Background, historical and cultural information to help you study the bible.
Geography of the New Testament
A basic understanding of the geography of the New Testament world can be helpful in Bible study. Below is a list of the major cities, provinces, seas and islands at the time of Jesus.
New Testament Priesthood
These are the principal religious and political offices in Judaism at the time of Jesus.
New Testament History from Alexander to Titus
When the Old Testament ends, Israel is under control of the Persian empire. When the New Testament begins, Israel is under Roman control. The switch occurred because of Alexander the Great. This historical background helps explain the political situation at the time of the New Testament.
Bible weights and measures
Ever wondered what a cubit is? When is the third watch? How much is a denarius, an omer or a talent? Here’s a chart of time, weights and measures found in Scripture and how to convert them.
Coins in the Bible
What’s the difference between a shekel, a denarius, and a talent? They are all coins circulating at the time of the New Testament. But one was Jewish, one Greek, and one Roman. Here’s what they were worth in relation to each other.
What was the Canaanite religion?
“Canaanite” refers to the group of polytheistic people living in the historical region of Israel and Palestine at the time of the Old Testament. Canaanite mythology centered around three primary exploits of Baal.
Introduction to Ancient Egypt
The first third of the book of Exodus takes place in Egypt. The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 400 years and were steeped in Egyptian culture. The cultural and historical setting of Exodus is ancient Egypt. Here’s a brief introduction.
Introduction to the Intertestamental Period
The time between the end of the Old Testament (400BC from the prophet Malachi) to the preaching of John the Baptist (25 AD) is known as the “intertestamental” period. Here’s an overview of what happened.
Introduction to New Testament Jewish Groups
The ancient historian Flavius Josephus identifies four rival religious philosophies among the Jews at the time of Jesus: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots.
When did the Exodus happen?
When it comes to biblical history, you can divide scholars into minimalists and maximalists. Minimalists believe almost nothing in the Old Testament is historically accurate. Maximalists believe the Old Testament is a reasonably accurate historical document. Among the maximalists, there are two main competing theories about the date of the Exodus: early and late.
Introduction to the Northern Kingdom
After the death of King Solomon, two of his sons, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, fought for the throne. When Rehoboam harshly raised taxes on the people, the 10 northern tribes rebelled and installed Jeroboam as their king, creating the northern kingdom of Israel. The two southern tribes, Benjamin and Judah, remained with Rehoboam and became the kingdom of Judah.
Introduction to the Southern Kingdom
After the death of King Solomon, two of his sons, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, fought for the throne. When Rehoboam harshly raised taxes on the people, the 10 northern tribes rebelled and installed Jeroboam as their king, creating the northern kingdom of Israel. The two southern tribes, Benjamin and Judah, remained with Rehoboam and became the kingdom of Judah.
Who was Nebuchadnezzar?
Nebuchadneeezar II was king of Babylon from 604-562 BC
Introduction to the Exile and Return
Overview and timeline of the exile of Israel and her return from captivity.
Who are the early church fathers?
The “church fathers” are the earliest writers outside of the New Testament. Their writings are not classified as apocryphal nor are they considered authoritative. They wrote to edify their fellow Christians.
Holy Spirit Resources
Resources to help you study the role and nature of the Holy Spirit.
Women in authority in the church resources
Resources to help you answer the question: Should women teach and/or have authority in the church.
Paul’s Missionary Journeys
The itinerary of Paul’s three missionary journeys on 1 map and in 1 chart with links to background information on the cities and the reference in Acts.
How many letters did Paul write to the Corinthians?
How many letters did the Apostle Paul write to the Corinthian church? The answer is not as easy as it sounds. We have two letters to the church at Corinth in our Bible, but both of these letters mention another letter. Many scholars believe Paul wrote four letters to the Corinthian church but only two of them survived. If they are right, the chronology of Paul’s correspondence and visits to Corinth might look something like this.
City of Corinth
In Paul’s time Corinth was the 2nd most important city in the Roman empire. Corinth was an exceptionally wealthy and important city in Greece.
Early Church Heresies
While not a complete list of early church heresies, these groups are the ones that the New Testament authors seem to write against and respond to most often.
Chronology of Ezra-Nehemiah
Chronology of the post exile: Ezra-Nehemiah
Chronology of the Apostle Paul
This chart gives a timeline of the major events in the life of the Apostle Paul and the dating of his letters.
Chronology of Jeremiah’s Ministry
Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah who wrote the book of Jeremiah. His name means “exaltation of the Lord.” Below is a basic chronology of his 40+ year ministry.
Kings of Israel and Judah
This chart summarizes the Kings of Israel and Judah from the crowning of Saul to the captivity of Judah.
Where was the manger and what was the inn?
You have seen, heard, and sung the Christmas story so often you can recite the details by heart. Most of what you know is likely “cultural mythology.”
Series: Bible Study 101
Top photo by Giammarco Boscaro on Unsplash
