Survey of the New Testament

You can e-mail me if you have any questions about this material or class.

 

Palestinian Map Test

Spread of Christianity Map Test

Bible Survey Sites

• Bible Gateway This site contains almost every version of the Bible you can imagine.
• Bible.org Not only the Bible (including the NET Bible translation), but also many articles on theology and Scripture.
• Calvin's Commentaries on the Bible This falls in the "Oldies but Goodies" department.
• Christian Classics Ethereal Library Library of ancient writings, including the Church Fathers. We're not the first generation to read and interpret the Bible.
• Christian Leadership Center This site is maintained by Allen Ross (Ph.D. Cambridge), Old Testament Professor at Beeson Divinity School. Allen is a good friend and one of the best Old Testament scholars in the business today. (Don't let him know I said that. :-) )

Library Sites

Shelton State library site

Shelton State's library catalog

The University of Alabama Library catalog

Bibliography

This section will grow as my own studies expand. I actually own or have read what I list here.

 

Craig Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997.

Hermeneutics

Gerald Bray, Biblical Interpretation Past and Present. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996. This is the textbook of the history of Biblical interpretation, written by my Church History professor at Beeson Divinity School.

William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, Robert L. Hubbard, Jr., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.

 

Class Lecture Notes

• Lectures 1-2: Introduction, Intertestamental History (.pdf)
• Lectures 3-4: Jewish writings and religious groups (.pdf). This lecture relies on material from Allen Ross' site (above) and from Blomberg's book in the bibliography.
• Lectures 5-6: Introduction to the Gospels. Again, these lectures rely on Blomberg. I also recommend reading "bible.org: The Synoptic Problem" for another look at the Synoptic Gospels.
• The Gospel of Mark
• The Gospel of Matthew For further reading, I recommend Allen Ross' material on the Sermon on the Mount concerning the Beatitudes and Matthew 6:1-18, including the Lord's Prayer (Our Father).
• The Gospel of Luke
• The Gospel of John
• Acts of the Apostles. Supplemental Readings:
  • Archaeology and the Life of Jesus. Read the section on "The Ritual Bath." from Christian Leadership Center.
  • The Building of the Church. from Christian Leadership Center.
  • Persecution and Destruction. from Christian Leadership Center. This lecture covers many sites from Paul's journeys.
  • Maps of the missionary journeys of the early Church From Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
• Romans. Supplemental Readings:
  • Calvin's Introduction to his Commentary on Romans.
  • Luther's Preface to Romans.
• 1 and 2 Corinthians. Supplemental Readings:
  • Internet New Testament - Story of the Early Church (1 Corinthians) (2 Corinthians) from Christian Classics Ethereal Library, J.B. Phillips' Translation of the New Testament.
  • Calvin's Commentaries
  • Theology Website: New Testament Study Helps an introduction to the letters.
  Galatians and Ephesians
• Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians
• The Pastoral Epistles These are my notes from my New Testament Survey class at Beeson Divinity School.
• Philemon These are my notes from my New Testament Survey class at Beeson Divinity School.
• Hebrews
• Catholic Epistles James through Jude.
• The Revelation. Supplemental readings:
  • Greg Herrick, Interpretive Models for the Book of Revelation as a Whole from bible.org.
  • Daniel Wallace, Revelation: Introduction, Argument and Outline from bible.org.
  • Daniel Wallace, Foundations for the Study of Prophecy from bible.org. This page examines the proper role of prophecy and its interpretation.
  • The Thousand Years (Amillennial Interpretation)
  • Heavenly Hymns in the Temporal Temple: A Comparison of the Songs of the Revelation with the Worship Hymns of the Psalms A study of the Psalms and their connection with the hymns found in The Revelation.
  Church History lectures. Supplemental Readings:
  • History of the Christian Church by Philip Schaff. This is an 8-volume masterpiece of Christian history, available at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Research Paper Topics

The research paper is to be 5 to 10 pages, MLA format, on a topic listed below. You can go to the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University for MLA formatting requirements. If you're favorite topic isn't listed, please obtain permission prior to starting your paper.

• Matthew the Apostle
• Peter the Apostle
• John the Apostle
• Paul the Apostle
• Herod the Great
• Ancient Jerusalem (Biblical times)
• Herod's Temple
• Josephus
• Augustus
• Nero
• Vespasian
• Titus (the Roman general)
• One of the books of the New Testament (its historical bacground, context, a summary of the book, and its impact on Church doctrine and history)
• C.S. Lewis