Study With Us - Biblical Course: New Testament - Encounter Year

Further Education

Biblical Course: New Testament — The Encounter Year

The face the prophets longed to see, now turned toward us.

An open Bible.

The New Testament is not a fresh start. It is the moment when every covenant, every prophecy, every prefiguration of the Old Testament finds its face — in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who is at once the fulfilment of the long story and its astonishing surprise.

From the apostolic preaching to the Fathers, from medieval lectio to the renewal of biblical studies in our own day, the Church has read the New Testament not as a new beginning but as the long-prepared meeting between God and his people. The Encounter Year stands in that tradition and offers it to those who teach, preach, and form others in the Word.

The course follows the Synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke — and Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Letters, reading them as one continuous testimony to the encounter with the risen Christ. Theology and pastoral reading are not held apart; they are taught as one movement.

The conviction behind the course

"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." The line is St Jerome's, from the Prologue to his Commentary on Isaiah, and it is taken up by the Second Vatican Council in Dei Verbum. To know Scripture is to know Christ. And to know Christ, in the words of John Paul II in the opening paragraph of Redemptor Hominis, is to know the one who "is the centre of the universe and of history."

The New Testament is the place where this becomes vivid. It is not a book about Jesus held at arm's length; it is the testimony of those who met him, were changed by him, and could not stop telling the world about him. To enter the New Testament is to enter that encounter — and to be drawn into it.

It is designed for catechists, pastoral ministers, lectors, parish formators, and any lay person who wants to read the New Testament with both intellectual seriousness and the eyes of faith.

Requirements

This course has no academic prerequisites, but it relies heavily on basic computer skills and a working knowledge of English. To take part, you will need:

  • A reliable internet connection and access to a computer or tablet (a smartphone alone is not sufficient for written assignments
  • Basic computer skills — comfortable using email, navigating a virtual learning environment (such as Canvas), watching pre-recorded video lectures, and uploading written work as a Word or PDF document.
  • A working knowledge of English. Materials, lectures, and assessments are in English throughout. As a guide, we recommend at least CEFR level B2 (upper intermediate) — sufficient to read theological texts, follow a lecture, and produce a short written reflection.

    • If you are unsure whether your English or computer skills are at the right level, please get in touch before applying — we are happy to talk it through.

    Course structure

    Twenty-five weeks of asynchronous teaching on Canvas, with live tutorials every six weeks for discussion, questions, and synthesis. The course works through the three Synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — and then turns to Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Letters, read in their order of composition and against the backdrop of Paul's missionary journeys.

    All students complete a short monthly pastoral reflection (150 words), marked by the tutor, and a final 1,500-word essay at the end of the course. Both are part of the course itself and are included in the course fee.

    The annual exam is optional. It is only for students who wish to receive a certificate, and it carries a separate fee of £160–170. Students who do not wish to be certified take the full course without the exam — everything else stays the same.

    The academic year opens in September 2026.

    Schedule

    • Course start: September 2026.
    • Duration: 25 weeks
    • Welcome session: Thursday 17 September 2026, 6.45 p.m. UK time
    • Tutorials: Thursdays at 6.45 p.m. UK time, every 6 weeks.

    *Dates are subject to change; students will be informed in due course.

    Practicalities
    • Format: online via Canvas; asynchronous weekly sessions and live tutorials every 6 weeks.
    • Duration: 25 weeks (approximately 50 to 60 hours total workload).
    • Validation: Maryvale Higher Institute of Religious Sciences (HIRS) — Level 3, 2 ECTS.
    • Fee: £475 per year — covers the course in full, including the monthly pastoral reflections and the final essay.
    • Academic requirements: none.
    • Certification (optional): £160–170 annual exam fee, for students who wish to receive a Certificate (after one year) or Diploma (after four years).
    • Cohort: maximum 20 students.
    • Course lead: Colleen Vermeulen (in partnership with the Catholic Biblical School Ministry — CBSM).

    Apply

    Application deadline: 30 August 2026. Course start: September 2026.

    APPLY

    If you have any questions before applying, please make an online enquiry below or call 0121 3608118.


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