Myth and Biblical Interpretation: Reading through Ancient Eyes (3 lectures)

If two or more of the following sound like you, this course may be a good fit.

• The New Testament feels flat because you are unfamiliar with its first-century culture and worldview.
• You want to understand how biblical authors used mythological language.
• You enjoy Greek and Roman mythology but feel that being Christian means you should avoid it.
• You worry that your biblical interpretation depends too much on personal impressions and want a firmer foundation.

About the course

A course by Sanghwan Lee, an active scholar in contemporary Korean biblical studies.

Explore the Greco-Roman culture and mythological worldviews behind New Testament texts. What did myth mean to their earliest audiences, and how did biblical authors use or challenge it? This course invites a richer, more contextual reading of Scripture.

Difficulty: ★★
Provocativeness: ★★

Editor's note: An accessible course on the sound principle that background knowledge matters when reading Scripture. Easy to follow, with plenty to think about.

Instructor

Professor Sanghwan Lee

Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Author of God among Humans and numerous other books and scholarly articles

Course contents

Lecture 1: Why Do We Need Myth? (45:48)

Lecture 2: Myth as Biblical Background (47:49)

Lecture 3: Applying It to Biblical Interpretation (24:32)

These videos are remastered from lectures at an online Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary conference.