How to interpret the Sermon on the Mount has been one of the most debated questions in all of church history. The content and tone shift so dramatically – from the comforting assurance that “your Father in heaven gives good things to those who ask him,” to the simple faith of the Lord’s prayer, to...
Tag: understanding Jesus
Understanding the Bible 18: Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots…Oh My!
The Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and Zealots are central characters in the New Testament, and there is no understanding Jesus without understanding the larger conversation into which he entered. In this episode we examine each of these four major sects of first century, Palestinian Judaism and their answers to the central question of the day: What...
Understanding the Bible 17: “Gospel” Explained
What exactly is a gospel? And is there a right way to read them? In this episode, we examine the gospel as a genre of biblical literature and discuss: their content, the events that occasioned their writing, and the manner of their composition. And we begin with fact that “gospel” (the Greek word is εὐαγγέλιον) did...