Historical studies involve both ancient history, mostly centering on the Old Testament and Christian history beginning with and centering on the New Testament church.

Hebrew History

History of the Old Testament from the call of Abram (Genesis 12) through the Exile to Assyria and Babylon, as recorded in 2 Kings 17; 24-25; 2 Chronicles 33; 36; Isaiah 39 - 66; Jeremiah 25; 39; 52; Ezekiel 1 - 3; 8 - 11; 37; Daniel 1; 3; 6 - 12.

Second Temple Judaism 1

History of the Nation Israel beginning with their release from exile around 516 BC to the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, as recorded in Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, 1 & 2 Chronicles and Isaiah 40 - 66.  

Second Temple Judaism 2

This course covers the history of Judah from the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem c 516 BC to the destruction of the Temple by Rome in AD 70, including the renovation and expansion project of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by Herod the Great from 19 -  9 or 8 BC, up to the time of Jesus’ birth in c. 6 - 4 BC.  The objective is to give students an historically correct appreciation of the world in which Jesus lived, the church was born and Christianity got its start.  For purposes of this course we will focus on several apocalyptic and pseudojepigraphical writings that record, in some detail, the history and culture of that time, sometimes referred to as the “400 Silent Years.”  The writings we will use include:

Apocryphal Books (from the Roman Catholic Canon)

      1. 1 & 2 Maccabees
      2. Tobit
      3. Judith

Pseudepigraphal Books (extra-canonical writings)

      1. 1 Enoch (Ethiopic Enoch)
      2. Jubilees
      3. The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
      4. The Psalms of Solomon
      5. The Letter of Aristeas