Professor: Prof. Dr. Arjan van den Os
Time: March 27 – April 1, 2026

Schedule:
Friday, March 27 – 18:00 – 21:00
Saturday, March 28 – 9:00 – 12:00
Monday, March 30 – 18:00 – 21:00
Tuesday, March 31 – 18:00 – 21:00
Wednesday, April 1 – 18:00 – 21:00

Place: Brivibas gatve 291, Riga. Registration necessary for participation.
Language: English, with simultaneous translation channel in Russian (on Zoom).

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines the Pauline epistle to the Philippians. We will focus on the historical context of the letter, the relevant questions regarding its formation, and several important theological themes in Philippians in their historical and literary contexts.

ABOUT PROFESSOR

Jan (Arjan) van den Os is professor of New Testament Studies at the Theological University of Apeldoorn (The Netherlands). He was born on June 12, 1992 in Harderwijk. He studied History at the University of Amsterdam (2010-2011) and Theology at the Theological University Apeldoorn (2011-2017). He graduated cum laude in his major, New Testament, with a study on the meaning of revenge in the New Testament, focusing on ἐκδίκειν (ekdikein). Between 2018 and 2022 he was a part-time pastor at the Christian Reformed Church in Spijkenisse. In addition to his PhD work at TUA (0.5 fte), which he started in 2018, he has been appointed as New Testament lecturer at TUA as of 1 July 2022. On April 12, 2023, he received his doctorate with a study of God’s vengeance in the New Testament. His research focuses on New Testament biblical theology, the Gospels of Matthew and John.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Attendance at all class sessions (10%).
2. Required reading (30%):
   • David A. DeSilva, An Introduction to the New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018²), 9-79
   • Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 540 – 563
   • Merrill C. Tenney, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961), 314-328
   • J. Alec Motyer, The Message of Philippians (The Bible Speaks Today Series)
   • Chris Bruno, Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow. A Theology of Philippians (Wheaton: Crossway, 2025)
     Deadline: April 1, 2026 (by the end of the course)
3. Writing Assignments:
   • Final Exam (30%): This exam will focus on the content of the classes. The exam consists of 25 multiple choice questions.
     Deadline: April 19, 2026
   • Exegetical-Homiletical Paper (30%): An 8-page paper on Philippians 1:21. The paper consists of an exegesis of Philippians 1:12-26 (4-6 pages), an outline of the theological message of the pericope with connections to important themes in New Testament theology and dogmatics (1 page), and an outline of a sermon on this text (1-3 pages).
     Deadline: April 26, 2026

INFORMATION:

Andrejs Prieditis, e-mail: aprieditis@brts.edu.lv,
Phone: (371) 26177539.

COURSE OUTLINE:

1. Introduction to Letters in the New Testament
2. Introduction to the Epistle to the Philippians: Its Historical and Literary Contexts and Questions
3. Joy in the Epistle to the Philippians
4. Suffering in the Epistle to the Philippians
5. Justification in the Epistle to the Philippians
6. Sanctification in the Epistle to the Philippians