1 Corinthians (day 1063-1078)

1 Corinthians 1 (day 1063) 28 November 2012 1-3: Corinth, located on the isthmus between Greece and the Peloponnesus, was the “sin city” of Paul’s day. It was a major trading center, the Corinthian Gulf to the north and Saronic Gulf to the southeast providing ships with safe navigation away from the open sea. The… Continue reading 1 Corinthians (day 1063-1078)

Romans (day 1047-1062)

Romans 1 (day 1047) 12 November 2012           There are 22 books remaining in the Bible, and 21 of them are letters (though a couple of them read more like sermons). The majority of scholars accept the traditional designation of Romans as a genuine letter of Paul’s. It is dictated by Paul to a companion… Continue reading Romans (day 1047-1062)

Acts (day 1019-1046)

Acts 1 (day 1019) 15 October 2012 1-5: The introduction tells us that this book is written by the same person who wrote the gospel of Luke, and is addressed to the same Theophilus. In contrast to Matthew (28:16), Mark (16:7) and John (21:1), Luke/Acts has the disciples remaining in Jerusalem until the day of… Continue reading Acts (day 1019-1046)

John (day 998-1018)

John 1 (day 998) 24 September 2012 1-5: John’s gospel is generally considered to be the last of the four chronologically as well as last in the arrangement of our Bibles. The so-called “prologue” (verses 1-18) reads more like a Greek philosophical text than a historical narrative. Indeed, John includes very little historical narrative; his… Continue reading John (day 998-1018)

Luke (day 974-997)

Luke 1 (day 974) 31 August 2012 1-4: The author does not reveal his name, but it has been ascribed to Luke the physician (see Colossian 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 1:24) since the early days of the church. In recent centuries more attention has probably been given to the identity of Theophilus. The name… Continue reading Luke (day 974-997)

Mark (day 958-973)

Mark 1 (day 958) 15 August 2012 1-8: Mark’s gospel begins with the mission of John the baptizer at the Jordan River, skipping over Jesus’ childhood altogether. Mark’s gospel is characterized by urgency. He uses the word “immediately” 28 times (compared to 12 in Matthew, 13 in Luke and 2 in John). John’s announcement in… Continue reading Mark (day 958-973)

Matthew (day 930-957)

Matthew 1 (day 930) 18 July 2012              1: The book itself does not claim to be the work of Matthew. It came to be accepted as “the gospel according to Matthew” as it circulated through the church in the early second century. I like to translate this verse, “A record of the life of… Continue reading Matthew (day 930-957)

Malachi (day 926-929)

Malachi 1 (day 926) 14 July 2012              1: Scholars tend to date Malachi somewhere around 450 B.C., after the exiles have returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple. It is a time when Jerusalem and Judah are part of a relatively minor Persian administrative district; the reference to “governor” rather than “king” lends credence… Continue reading Malachi (day 926-929)

Zechariah (day 912-925)

Zechariah 1 (day 912) 30 June 2012              Zechariah is a mixture of historical narratives, prophetic oracles and apocalyptic visions. Scholars have long suspected that the book is a collection of writings from several authors, Jeremiah being one favorite nominee. We will not spend too much time trying to figure this out, but will simply… Continue reading Zechariah (day 912-925)

Haggai (day 910-911)

Haggai 1 (day 910) 28 June 2012              1-6: The date given in the first line has been worked out by scholars to be August 29, 520 B.C. Haggai is mentioned at Ezra 5:1 and 6:14 along with Zechariah, whose book follows this one, but little else is known about him. His book is a… Continue reading Haggai (day 910-911)