One of the most popular Gospels is that of Matthew. It is in Matthew that we get the Sermon on the Mount and the classic version of the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew has helped shape Christian theology and worship for centuries. This lecture from my course on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels that was taught at … Read More “Episode 22 – Synoptic Gospels (Matthew)” »
Episodes and Posts
In this lecture on the Synoptic Gospels from Tyndale University College, we look at the Gospel of Mark. Mark is generally considered to be the earliest of the Synoptic Gospels. We look at some of the unique aspects of Mark to set up the rest of our study of the Synoptic Gospels.
This is a continuation of my lectures on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels as taught at Tyndale University College. In this episode, we look at the authorship and the dating of the Gospels. Were Matthew, Mark and Luke really the authors? And when were they written? There are some who date the Gospels early and … Read More “Episode 20 – Synoptic Gospels (Authorship and Date)” »
This is a continuation of the course on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels that I taught at Tyndale University College. In this section, we look at the synoptic problem, various forms of historical criticism, the three quests for the historical Jesus and the criteria of authenticity. The book I recommend is this book that was … Read More “Episode 19 – Synoptic Gospels (Synoptic Problem and Historical Criticism)” »
This the second part of a lecture on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels taught at Tyndale University College. In this section, I give a quick summary of the Greco-Roman background of the Gospels. In addition we look at the genre of the Gospels. We finish with a look at the development of the canon, including … Read More “Episode 18 – Synoptic Gospels (Background, Genre, Canon)” »
This episode is the first part of a series of lectures I gave for a course on Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels for Tyndale University College. This first lecture deals with the Jewish background to the Synoptic Gospels. While some of this material was given in our episode on Second Temple Judaism, it is worth … Read More “Episode 17 – Synoptic Gospels (Jewish Background)” »
The family of Herod the Great weaved in and out of the story of the early church, including the lives of Jesus and Paul. But who were the Herods? What was so great about Herod the Great? And what was their relationship to the Romans? This episode looks at those questions as we examine Herod … Read More “Episode 16 – Herod and Sons” »
Book Reviews, Reformation
With the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, I felt compelled to do some reading on Martin Luther. I had a book on my shelf that had been there for a while and so I grabbed Roland Bainton’s Here I Stand. This is not a new book. Bainton died in 1984 and Here … Read More “Here I Stand – Review” »
Apostle Paul, Gospels
Biblical commentaries are a tremendous tool for understanding the Old and New Testaments. The problem is that there is not just one kind of Bible commentary. There are commentaries for preachers, devotional commentaries and scholarly commentaries. Some require some knowledge of Hebrew or Greek and some do not. But you don’t want to wait until … Read More “What Bible Commentaries Should You Use?” »
Introduction Many children are looking forward to October 31. They enjoy dressing up as their favourite superhero or some other character, and even more the large amounts of sugary treats that they will consume. It is a great time for all. But this October 31 is much more significant than Halloween. Many people in the … Read More “Episode 15 – Martin Luther Nailed It: A Reformation Day Sermon” »