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NTS205/NTS505: Four Portraits, One Jesus
The BibleMesh Institute

NTS205/NTS505: Four Portraits, One Jesus

The Gospels record the “greatest story ever told,” the events of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. To study the Gospels is to study the foundation of Christianity.

At a Glance

  • Assigned proctor to guide you through the course and provide extra assignments
  • Access to all course material—video lectures; lessons; key concept reviews, and quizzes
  • Access to the Cerego learning system to build memory retention of course objectives
  • $250 per month access to complete the course at your own pace

Advanced

120 hours


Only enroll in this course if you have applied to the BibleMesh Institute, been accepted and directed to take this course.

More Details

Based on the popular textbook Four Portraits, One Jesus by Mark L. Strauss, is a thorough yet accessible introduction to the Four Gospels and their subject, the life and person of Jesus. Like different artists rendering the same subject using different styles and points of view, the Gospel authors paint four highly distinctive portraits of the same remarkable Jesus.

With clarity and insight, this course illuminates these four books, first addressing their nature, origin, methods for study, and historical, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Moving then into a closer study of each narrative and its contribution to our understanding of Jesus, investigating elements such as plot, characters, and theme; the course finally pulls it all together with a detailed examination of what the Gospels teach about Jesus’ ministry, message, death, and resurrection, with excursions into the quest for the historical Jesus and the historical reliability of the Gospels.

All course material—instructional videos, readings, practical exercises, and quizzes—is available online for study at your own convenience.

Course Outline

  1. What Are the Gospels?
  2. Exploring the Origin and Nature of the Gospels
  3. Reading and Hearing the Gospel Stories
  4. The Historical Setting of the Gospels
  5. The Religious, Social, and Cultural Settings of the Gospels
  6. Mark
  7. Matthew
  8. Luke
  9. [MIDTERM]
  10. John
  11. Searching for the Real Jesus
  12. Historical Reliability of the Gospels
  13. Contours and Chronology of Jesus’ Ministry
  14. Jesus’ Birth, Childhood, and Early Ministry
  15. Message and Miracles of Jesus
  16. Messianic Words and Actions of Jesus
  17. Death and Resurrection of Jesus
  18. [FINAL EXAM]