1. Continuing Education Classes
RICHLAND COLLEGE at Walnut & Abrams / Building C, Room C102
The Lost Books of the Bible Feb 14 – Apr 11 (Friday) 1 hr. 45 mins.
The class will discuss some of the books, which were rejected by the church, and others that are
only used by the Roman Catholic, Greek/Russian Orthodox, and Anglican Churches. What were
the alternate views of Christianity during ancient times? Books: Tobit, Susanna, Wisdom of
Solomon, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Gospels of the Nazareans, Thomas, and the Gnostics, the Birth and
Infancy Gospels, the Apocalypses of Peter and Esdras, the Didache, the Shepherd, and
apocryphal books that Muhammad grafted into the Koran. Class #879019
Life and Times of Jesus Apr 18 – May 9 (Friday) 1 hr. 30 mins.
This course covers (1) the important political figures which affected the history of 1st century Palestine:
the Herods, Pontius Pilate and Tiberius Caesar; (2) the three main branches of ancient Judaism (Pharisees,
Sadducees and Essenses) along with the Messianic expectations which were found in the Talmud and the
Dead Sea scrolls, (3) the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. which Jesus foretold 40 years earlier; and (4)
how the historical dates of the crucifixion and birth of Christ are calculated. (5) Messianic expectations in
the Talmud and Dead Sea Scrolls Class #878981
Is God Dead? 4 weeks 2 hr. 30 mins.
This is a class for open discussion. It will consider such questions as (1) Is there a God? What is
the evidence? (2) Did God create the universe, and if so, how? (3) How can a “just God” be
reconciled to the presence of evil in the world? In other words, “Why do bad things happen to
good people?” if God is just. This module will consider the activity of God while we are alive. (4)
What happens after death? And how do the concepts of post-mortem rewards and punishments,
based upon conduct in the present life, figure into this question? In addition to the Judeo-Christian
perspectives, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and atheistic-humanist views will also be considered.
History of the Gospels 8 weeks 1 hr. 30 mins.
Who, when and where were the Gospels written? This course (in English) covers the ancient
manuscripts in Greek, Latin and Aramaic and how the Received Text and Latin Vulgate
developed into their modern day versions. It will address such topics as the Q-gospel, plenary
inspiration, textual criticism, the authority of the text, disputed readings and why the apocryphal
gospels like Thomas and Nicodemus were excluded from the Bible.
Comparative Study: Christianity and Islam 4 weeks 1 hr. 30 mins.
The course compares the fundamental religious beliefs of Christians to the Muslims, based upon
the Bible and the Qu’ran and their religious practices – both Sunni and Shiite. It will cover such
issues as Jesus and his relationship to God, salvation, atonement for sin, Heaven and hell, and
views about women and the nature of God.