On my way to Bible study I grabbed my wife’s (catholic) Bible in error. It’s different! I wanted to know how the Bible was put together and also the historical contexts of the various New Testament scriptures. The professor explains things very well, provides historical backdrop, and is entertaining. There are other sources for a theological history. Thank you very much.

Great presentations by Dale Martin. Enjoyed every single lecture.

I will admit that I’ve only listed to episode 11, regarding the Johannine Literature. Dr. Martin is very irresponsible with the context and culture of the text, not considering the underlying ethos of the early church. It’s surreal this is a course taught at Yale.

This was a good course which provided many new insights to me. However, the professor was frequently a snarky with his students about their lack of class participation.

Martin covers a great deal of material in a relatively brief time without making you feel like you're missing something. I appreciated his approach that one should be skeptical even of the professor. He doesn't belittle more conservative views while he speaks of his own, which is sometimes hard to come by. I recommend this course to Christians across the spectrum, from liberal to conservative, for its scholarship and approachability and especially for its open challenge to examine your beliefs and opinions.

Now THIS course is a perfect shining example of why Yale is brilliant. I wish there was ITunes U when I was at school - it is the best example of why some universities and university lecturers are better than others, Professor Martin is exemplary on how to teach and I am an avid fan and can hope and dream Yale will put up more lectures from him!!!! P.S the 1 star reviews are from god-botherers more interested in defending jahweh from study than from being agape at such perfect lectures that make going to class a treat! THIS is what learning should be all about!

As a former Religous Studies/Philosophy major, this is great! I definitely hope all, religious and non-religious, can check it out. I don't subscribe to Christianity, but I certainly enjoy reading the texts as literature and pure philosophy. For those looking for DIVINITY, this is NOT the course for you. You will only enjoy the course if you enter it with an OPEN MIND -- this goes to the non-religous affiliated as well.

I only watched the first class and found that though Dr Martin is entertaining and convincing, some of what he says is untrue. It seems that he may be a historian, but his actual knowledge of scripture is suspect. You should look at his work as critically as you would any other work. Take these courses with a grain of salt. They are taught in a university that is no longer a religious institute which has God's best interests in mind. If you watch this you should also balance it with courses from Dr. Darrell L. Bock at Dallas Theological Seminary (on itunes as well) or other Christian institutes. This will give you both both a secular and Christian perspective on New Testament history. The errors are subtle and you need to know scripture and have a keen ear to catch them. Here is one example; the good doctor said (paraphrasing) that the concept of our souls living eternally is not a Biblical Christian concept, it is a concept that came from the Greeks. The concept of having a soul was always one the Hebrews held. The first commandment is "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your SOUL and with all your strength." Paul wrote, "1 Thessalonians 5:23 "May your whole spirit, SOUL and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Let's not forget Jesus himself made it clear man has both body and soul. Matthew 10:28 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Also: What both Paul and Jesus, both are Hebrews, said suggest the soul is eternal.) 2 Corinthians 4:16 speaks about the immortality of the soul. He wrote about the “outward” man and the “inward” man, a contrast of the body and soul. In the same verses he says the body is temporal and the other is “eternal.” The implication obviously means that the “inward man,” (the soul), is eternal. This was not a concept that was influenced by the Greeks, eternal life was know to the Old Testament Hebrew prophets as well. Daniel 12:2 "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt." Jews today still teach that the dead will be resurrected and live eternally. If there is a resurrection of the dead and the resurrected have a new body, it is the soul not the physical body that passes from this life to the next. Peter wrote of how the soul can be saved, "1 Peter 1:8-9 "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your SOULS." In the book of Revelation Jesus speaks of men having both body and soul. He speaks of how the souls of martyrs will be glorified in heaven. Clearly if these souls are in heaven they must be eternal.

I was just browsing for some literature on the bible (historically) and found this series of lectures, I've enjoyed watching and listening to these a lot!

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this class. Dr. Martin is very engaging and has wonderfully dry sense of humor. This walk through the New Testatment from a historical point of view is a great journey for someone who wants to understand the context of what is going on in the first century and why things may have been written the way they wewer.

Keep in mind that these are NOT theological lectures (read the title and subtitles). It seem that the low stars rating were from people in the wrong classroom :) The professor does not claim his lectures are theological or devotional studies of the NT. In fact he makes it clear that he is not a theologian or at list a good one. His focus is on the historical criticism of the NT.

Professor Martin is an unusually outstanding presenter of an information-filled series of lectures. I am on my third viewing and still hang on the entirety of the series. I might add that I am 70 and particularly appreciate Prof. Martin's enthusiastic and informed offerings for kindling my spirit from an ember to a blaze. Thank you Yale and Dr. Martin. Those checking out this availability, hit subscribe or download now. You will be gratified too.

This course isn't for everyone. I am a Christian, but I like this course because it challenged and informed me. Personally, I don't think you can accurately interpret the New Testament unless you understand the culture and time that it was written. The NT is not a book that dropped out of the sky into the lap of saint-like Apostles; Paul struggled with sin just like the rest of us. The critical-historical study of the NT taken on in this course made me feel the reality of Christianity. I could put myself into the shoes of guys who lived a long time ago and imagine how I would react if I woke up and found out the guy I thought was the Jewish messiah turned out to be the God of Israel. This course, though critical, brings the shock of history alive (at least for me). Would I recommend it to a Christian who likes to think of the bible in terms of inerrancy? No way. On the other hand, if you are a Christian and you want to feel the reality of history -- and you can handle the idea that the bible is messy -- go for it. After watching the series I still think Jesus is God, I still think Jesus was a man, I still think Jesus physically resurrected from the dead, I still love the NT documents as sources of truth, I still love the church, I still have a trinitarian view, I still believe in salvation, I still believe in life after death, and I could go on. But this course helped me understand the issues that the Apostles were dealing with -- ok, the disciples of the Apostles in some cases -- and gave me insight into what they were trying to teach and what they were trying to teach against. Finally, despite the fact the professor is critical, I like him because he is honest and analytical. He's trying to teach, not indoctrinate.

I don't get the problem. I'm as Christian (Catholic) as anybody else but this is a history course not one in theology. He makes that clear from the start and repeats that theme during the course. As a history class I enjoyed it. That's all it is. As a course in theology, it falls flat. But that's not what it is

Very simply, this professor regurgitates Bart Ehrman and other faithless scholars.Same old same old. For a more balanced view , check out Luke Timothy Johnson's series on the Bible or the Gospels via the Teaching Company. LTJ earned his doctorate at Yale and is a professor at Emory.

The lecturer focuses on the details of the new testament to debunk Christianity as a whole, failing to see the big picture of the new testament which fits into the first century. Just another liberal professor making flimsy argument against the Bible in a covert way but failing miserably...

What a stage for an ignorant!!!...assumptions of minds influenced by media (media = junk)

You will enjoy this course and have a good laugh at the Bible together with Sir Martin, if you an atheist or such.