Lecture One: Introduction to the Old Testament - The Hebrew Bible

The Bible as Revealed Text

The Bible is the story of God’s self-disclosure of Himself to people.

The Old Testament builds up to the point in history when God was fully revealed to people in Jesus Christ.

God continues to reveal Himself to people through the Holy Spirit.

Through the Bible we see what God has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future.

Construction of the Bible

Over time, editors collected various books written by people before them.

The editors themselves also wrote portions of the Bible.

The Bible is more than just stories about historical events.

The Bible contains a history of theology and its development over time.

Theology is “the study of God.”

The history of the Bible is also understood as “salvation history” because it is all about how God worked out His salvation for humanity.

The life of Jesus is the focal point of “salvation history.”

What is Revelation?

In the special revelation of God, God is seen entering into human history and interacting with people personally.

Natural revelation is the God-given ability to all humans to recognize the beauty and the glory of God through His creation.

The Bible as Inspired Text

“Divine Inspiration”

What is it?

Whatever processes and methods were used to create the Bible, God played a role in how they came about.

The Bible is a human document, but it came about by the will of God.

We do not worship the Bible, but we worship the God whose character is revealed to us in the Bible.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 

-- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
-- 2 Peter 1:20-21 (NIV)

Theories of Inspiration

Dictation Theory of Inspiration

The Bible writers were only instruments or vessels that God used to write down His own words in the Bible.

God dictated exact words and phrases to the Bible writers and they wrote down exactly what they heard God say to them.

Dynamical Theory of Inspiration

More “Wesleyan” in nature…

The Holy Spirit was active in the writing of the Scriptures by preparing His people to understand His thoughts and to convey the reality of God in their own words.

The Canon of the Bible

“…the term canon refers to a collection of writings accepted by a religious body as authoritative and normative for faith and practice” (DOT 22).

The word canon comes from the Greek and means “a rod, a standard, or something straight.”

The Canon of the Bible is our “theological measuring stick” to help us understand what is true and what not true about God.

The Canon of the Hebrew Bible (The Old Testament)

Israel’s Story…

Major events of the Old Testament… 

God creates the world, people mess it up (Genesis 1-11)

God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12-50)

Israel’s exodus from Egypt and the Sinai Covenant (Exodus 1-40)

Israel’s wilderness journey and the conquest of Canaan (Books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua)

Israel under the leadership of charismatic leaders (Books of Judges and 1 Samuel 1-9)

The beginning of monarchy (1 Samuel 10–1 Kings 11)

The divided kingdoms of Israel (1 Kings 12–2 Kings 25)

The Exile and Restoration (The Major Prophets and Ezra-Nehemiah)

The later history of Israel outside of the Old Testament… 

After the fall of the Persian Empire, “the Greek rulers controlled Palestine for nearly 170 years” (DOT 22).

“Following the Greek rule, the Jews established an independent Jewish kingdom that lasted for about 100 years” (DOT 22).

The Jews lost their independence again to the Roman Empire. 

Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus.

This is Our Story

These stories are about the past, but also about the present and the future.

God hasn’t gone anywhere.

What can we learn from these stories?

In what ways are we like the people in the stories?

In what ways are we different?

How do these stories shape us?

What do they reveal to us about ourselves and about God?

The Different Canons of Scripture

The Hebrew Scriptures

All of the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, except for a few passages that were written in Aramaic.

Texts in Aramaic:  Ezra 4:8 – 6:18; 7:12-26; Daniel 2:4b – 7:28

The Protestant Old Testament

Like the Jewish Bible, has 39 books.

The Roman Catholic Old Testament

Has 7 additional books (a total of 46 books) as well as additions to Daniel and Esther.

“The Apocrypha” (“hidden”)

Differences in Arrangement

The Hebrew Scriptures are traditionally divided into three different groups.

Torah (The Law)

Nebiim (The Prophets)

Kethubim (The Writings)

“TaNaK” refers to the Hebrew Bible.

Traditional Jewish Arrangement

Torah (Law)

Genesis 

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Nebiim (Prophets)

Former Prophets

Joshua 

Judges
1st Samuel
2nd Samuel
1st Kings
2nd Kings

Latter Prophets

(The Three Major)

Isaiah 

Jeremiah
Ezekiel

(The Twelve Minor)

Hosea 

Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

Kethubim (Writings)

Poetry

Psalms 

Job
Proverbs

The Five Scrolls

Ruth 

Song of Songs
Ecclesiastes
Lamentations
Esther

The Late Books

Daniel 

Ezra
Nehemiah
1st Chronicles
2nd Chronicles

Protestant Arrangement

The Pentateuch (Law)

Genesis 

Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

History (Former Prophets)

Joshua 

Judges
Ruth
1st Samuel
2nd Samuel
1st Kings
2nd Kings
1st Chronicles
2nd Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther

Wisdom and Poetry (The Writings)

Job 

Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs

The Prophets (Latter Prophets)

The Major

Isaiah 

Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel

The Twelve Minor

Hosea 

Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

Roman Catholic Arrangement

The Pentateuch (Law)

Genesis 

Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

History (Former Prophets)

Joshua 

Judges
Ruth 
1st Samuel
2nd Samuel
1st Kings
2nd Kings
1st Chronicles
2nd Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah

Tobit

Judith 
Esther (+ additions)
1st Maccabees

2nd Maccabees

Wisdom and Poetry (The Writings)

Job 

Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs 
Wisdom

Ecclesiasticus/Sirach

The Prophets (Latter Prophets)

The Major

Isaiah 

Jeremiah
Lamentations

Baruch 
Ezekiel
Daniel (+ additions)

The Twelve Minor

Hosea 

Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi




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Sources

Varughese, Alex, et al.  Discovering the Old Testament.  Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2003.