Abraham
Called by God to leave his homeland, Abraham received promises of land, descendants and blessing for all nations. The New Testament presents him as an example of faith.
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The people, places and story of Scripture
Short introductions with the key passages to read for yourself. Go deeper with the Companion, or explore reviewed teaching sources.
People
Men and women whose stories shape the biblical narrative.
Moses
Raised in Pharaoh’s household, Moses was called at the burning bush to lead Israel out of Egypt and received the law at Sinai.
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A Moabite widow whose loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi brought her to Bethlehem, where she married Boaz. She appears in the genealogy of David and of Jesus.
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A shepherd anointed king of Israel, remembered as a warrior, a psalmist and a man who repented deeply after grave sin. God promised him an enduring dynasty.
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A prophet in the northern kingdom who confronted King Ahab and the prophets of Baal, and later met God in a still, small voice at Horeb.
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A Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and risked her life to intercede for her people when they faced destruction.
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A young woman of Nazareth who received the angel’s announcement of Jesus’ birth and responded in faith; her song of praise is known as the Magnificat.
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A Galilean fisherman who became a leading apostle. He confessed Jesus as the Christ, denied him at his trial, was restored, and preached at Pentecost.
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A Pharisee who persecuted the early church until his encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus; he became a missionary to the Gentiles and wrote many New Testament letters.
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Places
Where the biblical story happens, and why the setting matters.
Jerusalem
The city David made his capital and where Solomon built the temple. It is the setting of Jesus’ death and resurrection and the birthplace of the church at Pentecost.
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A small town in Judah: the home of Boaz and Ruth, the birthplace of David, and — as Micah foretold — the birthplace of Jesus.
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The northern region around the Sea of Galilee where Jesus grew up in Nazareth and carried out much of his ministry.
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Where Joseph rose to power and Jacob’s family settled, later the land of Israel’s slavery and the Exodus. Jesus’ family also took refuge there.
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The empire that destroyed Jerusalem and took Judah into exile. Daniel and his friends served there, and the psalmists lamented by its rivers.
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A busy Greek port city where Paul founded a church and stayed for eighteen months; he later wrote two letters to the believers there.
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Themes
Threads that run through the whole of Scripture.
Covenant
God binds himself to his people by promise — with Noah, Abraham, Israel at Sinai and David — and the prophets look forward to a new covenant, which Jesus speaks of at the Last Supper.
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God’s undeserved favour, shown supremely in salvation through Christ and in the strength he gives in weakness.
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God’s reign, announced by Jesus as near and illustrated in his parables; Christians differ on how it is present now and how it will be fulfilled.
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Scripture is full of prayers of praise, lament, confession and request, and Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.
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Confident expectation grounded in God’s faithfulness and, in the New Testament, in the resurrection of Jesus.
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The prophets call God’s people to act justly, love mercy and care for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger.
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God made the world good, made humanity in his image, and Scripture ends with the vision of a new heaven and a new earth.
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God forgives those who turn to him, and his people are called to forgive one another as they have been forgiven.
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The story of Scripture
The major eras of the biblical narrative in order. Dates are omitted because the dating of many early events is debated among scholars.
Era 1 · Genesis 1–11
Creation and the early world
Creation, the fall, the flood and Babel.
Era 2 · Genesis 12–50
The patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
Era 3 · Exodus – Deuteronomy
Exodus and wilderness
Slavery in Egypt, deliverance, the law at Sinai and forty years in the wilderness.
Era 4 · Joshua, Judges, Ruth
Conquest and judges
Entering the promised land and the cycle of the judges.
Era 5 · 1 Samuel – 1 Kings 11; many Psalms; Proverbs
The united kingdom
Saul, David and Solomon; the building of the temple.
Era 6 · 1 Kings 12 – 2 Kings; Isaiah, Hosea, Amos and others
The divided kingdom
Israel in the north and Judah in the south; the ministries of the prophets.
Era 7 · 2 Kings 25; Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Exile
The fall of Jerusalem and life in Babylon.
Era 8 · Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Return and rebuilding
Return from exile, rebuilding the temple and the walls of Jerusalem.
Era 9 · Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
The life of Jesus
His birth, ministry, death and resurrection.
Era 10 · Acts – Revelation
The early church
Pentecost, the spread of the gospel and the apostles’ letters.