Yale Bible Study online series to expand in time for Lent

Pastors and church leaders who are frustrated in attempts to find appropriate adult Bible study materials, or who are having difficulty generating enthusiasm for Bible study, might want to mark their calendars for January 15. By then, the online Yale Bible Study http://www.yale.edu/yalebiblestudy/ series will have added brand new video and downloadable curriculum content that will make it an ideal resource for the Lenten season.

The Yale Bible Study is a collaboration between Yale Divinity School and The Congregational Church of New Canaan, CT, whose senior minister, Harold E. Masback, III, graduated from YDS in 1994. Each of the videos in the series features interpretive conversations between two Yale-related scholars—current or emeriti faculty or Yale alumni—based on eight selected focus passages from a single book of the Bible.
Over an eight-week period, adult Bible study groups can view one of the videos and follow the accompanying curriculum, which is available free for download on the YDS web site and includes:

  • A notebook study guide for each book, written by the Yale scholars, featuring introductions to the book being studied as well as to each of the eight focus passages.
  • A suggested commentary companion.
  • All the materials needed to equip laity to lead the study in small groups.
  • A guide to converting materials from electronic format on the web to printed format.

Studies of five books of the Bible—and possibly six—will be available in January, including four that are currently online:

  • Harry Attridge, dean of Yale Divinity School, and David Bartlett ’67 B.D., ’72 Ph.D., the J. Edward Lantz and Ruth Cox Lantz Professor Emeritus of Christian Communication, on the Gospels of Luke and John, Paul’s letter to the Romans, and First Corinthians. (currently available).
  • Robert Wilson ’67 B.D., ’72 Ph.D., the Hoober Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of Old Testament at Yale, and Stephen Cook ’87 M.Div., ’92 Ph.D., the Catherine N. McBurney Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at Virginia Theological Seminary, on Second Isaiah (new).
  • David Bartlett and Allen Hilton ’97 Ph.D., minister for faith and learning at Wayzata Community Church (United Church of Christ) in Wayzata, MN, on the Gospel of Mark (new). Filming for this study will take place Jan. 9, and it is possible that the video will not be available on Jan. 15 but later in January or early February.