The Protestant Christian Canon contains 66 books - 39 in the Hebrew Bible, and 27 in the Christian Testament. How did we arrive at these specific books? What are other books that some Christian traditions include in their canons? What can we learn about the contexts of the people who wrote other books that were read and valued by Jews and Christians in the centuries before our canon was closed?
This cohort will explore writings from the Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha, and other early Jewish and Christian texts to get a sense of the various concerns of the communities that kept and valued them. How might these texts inform our own encounters with the Bible? What might these texts say to us today?
Module 1: Making the Cut: Canonization and the Texts of Our Tradition(s)
Module 2: Other Stories People Told: Engaging some of the important narratives and texts beyond the canon.
Module 3: Our Stories Talk to One Another: Engaging Canonical Texts, Extra-Canonical Texts, and Our Own Contexts
Cohort created and facilitated by Rev. Dr. Jeff Moore
Rev. Dr Moore is an affiliate faculty member at Eden who teaches Biblical Studies, Ministry Studies and Doctor of Ministry courses at Eden. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Eden and a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He and his wife served as Common Global Ministries Missionaries in Lesotho for four years. While there, he taught at Morija Theological Seminary and the National University of Lesotho; served as the HIV and AIDS Coordinator for the Lesotho Evangelical Church; and served as Interim Pastor for Maseru United Church – an international, nondenominational congregation.
Rev. Dr. Moore is an ordained United Church of Christ Minister with partner status in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), currently serving Webster Groves Christian Church in St. Louis. He is also the chaplain for Doorways, a housing and healthcare agency for people living with HIV & AIDS.
His research interests include the book of Revelation, International Contextual Biblical Interpretation, and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Rev. Dr. Moore has taught and presented in these areas in over a dozen countries on five continents.
Dates: 6-7:30pm CT, Jan 25, Feb. 15, Mar 15, and Apr 19, 2027
All Cohort meetings will be online
Ministry Cohorts
Ministry Cohorts allow you to sample many theological themes, offering peer learning with your ministry context in mind. Scholars have chosen a specific lens on a particular topic and share their expertise through digital content you watch on your own time. Four monthly online meetings are interspersed, where you and your Cohort members gather for facilitated discussion with an experienced church leader.
Cohorts support lifelong learning and are for anyone- authorized clergy, chaplains, Christian educators, lay leaders and anyone interested in the topic. UCC members will recognize the Marks for Ministry woven throughout the cohorts, though anyone from any denomination, or no denomination, is welcome to attend.
Completion of this Ministry Cohort provides 9 contact hours of continuing education, subject to approval by the participant's credentialing body.
