Course Description

This course is an exploration of the historical, geographical, and cultural context of Jesus. Together, we’ll look at events that took place before Jesus was born in Bethlehem and then examine significant phases in Jesus’s life. We’ll ask questions like: What did it mean to grow up in Nazareth? How was Jesus educated in Torah? Why did Jesus move his public ministry hub to Capernaum? What role did synagogues play in Jewish communities? How did the domination of the Roman Empire shape Jewish life?

As we explore these questions, we’ll encounter Jesus, his disciples, and the crowds around them as real people situated in real places and in a time vastly different from our own. We’ll renew our curiosity as we encounter fresh perspectives on Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. As we do so, we’ll engage the entire narrative of God's interaction with humanity throughout time.