Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Crux Sola: Formed by Scripture to Live like Christ

Home
Evangelical
My Seminary Now “New Testament Introduction” (Live Course with Video Lectures)

My Seminary Now “New Testament Introduction” (Live Course with Video Lectures)

Last updated on: August 7, 2023 at 9:04 am by Nijay Gupta

0 Comments

My Seminary Now “New Testament Introduction” (Live Course with Video Lectures) 2023-08-07T09:04:16-08:00 Nijay Gupta

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’m excited to be teaching a live-format course with Seminary Now with high quality video lectures. This is an affordable way to try out seminary.

Learn more about the format and course HERE.

Recently I was interviewed by SeminaryNow, check out the discussion below:

What is the most common question you get when it comes to the New Testament and why do you think this is the case?

I get a lot of questions about how to apply these seemingly ancient texts to life today. While it’s true there is a big time and culture gap between life in the ancient Roman world and life in the West today, there are so many things common to all human life as well: friendship, loss, suffering, dreams and hopes, money problems, relationship problems, politics.

People are people, and the Bible is about real life, not just heaven and the afterlife. So, I encourage students of the Bible to think about the people who first received Romans, or Matthew, or Hebrews, or Revelation—how would these texts have helped them to live in the grind of normal life? How did it bring comfort? Challenge them? Give them hope? Heal relationships? Understand better how to honor God in the mundane as well as in sacred spaces? A little work understanding context goes a long way!

How can understanding the historical context of the New Testament bring it to life for us today?

It helps to have a basic understanding of the key historical events around the time of Jesus. Think about life today, and how it has been shaped by recent things like 9/11, the smart-phone revolution, and the pandemic.

If we understand key cultural events—like the shift from a republic to an empire, or the destruction of the Jewish temple—we can make sense of how people thought about the world in the past. There is also the significance of cultural values and social dynamics. How do men and women relate? How did society look at children? Foreigners? Social class?

We can make better sense of why Jews and Samaritan didn’t get along, or why Peter didn’t want to interact with Cornelius, or why some looked down on people from Nazareth.

Are there a few passages that have really spoken to you personally over the years?

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately in Ephesians for some of my research. I have come to see this as a kind of liturgical sermon that functions as something like Paul’s “Greatest Hits” of his key preaching points throughout his career: unity in the church, leaving behind old bad habits, striving towards health and growth, and especially his most important message: God’s generous love in Christ and his desire to be loved by us.

The “good news” of the gospel is not just how to get saved; it is really about the God who pursues sinners to rescue them and make them a part of his family, because he loves us. Whenever I read Ephesians, I feel like Paul is bursting with gratitude as he ponders this God who is full of compassion, mercy, and love.

How is your New Testament Survey course different than similar courses offered today? What is your hope for all those who take this course?

This course aims for a balance of different elements of each book of the New Testament: we look at the background and situation, a basic outline of the text, tricky texts that have confusing or difficult information, and theological themes and distinctives. We can’t cover every single important issue in the New Testament, but we cover a lot of ground in a short space.

My hope is for students to grow in their knowledge of the New Testament, to have a basic understanding of each book of the New Testament, and to be inspired to continue their studies so they can go deeper.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

May 16, 2023

The Beginning of Paul's Gospel: TABLE OF CONTENTS (Gombis, Novenson, Heim, Barclay, Macaskill, and More!)

Next Post

August 12, 2023 COVER REVEAL! New Word Biblical Themes Series (Zondervan Academic) Coming 2024

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Thanks for joining us, memorable experience for me too"

Nijay Gupta

2023: Year In Review

"Loved being part of the Tell Her Story launch team, and my daughter lover her ..."

Hashim Warren

2023: Year In Review

"It is interesting that conservative Christians are open to demon possession around the world, but ..."

Demon Problems, the Bible, and Enchanted ..."

"The power of belief is phenomenal. Scientists call it the placebo effect.When my mom was ..."

EarthGrowl

Demon Problems, the Bible, and Enchanted ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category (Mis)Understanding Philippians 10 Things I Can't Live Without 2023 New Books 30 OT HB Scholars to Read and Follow 5 Books Series 50-2-Follow Academia Christian Theologians to Read and Follow Cruciform Scripture: Contributor Reflections Crux Sola TV Editors Behind Great Books in NT Studies Education Gendering the Holy Spirit Gupta FB Live Lectures In Faith and Doubt In Their Own Words Living the King Jesus Gospel My Top 6 OT Commentaries New Testament Resource Guide New Word Biblical Themes Nijay's A Very Library Christmas Shopping Guide Notes from an Editor Notes on New Books NTRG OT in the NT Paul Seminary Now The Bible in God's World The Word Felt Among Us SPENCER Translating Philippians Uncategorized Why I Use Accordance Women in Ministry

Select a Month March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz