I’m really excited about this one. Next month we will be presenting a new remote course on the Parables of Jesus, consisting of four lectures by Amy-Jill Levine. Amy-Jill is one of the top scholars on the historical Jesus and the Gospels on the planet, and is an unusually interesting and dynamic lecturer. If you heard her at the New Insights into the New Testament last year, or taken a Great Courses/Wondrium course with her, you’ll know what I mean. She is unusually sharp, witty, clear, engaged, challenging, and funny. Really, they don’t get any better.
The Parables course will consist of four lectures over the course of two days, July 20-21, with Q&A’s on each day. They will be given before a live/remote audience (who get to ask the questions) and you can be there yourself. If you register, you will get the video of the course itself, with additional written materials, whether you attend live or not.
NOTE: there is early bird pricing that goes till June 29 — just five days from now. AND you can get an extra discount by entering the code Blog5.
I hope you can come. I’m eager to hear it myself! Here’s the fuller informatoin.
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Many of us heard our first parables of Jesus when we were young, and learned only the simplest interpretations.
- “God forgives” – The Prodigal Son
- “Help others” – The Good Samaritan
- “Keep praying” – The Persistent Widow
But Jesus’ parables are not comfortable stories designed for children. They are provocative and profound; they both delight and discomfort.
And even for those of us who revisited the parables as adults, we often interpret them through the blurred perspective of our 21st-century mindset, missing out on the rich historical and cultural context that would reveal their full meaning.
Hearing the parables
in their proper historical context—as Jewish stories—corrects their frequent antisemitic interpretations even as it recovers the meaning and richness of Jesus’ teachings, including insights into the social roles and dynamics of first-century Jewish women, deeper economic and ethical implications, and even his humor.
Join world-renowned New Testament and Jewish Studies scholar, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine for a new, 4-lecture series.
Secure your spot today for access to the LIVE recording and Q&A on July 20th & 21st plus lifetime access to all course materials.
In our new course, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, an acclaimed scholar in New Testament and Jewish Studies, will guide you through the parables as they were likely understood by Jesus’ original audience.
Dr. Levine’s background brings a unique perspective that you won’t find elsewhere. With her deep knowledge of Jewish traditions and first-century history, Dr. Levine will reveal insights into the deeper meanings and ethical challenges embedded in the parables.
From Pearls to Prodigals, from Widows and Judges to Pharisees and Tax collectors, from the Samaritan who helps an injured man to a landowner who offers equal pay for unequal work, Dr. Levine uncovers the bedrock of Gospel interpretation that surprises, that indicts, and that prompts ethical responses.
KEY QUESTIONS EXPLORED IN THIS COURSE
- How might the first hearers of the parables, who lacked knowledge of Jesus’s death, have understood them?
- How do the Evangelists interpret the parables initially, and what are the implications of their interpretations?
- How did antisemitic interpretations of parables evolve, and what measures can be taken to rectify them?
- While many perceive the parables to focus on salvation or Christology, what insights do they offer regarding economics, ethics, insiders and outsiders, and the dynamics between the enslaved and enslavers?
- How do parables contribute to our understanding of the social roles of first-century Jewish women?
LESSON TITLES AND KEY DATES!
Mark your calendar and secure your spot for the live recording of this intriguing 4-lecture course.
July 20th – Start Time 1:00 pm EDT
- Lesson 1: Pearls and Prodigals: How to Hear a Parable
- Lesson2: Samaritans, Priests, and Levites: How History impacts Parable Interpretation
- PLUS 30 minutes of Live Q&A!
July 21st – Start Time 2:00 pm EDT
- Lesson 3: Laborers and Management in the Vineyard: How to Assess Kingdom Economics
- Lesson 4: Persevering Widow and Unjust Judge: How Parables Promote and Demote Women
- PLUS 30 minutes of Live Q&A!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to encounter the parables in a strikingly new way. Whether you’re a seasoned scholar or a curious seeker, this course promises to ignite your imagination and deepen your understanding of the Gospel narratives.
Amy Jill Levine (“AJ”) is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt. Her publications include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, and, with Marc Brettler, The Bible With and Without Jesus. With Brettler, she also co-edited The Jewish Annotated New Testament. She is the first Jew to teach the New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. AJ identifies as an unorthodox member of an Orthodox synagogue and a Yankee Jewish feminist who challenges exclusionary biblical interpretations.
Our regular price for four individual lectures would typically be $59.80*. However, you can enjoy the “Parables of Jesus” online course including lifetime access to ALL four lectures, Q&A, and bonus materials — PLUS the chance to participate in the live recording of the course — for the special early bird price of $34.95 if you purchase before June 29th at midnight EDT!
(*$14.95 each)
Registration Includes Lifetime Access to the 4-Lesson Online Course complete with:
- 4 x 50 minute lectures & 2 Q & A sessions by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine
- PDF lesson guides
- FAQ’s
- Additional reading list to dive deeper
- Audio downloads for listening on the go
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I loved Dr. Levine’s ‘Great Courses’ “Old Testament” course. So glad she’s still teaching.
Dr. Ehrman, I did want to ask about “88 Reasons Why the Rapture will Occur in 1988”. I listened to a few lectures of yours mentioning it and have been searching for it (rapturously, pardon the pun) since.
I am uncertain it even exists at this point. I temp in a library that uses USMARC cataloguing across all of the Chicago Public Library district and we don’t even have a mention of it anywhere! Amazon thinks it exists, but no copies are available, of course. I go to clearance and oddities at HPB, nothing. I go to antique bookstores, nothing. Yard sales, even, nothing. I imagine a fair amount of these books have been trashed post 1988, but 2 million copies? It has to be somewhere.
Thank you anyway for the thrill of the hunt. I always have it in the back of my mind. Any tips on finding it? Old connections from those who “sold the farm”?
//to-moderator note: perhaps this comment is not relevant. apologies, i’ll wait my turn for something rapture-related.
Well, I have two copies of it on my shelf. Sometimes, for some reason, the title is given in slightly different wording. Have you tried searching for Edgar Whisenant? A google search will give you wha you want.
This class sounds interesting and I’d like to sign up for it, however, I can’t figure out how to do so. Thank you for your assistance.
Go to http://www.bartehrman.com and click on “Online Courses”
Thank you.