About this course

This course is free because of the generosity of our Vision Partners.

In this course, Dr. Heiser outlines the various figures and concepts behind the theology of two Yahweh figures in ancient Judaism. This ancient conception of a Godhead forms the backdrop for various New Testament passages. The course builds on Unseen Realm 101’s introduction to the two powers in the Hebrew Bible.
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Course objectives

After completing this course, you'll be able to:

  • Recognize how ancient Judaism believed in a second Yahweh figure.

  • Discern the idea of Jesus being God is not a novel, New Testament idea, but part of the history of Jewish theology about God.

  • Explain what the Targums are and why they’re valuable for both ancient Jewish theology and New Testament Christology.

Course outline

    1. About this course

    2. What you will learn

    3. What you need

    4. Instructor

    1. Objectives 01

    2. Session 01

    3. Quiz 01

    1. Objectives 02

    2. Pre-work 02

    3. Session 02

    4. Quiz 02

    5. Discussion 02

    1. Objectives 03

    2. Pre-work 03

    3. Session 03

    4. Quiz 03

    5. Discussion 03

    1. Objectives 04

    2. Pre-work 04

    3. Session 04

    4. Quiz 04

    1. Objectives 05

    2. Pre-work 05

    3. Session 05

    4. Quiz 05

    5. Discussion 05

Two Powers in Judaism in Second Temple Texts

  • Free
  • 4.5 hours of video content
  • 8 Modules

Additional course details:

  • Difficulty level: 4

    The learning difficulty for this course is 4 out of 5. It is recommended for advanced students and above.

  • Unlimited access

    You receive unlimited access to the course once you enroll.

  • Certificate of completion

    You automatically receive a certificate of completion once you finish the course.

Course material

All instructional material is provided in the course.

Instructor

Dr. Michael S. Heiser

Dr. Michael S. Heiser (who prefers to be called Mike) is a scholar of the Bible and its ancient context. He earned master’s degrees in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania and Hebrew Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before teaching at AWKNG School of Theology, Dr. Heiser taught at the university level for over 20 years and was the Academic Editor and Scholar for Logos Bible Software for 15 years. He supervised scholarly data projects related to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew and Semitic inscriptions, the Septuagint, and the Greek Pseudepigrapha. Dr. Heiser is published widely in scholarly academic journals, including the Bible Study Magazine, and authored several portions of the Faithlife Study Bible.

Certificate program

Earn credit towards the Certificate of Biblical History when you complete this course.

View certificate program

What our students are saying

5 star rating

One of the key to begin how best understanding of the OT.

Benjamin Pineda

Appreciate the transcript availability very helpful and useful.

Appreciate the transcript availability very helpful and useful.

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5 star rating

Excellent! Learned so much, even though I was aware of the Memra in the Targums for years. This course took it to another level.

Linda Simmons

Very informative and brought clarity to my understanding. Great history lesson as well as scriptural points made. Thank you so much!

Very informative and brought clarity to my understanding. Great history lesson as well as scriptural points made. Thank you so much!

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5 star rating

Excellent course.

Michael Norton

This course is tremendously helpful in making The Two Powers in Heavenmaterial understandable and applicable to my faith

This course is tremendously helpful in making The Two Powers in Heavenmaterial understandable and applicable to my faith

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5 star rating

Two Powers in Judaism

Marsha Burnside

I loved this module and it gave me a much deeper and greater understanding of what the Jewish people were actually taught and knew about the Word. I would add Word to the title as it combines the Aramaic with the English translation of John's Gosp...

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I loved this module and it gave me a much deeper and greater understanding of what the Jewish people were actually taught and knew about the Word. I would add Word to the title as it combines the Aramaic with the English translation of John's Gospel. I love learning greater ways to share with our Jewish friends who the Messiah is, being equipped with their texts, which show exactly what and who John was teaching and bearing witness about!

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5 star rating

Favorite Course I Think I've Ever Taken.

Josh Bernard

I can't think of a course I've ever taken in any setting that I've enjoyed more, especially getting into the Targumim. It's such an eye opener, and it's just "cool" for lack of a better term. I've now bought and added a lot of the Targumim materia...

Read More

I can't think of a course I've ever taken in any setting that I've enjoyed more, especially getting into the Targumim. It's such an eye opener, and it's just "cool" for lack of a better term. I've now bought and added a lot of the Targumim materials out there to go through even more. Hope there is a 2nd part of the Two Powers Class someday.

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