NEW BIBLE STUDY ANNOUNCED, THURSDAYS 5:30 - 6:30 PM
What can the Old and New Testaments teach us about who we once were? What does our faith find in new scholarly understandings of these texts? Find out in these two courses that shed new light on the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. In The Old Testament, award-winning Professor Amy-Jill Levine uses interesting or prominent passages from the Old Testament as examples of how to apply particular methods of interpretation to the Bible. We will not only probe the content of the biblical books of the Old Testament, but we will also explore debates over their meaning, the historical and cultural situations they reflect and address, and the critical methods used to interpret them.
Then, draw on modern biblical scholarship, recent archaeological discoveries, and careful literary analysis to trace the history of the New Testament and the early Christian community in The New Testament. Taught by expert religious scholar and Professor Bart D. Ehrman, these 24 lectures provide us with a carefully reasoned understanding of the New Testament. We will study the entire canon—from the Gospel of Mark to the Book of Revelation—from a respectful and scholarly perspective. At the end of both of these illuminating courses, we will strengthen our appreciation of what these two texts say and their enormous impact on both Western civilization and the daily lives of so many people.
This course will be offered on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. We will view the 30-minute lecture on DVD, then have time for our discussion. This course will start in Advent, on December 3, and will continue for the next year.
SUNDAYS, 9:30 - 10:15 AM
Please join the Rev. Gary Meade for an ongoing Bible Study. Each Sunday, after an opening time for prayer, the class will read and discuss the Gospel lesson appointed for the day.
No preparation is required, though persons may wish to read the lesson beforehand. All of the week’s lessons may be found online at www.io.com/~kellywp. Saint Mary’s is immensely grateful to the Rev. Bob Rose who has done a masterful job of leading Sunday morning Bible Study for so long but who is now pursuing other opportunities in ministry in his work at a funeral home.
All adults are encouraged to join us for these meaningful explorations of Scripture. The class meets in the parish office reception room each Sunday at 9:30 am and concludes by 10:15, making this convenient for those attending either Sunday service.
WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Book Club meets on Wednesday evenings. Each week we gather for dinner (prepared by a volunteer) and to discuss one short story with Christian themes.