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Building Biblical Theology

  1. Lesson One
    What is Biblical Theology?
    3 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  2. Lesson Two
    Synchronic Synthesis of the Old Testament
    3 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  3. Lesson Three
    Diachronic Development in the Old Testament
    3 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  4. Lesson Four
    Contours of New Testament Biblical Theology
    3 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  5. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Lesson Overview

Faithful Christians have always recognized the importance of the progress of biblical history, especially as it relates to humanity’s fall into sin and to God’s redemptive work. The discipline of biblical theology arose as a means to study this progress in responsible ways. Much like systematic theology, biblical theology organizes theological ideas in ways that increase our understanding of Scripture. But whereas systematic theology organizes its ideas according to topics, biblical theology organizes its findings in historical periods or epochs. Used rightly, biblical theology is a powerful and helpful tool for interpreting and applying the Bible.

Lesson Objectives

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

  • Express their thoughts and attitudes regarding the approach of synchronic synthesis as used in biblical theology
  • Identify a) the meaning and importance of synchronic synthesis, b) the meaning of “that world” and “their world” as seen by Old Testament writers, c) literary conventions used in Old Testament poetry, d) norms regarding comprehensiveness, precision, and objectivity that were followed by Old Testament authors as they narrated history, e) various sources from which we can discern theological structures, and f) examples of different levels of synthetic theological structures that can be discerned as we study a period of Old Testament history
  • Express how the lesson has changed their lives particularly in their attitudes toward the study of the Old Testament

Personal Reflection

As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
What role should logic play in the interpretation of Scripture as you seek to apply the Bible today?