Examine the diverse world of Second Temple Judaism and its significance for understanding the origins of Christianity, messianic expectation, and New Testament theology.
Explore New Testament textual criticism, examining manuscript evidence, text-critical methods, key Greek terms, and the recovery of the earliest attainable text.
Explore the Enoch literature and its influence on Jewish apocalypticism, examining the Watchers tradition, the Son of Man figure, and connections to New Testament theology.
Examine reader-response criticism as applied to biblical interpretation, evaluating the contributions and limitations of Iser, Fish, and theological hermeneutics.
Explore 4 Ezra's wrestling with theodicy after the destruction of the Second Temple, examining the evil heart concept, apocalyptic eschatology, and the vision of the heavenly city.
Examine Brevard Childs's canonical approach to biblical interpretation, evaluating its contributions to theological hermeneutics and its reception in contemporary scholarship.
Explore the Maccabean revolt against Hellenistic oppression, examining martyrdom theology, resurrection hope, the Hasmonean dynasty, and the formation of Jewish identity.
Explore the Hebrew word ḥesed (steadfast love), examining its covenantal dimensions, relationship to ʾemet and raḥamîm, and theological significance for understanding God's character.
Explore the seven churches of Revelation 2–3 in their historical and archaeological context, examining Christ's prophetic messages to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and more.
Examine the War Scroll (1QM) from Qumran, exploring its theology of eschatological warfare, cosmic dualism, and significance for understanding New Testament apocalypticism.