Topic I
Special Launch pricing ends on October 31. Last chance to save $7.49.
A New On-Demand Class
What would Jesus do? That may be the wrong question.
The Gospels as Guides
The Bible is not an answer book, and “what would Jesus do?” isn’t always a helpful question to ask. Jesus did not live in a participatory democracy; his social media consisted of meeting people in person; his miracles cannot be replicated; and his demands for divestment, rejection of family ties, and acceptance of the role of slave are difficult to grasp—if not incomprehensible or even obscene—for modern people.
From family values to economics and health care, from the language of slavery to inter-ethnic relations, Jesus’ parables, healings, instructions, and debates help readers navigate both community responsibility and personal ethics. Further, locating Jesus in the world of first-century Jewish life not only helps prevent the antisemitism that frequently accompanies Christian teaching, it also shows how Jesus, in continuity with the Scripture of Israel, offers nourishing guidance rather than pie-in-the-sky promises.
Recorded live for The Bible for Normal People, the class is taught by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, a New Testament scholar who is not a Christian and who, in her own words, just thinks Jesus is fabulous.
Format
On-demand video
Length
One class · 90 min
Included
Recording, Q&A & slides
Access
Lifetime, watch anytime
Instructor
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies · Hartford International University for Religion and Peace
Amy Jill Levine ("AJ") is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt. Her publications include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, and, with Marc Brettler, The Bible With and Without Jesus. With Brettler, she also co-edited The Jewish Annotated New Testament. She is the first Jew to teach the New Testament at Rome's Pontifical Biblical Institute and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. AJ identifies as an unorthodox member of an Orthodox synagogue and a Yankee Jewish feminist who challenges exclusionary biblical interpretations.
The complete ninety-minute class, yours on demand with lifetime access. Watch it in one sitting or return to it whenever you like.
The live question-and-answer session that followed the class, where Dr. Levine takes the questions the audience actually brought, from the Canaanite woman to the Book of Revelation.
Dr. Levine’s full slide deck to download and keep, packed, in her words, with more detail than she could read aloud: the passages, the parallels, and the references to follow up.
$1 from every registration is donated to charity: water, bringing clean water to people in need.
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Special Launch Price: 30% Off Through 10/31
Regular Price $24.95 Special Launch $17.46 Ends October 31
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The full ninety-minute class with Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, the recorded live Q&A session that followed it, and her downloadable class slides. Everything is on demand, with lifetime access.
No. It was taught live and recorded, and that recording is now available on demand. You can start watching immediately and return to it as often as you like.
About ninety minutes, including the audience Q&A. It is designed to be watched in a single sitting.
Five: economics (“There was a rich man who…”), the legacy of slavery (“We are worthless slaves…”), us vs. them (“Go nowhere among the gentiles”), healthcare (“You can make me clean”), and family values (“Hate your father, mother, spouse, and children”). Dr. Levine opens with a short method for reading any difficult passage, then takes the five in turn. The recorded Q&A ranges further: the Canaanite woman, the Sermon on the Mount, the parable of the dishonest manager, prophecy, the Book of Revelation, and what the Bible does and does not say about abortion.
No. Dr. Levine is explicit that the Gospels help us ask the right questions rather than hand us answers, and the class is about what the texts say, to whom, and in what setting. Where she offers her own view she says so, and she is just as clear about where the honest argument remains open.
Not at all. Dr. Levine herself is Jewish, not Christian, and this is a historical and interpretive class, not a devotional one. Whether you are a believer, a skeptic, or simply curious about what the Gospels actually say on these issues, you will find it genuinely rewarding.
No prior knowledge is required. Every passage is read in English and introduced as it comes up, and Dr. Levine builds each argument from the ground up.
Once you have purchased, you will receive instructions by email to log in to our online course platform, ThriveCart Learn. The class, the Q&A, and the slides are all waiting there. If you are a member of Biblical Studies Academy (BSA), your access will also be available inside the community.
Yes. The class is yours with lifetime access. Watch it on any device, on your own schedule, and come back to it as often as you like.
Yes. The class includes closed captions.
We accept PayPal and all major credit cards.
Absolutely. If you don’t love the class, send us an email at support@bartehrman.com within 30 days of purchase and we will refund every penny.