Beginning January 5th, 2025 during the Dean’s Sunday School we will be setting out on a journey with NT Wright and Michael Bird to dig more deeply into the world of the New Testament – the people, the events, the culture, the atmosphere – into which Jesus was born, lived, died, and was resurrected. It is centered upon the book produced by NT Wright and Michael Bird – The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction To The History, Literature, and Theology of The First Christians. I have been reading and following NT Wright throughout my entire adult Christian journey, and always come away the a deeper and more profound sense of the how Jesus is the answer to the human history we share. I was fortunate to spend time with NT Wright during seminary when he traveled to Sewanee for the DuBose Lecture series years ago; and I found that the man whom I picked up at the airport is exactly the man whom I encounter in his writings and videos.
This study will be both video and reading based. Although it is not necessary to buy and read the book to join the study; it would be very helpful for you. Per tradition we will open the class with a video segment, and then go deeper in our discussion using what is drawn from our readings. If you have ever wondered what the “game” is like from the perspective of being “on the field,” I encourage you to join us.
You will find a variety of links below that will explain our study in greater depth.
I will also be posting weekly reminders and notes on my blog.
We will meet this Sunday – January 5th, 2025 at 9:15am for our “stump the rector” session, and then begin our introduction to this study at 9:30am. We meet in the Garden Room of the Ministry Center at St. Mark’s.
Blessings and Godspeed in the New Year on this Feast of The Holy Name,
Alston
N. T. Wright’s Lifetime of
Scholarship—In One Book
Nearly two thousand years separate us from the world of Jesus. What if you could close the distance? What if you could think like the first Christians—and read the New Testament responsibly for today?
Introducing The New Testament in Its World, the new book that distills decades of N. T. Wright’s ground-breaking work on Christian origins into one volume for the first time.
Offering an immersion into the New Testament’s writings and the world behind them, this book will reshape how you read the Christian story—and refresh your understanding of the mission of God today.
What to expect:
- Learn how—and why—to read the New Testament as history, literature, and theology.
- Understand the forces that shaped early Christianity: the history, culture, and religion of Second Temple Judaism and the Greco-Roman world.
- Make sense of what Jesus and the first Christians believed about God and the world.
- Grasp each New Testament book’s significance, origins, key teachings, and implications for life today.
- Explore a rich theological account of Jesus’ work, death, and resurrection; Paul’s teaching; and the mission of God.
- Investigate how the New Testament came about, and how you can glean more insight from its gospels, letters, and other genres.
- Gain a dynamic introduction to N.T. Wright’s life work, with input from scholar Michael F. Bird.
- Discern the living story of the New Testament, and find your own role in it.
This is the only comprehensive reading of the entire New Testament and its development by distinguished scholar and author N. T. (Tom) Wright. Here’s how The New Testament in Its World will help you.
- You will explore the New Testament text and early Christianity as historical, literary, and social phenomena, shaped by Second Temple Judaism and Greco-Roman politics and culture. Through these lenses, the text and the world of the New Testament will come alive.
- You will follow the grand themes of New Testament theology, and grasp the significance of every New Testament book—each book’s background, key teachings, and significance for life and mission today.
- The book also demonstrates how and why to read the New Testament as history, literature, and theology; offers an up-to-date account of how we got the New Testament; and advises us on how the New Testament can shape, direct, and energizes Christian life today.
By the book’s end, you will be able to answer these questions and more:
- What is the New Testament’s purpose? What is it designed to do?
- How did first-century Christians understand the kingdom of God?
- What is the real meaning of the resurrection in its original context?
- What really were the Gospels?
- Who was Paul and why are his letters so controversial?
- As twenty-first-century Christians, how do we recover the excitement of the early church in the first or second centuries?
What people are saying
”A lifetime of scholarship and a landmark publication.”
—Scot McKnight
“Big, bold theological interpretation . . . in an accessible, single volume.”
—Matthew V. Novenson
“This is the New Testament introduction of all New Testament introductions.”
—Craig S. Keener
“Witty, accurate, accessible, eye-catching. A must-have resource.”
—Nijay K. Gupta
“Both look and content are energizing and engaging . . . magisterial.”
—Jeannine K. Brown
“Written with characteristic jauntiness and scholarly rigor.”
—Lynn H. Cohick
“The epitome of faith seeking understanding.”
—Esau McCaulley
“An amazing volume—one-of-a-kind.”
—Craig L. Blomberg
The Lectures
Taught by N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird – 37 Lectures (over 13 hours of content)
Go deeper into the world of the New Testament with these lectures from N. T. Wright and Michael Bird. Filmed on location throughout the Holy Land and Mediterranean, the lectures are available in video and audio formats.
Go deeper into the first-century world with The New Testament in Its World Video Lectures and Audio Lectures, taught by N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird.
The video lectures are the definitive video introduction to the history, literature, and theology of the New Testament. These 37 lectures were filmed on location in the Holy Land and Mediterranean, including sites at:
- Jerusalem
- Corinth
- Rome
- Athens
- Nazareth
- Qumran
- Capernaum
- The shores of the Sea of Galilee
The Carpenter's Nail 