“Apostles, Epistles, Apocalypse: The Best of the Rest of the New Testament.”

This course will cover the remainder of the New Testament after the Gospels and Acts. St. Paul and his epistles will feature prominently, since thirteen of the writings are attributed to him (though only seven are undisputedly from his hand). Other apostles' names are linked to the rest, and the canonical closer is that mysterious, maddening, terrible, and beautiful work "The Apocalypse of John," more commonly known as "The Book of Revelation." The emphasis will be primarily on what Paul's epistles and the others reveal about the evolution of the Jesus movement from the death of Jesus throughout the rest of the first century and into the second. We will look at the challenges the nascent church faced, both internal and external, the variety of practice and belief, and the gradual (and sometimes bitter) separation from its parent body, Second Temple Judaism.

Instructor: Rev. Dr. Larry Kalajainen

Bio: Larry R. Kalajainen is a native of western Pennsylvania, but married a New Jersey girl, Carol. He earned
degrees at the University of Pittsburgh, Asbury Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Drew
University (Ph.D.). He was ordained Elder in the Methodist Church of Malaysia in 1974, while serving with the Board of
Global Ministries, and joined the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference in 1977. He also has full standing in the UCC and
is currently a member of the New York Metro Association. He has served pastorates on three continents: one in Malaysia,
four in New Jersey, one in Paris, France, one in Maine, and one in New York. He retired from parish ministry in June, 2016
and he and Carol moved back to the home in Brunswick, ME that they have owned since 2003. He has published several
books combining his interests in biblical studies and spirituality, and has taught at four seminaries (including Bangor Theological Seminary) and one university as an adjunct. He has cultivated a serious avocation in fineart photography, is an avid and eclectic reader, a serious “foodie” and cook, and will, if pressed, admit to a fondness for latenight reading of spy novels and murder mysteries. He and Carol have two daughters and four grandchildren, three of whom live next door

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