Torah Club

Torah Club Six Overview

At First Fruits of Zion, we are gearing up to begin production on Torah Club Volume Six: Chronicles of the Apostles. The customer service team at First Fruits of Zion is receiving a lot of questions about the new Torah Club. Today, they submitted a series of several questions about the new volume.

Learn about the new Torah Club here.

Read about the free book offer associated with the new Torah Club here.

1. Will it link to the weekly Torah, Gospel or Prophet's portions? Will it be named according to the weekly Torah parashah?

As a Torah Club, it will divide over fifty four units of study for a Torah-year worth of study materials. Each unit will retain the name of the weekly parashah simply for purposes of keeping the study moving along from week to week along with the annual synagogue lectionary. Beyond that, however, the weekly study will have no topical relationship to weekly Torah, Haftarah, or Gospel readings.

You might wonder why we call it "Torah Club" if it is actually not a Torah study. The word Torah does not refer exclusively to Genesis-Deuteronomy. In a general sense, Torah means "instruction." In Jewish vernacular, Torah can refer to the study of all scripture.

2. Will it have its own reading schedule, or how will we know what to read?

It will have its own reading schedule with readings from Acts, the Epistles, and primary sources like Josephus and Eusebius.

3. What is on the audio?

The audio will feature a variety of interesting material including teachings on passages of the epistles, historical vignettes, descriptions of a notable apostolic personality, sages, and rabbis from the period, archaeological discussions, geography discussions, literary discussions, and so forth. All of the audios will include a children's story based on the tales of the apostles.

4. Will it be more Biblical text, or more historical, extra-biblical text?

Roughly two-thirds of the material will be commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. The remainder will be based on historical and extra-biblical sources.

5. Will it have questions?

Each week's written materials will conclude with study questions.

6. Will it teach me how/what to read in Josephus, Philo, E.H. if I get the 3-book gift set?

The materials will draw heavily on Josephus and Eusebius and direct students to pertinent passages. It will rely less heavily on Philo.

7. Specifically, what does the program cover?

The following breakdown of the study is not set it in stone. This is a highly tentative schedule of readings and subject matter--a rough outline of topics to be covered:

1. Acts 1

• a. Omens of the Temple
  
• b. Ascension
  
• c. Snapshot of the apostolic community
  
• d. Replacing Judas
  
• e. Bar Sabbas and Matthias

2. Acts 2:1-41

• a. Shavuot
  
• b. The Holy Spirit
• c. Peter's Sermon

3. Acts 2:42-4:31

• a. Jerusalem Community
  
• b. A Blind Man Healed
  
• c. Peter's Second Sermon
  
• d. Arrest and trial before the Sanhedrin
  
• e. The Psalm 2 Prayer

4. Acts 4:32-5:52

• a. All Things in Common
• b. Ananias and Sapphira
• c. The Apostles Arrested
• d. The Apostles before the Sanhedrin
• e. Gamliel's Counsel

5. Acts 6-7

• a. The Seven Deacons
• b. Stephen
• c. Stephen's Sermon
• d. First Martyrdom

6. Acts 8

• a. Persecution and Dispersal
• b. Philip in Samaria
• c. Simon Magus
• d. The Ethiopian
• e. Philip's in Caesarea

7. Edessa and Adiabene

• a. Adiabene and Queen Helene
• b. Thaddeas , Thomas and the King of Edessa
• c. Niccodemus and Yochanan ben Zakkai

8. Acts 9:1-31

• a. Saul on the Road
• b. Saul in Damascus

9. Acts 9:32-11:18

• a. Peter's House Revered
• b. Lydda, Joppa
• c. Cornelius and God-fearers
• d. Vision of Sheet
• e. Caesarea

10. Agrippa

• a. Herod Antipas' Battle with King Aretas
• b. His Nephew Agrippa
• c. Herod Agrippa's Troubles in Rome
• d. Caligula
• e. Philo and Caligula's Image
• f. Claudius

11. Acts 11:19-26

• a. Antioch
• b. Paul's Gospel
• c. Early "Christianity" in Antioch
• d. Antioch Incident (Men from James)

12. Acts 19:27-30

• a. The Prophet Agabus
• b. The Great Dearth
• c. Journey to Jerusalem
• d. Paul's Uncertainty
• e. The Pillars

13. Acts 12:1

• a. Death of James the son of Zebedee
• b. Peter in Chains
• c. Death of Agrippa
• d. Agrippa's Children
• e. Claudius Expels Jews of Rome (49-50)
• f. Agrippa II Tetrach of Northern Territory
• g. Nicodemus and the Drought

14. The Apostles Go Out

• a. Drawing Lots for the nations
• b. Summaries of Apostolic Destinies
• c. Hebrew Matthew
• d. Thomas Stories

15. Acts 13:1 - 14:26

• a. Paul and Barnabas
• b. Journey to Galatia
• c. Psidian Antioch
• d. Lystra, Derbe, Iconium

16. Galatians

• a. Paul writes to the Galatians
• b. The Gentile Question
• c. God-Fearers
• d. An illegal Religion

17. Acts 15:1-35

• a. Jerusalem Counsel
• b. The four essentials

18. Acts 15:36-16:40

• a. Paul's second Trip
• b. Silas

19. Acts 17:1-34

• a. Thessalonica
• b. Athens

20. Acts 18:1-22

• a. Corinth

21. Acts 18:23-19:41

• a. Ephesus

22. Acts 20:1-21:14

• a. Troas
• b. Ephesus
• c. To Jerusalem, Agabus

23. James

• a. James the brother of the Master
• b. James' Authority
• c. Epistle of James
• d. Trouble in Jerusalem

24. Acts 21:15-22:30

• a. Paul's Nazarite vow
• b. Paul seized in Temple

25. Acts 23:1-24:27

• a. Paul before the Sanhedrin
• b. The Conspiracy against Paul
• c. Paul, Felix, and Drusilla

26. Acts 25:1-26:32

• a. Paul and Festus
• b. Agrippa and Bernice
• c. Paul appeals to Nero

27. Acts 27:1-28:10

• a. Paul's Voyage to Rome
• b. Malta

28. John in Ephesus

• a. Tomb of Mary
• b. The Furnace Stoker

29. Death of James

• a. The Martyrdom of James
• b. Josephus / Heggesipus
• c. Epistle to the Hebrews
• d. Sanhedrin puts five disciples to death

30. Acts 28:11-31

• a. Paul in Rome
• b. Roman Christians
• c. Macedonia and Crete

31. Prison Letters

• a. Gospel of Luke
• b. Prison Letters
• c. Philemon Onesimus

32. Nero

• a. Nero and the Fire of Rome
• b. Paul Beheaded
• c. The Jewish Revolt Begins
• d. Roman Catacombs

33. Simon vs. Simon

• a. Peter in Rome
• b. 1-2 Peter
• c. Simon vs. Simon
• d. Gospel of Mark
• e. Peter's Liturgies
• f. Peter's Wife
• g. Clement (Peter's Disciple)

34. Jewish War

• a. Omens and Prophecies
• b. Causes of the War
• c. Agrippa's Brats
• d. Revolt in Galilee
• e. Josephus
• f. Flight to Pella
• g. Jotapata
• h. Seige of Gamala
• i. Battle of Magdala

35. War in Judea and Perea

• a. Nicodemus prepares for the siege
• b. The escape of ben Zakkai
• c. Vespasian Emperor
• d. Decapolis and Scythopolis

36. The Siege of Jerusalem

• a. The Zealot Factions
• b. The Legions Arrive
• c. Passover
• d. The Walls are breached

37. Fall of Jerusalem

• a. Josephus Captive
• b. Final Battle for the Temple
• c. Looting the city
• d. Ninth of Av
• e. Aftermath
• f. Bat Nakdimon

38. After the Fire

• a. Titus and Bernice
• b. Fiscus Judaicus
• c. Trouble All Over
• d. Antioch
• e. Zion in Chains

39. Return from Pella

• a. Believers Return
• b. Masada Falls
• c. Simon son of Clopas
• d. Synagogue in Jerusalem
• e. Jewish Bishops
• f. Ariston of Pella
• g. Tenth Legion in Jerusalem

40. Yavneh

• a. Yavneh
• b. Blessing against Minim
• c. Gamliel II and the Sanhedrin
• d. Sectarians and Minim

41. Domitian

• a. John in Ephesus
• b. Boiled in Oil
• c. Cerinthus
• d. Patmos
• e. John and the Bandit
• f. Grandsons of Jude
• g. Embassy of Gamliel to Rome Ima Shalom

42. Trajan

• a. Trajan's Persecutions
• b. Pliny's Report
• c. Clement's Epistle
• d. Uprising in Egypt

43. Jacob of Kefar Sekania

• a. Rabbi Eliezer
• b. Sekania Stories
• c. Nazareth
• d. Kokaba
• e. Jude

44. Death of John

• a. Gospel of John
• b. 1-3 John
• c. Old John
• d. Death of John

45. Epistle of Barnabas

• a. Epistle of Barnabas
• b. Didache

46. Ignatius

• a. Antioch under Ignatius
• b. "The Lord's Day"
• c. Sabbath to Sunday

47. Hadrian

• a. Akiva and Bar Kokba
• b. Ten Martyrs
• c. Exile from Jerusalem
• d. Ariston of Pella recalls

48. The Great Persecution

• a. Elisha and the Dove's Wings
• b. Laws against Judaism

49. Aeilia Capitolina

• a. Aeilia Capitolina
• b. Tomb of the Master
• c. Temple Mount
• d. First Gentile Bishop over Jerusalem

50. Christianity

• a. Marcion the Heretic
• b. Ebionites and Nazarenes
• c. Justin Martyr
• d. Conflicts with the Minim

51. Polycarp and Papias

• a. Polycarp of Smyrna
• b. Papias
• c. Polycarp and Quartedecimens
• d. Martyrdom of Polycarp

All of this will be subject to change as the writing progresses. I encourage you to join us for this monumental study and rewind your religion. Remember that your Torah Club membership supports the ministry of First Fruits of Zion. Seventy percent of your subscription price is regarded a tax deductible donation to the ministry of First Fruits of Zion.

About the Author: D. Thomas Lancaster is Director of Education at First Fruits of Zion, and regular contributor to Messiah Journal. He is the author of the Torah Club programs, and the books Grafted In, Restoration and King of the Jews