The Bible as Dialogue

Start your immersive journey into the books of the Old and New Testaments with this illuminating introductory lecture. By breaking down the Bible into its diffe...

Creation and Chaos in Genesis

Genesis 1-11. Travel back to biblical accounts of the dawn of time in Genesis and start to think critically about how its stories work as a narrative. By unpack...

Abraham, Sarah, and the Promise

Genesis 12-25. Abraham's spiritual legacy is nothing short of profound - yet his story also includes some little-appreciated humor. Delve into the biblical text...

Jacob, Joseph, and Reconciliation

Genesis 25-50. According to Professor Koester, the biblical stories of Jacob and Joseph are rooted in perennial themes of familial conflict and reconciliation. ...

Moses and the Drama of the Exodus

Exodus 1-15. Both encouraging and threatening, Exodus 1 15 is one of the Bible's most thrilling stories. First, consider the story's literary setting (and its s...

Freedom and Law at Mount Sinai

Exodus 16-40. What happens after an enslaved people are set free? How is freedom lived out? Continue exploring Exodus with chapters 16-40, in which ancient laws...

Israel's Wandering in the Wilderness

Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy - three biblical books everyday readers find challenging to read and relate to their own lives. But with Professor Koester's...

Violence and Kindness in the Promised Land

Turn now to Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, which challenge the idea of the Promised Land as a place of simple peace and prosperity. In comparing these three books, y...

Saul, the Tragic King

1 Samuel. Why is the story of King Saul, who united Israel's twelve tribes, one of the world's great tragedies? Find out in this lecture, which approaches 1 Sam...

David and Nation Building

2 Samuel. Go beyond the heroic portrayals of David in Western art to reveal the vibrant heart of the fascinating figure described in 2 Samuel. You'll read betwe...

Solomon, a Study in Contradictions

1 Kings 1-11. Throughout the story of Solomon in 1 Kings, splendor and oppression go hand in hand. Were all the impressive results of Solomon's monarchy (includ...

Psalms: The Bible's Songbook

Psalms. Packed with poems, prayers, and song lyrics, the Bible's 150 psalms are an evocative blend of hope, despair, anger, and contemplation. Here, consider th...

Biblical Wisdom Literature

Questions about the meaning of life abound in the Bible's books of wisdom literature: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Join Professor Koester as he unpacks each...

Elijah, the Troubler of Israel

1 and 2 Kings. Continue on to 1 and 2 Kings and follow the story of the prophet Elijah. You'll examine his challenges to the god Baal, his flair for street thea...

Justice and Love in Amos and Hosea

Discover how the prophets Amos and Hosea shattered the idea of spiritual indifference. First, learn how Amos portrayed a God committed to social justice and a s...

Isaiah on Defiant Hope

Isaiah. Go beyond the book of Isaiah's prophetic imagery to focus on the narrative's powerful, lasting visions of hope - and some of its disturbing passages on ...

Jeremiah on Anguish and Compassion

Jeremiah. The book of Jeremiah takes as its goal the reconciliation between God and Israel. How does the prophet hope to achieve this? Find out by studying Jere...

Babylonian Conquest and Exile

In 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. Explore the trauma of this cataclysmic moment through three biblical books: 2 Kings, which tries to explain the ...

Ezekiel on Abandonment and Homecoming

Ezekiel. Experience the dislocation of the Babylonian Exile with a close reading of the book of Ezekiel's perspectives on abandonment and homecoming. You'll tra...

Jewish Identity and Rebuilding after Exile

What did it mean to be Jewish after the Babylonian Exile? Professor Koester examines biblical books that offer differing perspectives. On one end: Ezra and Nehe...

Esther, Daniel, and Life under Empire

Delightful and playful, the books of Esther and Daniel tell stories of life under the Babylonian, Median, Persian, and Greek empires. Here, you'll learn how the...

Resistance, Adaptation, and the Maccabees

1 Maccabees. Dive into Jewish life under Greek rule in the 2nd century BC in 1 Maccabees. View the struggle for Jewish independence as a dramatic story marked b...

Jesus as Messiah in Mark

Mark 1-10. Begin your look the New Testament with the first of several lectures on the four gospels - the narratives of the life, death, and resurrection of Jes...

Mark on the Crucifixion and Resurrection

Mark 11-16. Continue examining the gospel of Mark, this time focusing on the infamous trial and crucifixion of the Son of God. Also, consider why this gospel en...

The Dynamics of Forgiveness in Matthew

Matthew. Learn how Matthew reshaped the story of Jesus in startling new ways, specifically with its ideas on forgiveness. Start by confronting Jesus's relations...

Luke on a World Upside Down

Luke. The gospel of Luke is home to some of the New Testament's best-loved passages. Here, Professor Koester asks you to consider the more subversive dimensions...

John on the Word Made Flesh

John 1-12. In the first of two lectures on the gospel of John, probe the first 12 chapters of this book's poetic prose, which takes readers back to the dawn of ...

Self-Giving Love According to John

John 13-21. If Jesus is the giver of life, how does his crucifixion fit into the New Testament's larger spiritual narrative? To consider this question, you'll h...

The Early Church in Acts

Acts 1-10. Turn to subsequent texts of the New Testament, which take up the struggle to understand Jesus and what it means to live by his message. The Acts of t...

Paul's Calling

Acts 9-17. One of early Christianity's most controversial figures is Paul. In this look at the apostle's life and mission, you'll learn how to see his preaching...

Paul and the Roman Empire

Paul's travels to cities like Corinth and Philippi, and his letters to the Christian communities there, offer a lens into the relationship between early Christi...

Paul's Letters to a Community in Conflict

1 and 2 Corinthians. While in Ephesus, Paul wrote letters now known as 1 and 2 Corinthians to the Christian community of Corinth. Here, unpack the four major se...

Freedom and the Law in Paul's Letters

Continue your exploration of Paul's letters, this time by studying the correspondence he wrote to the Galatians and the Romans. In these letters, you'll find so...

Paul on Gender Roles and Slavery

What did Paul have to say about women and about slaves? We find different viewpoints in the letters known as Philippians, Philemon, Ephesians, and 1 Timothy. Ho...

Letters for Sojourners

Paul wasn't the only letter writer in the New Testament. Join Professor Koester for a discussion of the books of Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter, which sought to co...

Revelation's Vision of New Creation

Revelation. Conclude the course with a lecture on perhaps the most evocative, unsettling, and yet hopeful book in the Bible: Revelation. After considering the n...

Reading Biblical Literature - Genesis to Revelation Promo