Login

Login

Introduction Bible Books

The First Epistle to the Corinthians – Introduction

A letter in which church discipline, the role of women, and the question of idolatry are discussed: Is this an interesting document? Is it only valid for the time and environment of the days of the first Christians? No. It is remarkable that Paul does not limit his address to the recipients of the time,…

Read More The First Epistle to the Corinthians – Introduction
The Prophet Nahum – Introduction

Nahum announces judgment on Nineveh. This godless city would be conquered and destroyed. About 150 years earlier, it had been spared God’s judgment because it had repented in response to Jonah’s preaching. But the change of heart did not last. Now, her downfall was inevitable. The Messenger The prophet Nahum came from Elkosh. The location…

Read More The Prophet Nahum – Introduction
The Epistle to the Philippians – Introduction

The Assembly in Philippi As Paul traveled through the Galatian countryside with Silas on his second missionary journey to consolidate the assemblies in Asia Minor, the Holy Spirit called him to a new field of work. Paul and his co-workers sailed from Troas until they finally arrived in Macedonia. The first city in Macedonia where…

Read More The Epistle to the Philippians – Introduction
The Prophet Micah – Introduction

Micah’s language is artistic yet clear and easy to understand. We do not have to be linguistic artists to be able to pass on God’s word – on the contrary (see 1 Cor 2:1-4.). But among the various people whom God uses as “instruments,” there were and are also people like Micah. God knows when,…

Read More The Prophet Micah – Introduction
The Prophet Amos – Introduction

The Messenger: The prophet Amos came from the small town of Tekoa, a few kilometers southeast of Bethlehem. He raised cattle and farmed there (1:1, 7:14). His profession is always clearly evident in his speeches. His inconspicuous livelihood must have been an offense to the flashy, exploitative, and unjust class of people that the prophet…

Read More The Prophet Amos – Introduction
The Prophet Jeremiah – Introduction

Jeremiah lived in a “dark” time: the time of the fall of the Jewish empire. Ten tribes had long since been captured and deported by the king of Assyria (in 722 BC, 2 Kings 17). Two tribes were still in the land of Israel. This article briefly describes who Jeremiah was and what message he…

Read More The Prophet Jeremiah – Introduction
The Prophet Hosea – Introduction

The messenger From Chapter 1:1, we can see that Hosea worked as a prophet for several decades. His contemporaries included Isaiah, Micah, and Amos. When his ministry began, he had to marry Gomer, a woman who was probably living in immorality and would do so after the marriage. Through this union, God wanted to…

Read More The Prophet Hosea – Introduction
The Prophet Habbakuk – Introduction

The messenger and the message The book of the prophet Habakkuk has a very personal character. He does not bring messages directly to the people, but the reader witnesses a dialog between God and Habakkuk. Habakkuk sees how evil and unjust God’s people are behaving. He asks God why He is simply watching. God replies…

Read More The Prophet Habbakuk – Introduction
The Book of Psalms – Introduction

“The Book of Psalms” [1] – “Medicine chest”, hymnal, or more? Many of us like to read the Book of Psalms again and again because the texts often speak directly to us and strengthen us. It is, therefore, particularly useful to explore this wonderful “book of poems” more closely in the overall context of the…

Read More The Book of Psalms – Introduction
The Prophet Zechariah – Introduction

The two prophets Haggai and Zechariah were active at the same time. In terms of content, their messages overlap to some extent, but their styles are very different: Haggai is simple and direct; Zechariah is complex and rich in imagery. – Let’s take a look at the expressive prophet Zechariah! The Messenger The prophet…

Read More The Prophet Zechariah – Introduction
The Prophet Jonah – Introduction

The prophet Obadiah shows Edom’s gloating over Israel’s defeat. Jonah, on the other hand, speaks of the displeasure of an Israelite at the merciful sparing of the heathen in Nineveh. There is joy at the disaster; here, sorrow that no disaster will come. The Messenger The prophet Jonah came from Gath-Hepher in Galilee, north of…

Read More The Prophet Jonah – Introduction
The Prophet Malachi – Introduction

The messenger and the message Malachi lived and worked at a time when some of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (the “remnant”) that God had awakened had returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. This revival had since faded. The sacrificial service did take place, but the regulations from God’s law were not observed,…

Read More The Prophet Malachi – Introduction
The Prophet Haggai – Introduction

The minor prophets worked in the divided kingdom of Israel, mainly in the two-tribe kingdom of Judah but also partly in the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel. Both kingdoms fell one after the other as a result of God’s judgment: they were conquered, and their populations were taken abroad. Later, parts of the tribes of…

Read More The Prophet Haggai – Introduction
Study Guide for the 12 Minor Prophets

What can we learn from the brooding prophet Habakkuk? What do the “mysterious” visions of Zechariah mean? Does a man like Obadiah have a message for us when he announces judgment on Edom? – The so-called minor prophets offer a wide, interesting but also difficult range of topics. For this reason, we would like to…

Read More Study Guide for the 12 Minor Prophets
The Book of Acts – Introduction

A continuation The Acts of the Apostles is the continuation of a report that the evangelist Luke addressed to Theophilus. You could also say that it is the second part of an extensive treatise. In his first account, his Gospel, Luke reported: “What Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day He…

Read More The Book of Acts – Introduction
The Epistle of Jude – Introduction

The letter of Jude is one of the shortest and, at the same time, one of the most serious and weighty letters in the New Testament. We would do well to apply it to us in its full scope. No one who prayerfully reads this letter in its context can avoid the impression of…

Read More The Epistle of Jude – Introduction
The Prophet Haggai – Introduction

Introduction The message of the prophet Haggai is more than 2500 years old. And yet, it goes straight to the heart. It is topical and speaks directly to us. It wants to shake us up and wake us up. It wants to help us to make a personal and collective assessment of where we stand….

Read More The Prophet Haggai – Introduction
The Gospel of John – Introduction

The Gospel of John was probably written many years after the other three Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In fact, it occupies a special position because it does not so much follow the life of Jesus on this earth but, above all, records the Lord’s conversations. His divine nature shines forth everywhere. At…

Read More The Gospel of John – Introduction
The Gospel of Luke – Introduction

The Gospel of Luke presents the Lord Jesus to us as the true and perfect man. But it also shows us the grace that He brought to man, for God wanted to bring people eternal salvation in the Lord Jesus. And this salvation was not only intended to reconcile people with God but also to…

Read More The Gospel of Luke – Introduction
The Gospel of Mark – Introduction

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God … Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mk. 1:1, 35) The first words of the evangelist Mark are extraordinarily peculiar. While Mark’s main theme…

Read More The Gospel of Mark – Introduction