Online Certificate Program
BASIC CERTIFICATE IN THE JEWISH ROOTS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
The two-year ONLINE certificate program provides the student with 15 academic credit hours of study on the Jewishness of Jesus and the Christian faith towards a BA or MA degree. It is open to all students even if they have no previous academic qualifications.
- The student will acquire a proficiency in the geography of the Promised Land, as well as the biblical, historical, and theological context in which to better understand and appreciate the person and work of Jesus, the Greatest Jew of all times.
- The student will learn how the church removed the person and work Jesus from his Jewish context, as well as how post Second Temple Judaism created a buffer between the Jewish people and the Jewish Messiah.
Our online courses are designed in a self-paced format to fit the studying around your personal schedule. Registration is open all year!
- engaging video lectures from sites in Israel
- clear curriculum provided for you to follow
- fit the studying around your schedule – enroll any time during the academic year
- courses are self-paced, providing the flexibility of a six month time period
- choose when to complete your assignments and tests based on your own schedule
Online Courses include:
Biblical Geography
This course will present the basic topography and major geographic regions of the Land of Israel, give an overview of important sites mentioned in the Bible, from the time of the Patriarchs until the time of the Gospels, and teach principles of identifying the location of key Biblical sites.
The Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
This course will consider the importance of Jesus’ Jewish identity, and examine the New Testament in light of the Old Testament background. It will introduce participants to the Jewish background of the New Testament: the Jewish customs and feasts, the people groups, cultures, literature and institutions at the time of Jesus and His followers. We will also focus on God’s plan for atonement, His covenants with Israel, Messianic Prophecy, and on the historical and theological origins of the split between Judaism and Christianity.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament
This course will examine the writings, doctrines, and practices of the Qumran community as they are portrayed through the Dead Sea Scrolls in an attempt to further conceptualize the Jewish world into which Jesus came. There has been much scholarly investigation into the historical and cultural events, which shaped Second Temple Judaism—namely, the world in which Jesus lived, and in which the New Testament was written. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community depict elements of Judaism that existed before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, thus providing important insights into the Second Temple period.
The Historical Jesus of the New Testament
This course focuses on the historical Jesus of the New Testament and on the historical and cultural context in which Jesus lived. For just over 200 years, critical scholars have been saying that there is a big difference between the historical Jesus and the ‘Christ of faith’. Theories have come and gone as scholars in each new generation have tried to explain away the portrait of Jesus found in the New Testament. Our discussion with Dr. Craig Evans will reveal that the four canonical Gospels are not only reliable sources, but are the best place to discover the historical Jesus.
Jewish-Christian Relations
This course will survey the history of the Jewish people and Judaism in comparison with the history of Christianity. Instead of seeing Jesus and Judaism through the lens of later history, we will study them both in their original historical context. This course is designed to enable students to recognize and evaluate the historical events and theological beliefs that have caused controversy between Christians and Jewish people.
A word about the professors:
Dr. Craig Evans
Craig Evans, PhD, is the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins and Dean of the School of Christian Thought at Houston Baptist University in Texas.A well-known evangelical scholar throughout the world, he is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies and has authored many books and articles on Jesus and the Second Temple Period.
Dr. Sheila Gyllenberg
Dr. Sheila Gyllenberg, PhD, holds a master’s degree in Jewish History and PhD in archaeology from Israel’s Bar Ilan University. In addition to her work as a licensed tour guide, Sheila serves on the faculty of Israel College of the Bible in Netanya, Israel.
Dr. David Mishkin
Dr. David Mishkin has a PhD in Biblical and Religious Studies, with a focus on Jewish Christian Relations. David serves on the faculty of Israel College of the Bible in Netanya, Israel, and has published several scholarly articles and books, including The Wisdom of Alfred Edersheim and Rabbi and Redeemer: Discovering Yeshua in the Gospel of John.
Dr. Dominick Hernandez
Dr. Dominick Hernandez, PhD, specializes in Semitic Philology. He completed a M.Div. degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and an M.A. at Columbia University. He earned his PhD in Semitic Philology from Israel’s Bar Illan University and currently works as an assistant professor at Moody Bible Institute.
*Individual courses may also be taken for personal enrichment.