New Testament Survey - Module 1: Introductory Material

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first module of the New Testament Survey Course. In this section, we'll be working through some preliminary information to give you introduction to some background issues that will hopefully help you better learn and understand later material.

This module will help you to put the New Testament into its historical background - to understand a bit about the world and society in which the New Testament was written, to understand the historical events that led up to the historical events described in the New Testament, and to understand the worldview and ideas that led up to the worldview and ideas expressed in the New Testament. This will highlight the connection with the Old Testament, and all that God had been doing with His people Israel in preparation for the revelation of Jesus in the New Testament.

This module will also give you an introduction to the geography in which the New Testament took place, and the actual literary documents that make up the New Testament. But this course will begin with a brief introduction why and how to read and study the New Testament most profitably.

Module Objectives and Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, the student will:

  • Favorably consider the necessity of and the means to study the New Testament.
  • Articulate the 'Big-Picture' history and the 'Big-Idea' themes of the New Testament.
  • Place the major historical events and people of the Intertestamental Period in a general chronology.
  • Articulate the connectedness of the Old Testament to the New Testament.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the literary divisions of the New Testament Scriptures.

Course Documents

In this section, you'll find links to important and supplemental documents for this module. Click the following links to open each document. The first group contains documents that explain and give instruction for all the course activities in this module. The second group is a set of blank lecture notes which you may use as a companion for the video lectures. And the last group contains overview and supplemental documents for some of the topics covered in this module.

Instruction Guides


Lecture Notes


Supplemental Documents


Lecture Videos

In this section, you will find the video lectures for all the introductory course material module. They are designed to be watched in order, but each video should make sense on its own. Click each thumbnail to open access to each video. There are also links with each video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface or download just the audio to listen offline.

1: Why Study the New Testament?

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1: Why Study the New Testament?
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2: How to Study the New Testament

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2: How to Study the New Testament
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3: The Old Testament Background

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3: The Old Testament Background
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4: The Intertestamental Background

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4: The Intertestamental Background
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5: The Social Background

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5: The Social Background
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6: The Kingdom of God Background

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6: The Kingdom of God Background
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7: NT History Overview

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7: NT History Overview
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8: NT Themes

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9: NT Geography

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10: NT Literature

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10: NT Literature
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Reviews

In this section, you will find the review slides from the course lectures for module 1. This is a convenient way to view and review the summaries for each lecture. Click the Thumbnail picture to begin the slide show.

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Click the prev. and next buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.

Review Quiz

This section is a link to a review quiz to test your understanding of the objective material for Module 1. By clicking the link, you will be taken to a series of questions, in random order. Answer each question and then push the Submit button to check your answers. Every question must be answered before you can submit the quiz. At the end, you will be shown your score for the entire quiz. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once. Click the Thumbnail picture to begin the quiz.

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Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this module's lectures. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.


All the Jews that went to Babylon returned to the promised land.

True

Sorry, see Lecture 03

False

Well Done
Which was NOT a huge influence on life in New Testament times?

Egyptian Oppression

Good Job

Old Testament Religion

Sorry, see Lecture 05

Roman Political Power

Sorry, see Lecture 05

Greek Culture

Sorry, see Lecture 05
"Disciple" means "learner" or "student" and refers to Jesus's followers.

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 07
It is a problem and a danger to try to hear the Word of God while ignoring His words to us in history.

True

Good job

False

Sorry, see Lecture 02
Which of these books is placed in a category by itself, because it is so different from all other NT books?

Galatians

Sorry, see Lecture 10

Matthew

Sorry, see Lecture 10

Revelation

Correct

Philemon

Sorry, see Lecture 10

Jude

Sorry, see Lecture 10

Hebrews

Sorry, see Lecture 10
What is the Septuagint?

Part of the later Jewish Talmud that explained and added traditions to the Torah

Sorry, see Textbook ch. 2

A Jewish Religious group that lived in the desert

Sorry, see Textbook ch. 2

One of the political divisions of the promised land

Sorry, see Textbook ch. 2

A Translation of the Old Testament into Greek

Well Done
God's overarching purpose in the Old Testament was described as making Himself (His Name) known.

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 03
The Kingdom of God is not primarily God's reign, but the realm over which He rules

True

Sorry, see Lecture 06

False

Good Job
As the good news of Jesus spread to wider territories, it also spread to different cultures and ethnic groups.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 09
Which of these is NOT part of the nature of the Bible?

It becomes the Word of God as we read and believe it

Well done, It is the Word of God even before we read it

It comes to us in human words

Sorry, see Lecture 02

It is the Word of God

Sorry, see Lecture 02

It comes to us in history

Sorry, see Lecture 02
The Jews won political independence for a time during the intertestamental period.

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
We can know God's big picture plan for the universe, because He has made it known

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 01
Jesus fulfilled their expectations about the Kingdom of God in ways they did not expect, and so He had to correct their expectations.

True

Well done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 06
Which of these is NOT a main theme of the New Testament?

The dawn of the next age in Christ

Sorry, see Lecture 08

The people of God - the church

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Hope and faith

Sorry, see Lecture 08

The victory over evil

Sorry, see Lecture 08

The future of Israel

Correct

The identity of Christ

Sorry, see Lecture 08
Part of the expansion of the early church was to gather believers in Christ into local congregations.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 07
In the time of Jesus, Judea was controlled directly by Rome, under Roman governors

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 09
The Jewish religion at the time of Christ considered doctrines more important than life and lifestyle.

True

Sorry, see Textbook ch. 2

False

Well Done
Jesus disagreed with and resisted everything the Pharisees said and did.

True

Sorry, see Lecture 05

False

Correct
According to course material, Which of these is NOT one of the problems that people in the intertestamental times wrestled with?

Israel continued to suffer oppression under foreign nations

Sorry, see Lecture 06

Not all of the people had returned from the Babylonian exile

Good Job

God had stopped speaking to Israel through the prophets

Sorry, see Lecture 06
The return from Babylon both renewed and crushed Jewish nationalistic hopes.

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 03
According to the textbook, which of these is NOT a characteristic of apocalyptic thought?

Stress on the sovereignty of God

Sorry, see Textbook ch. 2

Cosmic struggle between good and evil

Sorry, see Textbook ch. 2

The ultimate triumph of God

Sorry, see Textbook ch. 2

Stress on human wisdom and strength

Correct
The church also expanded to Asia and Africa, but the New Testament mostly narraties its expansion to Asia Minor and Europe.

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 09
The dream of the statue and the dream of the beasts in Daniel both refer to the same series of Empires.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
The New Testament is actually a collection of 27 individual writings gathered into one library

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 10
The Gospel writers purposely connect Jesus with the OT

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 03
Which is NOT a reason given to study the NT?

To know God's plan

Sorry, see Lecture 01

To know eternal life

Sorry, see Lecture 01

To know yourself

Sorry, see Lecture 01

To bring about the Kingdom of God

Good Job

To grow as a disciple

Sorry, see Lecture 01

To know Jesus

Sorry, see Lecture 01
Which of these is NOT a Major division of the New Testament literature?

Prophets

Well Done

Pauline Epistles

Sorry, see Lecture 10

Historical Books

Sorry, see Lecture 10

General Epistles

Sorry, see Lecture 10

Revelation

Sorry, see Lecture 10
Which of these is NOT an OT epoch given in the survey of the Old Testament History?

Exodus-Conquest

Sorry, see Lecture 03

Apostolic Age

Good Job

Prehistory

Sorry, see Lecture 03

Exile-Return

Sorry, see Lecture 03

Patriarchs

Sorry, see Lecture 03

Monarchy

Sorry, see Lecture 03
The Old Testament is overall, a history of humanity's failure to live up to our side of the covenant with God, and to show the need for salvation that does not come from humanity.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 03
Which of these does NOT contribute to the expectations about the Kingdom of God?

The continuation of David's descendents as kings over Israel

Well Done

The promises and expectation of the Messiah

Sorry, see Lecture 06

The promises and predictions of the prophets

Sorry, see Lecture 06

The concept of the "Day of the Lord"

Sorry, see Lecture 06

Discussion/Reflection/Essay Questions

This section contains questions for further thought and discussion from Module 1. These questions can also be used as essay questions in a classroom setting exam. These questions are chosen randomly from a larger bank of questions, so you can refresh the page for more options. It is recommended that you take time to think through these issues in order to thoroughly grasp the significance and explore the application of the material you are learning. Click the Thumbnail to view the questions.

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The following questions are for your thoughtful consideration and discussion:

  1. Describe in general what you have learned about the background and nature of the New Testament. How will this knowledge help you to understand the New Testament better?
  2. List and describe two major themes and ideas found in the NT? How do these ideas contribute to the message of the NT?
  3. Describe how the Old Testament both prepared for and predicted the coming of Jesus. What does this tell us about Jesus and His mission?
  4. Describe the ways that God had prepared the world for the coming of Christ and the spread of Christianity. Describe how these things may have aided the spread of Christianity.
  5. According to the course textbook, why should we STUDY the New Testament in addition to just reading it devotionally?

Module Completed!

Congratulations, you have reached the end of the first module. I hope that you have found it rewarding and have noticed personal growth.

I encourage you to continue on the next module as soon as is convenient. The button below will take you to Module 2.