N. T. Wright - The New Testament in Its World Workbook: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians

Think about a book you have read that has had a deep impact on you, such as a novel, a mystery-thriller, a biography, a real-crime book, a childrens book, a history book, a political manifesto, or something in nonfiction. Then answer this question: Why did the book have such an impact on me?

[Your Response Here]

Now think about the New Testament, your favourite part of it, the parts you might not know so well, parts that unsettle you, and verses you can recite from memory. Then answer this question: Why does the New Testament matter to me, my family, and my church?

[Your Response Here]

In The New Testament in Its World we make the following claim:

The biblical drama is the heaven-and-earth story, the story of God and the world, of creation and covenant, of creation spoiled and covenant broken, and then of covenant renewed and creation restored. The New Testament is the book where all this comes in to land, and it lands in the form of an invitation: this can be and should be your story, my story, the story which makes sense of us, which restores us to sense after the nonsense of our lives, the story which breathes hope into a world of chaos, and love into cold hearts and lives.

How can studying the New Testament help you make the biblical story become your story?

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The New Testament is not just a story we read; it is a story a drama even in which we participate. The two main things the New Testament drives us to are w________p and m________n.

Why study the New Testament? Fill in the blanks from the list of words below.

The New Testament is designed to draw us into the story of ________, to rescue the world from ________ and ________, and to launch his new transformative ________.

chaos, Gods plan, creation, idolatry

What do we lose if we forget that the New Testament is history?

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What do we lose if we forget that the New Testament is literature?

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What do we lose if we forget that the New Testament is theology?

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The New Testament as History

What event in the biblical story do you wish you could have witnessed in person?

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Provide one example of how knowing some historical background helps you better understand something in the New Testament.

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Discuss one way the ancient world of first-century Judea is very different from your own twenty-first-century context.

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Why is retrieving and understanding the past fraught with problems?

a. Sources can be sparse and open to interpretation.

b. Historians can be biased and project their biases into their research.

c. Historians need to be aware of diverse sources and various disciplines, including ancient languages and literature, archaeology, sociology, and philosophy.

d. All of the above.

Match the view of history with its description:

modernist view	History is knowable, but it is never known independently of our own interpretation and biases.
postmodernist view	Historical knowledge is possible, objective, and definitive.
critical realist view	There is no true history, only interpretation and ideological agendas in the social science called history.

Why is it that myth can never be substituted for history in regard to Christianity? Explain your answer with references to the historical Jesus.

[Your Response Here]

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The New Testament as Literature

What do you think is the most beautiful part of the New Testament? Maybe the Lords Prayer, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus discussion with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Pauls ode to love in 1 Corinthians 13, the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, the throne scene in Revelation 5, or something else?