"My time as a PhD student in New Testament was both incredibly demanding and rewarding. I learned to think seriously about the Bible in a way that I had never been challenged to think before. But it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life because it made me a better scholar, pastor, and Christian. Now that I'm leading PhD seminars and supervising PhD students, I find great joy in helping others experience this same transformation."
Dr. Charlie Ray III, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Greek
The seminars are designed for intensive exegetical work in selected portions of the New Testament. Attention is given to such introductory matters as date, authorship, occasion, and purpose. Exegesis of the Greek text is made with the help of the best critical literature available.
This seminar involves the student in an extensive study of various social, political, religious, and economic backgrounds that can aid in understanding the message of the New Testament. An introduction to the study of social settings and the social-science methodology is followed by an analysis of the various social backgrounds based upon extensive study of the historical documents from the New Testament time period.
This seminar includes such subjects as the motives which retarded the development of the canon and those which led to the development of the canon; the collection, use, and canonization of the various sections of the New Testament; the use of books outside the canon by Christians; and the churches, people, and documents which bear witness to the development of the canon.
