The Bible wasn't written in a vacuum, and it isn't interpreted in one either. Join David Bercot to explore the cultural and historical background of the New Testament and the interpretive debates that followed in the early church.

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Course Content

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What Happened Between the Testaments
What Happened After Acts
Who Were the Nicolaitans and the Gnostics?
Who's Who in the Early Church?
After the Apostles – A.D. 150
Blood of the Martyrs
The Truth About the Catacombs
Survey: Bible and Early Church History
Additional Readings: Bible and Early Church History
Free Course Guide

What This Free Course Covers

Bible and Early Church History is a free course with David Bercot on the historical world around the New Testament and the early centuries that followed the apostles. The lessons begin with the political and religious background between the Old and New Testaments, including Greek rule, the Septuagint, Rome’s rise, Herod, and the Sadducees and Pharisees before Christ.

The course then follows what happened after Acts, introducing the later ministries of the apostles, the spread of Christianity, and early questions about church order. Several lessons focus on early Christian writers, leaders, martyrs, and major heresies such as the Nicolaitans, Gnosticism, Marcion, and Valentinus.

The course also includes a condensed reading of Tertullian’s Apology and a lesson on the catacombs, separating common myths from what the archaeological and historical evidence can support. Together, the lessons help students read the New Testament and early church history with more historical context and care.

New Testament background Intertestamental history Post-apostolic Christianity Early Christian sources Heresy and orthodoxy Pre-Nicene writers Martyrdom and persecution Church order Catacombs and archaeology Kingdom of God

What You Will Study

  • The historical setting between Nehemiah and the birth of Jesus, including Greek and Roman rule in Judea
  • The origin of the Septuagint and the rise of groups such as the Sadducees and Pharisees
  • What early historical sources say about the apostles and the spread of Christianity after Acts
  • Early heresies, including the Nicolaitans, Gnosticism, Marcion, Valentinus, and related movements
  • Major pre-Nicene writers, apologists, church leaders, martyrs, and heretics
  • The question of whether the post-apostolic church immediately collapsed or continued the apostles’ work
  • Tertullian’s Apology and its defense of Christians under Roman accusation and persecution
  • The catacombs as early Christian burial places, including what they do and do not prove about early Christian practice

Questions This Course Helps Answer

  • What happened in Judea between the Old Testament and the New Testament?
  • How did the Greeks and Romans come to shape the world Jesus was born into?
  • Who was Herod the Great, and how did his family become connected with Judean rule?
  • What happened to the apostles and the churches after the Book of Acts ends?
  • Did Paul single-handedly spread Christianity beyond Judea, or were the other apostles active too?
  • Who were the Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation?
  • What did early Christians mean by Gnosticism, and why did they oppose it?
  • Who were the major writers, leaders, martyrs, and heretics before the Council of Nicaea?
  • Did the church immediately go apostate after the apostles died?
  • What was Tertullian defending in his Apology?
  • Why is the phrase “the blood of Christians is seed” connected with martyrdom?
  • Were the catacombs hiding places for persecuted Christians or burial places?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

What Happened Between the Testaments

This lesson traces Judean history from the close of the Old Testament period to the world into which Jesus came. It covers Greek rule, the Septuagint, the Maccabees, Rome’s rise, Herod, and the early history of the Sadducees and Pharisees.

  • What happened in Judea between the Old and New Testaments?
  • How did the Greeks and Romans become part of the New Testament setting?
  • Who were the Maccabees, Herod, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees?
  • Why did Jesus’ message of the kingdom come into a world marked by political violence?

What Happened After Acts

This lesson looks at what happened after Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome. Bercot discusses early historical sources, the later work of the apostles, the spread of Christianity, Gnosticism, John’s later ministry, and early developments in church order.

  • What happened after the events recorded in Acts?
  • Were the Twelve apostles active beyond Jerusalem and Judea?
  • What sources can be used to discuss post-Acts history?
  • How did early church order develop in some churches by the early second century?

Who Were the Nicolaitans and the Gnostics?

This lesson addresses the Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation and the rise and spread of Gnostic teaching. It draws on early Christian testimony about Nicolaitans, Simon Magus, later Gnostic movements, Manichaeism, and medieval groups linked with Gnostic ideas.

  • Who were the Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation 2?
  • What did early Christians say about the origin of the Nicolaitans?
  • How did Bercot explain the beginnings of Gnosticism?
  • How did Gnostic ideas continue and reappear in later movements?

Who's Who in the Early Church?

This lesson introduces major figures in the early church up to the Council of Nicaea. Bercot groups them as apologists and writers, church leaders, famous martyrs, and prominent heretics, including figures such as Ignatius, Origen, Lactantius, Marcion, and Valentinus.

  • Who were the major writers and apologists of the early church?
  • What did early Christian apologists try to explain or defend?
  • Which early figures were known as leaders, martyrs, or both?
  • Who were some of the prominent heretics before Nicaea?

After the Apostles – A.D. 150

This lesson asks whether the apostles failed by considering claims that the church quickly went apostate after their deaths. Bercot compares such claims with the second-century church and argues that the apostolic work continued, even while corruption and faithfulness existed together.

  • Did the church disappear or collapse after the apostles died?
  • Why do some groups claim the early post-apostolic church quickly went apostate?
  • How does Bercot describe continuity between Jesus, the apostles, and later Christians?
  • How does the lesson account for both corruption and faithfulness in church history?

Blood of the Martyrs

This lesson is a condensed reading of Tertullian’s Apology with brief introductions to its sections. It presents Tertullian’s defense of Christians against Roman accusations and includes the famous statement that the blood of Christians is seed.

  • What is an apology in early Christian literature?
  • What accusations against Christians did Tertullian answer?
  • How did Tertullian describe Christian suffering and witness?
  • What is meant by the saying that the blood of Christians is seed?

The Truth About the Catacombs

This lesson examines the Christian catacombs, beginning with Giovanni de Rossi’s work near the Appian Way. Bercot explains that the catacombs were burial places, not regular meeting places or proven hiding places, and discusses what their art can and cannot show about early Christian belief.

  • What were the Christian catacombs used for?
  • Did early Christians normally meet or hide in the catacombs?
  • Why must catacomb art be dated before drawing conclusions from it?
  • What does Bercot say the pre-Constantinian catacomb art does not show?

Survey: Bible and Early Church History

This course item is listed as a survey for Bible and Early Church History. No transcript sample was supplied, so its contents cannot be described beyond the title.

  • What survey or feedback step is included with the course?
  • How does this item relate to the overall course experience?

Additional Readings: Bible and Early Church History

This course item is listed as additional readings for Bible and Early Church History. No transcript sample or reading list was supplied, so the specific readings should be verified before describing them.

  • What additional readings accompany this course?
  • Which course themes are supported by the reading materials?

What students are saying

4.76 out of 5 — 46 reviews
Glen D Yoder Aug 31, 2026
★★★★★
The highlight for me was the lesson on the catacombs. Lots of new material and thoughts
Ernest Fazenbaker Aug 6, 2026
★★★★★
fun
Verified Student Sep 5, 2025
★★★★★
I learned alot in this series. A lot of new information that I have t gleaned from your other videos on YouTube. I appreciate this! I learned new information on the catacombs for sure!
Verified Student Jul 17, 2025
★★★★★
I too had many misconceptions concerning the catacombs. This cleared them up.
Verified Student Jun 20, 2025
★★★★☆
Love studying the Early Church, this course was AWESOME, learned things i didn't even know I needed :-) David has a wonderful way of presenting the subject to allow the greatest understanding. Some of the AH-HAs came from areas I never thought to study. A BIG THUMBS UP TO DAVID AND THE ENTIIRE STAFF!!!!! GOD BLESS !!!!!
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Bible and Early Church History

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Course Includes

  • 9 Lessons
  • 7 Quizzes
  • Course Certificate