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Mike Bryant
First Lutheran Church
Course Overview
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Old Testament History in 2 Slides or Less
Course Overview
1. Origins: the Israelites before ca. 1200 B.C.
Sojourn in Egypt
The Exodus
Emergence in Canaan
2. Toward a kingdom (1200-931 B.C.)
Era of the Judges
The Philistines
Foundation of the monarchy
David & Solomon
Course Overview
3. The Kingdom Divided
Israel: the northern kingdom (931-722 B.C.)
Israel falls to the Assyrians
Judah: the southern kingdom (931-586 B.C.)
The Babylonian captivity
4. A Conquered People
Persian rule: Cyrus the Great (539-332 B.C.)
Greek rule: Alexander, Ptolemies and Seleucids (332164 B.C.)
Independence under the Maccabees (164-63 B.C.)
Roman rule
Review 1
Egypt & Canaan
Trade, then migration, then hostilities
Hyksos (Canaanite) rule (1650 B.C. – 1550 B.C.)
Dating the Exodus
No firm evidence, biblical or otherwise
Stela of Pharaoh Merneptah, 1208 B.C. mentions Israel
Israelite origins
Archaeological record begins 1200 B.C.
Links to Hyksos and habiru
Toward a Kingdom
Defining Israelite
By 1200 B.C. a people calling themselves Israel
and/or Hebrews existed in Canaan
Multiple tribes but belief in a common ancestor:
Abraham
Belief in a shared history: the Exodus
Worship one god: Yahweh
The Cult of Yahweh
YHWH: the Hebrew name for God
No vowels in ancient Hebrew
Original pronunciation unknown
Yahweh most common rendering
Jehovah another
Yahweh the god who revealed himself to Abraham &
Moses
Covenant between Yahweh and Israelites
An “exclusivity agreement”
The Cult of Yahweh
Midianite origins?
Midian one of Abraham’s sons
(Genesis 25)
Moses visits Midian after
fleeing Egypt
Moses was minding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, priest of Midian. He
led the flock along the side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain
of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the flame of a burning
bush.
Exodus 3:1-2
The Cult of Yahweh
Possible Egyptian references to
a god named Yahweh
13th century BC
Shasu-Bedu—southeast of
Dead Sea & Sinai
The Cult of Yahweh
Monotheism or henotheism?
Henotheism: only one god is worshipped but existence
of other gods is acknowledged
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord…
Who among the gods, O Lord, is like you?
Among the gods, not one is like you, O Lord…
Exodus 15
Psalms 86:8
You shall have no other god to set against me…you shall not bow down to
them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous god.
Exodus 20
The Cult of Yahweh
The Tabernacle: original shrine of Yahweh
Hebrew for “dwelling place”—i.e., for the Divine
presence
A tent constructed according to God’s specifications,
described in Exodus
An outer chamber and
the holy of holies
The Cult of Yahweh
The Ark of the Covenant
Holds tablets containing 10 commandments
God’s throne?
From the cover, between the two
Cherubim over the Ark, I shall deliver
to you all my commands to Israelites.
Exodus 25:22
The Ark of God, which bears the name
of The Lord of Hosts, who is
enthroned upon the cherubim
2 Samuel 6:2
The Cult of Yahweh
The Ark of the Covenant
Priests of Yahweh carry it before the army to ensure
victory
When they came to a certain threshing
floor, the oxen [transporting the Ark]
stumbled, and Uzzah reached out to
the Ark of God and took hold of it.
The Lord was angry with Uzzah and
struck him down for his rash act.
2 Samuel 6:6-7
The Judges
Bible presents judges as a series of 12 national
leaders
Reality is probably that judges were local, leading
their tribe, or possibly a confederation of a few tribes
The Song of Deborah (Ch5), describing a battle, lists 10
tribes, 4 of whom did not join the fight
Later chapters describe fighting amongst the tribes
Abimelech described as “prince over Israel for 3
years” (Ch9) but details of his rise and fall are all
localized in Shechem
The Judges
What is a biblical judge?
No concept of permanent government
Settling disputes only peacetime “government”
Judge=Hebrew word shaphet
Local wise folk gain authority by charisma and
reputation for fairness
At that time Deborah wife of Lappidoth, a prophetess, was judge in Israel.
It was her custom to sit beneath the Palm-tree of Deborah and the
Israelites went up to her for justice.
Judges 4:4-5
The Judges
What is a biblical judge?
No concept of permanent government
Charisma equated with divine favor: “the Spirit of
Yahweh” was upon them
Deborah described also as a prophetess
Office of judge not hereditary; 12 described arise
spontaneously in different tribes
The Judges
What is a biblical judge?
Occasional military leaders
“Judge” only concept of a leader though judging and
military leadership very different
Same wise charismatic people trusted to judge are
turned to in times of military crisis
The Judges
Growing distinction between military and judicial
leaders without corresponding terminology
Deborah
Female judge but as a woman cannot lead army
Appoints Barak to act as general
Barak agrees only on condition that she accompany him
She warns that his eventual victory will bring him no
glory because the enemy will “fall into the hands of a
woman;” he goes anyway
Song of Deborah (Ch5) considered oldest fragment in the
Bible—very similar to ancient Canaanite battle poems
The Judges
Growing distinction between military and judicial
leaders without corresponding terminology
Gideon
Midianites have conquered “Israel”
Gideon arises as a military hero apparently out of
nowhere: “look at my clan: it is the weakest in
Manasseh and I am the least in my father’s family”
Gideon’s people try to offer him permanent leadership
and a dynasty
The Judges
Growing distinction between military and judicial
leaders without corresponding terminology
Gideon
Midianites have conquered “Israel”
Gideon arises as a military hero apparently out of
nowhere: “look at my clan: it is the weakest in
Manasseh and I am the least in my father’s family”
Gideon’s people try to offer him permanent leadership
and a dynasty
The Judges
What is happening during the era of the Judges?
Conflict and co-existence with Canaanites
Battles against Canaanite kings, absorption of Canaanite
territory
Deborah/Barak vs. Jabin, Canaanite King of Hazor
Apparent peaceful blending with Canaanites as
evidenced by repeated flirtation with pagan cults of Baal
and Asherah
Judge Gideon also has a Canaanite name: Jerub-Baal (let
Baal plead)
Bible explains this as a nickname for tearing down Baal’s
altar
The Judges
What is happening during the era of the Judges?
Conflicts with Trans-Jordanian peoples:
Arameans, Amonnites, Moabites, Midianites
Israelites—or at least some tribes—temporarily succumb
to foreign rulers
Conflicts among the Israelite tribes
“All the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba” join forces
against Benjamites
Punishment for disturbing story in chapter 19
Conflicts with the Philistines
The Philistines
One of the “Sea Peoples” described by the Egyptians
Vikings of the Mediterranean world
Egyptian word is Peleset
Generally equated to Aegean Pelasgians
Inhabitants of Greece and/or Western Asia Minor
Archaeological finds similar to Mycenaean Greece
First mentioned by Homer in The Iliad as allies of Troy
"I will tell you truly all," replied Dolon. "To the seaward lie the Carians, the
Paeonian bowmen, the Leleges, the Cauconians, and the noble Pelasgi.”
The Iliad, Book X
The Philistines
Carve out a niche in
southwestern Palestine (modern
Gaza strip) beginning around
1200 B.C.
“Palestine” derived from
Philistine
Possibly settled as vassals by
Egypt
Five city-states
The Philistines
Conflict with Israelites: Dan
Philistia’s northern neighbor
Samson a Danite
Migration of Dan
The Philistines
Capture the Ark
Philistines camp near Aphek
Israelites take Ark from Shiloh, hoping for divine
assistance in battle
Philistines rout Israelites, kill sons of Priest Eli
Move Ark from town to town, but Yahweh plagues locals
with hemorrhoids
Finally move Ark into temple of major god, Dagon
Statue of Dagon found prostrated before Ark, twice
Philistines rid themselves of the Ark
The Monarchy
A response to Philistine threat
Samuel, king-maker
Judge and prophet
Saul, a Benjamite, chosen
Anointed by Samuel
Initial victory over Amonites
Early victories over Philistines
Breaks their strangle-hold on iron trade
David
David & Saul
Lyre-player in Saul’s court
Soothes king when “evil spirit” afflicted him
Fells the Philistine giant Goliath
Slays 200 Philistines to earn princess’s hand
His military successes earn Saul’s jealousy
David and his band flee into the wilderness
Becomes a mercenary leader, fights for Philistines
David
David King (ca. 1010 B.C.)
Saul dies in battle
Ish-Bosheth succeeds but Judah
recognizes David
Ish-Bosheth murdered, kingdom
united
David’s conquests
Zenith of Israel’s political power
Jebusite (Canaanite) city of
Jerusalem—David’s capital
Solomon
Solomon King (ca. 970-931 B.C.)
Disputed succession
Son of David’s Jebusite wife,
Bathsheba
Continues David’s glory
Builds Temple
Respected world leader
Marries Pharaoh’s daughter
Allied with Hiram of Tyre
Visited by Queen of Sheba
Solomon
Decline begins
Loses Aram in north and Edom
Revolt of Jeroboam
Foreman of forced laborers
Conspires against Solomon, is
discovered and flees to Egypt