New Testament: Advanced Jesus Studies Certificate Program

by Jonathan T. Pennington, Mark L. Strauss, Logos Mobile Education

and

5 more

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2014–2018

Overview

In the New Testament: Advanced Jesus Studies Certificate Program you’ll study the life and teaching of Jesus in detail. You will explore the miracles and parables of Jesus as well as the Sermon on the Mount. You’ll also learn about the context of Jesus’ life and ministry, understand the theological importance of his work, and see how he was perceived by early non-Christian sources.

NT255 The Identity of Jesus is included in this product but is not yet available. It will automatically be added to your library when they ship.

Individual Titles

• NT251 The Sermon on the Mount by Jonathan Pennington
• NT252 Parables of Jesus by Daniel M. Doriani
• NT253 Miracles of Jesus by Daniel M. Doriani
• NT390 Jesus as Rabbi: The Jewish Context of the Life of Jesus by David Instone-Brewer

• NT254 The Jesus of the Gosples by Mark L. Strauss
• NT255 The Identity of Jesus by Michael F. Bird (forthcoming)
• NT313 Jesus and the Witness of the Outsiders by Craig A. Evans
• TH241 Christology: The Doctrine of Christ by Gerry Breshears

NT255 The Identity of Jesus is included in this product but is not yet available. It will automatically be added to your library when it ships.

How to Apply for a Mobile Ed Certificate of Completion

1. Complete all Mobile Ed courses in this certificate program. This involves viewing all videos and taking all quizzes.
2. Write a 750-word response on any topic covered for each course in the certificate program. Post your response to the appropriate Faithlife group in the comments section. Search course code here to find group.
3. Email [e-mail] once you have completed all videos and quizzes and have posted responses in the appropriate Faithlife group for each Mobile Ed course in the certificate program. Please include your full name, title of completed certificate program, and links for each Faithlife group post in your email.
4. Our certificate program team will review the application and email the Certificate of Completion once you have completed all requirements. Please allow 7–10 business days for review.

Product Details

• Title: New Testament: Advanced Jesus Studies Certificate Program
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
• Courses: 8
• Video Hours: 45

NT251 The Sermon on the Mount

• Instructor: Jonathan T. Pennington
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video hours: 5

Dr. Jonathan Pennington zeroes in on one of the most important texts studied throughout church history: the Sermon on the Mount. He gives a detailed exposition of the biblical text, covers historical interpretations, and provides direction for reading the sermon according to its structure.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Matthew and the History of Interpretation

• Matthew: Highly Structured, Literary, and Intentional Work
• Discovering the Genre of Matthew 5–7
• Matthew: Narrative-Discourse Outline
• Matthew: The Sermon and Other Major Discourses
• History of Interpretation: Importance of the Sermon on the Mount
• History of Interpretation: Evading the Sermon’s Ethical Implications
• Interpretation: Monastic
• Interpretation: Anabaptist
• Finding Information on Anabaptists in Dictionaries
• Interpretation: Two Kingdoms
• Interpretation: Dispensational
• Interpretation: Lutheran
• Interpretation: Modern Liberal
• Interpretation: Fulfillment-Complexity
• Taxonomy of Interpretations: Conclusions

Unit 2: Sermon on the Mount: A Virtue-Ethics Reading

• Why Is This Important?
• Virtue Ethics in the Context of Ethical Theories
• Unpacking Virtue Ethics
• Virtue Ethics and the Sermon on the Mount: Comparisons
• Virtue Ethics and the Sermon on the Mount: Contrasts
• Virtue Ethics: Modeling Christian Discipleship

Unit 3: Sermon on the Mount: Exposition

• Understanding the Structure of the Sermon on the Mount
• Using the Pericope Tool to Examine the Literary Structure of Matthew
• Guidelines for Reading the Sermon on the Mount
• Adding Notes to Your Bibles
• Literary Context of the Sermon
• Introducing the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1–12)
• Using Interlinear Bibles and the Bible Sense Lexicon
• Beatitudes (Matt 5:1–6)
• Comparing English Translations with the Text Comparison Tool
• Beatitudes (Matt 5:7–12)
• Salt and Light (Matt 5:13–16)
• Fulfilling Old Testament Righteousness (Matt 5:17–20)
• Using Parallel Resources
• Unpacking Matthew 5:20, Part 1 (Matt 5:21–48)
• Using the Bible Word Study Tool to Study the Greek Word for “Love”
• Being Righteous by Being Teleios(Matt 5:48)
• Unpacking Matthew 5:20, Part 2 (Matt 6:1–21)
• The Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:7–15)
• Double-Mindedness and Anxiety (Matt 6:19–34)
• Judging Others (Matt 7:1–12)
• Inside-Outside Issues (Matt 7:13–23)
• Conclusion: Build on Solid Rock (Matt 7:24–27)

Summary and Conclusion

• A “Cardiographic” Reading

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.

NT252 The Parables of Jesus

• Instructor: Daniel M. Doriani
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video hours: 6

The parables of Jesus are colorful, startling, and often confusing. In this course, Dr. Dan Doriani explains this unique narrative type and walks you through proper interpretation of the parables, examining their images, themes, and applications for modern readers.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker

Unit 1: The Purpose of Parables

• The Nature of Parables
• Searching for Parables in the New Testament with Search Fields
• A Modern-Day Parable
• How Parables Work
• The Development of Jesus’ Teaching
• Using a Custom Guide to View Translations of Parabolē

Unit 2: Parables Describing the Kingdom of God

• The Parable of the Sower: A Paradigm
• The Parable of the Sower: Its Meaning
• Opposition and Growth in the Kingdom of God
• Using the Bible Sense Lexicon to Find Different Referents of a Word
• The Value of the Kingdom of God
• Understanding Jesus’ Parables in Matthew 13

Unit 3: Parables about Life in the Kingdom of God

• Greatness in the Kingdom
• Studying the Kingdom with the Bible Word Study Guide
• Living in the Kingdom: Confrontation and Forgiveness
• Living in the Kingdom: Mercy
• Living in the Kingdom: Grace
• The Unfairness of Grace
• Jesus’ Gracious Call to the Kingdom

Unit 4: Parables of Confrontation

• Symbolic Acts and Words
• Taking Away the Kingdom of God

Unit 5: Parables of Instruction about the Future

• The Destruction of the Temple
• The Return of Jesus
• Creating and Searching Custom Theological Collections

Unit 6: Parables of Discipleship

• Loving Your Neighbor
• Comparing Parable Accounts with Gospel Harmonies
• Becoming a “Neighbor”
• Jesus’ Role in the Parable of the Good Samaritan
• A Parable about Prayer
• Being Confident in Prayer
• Using Sympathetic Highlighting to Identify and Search Greek Forms
• Prayer and the Unjust Judge
• A Parable about Money
• Storing Up Riches on Earth
• Being Rich toward God
• A Parable about Two Monks
• Lessons from the Parable about Two Monks
• The Parable of the Unjust Steward
• A Proper Perspective on Money
• Using the Power Lookup Tool to Find Lexical Entries on “Mammon”
• Parables about Friendship and Association
• Invitation to the Kingdom of God
• Membership in the Kingdom of God
• The Cost of Discipleship
• Rejoicing When the Lost Are Found
• The Parable of the Lost Sons
• Using the Cited By Tool to Look Up Background Information
• The Welcoming Father and the Older Son
• Finding Ourselves in the Parable of the Lost Sons
• The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Unit 7: Parables of Repentance

• The Power of Parables
• The Theme of Repentance in Luke’s Gospel
• Finding Different Greek Words Used for “Repent”
• Repent While There Is Time
• A Change of Heart

Conclusion

• Living Jesus’ Stories

Dr. Daniel M. Doriani (STM, PhD) is vice president of strategic academic projects and professor of theology at Covenant Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible and commentaries on Matthew and 1 Peter in the Reformed Expository Commentaries series.

NT253 Miracles of Jesus

• Instructor: Daniel M. Doriani
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video hours: 8

In this course, Dr. Dan Doriani not only details the miracles performed by Jesus, but also focuses on their place in his ministry. Dr. Doriani draws connections between the miracles themselves and the person and work of Christ, explaining clearly who Christ is and what he came to share.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course
• The Place of Miracles in Jesus’ Ministry
• Creating a Custom Guide for Researching Biblical Concepts

Unit 1: Miracles in Matthew

• The Structure of Miracles in Matthew
• Finding References to Jesus’ Miracles
• Healing the Leper
• Healing the Centurion’s Servant
• Locating References to Specific Kinds of Miracles
• Total Healing

Unit 2: Background for Studying the Miracles

• Objections to Miracles
• Comparing Parallel Miracle Accounts with Gospel Harmonies
• Reconsidering Contradictions
• Defining “Miracle”
• Discovering the Greek and Hebrew Terms for “Miracle“
• Miracles as Signs
• Finding the “I Am” Statements that Surround Jesus’ Miracles
• Miracles in Other Religions
• Miracles Today

Unit 3: Understanding Miracles

• Challenges to Understanding Miracles
• Application of Principles (Luke 5:17–26)
• Responses to the Miracle (Luke 5:17–26)
• Criticism of Jesus’ Miracles
• Differing Accounts of Feeding the 5,000
• Walking on the Water
• Walking on the Water: A Christocentric Interpretation
• An Old Testament Miracle: A Theocentric Interpretation
• Miracles in Historical Context
• Miracles in Canonical Context: The Synoptics
• Miracles in Canonical Context: John’s Gospel

Unit 4: Miracles in Mark

• Healing the Deaf Man
• Healing a Blind Man in Stages
• Healing the Demon-Possessed Child
• Healing the Hemorrhaging Woman
• Locating Questions in the Miracle Narratives
• Raising Jairus’ Daughter

Unit 5: Miracles in Luke

• Miracles and Luke’s Themes
• Luke’s Use of Miracles
• Investigating Jesus’ Title of “Master”
• The Great Catch of Fish
• Healing the Gerasene Demoniac
• Responses to Jesus

Unit 6: Miracles in John

• The First Sign: The Wedding at Cana
• Understanding the Background of John 2:1–10
• The Sign: Healing the Invalid
• The Sign: Healing the Man Born Blind
• Exploring the Textual Variant in John 5:3–5
• The Man Born Blind, Part 2
• Understanding and Applying John 5 and 9
• The Way of Suffering
• The Last Sign: Raising Lazarus from the Dead
• Raising Lazarus, Part 2

Unit 7: The Historicity of the Miracle Accounts

• Reasons to Believe (1–2)
• Reasons to Believe (3–7)

Unit 8: The Miracle of the Resurrection

• The Necessity of the Crucifixion
• The Necessity of the Resurrection
• The Meaning of the Resurrection
• The Resurrection in Matthew
• The Resurrection in Matthew: The Great Commission
• The Resurrection in Mark
• The Resurrection in Luke: On the Emmaus Road
• The Resurrection in Luke: Jesus in the Law and Prophets
• The Resurrection in John: Eyewitness Accounts
• The Resurrection in John: Seeing and Believing
• The Resurrection in John: Blessed Believers

Unit 9: Do Miracles Happen Today?

• Miracles Past and Present
• Prayer and Healing in James 5
• Reclaiming a Biblical Practice

Conclusion

• Encouraging to Believe

NT390 Jesus as Rabbi: The Jewish Context of the Life of Jesus

• Instructor: David Instone-Brewer
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 8

Explore the words of Jesus through the context of His conversations with other Jews. From the role of ancient rabbis and rabbinic literature to portrayals of Jesus in the Talmud, Dr. Instone-Brewer reveals how Jesus’ teachings were influenced by His Jewish life. We see Jesus attending the Jewish festivals, interacting with the Jewish leaders and laypeople and teaching them about the Father that He came from, was representing, and was going back to.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Rabbis

• Diversity in Judaism
• Evidence for Jewish Life
• The Nature of Oral Texts
• The Schools of Hillel and Shammai
• Preserving and Editing the Tradition
• Significance of the Rabbinic Traditions
• Who Were the Rabbis?
• Unification after 70 CE
• Fragmented Judaism in the First Century
• The Influence of the Rabbis in New Testament Times

Unit 2: Rabbinic Literature

• What Is Rabbinic Literature?
• The Collections
• Navigating Halakic Material
• The Rabbis of Rabbinic Literature
• Dating the Rabbinic Materials
• An Example: What Can Be Carried on the Sabbath
• Key Scholars of the Tradition

Unit 3: Jesus in the Talmud

• Printing and Censorship
• The Printed Talmud
• Censored Passages
• Censored Arrest Warrant
• Dating the Talmudic Tradition about Jesus
• Analyzing Textual Clues
• Digging into the Trial Traditions
• Correcting the Historical Core
• The Origin of the Tradition

Unit 4: Jesus’ Halakic Teaching

• Comparing the Teaching of Jesus and the Rabbis
• Disciples of Jesus the Rabbi
• The Disciple Copies the Master
• Traits of Nonacademic Disciples
• Jesus’ Halakic Teaching on Clean and Unclean
• Jesus’ Public and Private Teaching
• Parallels between Jesus and Yohanan ben Zakkai
• Jesus on Corban
• Jesus in Translation
• Jesus’ Halakah
• Conclusion: Jesus and Halakah

Unit 5: Jesus’ Commandments

• The Law and Layers of Tradition
• The Fence around the Law
• Jesus’ Two Commandments
• The Yoke of the Kingdom
• The Yoke of Commandments and the Early Church
• Laws That Jesus Kept
• “But I Tell You …”
• Jesus and the Sabbath
• Laws That Jesus Rejected
• Fulfilling the Law

Unit 6: Jesus’ Haggadic Teaching

• First-Century Sermons
• Jesus’ Sermon at Nazareth
• Identifying the Links in Jesus’ Sermon
• Parables
• Rabbinic Parable about Legalism
• A Parable Jesus Heard
• Moral or Spiritual Sayings
• Sayings in Mishnah Avot

Unit 7: Jesus’ Jewish Prayers

• The Value of Studying Prayers
• Prayer in Judaism
• The Oldest Amidah
• The Text of the Amidah
• The Amidah in Temple Worship
• New Testament Allusions to the Amidah
• The “Blessing” for the Heretics
• The Shorter Abstract of the Amidah
• The Lord’s Prayer
• God as Father
• Daily Bread
• Demanding Forgiveness
• Tempting and Testing
• Forever and Ever

Unit 8: Sin and Salvation

• Is Sin Important?
• The Idea of Sin in the Gospels
• John’s Baptism
• Day of Atonement
• The Unforgivable Sin
• Being Brought to Repentance
• Forgiving Others
• Jesus’ Teaching on Hell
• Three Groups at Judgment
• Hell according to the Qumran Group
• Jesus’ Distinctive Teaching on Hell
• Jesus’ Two Ways

Unit 9: Jesus’ Miracles & Exorcisms

• Healings and Miracles in the Ancient World
• Miracles and Gullibility
• Jewish Miracle Workers
• Contrasts with Jesus’ Healings
• Feeding Thousands
• First-Century Jewish Etiquette
• Tithing Bread
• Exorcisms in Jewish Literature
• Exorcisms of Jesus
• Exorcisms by Others
• Exorcisms after the New Testament

Unit 10: Jesus’ Festival Visits

• Festivals in First-Century Judaism
• Jesus’ First Festival
• Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles
• Water and Light at Tabernacles
• Palm Sunday
• Did Jesus Keep Passover?
• The Timing of Passover in the Gospels
• Evidence for Two Passovers
• Jesus’ Passover Meal

Conclusion

• Summary of the Course

Dr. David Instone-Brewer graduated from South Wales Baptist College with the highest marks in that college’s history and later earned his PhD from Cambridge University, where he studied early rabbinic exegesis. Dr. Instone-Brewer ministered at the Llanishen Baptist Church in Cardiff for five years and is now research fellow and technical officer for Tyndale House, which is, arguably, among the three best libraries in the world for biblical studies.

Specializing in rabbinic studies, Dr. Instone-Brewer has been a regular contributor to Christianity magazine and has written several books, including Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament.

NT254 The Jesus of the Gospels

• Instructor: Mark L. Strauss
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 8

The Jesus of the Gospels (NT254) focuses on the historical Jesus and the reliability of the four gospels. The course surveys different “quests” for the historical Jesus by critical scholarship and examines, apologetically, what we can demonstrate about the person of Jesus. It assesses the teaching of Jesus, his miracles, the intention of his ministry, and the historical evidence for his death and resurrection.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Gospels and the Historical Jesus

• What Can We Know about Jesus?
• Sources for Knowing about Jesus
• What Are the Gospels? Part 1
• What Are the Gospels? Part 2
• How the Gospels Came to Be

Unit 2: Quests for the Historical Jesus

• Searching for the Real Jesus
• The First Quest for the Historical Jesus
• Rudolf Bultmann and the Period of No Quest: Part 1
• Rudolf Bultmann and the Period of No Quest: Part 2
• The Second Quest and the Jesus Seminar
• The Contemporary Scene
• Examining Method and Context
• The Criteria of Authenticity
• Contemporary Portraits: Part 1
• Contemporary Portraits: Part 2

Unit 3: The Reliability of the Gospels

• Presuppositions, Biases, and the Burden of Proof
• Luke: A Reliable Historian
• A Generally Reliable Gospel Tradition
• Contradictions in the Gospels
• The Historical Reliability of John

Unit 4: The Chronology of Jesus’ Ministry

• A Portrait of Jesus from Afar
• The Basic Structure of Jesus’ Ministry
• A Chronology of Jesus’ Life

Unit 5: Jesus’ Birth and Childhood

• Introduction to the Birth Narratives
• The Genealogies
• The Virginal Conception
• Bethlehem and the Census
• Popular Myths about Christmas
• Jesus’ Family Life

Unit 6: The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

• John the Baptist: The Herald of Messianic Salvation
• The Baptism of Jesus
• The Temptation of Jesus

Unit 7: The Teaching of Jesus

• Jesus the Teacher
• The Kingdom of God
• Jesus and the Law: Part 1
• Jesus and the Law: Part 2
• Grace and Works
• Jesus and Social Justice
• The Parables of the Kingdom: Part 1
• The Parables of the Kingdom: Part 2

Unit 8: The Miracles of Jesus

• The Question of Miracles
• Did Jesus Perform Miracles? Part 1
• Did Jesus Perform Miracles? Part 2
• The Significance of Jesus’ Miracles

Unit 9: The Messianic Words and Deeds of Jesus

• The Remarkable Authority of Jesus
• The Scope of Jesus’ Ministry: Calling the Twelve
• The Scope of Jesus’ Ministry: A Universal Kingdom
• The Significance of the Triumphal Entry
• The Significance of the Temple Cleansing
• Jesus’ Titles: Christ
• Jesus’ Titles: Son of Man
• Jesus’ Titles: Son of God
• Jesus’ Titles: Lord

Unit 10: The Death of Jesus

• The Role of the Romans
• The Role of the Jews
• Jesus’ Expectations
• The Significance of Jesus’ Death

Unit 11: The Resurrection of Jesus

• The Importance of the Resurrection
• Rationalistic Explanations for the Resurrection
• Historical Evidence for the Resurrection
• The Significance of the Resurrection

Unit 12: Concluding Thoughts

• Faith, Apologetics, and the Gospels
• The Already/Not Yet Kingdom of God
• A Holistic Vision of Salvation

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

NT255 The Identity of Jesus

• Instructor: Michael F. Bird
• Publication Date: Forthcoming
• Video Hours: 2

The most important question a person can ask is, “Who is Jesus?” In this course, Dr. Michael Bird evaluates the testimony of each of the Gospel writers and the apostle Paul to discover who the New Testament authors believed Jesus to be. He also considers the testimony of Jesus himself to see how he understood his own identity. You will have the opportunity to look at Jesus through historical, religious, and personal lenses as you reflect on your own response to Jesus’s question, “Who do you say that I am?”

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Historical Jesus

• Jesus and the Kingdom
• What Did Jesus Think of Himself?
• Did Jesus Think He Was God?

Unit 2: The Gospels

• Overview
• The Gospel of Mark: An Apology for the Crucified Messiah
• The Gospel of Matthew: The Davidic Messiah
• The Gospel of Luke: The Prophetic Messiah
• The Gospel of John: The Elusive Messiah

Unit 3: Apostle Paul

• Paul’s Divine Christology (Part 1)
• Paul’s Divine Christology (Part 2)
• Concluding Remarks on Paul
• From Nazareth to Nicaea

Conclusion

• Who Is Jesus?

Michael F. Bird is lecturer in theology at Ridley College. He is the author of several books, including Evangelical Theology, The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus, Romans (Story of God Bible Commentary Series), What Christians Ought to Believe, An Anomalous Jew: Paul among Jews, Greeks, and Romans.

NT313 Jesus and the Witness of the Outsiders

• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video Hours: 1

In this course, Dr. Craig Evans explores various ancient sources that refer to Christ. He focuses on the evidence from extrabiblical sources, and looks at what they reveal about the life of Christ and how Jesus was perceived by early non-Christian witnesses. He examines references to Jesus in Roman, Jewish, and other writings, and looks at where Jesus’ name was invoked in both Christian and pagan charms and incantations.

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

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.

TH241 Christology: The Doctrine of Christ

• Instructor: Gerry Breshears
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 7

Gain a better understanding of Jesus Christ as you explore how God became man, how we can be like Jesus, and what a real difference He makes in our lives. Examine the historical reality that Jesus was fully incarnate through the Virgin Mary, lived a human life, died for our sins, rose for our justification and to bring us new life, and is exalted in the highest heaven above all powers that are opposed to the truth of God.

Contents:

Unit 1: Names of Jesus

• Jesus
• Emmanuel
• Rabbi
• Lord
• Christ
• Logos
• I Am
• Son of God
• Son of David
• Son of Man

Unit 2: Christology

• Starting Points of Christology
• Incarnational Christology
• John 1:1
• John 1:14
• Philippians 2
• Hebrews 1–2
• Deity
• Humanity of Christ
• Incarnation
• Matthew 3–4

Unit 3: Jesus

• Theological Method
• Not Good/Gooder
• Virgin Birth
• Revelatory Life
• Sinless Life
• Exemplary Life
• Miraculous Life
• Death
• Descent to Hell
• Resurrection
• Exaltation
• Excursus on Easter

Dr. Gerry Breshears has been a professor of theology at Western Seminary since 1980, and has taught and lectured in multiple colleges and seminaries around the world. Additionally, he is a preaching elder at Grace Community Church. He is co-author of Vintage Jesus, Death by Love, Vintage Church, and Doctrine: What Every Christian Should Believe.

Reviews

Product Details

• Title: New Testament: Advanced Jesus Studies Certificate Program
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
• Courses: 8
• Video Hours: 45

NT251 The Sermon on the Mount

• Instructor: Jonathan T. Pennington
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video hours: 5

Dr. Jonathan Pennington zeroes in on one of the most important texts studied throughout church history: the Sermon on the Mount. He gives a detailed exposition of the biblical text, covers historical interpretations, and provides direction for reading the sermon according to its structure.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Matthew and the History of Interpretation

• Matthew: Highly Structured, Literary, and Intentional Work
• Discovering the Genre of Matthew 5–7
• Matthew: Narrative-Discourse Outline
• Matthew: The Sermon and Other Major Discourses
• History of Interpretation: Importance of the Sermon on the Mount
• History of Interpretation: Evading the Sermon’s Ethical Implications
• Interpretation: Monastic
• Interpretation: Anabaptist
• Finding Information on Anabaptists in Dictionaries
• Interpretation: Two Kingdoms
• Interpretation: Dispensational
• Interpretation: Lutheran
• Interpretation: Modern Liberal
• Interpretation: Fulfillment-Complexity
• Taxonomy of Interpretations: Conclusions

Unit 2: Sermon on the Mount: A Virtue-Ethics Reading

• Why Is This Important?
• Virtue Ethics in the Context of Ethical Theories
• Unpacking Virtue Ethics
• Virtue Ethics and the Sermon on the Mount: Comparisons
• Virtue Ethics and the Sermon on the Mount: Contrasts
• Virtue Ethics: Modeling Christian Discipleship

Unit 3: Sermon on the Mount: Exposition

• Understanding the Structure of the Sermon on the Mount
• Using the Pericope Tool to Examine the Literary Structure of Matthew
• Guidelines for Reading the Sermon on the Mount
• Adding Notes to Your Bibles
• Literary Context of the Sermon
• Introducing the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1–12)
• Using Interlinear Bibles and the Bible Sense Lexicon
• Beatitudes (Matt 5:1–6)
• Comparing English Translations with the Text Comparison Tool
• Beatitudes (Matt 5:7–12)
• Salt and Light (Matt 5:13–16)
• Fulfilling Old Testament Righteousness (Matt 5:17–20)
• Using Parallel Resources
• Unpacking Matthew 5:20, Part 1 (Matt 5:21–48)
• Using the Bible Word Study Tool to Study the Greek Word for “Love”
• Being Righteous by Being Teleios(Matt 5:48)
• Unpacking Matthew 5:20, Part 2 (Matt 6:1–21)
• The Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:7–15)
• Double-Mindedness and Anxiety (Matt 6:19–34)
• Judging Others (Matt 7:1–12)
• Inside-Outside Issues (Matt 7:13–23)
• Conclusion: Build on Solid Rock (Matt 7:24–27)

Summary and Conclusion

• A “Cardiographic” Reading

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.

NT252 The Parables of Jesus

• Instructor: Daniel M. Doriani
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video hours: 6

The parables of Jesus are colorful, startling, and often confusing. In this course, Dr. Dan Doriani explains this unique narrative type and walks you through proper interpretation of the parables, examining their images, themes, and applications for modern readers.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker

Unit 1: The Purpose of Parables

• The Nature of Parables
• Searching for Parables in the New Testament with Search Fields
• A Modern-Day Parable
• How Parables Work
• The Development of Jesus’ Teaching
• Using a Custom Guide to View Translations of Parabolē

Unit 2: Parables Describing the Kingdom of God

• The Parable of the Sower: A Paradigm
• The Parable of the Sower: Its Meaning
• Opposition and Growth in the Kingdom of God
• Using the Bible Sense Lexicon to Find Different Referents of a Word
• The Value of the Kingdom of God
• Understanding Jesus’ Parables in Matthew 13

Unit 3: Parables about Life in the Kingdom of God

• Greatness in the Kingdom
• Studying the Kingdom with the Bible Word Study Guide
• Living in the Kingdom: Confrontation and Forgiveness
• Living in the Kingdom: Mercy
• Living in the Kingdom: Grace
• The Unfairness of Grace
• Jesus’ Gracious Call to the Kingdom

Unit 4: Parables of Confrontation

• Symbolic Acts and Words
• Taking Away the Kingdom of God

Unit 5: Parables of Instruction about the Future

• The Destruction of the Temple
• The Return of Jesus
• Creating and Searching Custom Theological Collections

Unit 6: Parables of Discipleship

• Loving Your Neighbor
• Comparing Parable Accounts with Gospel Harmonies
• Becoming a “Neighbor”
• Jesus’ Role in the Parable of the Good Samaritan
• A Parable about Prayer
• Being Confident in Prayer
• Using Sympathetic Highlighting to Identify and Search Greek Forms
• Prayer and the Unjust Judge
• A Parable about Money
• Storing Up Riches on Earth
• Being Rich toward God
• A Parable about Two Monks
• Lessons from the Parable about Two Monks
• The Parable of the Unjust Steward
• A Proper Perspective on Money
• Using the Power Lookup Tool to Find Lexical Entries on “Mammon”
• Parables about Friendship and Association
• Invitation to the Kingdom of God
• Membership in the Kingdom of God
• The Cost of Discipleship
• Rejoicing When the Lost Are Found
• The Parable of the Lost Sons
• Using the Cited By Tool to Look Up Background Information
• The Welcoming Father and the Older Son
• Finding Ourselves in the Parable of the Lost Sons
• The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Unit 7: Parables of Repentance

• The Power of Parables
• The Theme of Repentance in Luke’s Gospel
• Finding Different Greek Words Used for “Repent”
• Repent While There Is Time
• A Change of Heart

Conclusion

• Living Jesus’ Stories

Dr. Daniel M. Doriani (STM, PhD) is vice president of strategic academic projects and professor of theology at Covenant Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible and commentaries on Matthew and 1 Peter in the Reformed Expository Commentaries series.

NT253 Miracles of Jesus

• Instructor: Daniel M. Doriani
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video hours: 8

In this course, Dr. Dan Doriani not only details the miracles performed by Jesus, but also focuses on their place in his ministry. Dr. Doriani draws connections between the miracles themselves and the person and work of Christ, explaining clearly who Christ is and what he came to share.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course
• The Place of Miracles in Jesus’ Ministry
• Creating a Custom Guide for Researching Biblical Concepts

Unit 1: Miracles in Matthew

• The Structure of Miracles in Matthew
• Finding References to Jesus’ Miracles
• Healing the Leper
• Healing the Centurion’s Servant
• Locating References to Specific Kinds of Miracles
• Total Healing

Unit 2: Background for Studying the Miracles

• Objections to Miracles
• Comparing Parallel Miracle Accounts with Gospel Harmonies
• Reconsidering Contradictions
• Defining “Miracle”
• Discovering the Greek and Hebrew Terms for “Miracle“
• Miracles as Signs
• Finding the “I Am” Statements that Surround Jesus’ Miracles
• Miracles in Other Religions
• Miracles Today

Unit 3: Understanding Miracles

• Challenges to Understanding Miracles
• Application of Principles (Luke 5:17–26)
• Responses to the Miracle (Luke 5:17–26)
• Criticism of Jesus’ Miracles
• Differing Accounts of Feeding the 5,000
• Walking on the Water
• Walking on the Water: A Christocentric Interpretation
• An Old Testament Miracle: A Theocentric Interpretation
• Miracles in Historical Context
• Miracles in Canonical Context: The Synoptics
• Miracles in Canonical Context: John’s Gospel

Unit 4: Miracles in Mark

• Healing the Deaf Man
• Healing a Blind Man in Stages
• Healing the Demon-Possessed Child
• Healing the Hemorrhaging Woman
• Locating Questions in the Miracle Narratives
• Raising Jairus’ Daughter

Unit 5: Miracles in Luke

• Miracles and Luke’s Themes
• Luke’s Use of Miracles
• Investigating Jesus’ Title of “Master”
• The Great Catch of Fish
• Healing the Gerasene Demoniac
• Responses to Jesus

Unit 6: Miracles in John

• The First Sign: The Wedding at Cana
• Understanding the Background of John 2:1–10
• The Sign: Healing the Invalid
• The Sign: Healing the Man Born Blind
• Exploring the Textual Variant in John 5:3–5
• The Man Born Blind, Part 2
• Understanding and Applying John 5 and 9
• The Way of Suffering
• The Last Sign: Raising Lazarus from the Dead
• Raising Lazarus, Part 2

Unit 7: The Historicity of the Miracle Accounts

• Reasons to Believe (1–2)
• Reasons to Believe (3–7)

Unit 8: The Miracle of the Resurrection

• The Necessity of the Crucifixion
• The Necessity of the Resurrection
• The Meaning of the Resurrection
• The Resurrection in Matthew
• The Resurrection in Matthew: The Great Commission
• The Resurrection in Mark
• The Resurrection in Luke: On the Emmaus Road
• The Resurrection in Luke: Jesus in the Law and Prophets
• The Resurrection in John: Eyewitness Accounts
• The Resurrection in John: Seeing and Believing
• The Resurrection in John: Blessed Believers

Unit 9: Do Miracles Happen Today?

• Miracles Past and Present
• Prayer and Healing in James 5
• Reclaiming a Biblical Practice

Conclusion

• Encouraging to Believe

NT390 Jesus as Rabbi: The Jewish Context of the Life of Jesus

• Instructor: David Instone-Brewer
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 8

Explore the words of Jesus through the context of His conversations with other Jews. From the role of ancient rabbis and rabbinic literature to portrayals of Jesus in the Talmud, Dr. Instone-Brewer reveals how Jesus’ teachings were influenced by His Jewish life. We see Jesus attending the Jewish festivals, interacting with the Jewish leaders and laypeople and teaching them about the Father that He came from, was representing, and was going back to.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Rabbis

• Diversity in Judaism
• Evidence for Jewish Life
• The Nature of Oral Texts
• The Schools of Hillel and Shammai
• Preserving and Editing the Tradition
• Significance of the Rabbinic Traditions
• Who Were the Rabbis?
• Unification after 70 CE
• Fragmented Judaism in the First Century
• The Influence of the Rabbis in New Testament Times

Unit 2: Rabbinic Literature

• What Is Rabbinic Literature?
• The Collections
• Navigating Halakic Material
• The Rabbis of Rabbinic Literature
• Dating the Rabbinic Materials
• An Example: What Can Be Carried on the Sabbath
• Key Scholars of the Tradition

Unit 3: Jesus in the Talmud

• Printing and Censorship
• The Printed Talmud
• Censored Passages
• Censored Arrest Warrant
• Dating the Talmudic Tradition about Jesus
• Analyzing Textual Clues
• Digging into the Trial Traditions
• Correcting the Historical Core
• The Origin of the Tradition

Unit 4: Jesus’ Halakic Teaching

• Comparing the Teaching of Jesus and the Rabbis
• Disciples of Jesus the Rabbi
• The Disciple Copies the Master
• Traits of Nonacademic Disciples
• Jesus’ Halakic Teaching on Clean and Unclean
• Jesus’ Public and Private Teaching
• Parallels between Jesus and Yohanan ben Zakkai
• Jesus on Corban
• Jesus in Translation
• Jesus’ Halakah
• Conclusion: Jesus and Halakah

Unit 5: Jesus’ Commandments

• The Law and Layers of Tradition
• The Fence around the Law
• Jesus’ Two Commandments
• The Yoke of the Kingdom
• The Yoke of Commandments and the Early Church
• Laws That Jesus Kept
• “But I Tell You …”
• Jesus and the Sabbath
• Laws That Jesus Rejected
• Fulfilling the Law

Unit 6: Jesus’ Haggadic Teaching

• First-Century Sermons
• Jesus’ Sermon at Nazareth
• Identifying the Links in Jesus’ Sermon
• Parables
• Rabbinic Parable about Legalism
• A Parable Jesus Heard
• Moral or Spiritual Sayings
• Sayings in Mishnah Avot

Unit 7: Jesus’ Jewish Prayers

• The Value of Studying Prayers
• Prayer in Judaism
• The Oldest Amidah
• The Text of the Amidah
• The Amidah in Temple Worship
• New Testament Allusions to the Amidah
• The “Blessing” for the Heretics
• The Shorter Abstract of the Amidah
• The Lord’s Prayer
• God as Father
• Daily Bread
• Demanding Forgiveness
• Tempting and Testing
• Forever and Ever

Unit 8: Sin and Salvation

• Is Sin Important?
• The Idea of Sin in the Gospels
• John’s Baptism
• Day of Atonement
• The Unforgivable Sin
• Being Brought to Repentance
• Forgiving Others
• Jesus’ Teaching on Hell
• Three Groups at Judgment
• Hell according to the Qumran Group
• Jesus’ Distinctive Teaching on Hell
• Jesus’ Two Ways

Unit 9: Jesus’ Miracles & Exorcisms

• Healings and Miracles in the Ancient World
• Miracles and Gullibility
• Jewish Miracle Workers
• Contrasts with Jesus’ Healings
• Feeding Thousands
• First-Century Jewish Etiquette
• Tithing Bread
• Exorcisms in Jewish Literature
• Exorcisms of Jesus
• Exorcisms by Others
• Exorcisms after the New Testament

Unit 10: Jesus’ Festival Visits

• Festivals in First-Century Judaism
• Jesus’ First Festival
• Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles
• Water and Light at Tabernacles
• Palm Sunday
• Did Jesus Keep Passover?
• The Timing of Passover in the Gospels
• Evidence for Two Passovers
• Jesus’ Passover Meal

Conclusion

• Summary of the Course

Dr. David Instone-Brewer graduated from South Wales Baptist College with the highest marks in that college’s history and later earned his PhD from Cambridge University, where he studied early rabbinic exegesis. Dr. Instone-Brewer ministered at the Llanishen Baptist Church in Cardiff for five years and is now research fellow and technical officer for Tyndale House, which is, arguably, among the three best libraries in the world for biblical studies.

Specializing in rabbinic studies, Dr. Instone-Brewer has been a regular contributor to Christianity magazine and has written several books, including Traditions of the Rabbis from the Era of the New Testament.

NT254 The Jesus of the Gospels

• Instructor: Mark L. Strauss
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 8

The Jesus of the Gospels (NT254) focuses on the historical Jesus and the reliability of the four gospels. The course surveys different “quests” for the historical Jesus by critical scholarship and examines, apologetically, what we can demonstrate about the person of Jesus. It assesses the teaching of Jesus, his miracles, the intention of his ministry, and the historical evidence for his death and resurrection.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Gospels and the Historical Jesus

• What Can We Know about Jesus?
• Sources for Knowing about Jesus
• What Are the Gospels? Part 1
• What Are the Gospels? Part 2
• How the Gospels Came to Be

Unit 2: Quests for the Historical Jesus

• Searching for the Real Jesus
• The First Quest for the Historical Jesus
• Rudolf Bultmann and the Period of No Quest: Part 1
• Rudolf Bultmann and the Period of No Quest: Part 2
• The Second Quest and the Jesus Seminar
• The Contemporary Scene
• Examining Method and Context
• The Criteria of Authenticity
• Contemporary Portraits: Part 1
• Contemporary Portraits: Part 2

Unit 3: The Reliability of the Gospels

• Presuppositions, Biases, and the Burden of Proof
• Luke: A Reliable Historian
• A Generally Reliable Gospel Tradition
• Contradictions in the Gospels
• The Historical Reliability of John

Unit 4: The Chronology of Jesus’ Ministry

• A Portrait of Jesus from Afar
• The Basic Structure of Jesus’ Ministry
• A Chronology of Jesus’ Life

Unit 5: Jesus’ Birth and Childhood

• Introduction to the Birth Narratives
• The Genealogies
• The Virginal Conception
• Bethlehem and the Census
• Popular Myths about Christmas
• Jesus’ Family Life

Unit 6: The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

• John the Baptist: The Herald of Messianic Salvation
• The Baptism of Jesus
• The Temptation of Jesus

Unit 7: The Teaching of Jesus

• Jesus the Teacher
• The Kingdom of God
• Jesus and the Law: Part 1
• Jesus and the Law: Part 2
• Grace and Works
• Jesus and Social Justice
• The Parables of the Kingdom: Part 1
• The Parables of the Kingdom: Part 2

Unit 8: The Miracles of Jesus

• The Question of Miracles
• Did Jesus Perform Miracles? Part 1
• Did Jesus Perform Miracles? Part 2
• The Significance of Jesus’ Miracles

Unit 9: The Messianic Words and Deeds of Jesus

• The Remarkable Authority of Jesus
• The Scope of Jesus’ Ministry: Calling the Twelve
• The Scope of Jesus’ Ministry: A Universal Kingdom
• The Significance of the Triumphal Entry
• The Significance of the Temple Cleansing
• Jesus’ Titles: Christ
• Jesus’ Titles: Son of Man
• Jesus’ Titles: Son of God
• Jesus’ Titles: Lord

Unit 10: The Death of Jesus

• The Role of the Romans
• The Role of the Jews
• Jesus’ Expectations
• The Significance of Jesus’ Death

Unit 11: The Resurrection of Jesus

• The Importance of the Resurrection
• Rationalistic Explanations for the Resurrection
• Historical Evidence for the Resurrection
• The Significance of the Resurrection

Unit 12: Concluding Thoughts

• Faith, Apologetics, and the Gospels
• The Already/Not Yet Kingdom of God
• A Holistic Vision of Salvation

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

NT255 The Identity of Jesus

• Instructor: Michael F. Bird
• Publication Date: Forthcoming
• Video Hours: 2

The most important question a person can ask is, “Who is Jesus?” In this course, Dr. Michael Bird evaluates the testimony of each of the Gospel writers and the apostle Paul to discover who the New Testament authors believed Jesus to be. He also considers the testimony of Jesus himself to see how he understood his own identity. You will have the opportunity to look at Jesus through historical, religious, and personal lenses as you reflect on your own response to Jesus’s question, “Who do you say that I am?”

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: The Historical Jesus

• Jesus and the Kingdom
• What Did Jesus Think of Himself?
• Did Jesus Think He Was God?

Unit 2: The Gospels

• Overview
• The Gospel of Mark: An Apology for the Crucified Messiah
• The Gospel of Matthew: The Davidic Messiah
• The Gospel of Luke: The Prophetic Messiah
• The Gospel of John: The Elusive Messiah

Unit 3: Apostle Paul

• Paul’s Divine Christology (Part 1)
• Paul’s Divine Christology (Part 2)
• Concluding Remarks on Paul
• From Nazareth to Nicaea

Conclusion

• Who Is Jesus?

Michael F. Bird is lecturer in theology at Ridley College. He is the author of several books, including Evangelical Theology, The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus, Romans (Story of God Bible Commentary Series), What Christians Ought to Believe, An Anomalous Jew: Paul among Jews, Greeks, and Romans.

NT313 Jesus and the Witness of the Outsiders

• Instructor: Craig A. Evans
• Publication Date: 2015
• Video Hours: 1

In this course, Dr. Craig Evans explores various ancient sources that refer to Christ. He focuses on the evidence from extrabiblical sources, and looks at what they reveal about the life of Christ and how Jesus was perceived by early non-Christian witnesses. He examines references to Jesus in Roman, Jewish, and other writings, and looks at where Jesus’ name was invoked in both Christian and pagan charms and incantations.

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

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.

TH241 Christology: The Doctrine of Christ

• Instructor: Gerry Breshears
• Publication Date: 2016
• Video Hours: 7

Gain a better understanding of Jesus Christ as you explore how God became man, how we can be like Jesus, and what a real difference He makes in our lives. Examine the historical reality that Jesus was fully incarnate through the Virgin Mary, lived a human life, died for our sins, rose for our justification and to bring us new life, and is exalted in the highest heaven above all powers that are opposed to the truth of God.

Contents:

Unit 1: Names of Jesus

• Jesus
• Emmanuel
• Rabbi
• Lord
• Christ
• Logos
• I Am
• Son of God
• Son of David
• Son of Man

Unit 2: Christology

• Starting Points of Christology
• Incarnational Christology
• John 1:1
• John 1:14
• Philippians 2
• Hebrews 1–2
• Deity
• Humanity of Christ
• Incarnation
• Matthew 3–4

Unit 3: Jesus

• Theological Method
• Not Good/Gooder
• Virgin Birth
• Revelatory Life
• Sinless Life
• Exemplary Life
• Miraculous Life
• Death
• Descent to Hell
• Resurrection
• Exaltation
• Excursus on Easter

Dr. Gerry Breshears has been a professor of theology at Western Seminary since 1980, and has taught and lectured in multiple colleges and seminaries around the world. Additionally, he is a preaching elder at Grace Community Church. He is co-author of Vintage Jesus, Death by Love, Vintage Church, and Doctrine: What Every Christian Should Believe.

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