Epic of Eden Bible Study: Updated Edition

Yes, the videos are new, too!

Hello Friends, we are so excited to officially announce the upcoming release of the updated edition of Epic of Eden Bible Study: Understanding the Old Testament as Your Story! It releases on September 15th!

**If you have facilitated a study with Epic of Eden before, don’t miss a very important note for you at the bottom!

This is an updated edition with the new addition of streaming videos. (No more purchasing the videos separately, the code is right inside your Bible study!)

Click the picture above to watch the trailer!

We, as Christians, we want to understand our Bibles, don’t we? We want to be able to put together the great story of redemption, catch a glimpse of what this book meant to its original authors and audience, and therefore what it should mean to us. This is our story, and we’re eager to claim it. But when we attempt to study our Old Testament, we struggle. But let me tell you, as someone who has taught Bible to everyone from the toddler church of St. Pat’s Anglican to the doctoral students at the London School of Theology, I’m convinced that there really are only three controlling issues that make us shy away from the study of our Old Testament. And my goal as your teacher over these next 12 weeks is to solve those issues.

This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including:

• The (completely rewritten) study guide itself—with discussion and reflection questions, video notes, and a leader’s guide.

• An individual access code to stream all video sessions online (meaning you can do this study with three or thirty or even by yourself!).

Here’s the breakdown of content that would be helpful as you consider if this study is right for you and your group:

Session 1: The Great Culture Barrier - Learn why people struggle with the Old Testament and how our first step to getting past the “great barrier” is to understand Israelite culture.

Session 2: Redemption - Learn what the word “redemption” really means and how the entire concept grew out of the family structure of ancient Israel.

Session 3: Real Time and Real Space - Learn how the Old Testament fits into real-world geography and history. We’ll focus on five key figures: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David … and three essential spaces: Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Canaan.

Session 4: Covenant - Let’s get organized! Discover how the ancient Near Eastern concept of “covenant” explains the Old Testament and God’s relationship with us.

Session 5: Treaty - Learn how God used an ancient concept (treaty-making) to explain Himself to his people.

Session 6: God’s Original Intent - Study God’s “blueprint” for creation and his original intent for humanity. How do Genesis 1 and 2 relate to each other, and how does the “framework theory” help us understand Genesis 1?

Session 7: God’s Final Intent - Put your Bible together by learning how Jesus (the “last Adam”) restores what the first Adam lost and how Eden’s icons point us to the new Jerusalem.

Session 8: Noah - Learn how Noah and the Noahic covenant begin God’s rescue plan, and how the flood connects to re-creation and other ancient flood stories.

Session 9: Abraham - Study Abraham’s story, the second stage of God’s great plan of redemption, his call and journey from Ur to Haran to Canaan, and how he became “the father of the Jews.”

Session 10: Moses - Study why Moses stands at the center of our Old Testaments, how theocracy and the tabernacle shaped Israel, and why the Mosaic covenant is central to our Christian faith.

Session 11: David - Meet David! The shepherd boy chosen as Israel’s ideal king. Study David’s covenant, how it is built on the Mosaic covenant and serves as the platform for the New Covenant.

Session 12: The New Covenant - Re-learn your New Covenant through the eyes of Old Testament faith. Jesus as prophet, priest and king—he is the last Adam, the son of Abraham, and David’s heir. Study about the “already and not yet” of your citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

If you’d like to lead this study with your group:

Step 1: Preorder your copy of the book (link below)
Step 2: Decide on a meeting place. Don’t forget the right technology to play the videos!
Step 3: Invite your community and make sure everyone has a copy of the book, a Bible, and a pen.
Step 4: Let Dr. Richter do the heavy lifting for you. Your job is to facilitate the experience by cultivating a safe environment for growth.

This study is great for all types of groups:

• Sunday school Bible study

• Men’s Bible Study

• Women’s Bible Study

• Mixed Bible Study Groups

CALLING ALL EPIC OF EDEN BIBLE STUDY TEACHERS!

If you have facilitated a study with Epic of Eden before, we are looking for comments from experienced leaders who can speak to how the original study impacted their groups. Our objective is to reach out to new leaders to help new audiences engage the Bible as you have. Can you help us? Any commentary on how the study impacted your group. Tell us how many times you've taught the series and why. How did it help your experienced believers organize their Bibles? How did it help you as a leader disciple new believers? Specific experiences are welcome!