Understanding the New Testament

David Brakke, The Great Courses

eAudio - 2019

The New Testament is a fascinating book—the canonical root of Christian history and theology. Yet the book is also a paradox, because this single "book" is comprised of 27 different books by more than a dozen authors, each of whom has a different perspective and is responding to a different set of historical circumstances. How do you reconcile this diversity of voices into a single, unified belief system? And should you even try?For a historian, the diversity of authors is not a challenge to be reckoned with, but rather an exciting opportunity. In the New Testament, we have 27 primary sources that offer a doorway to the extraordinary history of the early Christian communities. In these books, you can discover how:•Christian pr...actices developed;•Conflicts of belief were debated and addressed;•The institution of the Church evolved; and•A man named Jesus of Nazareth was transformed into the Messiah.Join Professor David Brakke, an award-winning Professor of History at The... more