The primary goal of the course is to achieve a thorough understanding of the text of the three Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. This understanding requires, first and foremost, the acquisition of a basic cultural knowledge about the text of the New Testament (topics in history, geography, and society of the first century). It is also important to know who wrote these texts, how, and when, as well as the theological ideas that, according to the texts, can be said to belong to each author. But above all, direct and in-depth contact with the text itself is essential.