Natural Law and Scriptural Authority
Although Protestants are well-familiar with the classical Protestant insistence on the doctrine of sola Scriptura, they are less familiar with the equally important teaching of the Reformers that God reveals himself through the “two books” of Scripture and nature. As Paul teaches in Romans 1 and 2, God has revealed enough of his nature to render…
Introduction to the Gospels: Jesus Christ is Lord and God
Origen called the Gospels the “first-fruits of all that has been written.” Do we concur? Over the past 150 years, the Gospels have come under attack my countless secular scholars. In response, orthodox Christians gave developed robust defenses of their reliabilty. Yet in doing so, the unity of the Four Evangelists, and a sense of…
Matthew’s Gospel: Matthew as Jewish Theologian
In this course we will aim at a synthetic picture of Matthew’s achievement as “one of humanity’s three great religious teachers alongside Paul and John.” To do so, we will exegete as much of the text as possible, while reading selections from Josephus, the Talmud, and Midrash. Matthew’s Gospel was written for war and for…
The Psalms: A Bible in Miniature
In his introduction to his lectures on the Psalms, Martin Luther described the Psalter as “a little Bible,” declaring that “in it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible.” For nearly three millennia, the psalms have been at the heart of the worship of the people of God. This…
Bible Reading Skills for Narrative Texts
The world of biblical narrative often feels strange and forbidding. Many texts exhibit strange literary features, present unsettling ethical questions, or have an unclear purpose. This course is designed to open up the rich world of biblical narrative to students, in its vast scope, diversity, and complexity. It will equip students with an array of…