We launch this new webinar series on the New Testament’s non-Pauline letter by examining Colossians.  Who wrote it, and did Paul authorize it in his name?  We’ll examine the issues the young Gentile-populated church faced and how that applies to the Church's contemporary challenges.  Ethical teachings of Colossians are highlighted, as well as the Colossian church’s important role in the evangelizing efforts that grew from the Colossian church.  What can it teach us about our efforts to share the Good News?

Egypt is one of the most mentioned places in the Bible beyond Canaan. It figures prominently in Genesis and Exodus, through the patriarchs and Moses, and in the books of Kings and Chronicles.  The latter captures how Israel’s many kings encountered Egypt and that effect on Israel’s development.  We’ll examine how Matthew portrays the holy family’s movement into Egypt, and the number of notable Egyptians referenced throughout the Scriptures.  Because Madelon will be in Egypt in late January, footage from important sites, such as St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai, will be played.

Biblical historians have long thought Paul did not write this letter, but who did, and to what end? What are its key themes, and what does it say about Paul’s evangelizing strategies?  We’ll explore how a second-generation Christian – an individual converted by Paul – probably founded this church in the Lycus Valley of today’s Turkey and continued to pastor it through this letter.  Another Biblical figure, Philemon, is thought to have lived in Colossae and received the only letter to an individual from the Apostle Paul.  

Titus examines yet another traveling companion of Paul who is also a Gentile, like Luke.  He is most famous for his time at the Apostolic Assembly when he accompanies Paul and may have been circumcised voluntarily.  Was he there to prove a point to the Jewish elders present who were part of the leadership of the early Christian Church?  We’ll explore the role Titus might have played for Paul with the Corinthian church, which gave the Apostle much to meet.  

Nowhere in the Bible, except for the Hebrew prophet, Jeremiah, is Biblical writing as revealing, transparent, and autobiographical as Paul’s Letters.  That’s part of why they are so remarkable to ponder.