New Testament Course

Lesson 1 • Languages and Transmission of the Text

Introduces Koine Greek as the original language and traces how manuscripts were copied and preserved. Equips students to understand translation choices and textual variants.

Lesson 2 • Literary Forms in the New Testament

Identifies the primary genres—Gospel, epistle, apocalypse, and Acts—and their conventions. Prepares students to apply genre-appropriate reading strategies throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Historical and Cultural Background

Surveys the Greco-Roman and Jewish world of the first century. Grounds textual interpretation in the political, social, and religious realities of the era.

Lesson 1 • The Synoptic Problem

Analyses the literary relationships among Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Understanding source theories enables students to explain similarities and differences across the Synoptics.

Lesson 2 • The Gospel of John

Analyses John's high Christology, sign narratives, and distinctive theological vocabulary. Students contrast Johannine theology with the Synoptic tradition.

Lesson 3 • The Gospel of Mark

Examines Mark's narrative urgency, Messianic secret, and suffering-servant Christology. Students analyse how Mark's structure shapes its theological message.

Lesson 4 • The Gospel of Luke and Acts

Explores Luke's two-volume work emphasising the Holy Spirit, prayer, and inclusion of the marginalised. Students connect Luke's Gospel to Acts as a unified narrative.

Lesson 1 • Baptism, Temptation, and Public Ministry

Examines the inauguration of Jesus's ministry through baptism and wilderness testing. Students analyse how these events define his mission and identity.

Lesson 2 • Birth Narratives and Early Life

Compares the infancy accounts in Matthew and Luke for theological purpose and historical context. Students identify how each evangelist frames Jesus's origins.

Lesson 3 • Passion, Death, and Resurrection

Traces the events of Holy Week through crucifixion and resurrection across all four Gospels. Students assess the theological centrality of the passion narrative.

Lesson 4 • Parables and Teaching Methods

Studies Jesus's use of parables as a primary pedagogical tool for communicating the Kingdom of God. Students interpret major parables using literary and theological methods.

Lesson 1 • Paul's Arrest, Trials, and Rome

Follows Paul's legal proceedings from Jerusalem to Rome as Acts reaches its climax. Students assess Luke's apologetic purpose in narrating Paul's Roman custody.

Lesson 2 • Pentecost and the Jerusalem Church

Examines the founding of the church at Pentecost and its communal life in Jerusalem. Students identify the theological and social patterns that shaped early Christian community.

Lesson 3 • Paul's Conversion and Early Mission

Analyses the Damascus road experience and Paul's transition from persecutor to apostle. Students connect Paul's conversion to his subsequent missionary theology.

Lesson 4 • Paul's Missionary Journeys

Maps the three missionary journeys and their strategic significance for church planting. Students evaluate Paul's methods of proclamation, community formation, and conflict resolution.

Lesson 1 • Corinthian Correspondence

Analyses the two Corinthian letters addressing division, spiritual gifts, resurrection, and apostolic authority. Students connect Paul's pastoral responses to the social dynamics of Corinth.

Lesson 2 • Introduction to Pauline Correspondence

Surveys the Pauline corpus, distinguishing undisputed from disputed letters and explaining epistolary conventions. Students gain tools for reading Paul's letters as occasional documents.

Lesson 3 • Philippians, Thessalonians, and Philemon

Examines Paul's letters of friendship, eschatological instruction, and social ethics. Students identify how these shorter letters reveal Paul's pastoral relationships and eschatological worldview.

Lesson 4 • Galatians and Justification by Faith

Examines Paul's argument against law-observance as a basis for salvation in Galatians. Students trace the logic of justification by faith and its implications for Gentile inclusion.

Lesson 1 • James, Peter, and Jude

Studies the practical ethics of James, the suffering theology of 1 Peter, and the anti-heresy polemic of Jude. Students compare these letters' approaches to Christian living under pressure.

Lesson 2 • Johannine Epistles

Analyses 1, 2, and 3 John as responses to schism and false Christology within the Johannine community. Students connect these letters to the Gospel of John's theological framework.

Lesson 3 • Hebrews: Christ as High Priest

Examines Hebrews' sophisticated argument for Christ's superiority over the Levitical priesthood. Students trace the typological use of the Old Testament throughout the letter.

Lesson 4 • The Pastoral Epistles

Analyses 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus as guides for church order, leadership, and sound doctrine. Students assess how these letters address institutionalisation of early Christianity.

Lesson 1 • Throne Room Vision and Seals

Analyses the heavenly throne room scene and the opening of the seven seals as the book's theological centre. Students interpret the Lamb's authority and the meaning of divine judgment.

Lesson 2 • Trumpets, Bowls, and the Beast

Studies the escalating judgment sequences and the symbolic portrayal of imperial power as the Beast. Students decode the numerical and symbolic language of 666 and Babylon.

Lesson 3 • Letters to the Seven Churches

Examines the seven letters in chapters 2–3 as pastoral messages to specific historical communities. Students identify the rhetorical pattern and theological concerns of each letter.

Lesson 4 • New Creation and Final Vision

Examines the eschatological climax of Revelation: the defeat of evil, final judgment, and new creation. Students synthesise Revelation's message of hope for suffering communities.

Lesson 1 • Eschatology and Christian Hope

Integrates New Testament eschatological perspectives on resurrection, judgment, and new creation. Students assess how eschatological hope shapes ethics and community life.

Lesson 2 • Soteriology: Salvation in the New Testament

Examines the diverse metaphors for salvation—justification, redemption, reconciliation, and new birth. Students compare how different authors frame the meaning and basis of salvation.

Lesson 3 • Ethics: Love, Justice, and Community

Synthesises New Testament ethical teaching on love, justice, wealth, and social relationships. Students apply these principles to evaluate moral reasoning in the New Testament.

Lesson 4 • Kingdom of God as Central Theme

Traces the Kingdom of God as the unifying theological concept across Gospels, Acts, and Epistles. Students articulate how different authors develop and apply this theme.