I am so grateful that Trinity offered The New Testament Background class. My desire is to teach a fuller, deeper and richer panorama of the Bible; this class has definitely affected my understanding and therefore my teaching of the New Testament.
Concepts such as ‘Honor & Shame’ widened my understanding of the ‘underlying’ importance of the genealogy lists and pedigree of Jesus and why the question was asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” In fact, on a recent trip to Jordan, I spoke with a Jordanian man who gave a present day honor and shame example he was living! The only reason I was aware of this paradigm was because of this class. This class too grew my limited knowledge of the Intertestamental Period. To grasp what life and society was like when God came to earth in the man Jesus is so necessary and helpful!
The ‘Challenge/Riposte’ paradigm completely changed how I understand the public interactions between the religious leaders/Pharisees and Jesus. This was one of my favorite New Testament background concepts learned.
Another paradigm that increased my understanding of the person and character of God was the principle of ‘Patronage and Grace’
To better understand and apply the Bible, one must better understand the society and people originally being spoken to.
Professor Pritchett is knowledgeable and engaging. His passion for this subject is evident.
I highly recommend this class and would like to see it expanded!
In Christ,
Beverly Kelling
M.A. Biblical Studies Major