Transcript OT Survey

The Christian Bible, Part I,
RP 2250
The Bible as Literature
Craig Ho
Intro_OT
1
The Old
Testament
Intro_OT
2
Why is the Bible studied in the universities?
A. Academic reasons:
1. The Bible is great and interesting literature in its own
right.
2. The literature of the West has been and is being
influenced by the Bible, both in world-view and
language.
B. Historical reasons:
1. Universities were originated from monasteries (修道院
) in the Middle-Age. Monks and nuns studied the
Bible.
2. It is one of the first subjects in the most ancient
universities in the western (Christian) world.
Intro_OT
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Different canons of the
Old Testament (OT)
• A canon is a standard list of books which are
regarded as authoritative.
• The Hebrew Bible of the Jews.
• The OT of the Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox Churches (=texts of the Hebrew Bible + 15 / 18
apocryphal texts.)
• The OT of the Protestant Churches (=texts of the
Hebrew Bible)
Intro_OT
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The Hebrew canon
• The Law (5)
Genesis 創世記
Exodus 出埃及記
Leviticus 利未記
Numbers 民數記
Deuteronomy 申命記
• The Writings (11)
Psalms 詩篇
Job 約伯記
Proverbs 箴言
• The Prophets (4+4)
Joshua 約書亞記
Judges 士師記
1&2 Samuel 撒母耳記
1&2 Kings 列王紀上下
The five scrolls are
read at five main
Jewish feasts:
1. Songs for Passover,
Ruth 路得記
2. Ruth for the Feast of
Song of Solomon 雅歌
Weeks or Harvest,
Ecclesiastes 傳道書
Five
3. Lamentations for the
Lamentations 耶利米哀歌
scrolls
fast in remembrance
Esther 以斯帖記
Former
of the destruction of
Daniel 但以理書
Jerusalem,
Prophets Ezra-Nehemiah 以斯拉記, 尼希
4. Ecclesiastes for
米記
Booths
1&2 Chronicles 歷代志上下
5. Esther for Purim
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Isaiah 以賽亞書
Jeremiah 耶利米書
Ezekiel 以西結書
the twelve ＋二先知書(
Hosea, Joel, Amos 阿摩司,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi)
Latter Prophets
NB. Ezra and
Nehemiah are
one book in the
Hebrew canon.
Intro_OT
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The Christian OT Canons
39 Canonical books common to all Christian
Churches (Note 1)
The Law (5)
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
The Historical
Books (12)
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Easther
15 Apocryphal books common to
Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox Churches
The Poetic and
Wisdom Books (5)
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
The Prophets
(5+12)
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
3 extra apocryphal
books in the OT canon
of the Eastern
Orthodox Churchers
3 Maccabees
4 Maccabees
Psalm 151
Note 1: Protestant
Churches accept only
these 39 books as their
OT canon
Intro_OT
1 Esdras
2 Esdras
Tobit
Judith
Additions to Esther
Wisdom of Solomon
Ecclesiastcus, or the
Wisdom of Jesus the
Son of Sirah
Baruch
Letter of Jeremiah
Prayer of Azariah and
the Song of the Three
Young Men
Susanna
Bel and the Dragon
Prayer of Manasseh
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees
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The Divisions of the Three Canons of
the Old Testament
Jewish
• The Law (5)
• The Prophets
• Pentateuch
• History Books
• Former
• Poetry and
Prophets (4)
Wisdom Books
• Latter Prophets
(4)
• The Writings
(11)
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Protestant
Catholic / Orthodox
• Pentateuch (5)
• History Books
(12)
• Poetry and
• Prophetic
Books
• Apocrypha
• Prophetic
Books (17)
39 + 15/18
39
Intro_OT
Wisdom Books (5)
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What is the Old Testament all about?
The Law (5) consists of the
books of
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
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The Historical Books consists of
• the Book of Joshua, (Joshua was Moses' successor)
• the Book of Judges, (Judges were civil and military leaders)
• the Book of Ruth, (Ruth was a Moabite widow)
• 1 and 2 Samuel, (Samuel was the last judge and first prophet)
• 1 and 2 Kings, (Story of the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of
Judah)
• 1 and 2 Chronicles, (Story of the kingdom of Judah)
• the Book of Ezra, (Ezra was an expert of the Law)
• the Book of Nehemiah, (Nehemiah was a high official at the court of
the Persian emperor)
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Major Historical Events:
• the Exodus, political liberation from Egyptian oppression,
}Egyptian period
about 1290 BC
• the beginning of Monarchy, 1050 BC
• Solomon built the Jerusalem Temple, 966-959 BC
• the division of the united kingdom, 933 BC
• the fall of Israel, the northern kingdom, 721/2 BC
• Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem, 701 BC
}
Assyrian period
• Josiah's religious reformation, 621 BC
• the fall of Judah, the southern kingdom, 586/7 BC
}Babylonian period
• the exile of people of Judah, 605, 597, 586 BC
• the return of the Jewish exile, 538 BC
• building of the Second Temple, founded 536,
520-515 BC
Intro_OT
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Persian period
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The Historical Atlas of the Ancient Near East
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The Prophetic Books consists of
• Amos (760), Hosea (760-722), Micah (742-687)
• Isaiah (ch. 1-39) of Jerusalem (740-700)
• Zephaniah (640 -586), Jeremiah (627-587)
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• Nahum (612), Habakkauk (605, see Jer. 25.1-11)
• Ezekiel (597-530)
• Obadiah (after 586), Lamentation
•Haggai (520), Zechariah (520), Malachi (440)
Assyrian period
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Babylonian period
Persian period
• Other prophets:
• Daniel (story of the Jews in exile)
• Isaiah of Babylon (message to encourage the Jews exile)
• Joel (call for repentance)
• Jonah (call Nineveh to repent)
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The Poetic and Wisdom Books consists of
• Job, (a philosophical and religious
dialogue on God’s justice)
• Psalms, (hymn books for worship in
the temple)
• Proverbs, (wise sayings of the Jewish
people)
• Ecclesiastes, (a wise old man's
inquiry into the meaning of life)
• Song of Solomon, (erotic love
poetries)
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The meaning of the Old Testament
1. Salvation History: (i.e. history as understood by God’s
people, unified meaning) As a whole it tells the story of
Yahweh’s dealing with his people Israel: election,
blessing (land/nation and people), saving them when
they were in trouble (exodus, return to the promised
land from exile).
2. National literature (diversified meaning)Its different
parts tell us about the Hebrew people’s life experience –
religion (divine love), human relationship (love poems,
love stories), philosophical dialogue (Job), stories of
national heroes (Moses, David, Esther etc.)
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The Basic Concerns of the OT
• The Torah (Law and early history)
-Concerned with the SACRED: origin of the world, divine
calling of the patriarchs, suffering in Egypt, miraculous delivery
from Egypt, receiving of the Law
• The Prophets (History and social concern)
-Concerned with the ETHICAL: history as stories of human
failure, criticizing society from an ethical point of view
• The Writings (Miscellaneous)
-Concerned with the HUMAN: human response to God
(Psalms), human love (Ruth, Song), human suffering (Job),
meaning of life (Ecclesiastes), human wisdom (Proverbs)
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Overview of today’s lecture
• The Structures of the Three Canons of the Old
Testament
• What is the Old Testament all about?
• The Historical Books
• Major Historical Events
• The Prophetic Books
• The Poetic and Wisdom Books
• Three basic concerns of the OT
Intro_OT
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