THE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
    Christianity through the eyes of the earliest historians
         Mentions of John the Baptist.
         Josephus' disputed mention of Jesus
         Comparison of the New Testament with the other literature of ancient times
    Jesus in the light of Jewish sources
    When and how did the gospels come about?
         Did Jesus really speak about the destruction of Jerusalem?
        What was the status of the Hebrew language   in the second Temple period?
        New light on the date of the New Testament
        The Jerusalem school's understanding of the gospel origins

JOHN THE BAPTIST, HERALD OF THE MESSIAH'S COMING

THE BIRTH OF JESUS IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPELS
     Jesus, the beginning of creation, as set forth by John
     The birth of Jesus as described by Matthew
         Is Jesus the Son of David?
         The star which appeared at the time   of Jesus' birth.
         The giving of gifts to the Messiah.
         The Murder of the Innocents in Bethlehem.
     The events surrounding the birth of Jesus, through the eyes of the Virgin Mary.
         What do we know of Luke himself?
         Luke's testimony to the virgin birth;
         Luke, the collector of psalmody;
         the historicity of his narrative,
         Jesus' early childhood.

JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY AND PREACHING
An overview in map form of Jesus' preaching itineraries
The dating of Jesus' ministry

STUDIES IN THE LIFE OF JESUS
     Nicodemus hears of the New Birth
     Jesus meets a sinful woman:
         the Samaritan woman.
         The scandal in the sanctuary.
     Jesus the healer:
         the man blind from birth receives his sight,
         Jesus and the leper,
         Jesus, the vanquisher of death

JESUS IN THE LIGHT OF HIS TEACHING
     The sermon on the Mount: Jesus' "manifesto".
     The background of the Beatitudes.
     The general character of Jesus' teaching.
     Jesus, the explainer of the commandments
     The teaching regarding love for one's neighbour.
     Fasting and prayer.
     The Jewish background of the Lord's prayer.
     A message of encouragement and exhortation.
     Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
     The parables in chronological order
     The teaching discourses in chronological order

THE PASSION OF CHRIST
     The king arrives in his capital city
     The Passover in Jesus' day
     The Lord's Holy Communion - a Messianic banquet
     A possible reconstruction of Jesus' trial
     The arrest in Gethsemane
     The various stages of the trial
     Jesus before the representatives of the Roman state
     Facts relating to Jesus' death
     Proofs of the resurrection

JESUS IN THE LIGHT OF HIS ESCHATOLOGICAL PREACHING
     The Bible speaks of two End Times
     What do the Jewish sources say about the Last Days?
     The renewal of Israel which will take place   in the Last Days

WHAT, THEN, SHALL WE SAY TO THIS?

LITERATURE CONSULTED

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