Week 2 of the module sees David focussing on the prologue and epilogue to the book of Ecclesiastes. He shows how this remarkable book of the Bible helps us adopt a true perspective: he offers four helpful ‘keys’ to understanding the book, and then highlights four main emphases in the book.

In this first session, David Gibson introduces the Bible’s ‘Wisdom Literature’, explaining why it’s purpose is to help you live what he describes as the ‘limited’ life, and posing the challenging question – ‘what if the best way to change your life is to change your death?’ Chock-full of illustrations, quotes, and practical application, this opening session will whet your appetite for more!

In this final session of the module, Duncan takes you to what’s sometimes called the ‘hymnbook’ of the early church. He shows how carefully structured the psalter is and works through the different ‘types’ of psalms which the five books comprise: he explains the various forms of ‘parallelism’ which constitute the essence of Hebrew poetry, and shows how this informs your understanding. Psalms 1 and 2 are looked at in some detail on the basis that they provide the doorway to a proper and fruitful understanding of all the psalms which follow.

Duncan introduces the prophets and the ministry which they exercised. They were essentially, he explains, ‘preachers’, speaking God’s message directly into a particular time and context. It’s important, therefore, to be aware of that context, to understand the use they made of imagery, and to recognise both the function and purpose of their ministry. This session will help you the better to study this genre of Scripture material.

Duncan focusses on the gospels, explains the distinctive of each one and setting out some key principles in the reading and study of the gospels: using illustrations from the gospels themselves he identifies different components of the gospel records and shows how each is best addressed.

Duncan explains how Old Testament narrative is the record of how God has acted in history, and shows how it is to be read and understood – in a way that is always God-centred, that ties individual narratives to the ‘grand narrative’ of the story of God’s work of redemption, and that points forwards always to what, in the fulness of time, God would effect for us in and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Duncan takes the lessons from the previous session (on ‘context’) and shows how these work out when handling the Letters of the New Testament: he identifies the six regular components of these letters, explains how the letters are helpfully understood as but one side of a conversation, and through a series of practical examples illustrates how we best benefit from the teaching which these letters provide.

Duncan Ryan talks you through the importance of context, explaining why context has to be king, and, with a series of helpful illustrations, showing what that means in the way Bible passages are to be handled.

Duncan Ryan starts this module by explaining why the Bible is both dangerous and yet, when rightly handled, truly dynamic! In answer to the crucial opening question, ‘What is the Bible?’ he sets out six important truths you need to know, explains the distinctions between, and the value of, different translations, and explores (with some helpful examples) how you establish the meaning of any passage in the Bible.

In this final session of the module Jeremy McQuoid works through some of the key letters of the New Testament, showing their continuing relevance to Christians today, before providing a brief introduction to, and outline of, the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation.