For one low price, get all 22 of Mr. Benner’s masterclasses—full of practical teaching, step-by-step guidance, and tools to help you study and understand the Bible more deeply.
The nomadic lifestyle of the Hebrews, including their dependence on natural resources and tent dwelling, shaped their concrete language. Unlike modern Western thought, which relies on abstract concepts, the Hebrew language is rooted in the five senses. Recognizing these cultural differences can lead to a more accurate and insightful interpretation of the Bible.
A unique understanding of God is revealed by exploring the ancient culture and philosophy behind the Bible. Gain a richer perspective of God, his names and his attributes that have been hidden for centuries behind institutional dogma and doctrine.
The Bible is a big business, with millions of copies sold annually, making accuracy in translation crucial. However, the inherent complexities and challenges of Bible translation can result in errors, mistranslations and misunderstandings. The King James Version (KJV), while popular, is not exempt from errors and is influenced by the translator's interpretations.
The Bible has a long and complicated history that is revealed through archaeology, linguistics and religious traditions. This masterclass begins with the history and transmission of the Bible itself. Then we will examine other, ancient non-Biblical writings such as those found in Ebla and Ugarit, and how they help in Biblical studies.
Examining the Masoretic Hebrew Texts, Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient manuscripts related to the Hebrew Bible as well as proofs for the historicity of the Hebrew Bible.
An introduction to the Hebrew alphabet and language with a close examination of each Hebrew letter and its origins, meanings and evolution through the ages.
Examining the Ancient Hebrew language and its relationship to the Hebrews’ philosophy and culture. We will also be looking into Hebrew names and words, their roots and their meanings.
When we study the words of the Bible, our goal is to learn the meaning of these words from a Hebraic perspective, which will help with proper Biblical interpretation. Included are some word studies that will demonstrate the necessity of studying Hebrew words from a Hebraic perspective.
This masterclass will examine numerous discoveries of ancient inscriptions, including the Phoenician sarcophagus, Mesha Stele, Siloam Inscription, Tel Dan Stele, and various ostraca and tablets, that illuminate the development of the Hebrew alphabet and language, revealing connections between Phoenician, Moabite, Ammonite, and Aramaic scripts, as well as the use of Paleo-Hebrew even during the Babylonian captivity.
Biblical Hebrew poetry often employs parallelism, where ideas are expressed in two or more ways, and chiasmus, where ideas are mirrored, and uses concrete language to convey abstract concepts, requiring an understanding of both literary devices and the cultural context for proper interpretation.
This masterclass will detail the principles and methods of a mechanical translation of the Hebrew Bible, which emphasizes a literal, word-for-word approach, aiming for consistency and minimizing translator bias while providing tools for deeper study into the original Hebraic meanings.
This masterclass will present a case for the New Testament having a Hebrew origin, arguing that it was written by Jews speaking and writing Hebrew, for Jews who also spoke and read Hebrew, and that the Greek texts are translations that often lose the nuances of the original Hebrew.
Instead of simply reading the Bible, we need to ingest it. When each word in a passage is studied from within its original cultural and linguistic context, the passage will come to life in a way never seen before. Mr. Benner offers valuable insights and suggestions on how to properly interpret the Bible, helping readers gain a richer and more accurate understanding of its teachings.
The unfortunate truth is that Bible translators do more than just translate, they interpret the text for you. In other words, they chose how you are going to interpret it. If, on the other hand, you want to interpret the Bible for yourself, you are going to have to do some excavating.
This masterclass will explore how to define Hebrew words from a Hebraic perspective by examining their root meanings, cultural contexts, morphology, parallels, and concrete rather than abstract applications, while also looking at the impact of translation choices, including the influence of Greek thought, and how English translations can obscure the original meanings.
This masterclass will provide an in-depth look at the Hebrew language and culture, exploring the concrete meanings of words like amen, grace, spirit, angel, king, one, father, righteousness, savior, jealous, hallelujah, fringes, and wisdom.
This section will explore the life and teachings of Yeshua (Jesus) within their historical and cultural context, examining his relationship with Judaism, his teaching methods, the meaning of his words and actions, and how the New Testament reflects and builds upon the Hebrew scriptures and traditions. Also examined are the teachings of Paul and the importance of understanding them from within the context of Judaism.
This masterclass will provide a detailed overview of the Hebrew alphabet, including the historical development of each letter from its ancient pictographic form to its modern script, along with the meanings, sounds, and examples of usage in words and biblical texts, as well as basic Hebrew grammar and vocabulary with vowel pointing, prefixes, and suffixes, and examples of how they combine to form words and sentences.
This masterclass will explore ancient Hebrew words by examining their parent roots (two-letter combinations), child roots (formed by adding consonant/vowels), and adopted roots (three-consonant roots), explaining how these roots and their related words are derived, and how their meanings are connected through pictographic letters, and how these concepts can provide a deeper understanding of the Hebrew language.
This masterclass will explore Hebrew language, focusing on the meaning of names, nouns, and verbs, including how verb tense, mood, and voice affect interpretation, and how to use tools to analyze biblical texts.
If you've learned to interpret and translate Hebrew verbs and nouns, you're ready for the next step. First, you will learn, in detail, the prefixes and suffixes that are attached to verbs and nouns and second, you will learn about adjectives, adverbs, preposition, conjunctions and much more.
If you have mastered the Hebrew alphabet and have a basic understanding of Hebrew vocabulary, you are ready to begin translating the Bible for yourself. Keep in mind that this is a process and at the beginning your translating will be slow, but over time you will find yourself building a vocabulary of Hebrew words and able to recognize many of them on sight.