Paul and His Letter to the Ephesians (Udemy.com)

I love this course as i am including it as part of Pauls prison letters This was my biggestt take away even though there were many more Chapter 4:1-3 Unity and holiness belong together. Unity is comparatively easy as long as you don't care about holiness. Holiness is comparatively easy as long as you don't care about unity. A group of people going along and all getting along is called "unity" but they are actually doing all kinds of crazy things.Or a group of people that are strict about every aspect of morality are "holy" and as soon a somebody disagrees with them they just split off and do their own thing. So then unity and holiness are not just mandatory individuality but belong together. That's the challenge and the only way to meet that challenge is to think Christianly

This is a most excellent course, it is difficult to spend $80 on a course like this one but as a pastor in a rural town, I've found this to be a huge value. The value comes in several forms - first coming from NT Wright, it has the intellectual quality of any seminary class yet it is condensed and far less time consuming than a seminary class. And in the that regard it is far less expensive than a seminar class...hence it is good value in both time and money.

Professor Wright's thoughts are well-researched and well-presented, as always; an excellent balance of intellectual rigor and real-life application. A couple of the lessons in chapters 2 & 3 had some issues with skipping forward a couple of seconds in the presentation whenever the camera switched perspective. I tried several different devices, internet browsers, and the Udemy app, but the issue was always present. Not sure if it was something in the editing or the upload, but none of the other lectures had that problem. Otherwise I'd rate this another 5-star course.

I love these courses. Each course adds something to the sum of my understanding of scripture. In particular, I relate to Professor Wright’s description of Paul’s writing. The text of Paul’s epistles and letters lifts me as though they had been written just for me. Where have I been all my life? Tom continues to bring Paul to the present from the past. The text burns with G-d’s love for his creation and for us; Paul reminds us this is so; Tom Wright ensures Paul’s meaning is not misunderstood due the ambiguities in scripture brought about by the passage of such a long time. This is Great Work! Just finished the course. A quick cup of tea and then enrol for the next.

I have difficulty in conveying how much I learn from the Prof. Wright. As I proceed through these courses I find the knowledge that I have always sought over and above the narrative. I look forward with excitement to study with such an eminent theologian. I have been to theological college but I am sure that I am learning far more depth in these courses. I have purchased all that are available and I am in no rush to complete them, but rather to prepare ahead so that I can get the most out of them. This includes NTW's commentary. The Story of God and Zondervan's exegetical commentaries not overlooking the text in theBible. I always sought to study deeply and this is happening with NTW.

I value the teaching and the way it is presented. A lot of the material seems to be covered in Tom Wright's book 'The Prison Letters', so was hoping for a bit more additional material but on the whole really enjoying the course and it appeals to the way I learn. I enjoy the historical context and would like more of that to help me understand what the original readers would have been experiencing and would have understood of the letter. Overall very enjoyable and has given me a thorough grounding in Ephesians.

N. T. Wright shares fresh insight and keen observations in teaching Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. His use of the Old Testament as the background and continuation of the message of Jesus as Israel’s king and the world’d Iord is powerful. Showing the place of prayer in Paul’s letter alone is woth the price of the course. This valuable course will prove helpful for any believer, any small home Bible study, or any church class. As with all of his other courses, I highly recommend it.

I absolutely loved this course. I would personally benefit from the inclusion of a 'print out and keep' note containing the more important Greek words that N.T. Wright mentions in some of the lectures. I write the latter because I have absolutely no background in Greek language studies. Words can't describe just how grateful I am that N T Wright has made his knowledge and experience accessible to people like me - I live in Cape Town, South Africa and I am just a 'stay-at-home Mum' - his courses have changed my life. I have been a huge fan of his books for some years now, especially his works under 'Tom Wright' as they are so easy to follow and relevant for the 'man in the street' such as myself. I have already registered for all his current courses on offer and I wait in anticipation of more (especially Revelation please!).

Dr. Wright's courses are always so power packed full of information that I always have to listen to them several times in order to make sure that I've heard everything. This study of the Book of Ephesians is no different from Dr. Wright's others studies in that this one is just as thorough, clear and concise as all of the others. Dr. Wright has done a marvelous and outstanding job again of presenting yet another fabulous and fantastic Bible study, this time of the Book of Ephesians! God bless you Dr. Wright as you continue to increase your knowledge of the Bible and then share what our Lord has shown and taught you, as you share and teach the materials and the Bible to us! Keep up the fantastic job and work!

Prof. Wright's knowledge of the historical life of ancient Israel, and Paul's world of the Second Temple Period brings so much depth to this letter. His understanding of the original language takes us deeper into the original meaning of the author connecting Israel's story to what often seems a bit fuzzy when reading from our modern thought and traditions. This is such an important piece of the puzzle in, "understanding what God was really up to" as Prof. Wright says. It brings the old and new together in a fresh way. I gave it 4.5 because in Chapter 4 the test questions were not clear. I think they could have been written better. I know that this has been updated throughout the courses, but I was a bit frustated by those in that particular video. Otherwise an excellent course. As always I learn something new about First Century Worldview, customs and culture that brings so much light and understanding to my reading of the scriptures. Also a more complete picture of Paul as a man in his day and time. The letter came alive to me through Professor Wright's exposition.