Transcript Old Testament, History and Content

Old Testament: History and Structure
The Holy Bible
• The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word
biblia, which means “books”. The Bible is really a
collection or library of many books.
• These books are divided into two main parts, the
Old Testament and the New Testament.
• “Testament” means “covenant or agreement”.
• The Old Covenant is an agreement that God made
with the nation of Israel.
The Holy Bible
●
It contains 73 books, 46 (39 main books plus 7 Second
Canonical books removed by Protestants) in the Old
Testament and 27 in the New Testament
• More than 40 writers over more than 1,500 years.
• It is one book as God inspires it.
• A variety of writings, stories, tales, biographies, poems,
and proverbs, but one focus: the message of salvation,
carried out by our Lord Jesus Christ.
• We find the crimson line clear in all its books and we
notice clearly how the wonderful Divine plan in the Old
Testament prepared humanity for salvation and how the
events and topics were symbols of the Lord and His work
of expiation.
The Old Testament
• The Old Testament tells the history of the people of
Israel.
• This history is based on their faith in the God of
Israel and on their religious life as the people of
God.
• The authors of these books wrote about what God
had done for them as a people and how they were
to worship and obey God in return.
Languages of the Old Testament
• The Old Testament language was Hebrew. Some of the chapters were
written in Aramaic.
• Scripture was translated into Aramaic which was spoken by Jews
people after the exile.
• Hebrew was known as the sacred language. The books of the Old
Testament were written in Hebrew and gradually after the exile the
Scripture was written in Hebrew using the Aramaic alphabet.
• The Hebrew language is written from right to left. They used to write
without leaving space between the words, so it depends on the reader
who knows how to read. Even if there is not enough space to finish
the word on the line, the rest of it will be written in the next line.
Why do I love the Old Testament?
• It is a shadow of the New Testament.
The New Testament was hidden in the
Old Testament.
• It shows me how to live with God.
What does God want from me.
• The characters are awesome!
Why do I struggle with the Old Testament?
Understanding the:
– Structure
– History
of the Old Testament
is Key to
understanding and
spiritual benefit.
The Pentateuch
(Judaism: Torah)
Old Testament History
Wisdom and Poetry
The Major and Minor Prophets
The Gospels and Acts
Writings of the Apostles
The Old Testament
The following chart shows the different groups of books that make up the Old
Testament.
The Law:
Major Prophets:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch,
and Deuteronomy.
Ezekiel, and Daniel.
History:
Minor Prophets:
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
Samuel, 1 King, 2 King, 1 Chronicles, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, and 2
Maccabees.
Poetry and Wisdom:
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Songs, and Wisdom.
Books are not placed in chronological order. Many of prophetical and wisdom books
take place during periods of historical books
THE BIBLE IS NOT ONE
BOOK
But a library of 66
books
Over a period of
more than 1,500
years
Written by more
than 40 men
Moses
1500-1400
B.C.
Of the 66
books, 39
were written
before the
birth of
Jesus
30
A.D.
2000
A.D.
These 39 are called the
Old TESTAMENT
Moses
Moses wrote the
first five books of
the Bible:
Pentateuch (5 books)
Torah (law)
Books of Moses
GENESIS
EXODUS
LEVITICUS
NUMBERS
DEUTERONOMY
1500-1400
B.C.
30
A.D.
2000
A.D.
The Pentateuch
The first five books -- look back from the death of Moses -- all the
way to the beginning of the world.
GENESIS – Chapters 1-11
• Creation of the world
• First human family
• Spread of evil
• World wide flood
• Division of mankind into nations and languages
GENESIS – chapters 12-50
• God chooses the FATHERS of the future nation of Israel
• Four Generations – grow from 1 couple to 70 people
The Pentateuch
Books 2-5:
EXODUS, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, DEUTERONOMY
 Exodus: deliverance from Egypt and receiving
the Covenant
 Leviticus: obligations of the Covenant
 Numbers: increases laws and time in desert
 Deuteronomy: Moses gives meaning of
Covenant
Moses
Creation
of world 2500
B.C.
1400
B.C.
Books 6-17
ARE BOOKS OF HISTORY
WRITTEN BY VARIOUS
AUTHORS
 1400 – 400 B.C.
 Possession of their
land, the establishment
of the kingdom, the
captivity and return to
their land
400
B.C.
30
A.D.
2000
A.D.
Moses
Creation
of world 2500
B.C.
1400
B.C.
400
B.C.
30
A.D.
2000
A.D.
Historical Books (6:17)
• Joshua: conquest of the Promised land
• Judges: settlement and survival in the land
• 1st & 2nd Samuel: Israelite’s need for King
and coming of Saul and David
• 1st & 2nd Kings: history and fidelity of
Kings who followed David down to the end
of Jewish Monarchy in 586 BC.
Moses
Creation
of world 2500
B.C.
1400
B.C.
400
B.C.
30
A.D.
2000
A.D.
Historical Books (6:17)
• 1st & 2nd Chronicles: period from Saul to
return from Exile
• Ezra: Emphasizes Jewish piety and the
Torah in the face of Hellenism-closes
Israel’s openness to mixed marriages-race
• Nehemiah: Rebuilding, Practicality, census,
feast of Booths (tents)
Moses
Creation
of world 2500
B.C.
1400
B.C.
Books 18-22
ARE BOOKS OF POETRY AND
WISDOM
 Job is about man’s question about
suffering
 Psalms is a collection of poems
put to music
 Proverbs is a collection of short
wise sayings
 Ecclesiastes tells how to live
life in a world where all is
vanity
 Song of Solomon is a poem
about true romantic love
400
B.C.
30
A.D.
2000
A.D.
Moses
Creation
of world 2500
B.C.
1400
B.C.
Books 23-39
MAJOR AND MINOR
PROHETS
Throughout the history of
Israel, various prophets
predicted that SOMEONE
from Israel will one day be
a SAVIOR & KING of the
world
400
B.C.
30
A.D.
2000
A.D.
Timeline of the Old Testament
• (I) Primeval Period (Genesis 1-11):
 Creation, Adam
~ 5500 B.C.
Fall
Enoch
Methuselah, 969 years
 Flood, Noah ~ 2500 B.C.
The Tower of Babel, many languages
400 years of scattering
Timeline of the Old Testament
• (II) Patriarchal Period (Genesis 12-50):
 Abraham~ 2000 B.C.
Isaac
Jacob
The 12 tribes
Joseph
Exile (bondage) in Egypt (400 years)
Timeline of the Old Testament
• (III) Exodus (Exodus to Deuteromony):
 Moses
~ 1500 B.C.
Exodus from Egypt, Passover ~
1446 B.C.
The Law, the
Tabernacle ~ 1445 B.C.
Lost in the wilderness
of Sinai (40 years)
Timeline of the Old Testament
• (IV) Conquest of Canaan (Joshua):
 Joshua becomes the leader of
Israel
Crossing the Jordan
Jericho
Entering and dwelling in
Canaan ~ 1406 B.C.
Timeline of the Old Testament
• (V) Judges Period (Judges):
 Judges rule over Israel ~ 1375 B.C.
for 400 years
Dark era
Debora, Gideon, Samson, Samuel
Theocratic system
Timeline of the Old Testament
• (VI) Early Monarchy, United Kingdom
(1,2Samuel, 1Kings, 1,2Chronicles):
 Samuel
Start: King Saul ~ 1029
Establishment: King David ~ 1000
Start of decline: King Solomon ~ 961-922
Building the temple ~ 959
Timeline of the Old Testament