live under Roman rule and evaluate some important social dynamics such as the honor-shame syt

This lecture explores the limited accounts of Jesus' childhood in the gospels. We query why we have so little information and read closely what information we do have to figure out what we can — and can't — know about Jesus as a child. (This lecture can include discussions on apocryphal stories of Jesus as a child.)

Jesus’ teachings, miracles, and actions expressed his political views, putting him at odds with the Roman empire. Using examples from various aspects of his ministry, this lecture addresses the ways Jesus engaged politically, offered an alternative kingdom, and ended up being crucified as an enemy of the state.

The lecture introduces you to some of the women in the New Testament and places them in their socio-cultural setting.  We'll hear their stories and explore how being a follower of Jesus changed (or didn't change) their lives. We'll discuss their roles, their power, and their legacy.

This lecture introduces you the concept of "family" in the New Testament. We'll discuss what families looked like in the NT world and see how Jesus' teachings on families were radical and life-changing. We'll also examine how the earliest Christians acted like a family and thus changed their world.

This lecture looks at the letters of the New Testament and considers their literary genre. We ask what makes the NT letters different and similar to other ancient letters and look at practical matters like their delivery and composition. We also consider how the letters shaped early Christian communities individually and collectively.

This lecture looks at Paul through the lens of Pauline scholarship. We'll overview how has Paul been read and understood over the years and consider the implications for our faith. We'll explore what kind of Jewish man Paul was and see how his Jewish faith informed the theology of his letters.

This lecture delves into the complexity of slavery in Paul's letters. After discussing the institution of slavery in the first century, we'll probe Paul's letters to see why they have been used both to uphold slavery and argue for emancipation. We'll ask what Paul really said and ask what this means for us today.

This lecture gives an overview of the many ways New Testament texts respond to the rule of Rome. We explore different approaches Jewish and Christian people took to living under Roman rule and consider the various implications for each approach (theoretically and practically).

 Jesus and his followers, including the writers of the New Testament, were Jewish and viewed themselves as Jews, not Christians. In this lecture, we’ll discover how Jesus and his followers engaged their Jewish faith and identity. We’ll see how this small Jewish sect eventually became what we call Christianity and consider the complexity in determining boundaries between “Jew” and “Christian” in the first centuries of the church.

This lecture discusses Jesus' interactions with people on the margins of society. We look at his actions through the lens of Old Testament teachings, Greco-Roman values, and the honor-shame system. We ask why Jesus engaged with the marginalized and discover how his interactions are good news, both then and now.

This lecture pays attention to the children who appear in the New Testament. We explore what it meant to be a child in the first century and look at Jesus' interactions with children. (If desired, this lecture can also discuss Jesus as a child.)

Many New Testament texts point or allude to persecution as a reality for Jesus-followers. We'll investigate what we know about persecution in the earliest days of the church as attested in the NT. We consider the various forms of persecution, the places it was most popular, and how NT Christians addressed its reality.

This lecture provides an overview of Revelation when read through the genre of apocalyptic literature. Though we can't answer all the questions Revelation raises, we can see how its earliest readers likely understood Revelation and heard its messages as we look at the way apocalyptic literature functions. We'll pay attention to other biblical examples of the genre and point out some ways Revelation, as apocalyptic literature, speaks to us today.

This lecture analyzes Paul's "conversion" in Acts 9 in light of recent scholarship arguing for Paul's "call." We'll assess the different positions in light of Old Testament passages, Paul's Jewish faith, and the accounts in Acts. We'll also consider why our reading of this passage matters today, both in our understanding of the early church and for Jewish-Christian dialogue.

Because my studies of ancient Christianity included the New Testament, and because I was a professor of New Testament, there's a good chance I can lecture on a topic from the New Testament that will fit your interests and needs (if it's not listed here already). If you have a specific group, event, or topic in mind, contact me to discover how we might work together to create a lecture tailored to your needs.