30 episodes · Genesis to Revelation · 100% free

The whole Bible. One story.

The Understanding the Scriptures Podcast
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One of the top free Bible studies available online

It consists of 30 audio episodes, each running between 72 and 80 minutes in length. Its curriculum is the entire Bible. Listen to it from start to finish, and you'll gain a clear vision of the Bible's narrative from beginning to end. Go ahead and give it a listen. Your life will be changed forever. Read more

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The course, chapter by chapter

The Old Testament

Start Here Chapter 1 · 1 hr. 15 min. What is the Bible? We kick off this exciting Bible course by describing the sacred, inspired nature of the Bible, which is a quality unique to the 73 books of Sacred Scripture. What do we mean... Chapter 2 · 1 hr. 16 min. The Old Testament We take a closer look at the golden thread that holds the Bible and all of Salvation History together: the covenant. You will learn the different important aspects of a coven... Chapter 3 · 1 hr. 19 min. The Creation of the World We focus upon the language and structure of the first three chapters of the Book of Genesis. This allows us to discover the interpretive... Chapter 4 · 1 hr. 14 min. The Early World We go through Chapters 4 through 11 in the Book of Genesis. The author of Genesis contrasts the descendants of Cain (the evil seed of the serpent) with the line... Chapter 5 · 1 hr. 18 min. Abraham, Our Father The remainder of Salvation History is foretold in the three covenants God successively formed with Abram in Genesis 15, with Abraham in Genesis 17, and with Abra... Chapter 6 · 1 hr. 12 min. The Patriarchs We study the Biblical account from the end of Abraham's life through the end of the Book of Genesis when all is well for the 12 tribes of Israel in Goshen, Egypt. This... Chapter 7 · 1 hr. 19 min. The Exodus We delve into an explanation of the background to the narrative in the Book of Exodus, which in turn sheds light upon the story we read. Moses is presented as a New Noah... Chapter 8 · 1 hr. 16 min. The Law We begin where the last lesson left off with the Sinai Covenant wherein God enters into a solemn covenant relationship with the 12 Tribes of Israel. This covenant, which... Chapter 9 · 1 hr. 18 min. The Rise of the Kingdom We cover the history of salvation between the 40 years of Israel's wilderness wanderings and the rise of King Saul to the throne. We... Chapter 10 · 1 hr. 19 min. The Kingdom of David We begin with the ascension of Saul to the throne of kingship over all 12 tribes of Israel in the First Book of Samuel. However, due to Saul's... Chapter 11 · 1 hr. 18 min. Wise King Solomon We review the defining characteristics of the Davidic Covenant before moving into the reign of King Solomon. Bethsheba, whose name means Daughter... Chapter 12 · 1 hr. 17 min. The Divided Kingdom We cover First and Second Kings, showing how the united Davidic Kingdom under Solomon split in 930 B.C. when Solomon died. This... Chapter 13 · 1 hr. 16 min. Conquest and Exile We come to understand how the Deuteronomic curses (outlined in the Book of Deuteronomy) are fulfilled in both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms as they... Chapter 14 · 1 hr. 18 min. A Remnant Returns We take a look at some of the key Old Testament prophetic passages that foretell the restoration of all Israel under the descendant of King David: the Davidic King. We go... Chapter 15 · 1 hr. 14 min. Revolt of the Maccabees We view of the history between when the exiled Jews first began to return to the Holy Land (i.e. Palestine) in 538 B.C. and the...

The New Testament

Chapter 16 · 1 hr. 19 min. The World of the New Testament We go over the various religious groups in the Holy Land both when Jesus was born and when he went about his ministry at approxim... Chapter 17 · 1 hr. 19 min. The New Testament We survey the 27 books of the New Testament by first looking at the authorship of the 4 Gospels, who their audiences most probably were, as well as the major themes they... Chapter 18 · 1 hr. 19 min. The Incarnation We begin with an explanation of the Christological definition formulated at the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. Carson then speaks about the two means... Chapter 19 · 1 hr. 17 min. What Jesus Did We uncover the deeper meaning behind the baptism of Jesus, his temptation in the desert wilderness, the Wedding at Cana (found in John 2), as well as Jesus' proclam... Chapter 20 · 1 hr. 19 min. What Jesus Taught We come to better understand what Jesus says in Mark's Gospel: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15) by look... Chapter 21 · 1 hr. 19 min. The Cup of Consummation We delve into the theme of Jesus as the New Passover lamb. We are told in the Gospels that the Last Supper was specifically the Passover meal... Chapter 22 · 1 hr. 18 min. The Resurrection We begin speaking of the resurrection of Jesus not with the Gospel narratives, nor with St. Paul's testimony of the Risen Christ, but with the Book of the Prophet Ezek... Chapter 23 · 1 hr. 14 min. Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament We discuss how Jesus perfectly fulfills the Old Testament in two main ways: (1) Jesus fulfills various Old Testament foretypes that point to... Chapter 24 · 1 hr. 19 min. The Birth of the Church We come to understand how the birth of the Church is none other than the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom under the Son of David... Chapter 25 · 1 hr. 19 min. Reaching Out to All Nations We look back at the whole of Salvation History to better understand God's purpose for Israel, which is to be a light to the nations... Chapter 26 · 1 hr. 18 min. Paul, An Apostle We look at the person, history, and theology of one of the greatest saints in the 2,000 year history of the Catholic Church: St. Paul the Apostle. In this episode, we read... Chapter 27 · 1 hr. 19 min. The New Kingdom We reexamine the 12 characteristics of the Davidic Kingdom in the Old Testament. Since the New Covenant is a renewal and extension of the Davidic Covenant, we find these... Chapter 28 · 1 hr. 17 min. The Catholic Church in Scripture We divide the lesson into four parts. First, we discuss the historical meaning of the word: "catholic." While it literally means "according... Chapter 29 · 1 hr. 19 min. The End of History We go through the historical context surrounding St. John's Apocalypse, which is also known as "Revelation" - the final book of the canon of Sacred Scripture. Its genre is... Chapter 30 · 1 hr. 19 min. How to Read the Bible We wrap up the Understanding the Scriptures Bible course by learning how to read and interpret Scripture faithfully. We do this by examin...
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Listener reviews, all five stars

★★★★★
Brilliant
Insightful, scholarly, engrossing - This is a fascinating walk through the Bible you thought you knew. Against a backdrop of careful scholarship and deep historical knowledge, familiar stories take on a new luster and relevance. Brew up a cup of tea and get ready for a wonderful journey...
★★★★★
Excellent!
One of the best, if not the best, Bible timeline / story of salvation studies I've ever heard. Well done, Carson!
★★★★★
A Scriptural Treasure
I came across Carson Weber's brilliantly done presentation about a year ago. It remains at the very top of my list of 'must have' tools for anyone wishing to be introduced to understanding salvation history. I return to it again and again, always appreciative of its clarity and depth.

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