The New Testament in Its World

The New Testament in Its World

Taught by N. T. Wright, Michael F. Bird

The New Testament in Its World course, taught by scholars and authors N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, is designed to open your eyes to the larger world of the New Testament. Guiding you in how to think like a first-century Christian, it stands to become the definitive seminary-level introduction on the topic.

Course Details

  • 37 Units

  • Self-paced

  • 13 hours of video

  • Intermediate

  • The New Testament in Its World

12 Month Access
$229.99 USD

Already Enrolled? Sign in

Get academic credit for this course.
 Take this course via The BibleMesh Institute to get transfer credit for degree programs at select institutions.

Course Description


Enter the world of the New Testament. This course will serve as your passageway from the twenty-first century to the era of Jesus and the first Christians. An ideal guide, The New Testament in Its World course addresses many difficult questions faced by those studying early Christianity.

Professors Wright and Bird will guide you through how to read the New Testament, the world of Jesus and the early church, deep studies on both Jesus and the apostle Paul, lectures on every book of the New Testament, as well as how to live the story of the New Testament today.

On-location and in-studio videos, maps, charts, diagrams, and photos will immerse you into the world of the New Testament as this course takes you on a journey with Wright and Bird to Jerusalem, Corinth, Athens, Rome, Nazareth, Qumran, Capernaum, and the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

In short, the New Testament in Its World course brings together decades of ground-breaking research, writing, and teaching into one learning experience that will open stduents’ eyes to the larger world of the New Testament. It presents the New Testament books as historical, literary, and social phenomena located in the world of Second Temple Judaism, amidst Greco-Roman politics and culture, and within early Christianity.

By completing this course, you’ll gain

  • A deeper understanding of the purpose of the New Testament
  • Greater ability to bridge the gap between the first-century understanding of the kingdom and our lives as twenty-first-century Christians
  • Knowledge of each New Testament book, including their significance, textual layout and content, and critical topics that provide commentary with implications for Christian life today
  • Confidence in your growing knowledge through personalized review sessions and unit assessments

Meet Your Instructors

N. T. Wright

D.Phil. and D.D., University of Oxford

N. T. Wright is professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and also senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

Michael F. Bird

PhD., University of Queensland

Michael F. Bird is a lecturer in theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of many books, including Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission, The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification, and the New Perspective, and Evangelical Theology, and editor of The Apostle Paul: Four Views. He blogs at the New Testament blog Euangelion.

Course Outline

  • Beginning Study of the New Testament

  • The New Testament as History

  • The New Testament as Literature

  • The New Testament as Theology

  • The History of the Jews between the Persian and Roman Empires

  • The Jewish Context of Jesus and the Early Church

  • The Greco-Roman Context of the Early Church

  • The Study of the Historical Jesus

  • The Profile and Praxis of a Prophet

  • Who Did Jesus Think He Was?

  • The Death of the Messiah

  • The Afterlife in Greek, Roman, and Jewish Thought

  • The Story of Easter According to the Apostle Paul

  • The Story of Easter According to the Evangelists

  • The Story of Paul’s Life and Ministry

  • A Primer on Pauline Theology

  • Galatians

  • 1 and 2 Thessalonians

  • Philippians


    MIDTERM EXAM

  • Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians

  • 1 and 2 Corinthians

  • Romans

  • The Pastoral Epistles

  • The Gospel According to Mark

  • The Gospel According to Matthew

  • The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles

  • The Gospel According to John

  • The Making of the Gospels

  • Introduction to Early Christian Letters

  • The Letter to the Hebrews

  • Letters by Jesus’s Brothers: James and Jude

  • Petrine Letters: 1 and 2 Peter

  • Johannine Letters: 1, 2, and 3 John

  • Revelation

  • Introduction to Textual Criticism of the New Testament

  • The Canonization of the New Testament

  • Bringing It all Together


    FINAL EXAM


BibleMesh is now offering an integrated reading experience for our new book-based courses. As before, students will be guided through their reading with book excerpts embedded within the course. This allows for an improved reading experience within the course. Students will also be able to pop out the book reader into a full-screen, fully-featured web-based reading platform where they will be able to see the wider context of each excerpt and access the complete book.

Retain what you learn with Cerego's award-winning learning engine

High-quality video lectures and interactive reading materials are further enhanced by Cerego. Cerego’s team is comprised of experts in memory science, technology and education committed to advancing the personalized learning movement. Their next generation learning engine applies adaptive learning and memory science to enhance how you learn, study, and remember.

  • Learn Faster

    All of your lessons are taught by scholars, designed by educators, and enhanced by Cerego. Cerego's technology is built on proven memory science that helps students learn faster and remember longer.

  • Remember Longer

    Your study plan is 100% personalized for your brain and based on the latest in cognitive science to help you retain what you learn.

  • Track Your Progress

    Your dashboard updates every time you study, so you can see what you've learned—and what to review next on your path to mastery.

Related Courses