Exam Notes
5 Religious Groups 1. Sadducees: Political religious leaders, believed in angles, life after death, and a final judgement. Priestly group who believed in priestly messiah. 2. Essenes: Jewish monks, lived out in desert, disillusioned group who believed the end of the world was near. 3. Pharisees: Letter of the law, law makers and upholders. Lay group who believed in promised messiah. 4. Zealots: Military group believed in military messiah. Religious fanatics. Wanted strong, militant messiah. 5. Poor: Powerless group who believed in the promised messiah. Needing liberation from oppression, waiting for the messiah. 3 Stages of Scripture Development: Life, Oral, Written. Canon: Official list of inspired text (all the books in the Bible) Books of Moses: genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Commentary: Given a biblical passage, explain it based on the questions we ask. Hosea: Prophet to North kingdom around 722 BCE (the time of the fall of Israel). Jonah: Called to Nineveh, but tried to escape to Spain. Waves, thrown over, eaten by a whale. Goes to convert people, they repent, he gets upset. Moral: God doesn’t just help Jesus + Jews he helps all people. Literalist: Taken word for word as ‘absolute truth’ Contextualist: Underlying meaning. Ask: “Who’s it written and why.” Creation stories: 6 day creation story + rested on 7th day Adam and Eve creation story Eve made from Adam’s rib means… - man + woman both equal bonded and became “1 flesh”, 1 need the other. Potiphar: Joseph’s master, his wife hit on Joseph, J refused, and was sent to jail Promised Land: Abraham > promised land and descendants. Sarah Hagar Isaac Ishmael Jacob (Israel) Joseph 10 Commandments: Define + List 1. Worship God only, there is only one God 2. Respect God’s name 3. Keep the Sabbath day holy 4. Respect your parents 5. No killing 6. No adultery 7. No stealing 8. Don’t bear false witness 9. Don’t covet thy neighbors wife 10. Don’t covet thy neighbors possessions Sin leads to alienation from 1. self 2. god 3. nature 4. other people 5. spiral 6. climax Types of Evil: Moral evil: Sin Physical Evil: Suffering and death Kings to know: David: wrote the Book of Psalms (killed Goliath) Solomon: Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes (built temple) Isaiah: Prophet to Judah (701 BCE) + Jeremiah: giant who passed judgement and was thrown into a pit North: Israel (10 Tribes) South: Judah (Jerusalem) (2 Tribes) > Tribes are the offspring of Jacob aka Israel Long Answer: - creation stories - moses, noah, abraham demonstrating faith - passover + exodus > covenant > commandments > liberation Passover in Christian context: last supper was the Passover meal. Passover is associated with sacrifice of a lamb> death to life, slavery to freedom. Daniel: lions den, writing on wall, 3 guys / days in furnace. Creation Stories: Before Creation 1st Only water existed 2nd Water and Land existed Creation Order: 1st Humans created last 2nd Humans created first Creation Time: 1st 6 Days 2nd Not specified Second Story: Breath: Symbolizes imtimacy between God and people Name: Symbolizes dominance over animals and the rest of creation First Creation Story: 3 Days of Separation 1. Separates night from day, dark from light 2. Separates water above from water below 3. Separates dry land from water. 3 Days of Population 1. God populates the sky with the earth, sun, stars 2. Populates the air with birds and the sea with fish 3. Populates the land. 1 Day Rest God rests, celebrates, blesses creation, and sets the Sabbath day apart. Pattern Intro “God commanded” Command “Let there be” Execution “And it was done” Reaction “God was pleased” Conclusion “Evening passed” Author used this style because 1. entertaining 2. easy to remember 3. easy to repeat When looking at the bible we must recall that it was passed on orally for years. When the author was inspired to record these stories, there was apparently two different versions or traditions of the creation stories. So he simply wrote them back to back. The two creation stories complement each other in two ways. The first is by showing the intimacy between God and people, with the use of the breath. This intimacy is closer than that between a mother and her child. The second is that God gave man the power to name all of earth’s animals. This shows dominance or authority over animals, the power to name them. There are three fundamental differences between the two creation stories. The first what existed before creation. The first story says that only water existed, whereas the second story says that water and land existed. The creation of humans also differs. The first says that humans were created last, whereas the second states they were created first. The creation time is also different. The first says six days, the other is not specified. The first creation story has a distinct pattern which makes it entertaining, easy to remember, and easy to repeat. ICERC. The first creation story has 3 days of creation, 3 days of population, and 1 day of rest. - why two stories - complement each other - differences - why the first story wrote like that (3) - days of separation, population, rest - Style ICERC Old Testament Summary 1. God created the earth in six days and rested the seventh 2. He creates Adam and Eve who bring sin into the world, which breeds evil. We are all doomed to be sinners now. 3. Abram lives in Ur. He is the first person to talk to God. God cuts a covenant with Abram. Abram will have lots of descendants and they will have lots of land. He must leave Ur where he lives. Abram felt an inner call to leave. He left Ur and moved to Haran. 4. Abram marries Sarai in Haran. God speaks to him again there. He tells him that his new name is Abraham “father of many”. He also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah “princess”. He also gives them circumcision. Marking them “God’s chosen people” 5. Sarah is infertile so Abram has a child with the servant Hagar. The son is named Isaac. 6. Sarah kicks Hagar out of the family. Arabs trace their ancestry through Hagar back to Abraham. 7. God tests Abraham’s faith by telling him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Angels stop him before he slits his throat. 8. Isaac births Jacob who undergoes a name change by God to Israel. 9. Israel has 12 sons who are the forerunners of the 12 Tribes of Israel. The Jews are introduced who are the descendants of Judah, one of the sons of Israel. 10. Israel’s son Joseph is hated by his brothers. Joseph is sold by his brothers as a slave and Joseph is taken to Egypt. 11. Potiphar’s wife is attracted to Joseph but he turns her down and he ends up in prison. 12. He interprets the Pharaoh’s dreams and is set free, becoming the food stockpiling guy. 13. A new Pharaoh comes into power and orders all the Jew firstborn males to be killed. Moses, a Jewish baby, is hid amongst the reeds along the Nile to keep him from being killed. 14. The Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and raises him on her own. 15. Moses kills an Egyptian slave. 16. Goes to Midian and sees the burning bush. A voice told Moses to go back to Egypt and lead his people out. 17. The 12 plagues hit Egypt. The covenant with the Jews is made. Passover: Goat’s blood over door of house. 18. Death of all firstborn males to Egyptians. 19. Exodus into dessert. 20. Pharaoh regrets letting slaves free and goes after them. Moses parts re(e)d sea and then closes it over the Egyptians. 21. They wander in the Sinai desert until they come to Mount Sinai. God covenanted them and gave them their new identity. God presents Moses with the 10 commandments. A new identity: god’s people and a New Destiny: priestly people. 22. Moses put the stone slabs with the 10 commandments in a box called the Ark of the Covenant. 23. After 40 years of testing, the Israelites emerged from the desert and pitched up camp on the plateau of Moab. Stretching out below them was the Promised Land. 24. The death of Moses concludes the Torah, before the Jews reached the Promised Land. 25. Joshua assumed leadership of the Jews. 26. He crossed the Jordan River. It stopped flowing when they entered: Miracle! 27. They attack Jericho: March around seven times and priests blow trumpets: walls collapse and they mass kill everyone aka “the ban”. Israel had limited knowledge of God at this time: 1. God orders wars 2. God takes Israel’s side. 3. God detroys israel’s enemies. 28. Joshua attacks other cities and ensures land and divides it up amongst the 12 tribes. 29. Joshua died and Israel drifted away from God. This reminds us of how the Book of Judges is like a 4 Act Play. 30. The Judges step in (Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson) to lead Israel. Book of Judges: 1240BCE to 1040BCE. 31. Era of the Kings: Samuel takes over, anoints Saul king. Saul falls away from God, David takes over. “Years of lightning” Jerusalem = religious political capital. God sez: Son Solomon will build temple. This promise begins the “messianic prophecies” > point towards the messiah. 32. David dies, Solomon takes over. 33. Solomon = high taxes. Rohoboam takes over and the 10 North tribes complain led by Jeroboam. 34. 922 BCE 12 tribes split into Israel in the North and Judah in the South. 35. Religious centers are set up in the North so people don’t go to the temple BAD! 36. Ahab = Israel king. Maries Jezebel who promotes Baal. 37. Prophets stepped in to correct things = Era of the Prophets . 38. Elijah challenges “Baul” and wins. Duh! 39. Amos bluntness nor Hosea’s tenderness persuades Israel to change. 40. 722 BCE the Assyrians conquered Israel. 41. The South, Judah, acted as though this could never happen to them, but them soon fell into it. They intermarried, formalism (going through the motions) and exploited the poor. 42. “prophet of God’s holiness” Isaiah. Isaiah tries to show Judah it’s mistakes, but fails. 43. Assyrians come to attack but a plague pulls them out of battling. This still does not wake up Judah. 44. Hezekiah dies (king) and Manesseh takes over but sucks ass. 45. Josiah takes over when Manesseh dies. 46. Josiah tries reform, when things are going well, he is killed leaving Jeremiah. 47. Jeremiah tries continuing, but when he “passes judgement” the people get mad and throw him into a pit. 48. The Babylonians attack leaving the Temple. The people see this as a good sign. 49. The Babylonians attack again and the people divide into three groups. 1. Poor: left behind 2. Escapees: fled to Egypt 3. Soldiers and arts people: Babylonian prisoners 50. Two things came to the people who stayed faithful. 1. Synagogue = place of instruction 2. Written word of God: scribes started writing stuff down. 51. Ezekial = prophet. Divided into two areas: before fall and after fall. Before = shit disturber. After = comforter. Jesus fulfills: King / nation / temple. 52. Second-Isaiah, prophesied in the spirit of “great” Isaiah. 53. For five decades Jews stood in darkness. Cyrus invades Babylon and declares that the Jews can go back home and rebuild their city and temple. 54. They refused help from their neighbours which made things worse and their crops failed, so they had a pity-party. 55. Jonah steps in. Book of Jonah: God says go to Nineveh to preach. The Ninevites are evil sinners, so he flees to Spain. He gets swallowed by fish, spit up, God says go preach, damnit!! Jonah obeys and they repent. Moral: God loves everyone, not just the Jews! 56. Daniel other prophet that wrote book of Daniel: 1. Stayed faithful to Jewish during Babylonian exile. 2. Visions that God gave to Daniel. Babylonian officials got mad at Daniel and threw him into a lion pit, but they didn’t kill him. 57. Then there was a revolt against the Assyrians. Most Chapter Questions Page 13 A) A. Intro: “God commanded” God says B. Command: “Let there be” what ever God wants to create ex. Light C. Execution: “It was done” It happens, light etc. is created D. Reaction: “God was pleased” God is happy, satisfied E. Conclusion: “Evening passed” Day is over, one task complete B) Since they were writing for people who couldn’t read or write, it was ideal for oral teaching because: 1. Entertaining to listen to: sitting around the campfire telling bible stories, yay! 2. Easy to remember: repeating pattern 3. Easy to repeat: they got flow C) Soft clay tablets were written on with a triangular pen. The tablets were then set in the sun to dry. Page 15 1) Literlists: “It means exactly what it says” and Contextualists: “You have to take things in context, and interpret them” 2) Interpreting a day as in 24 hours, according to the bible creation took place 6000 years ago. 3) “The sun already existed but something prevented it’s light from reaching Earth. 4) One says that God created people last, the other says first. Page 17 1) God is one, not many: Jesus, God, Holy Spirit God created by plan, not by chance: it wasn’t luck, God had a plan God created everything good; not evil: God is godd God made the Sabbath special: by resting on the 7th day 2) God creating all thing: sun moon etc Creating according to a plan Declaring all creation to be good Blessing the Sabbath, making it special Page 37 Chapter 4 Exercise 18 1. A. Act I: creation > God creates (1-2) B. Act II: De-Creation > Sin destroys (3-11) C. Act III: Re-creation > God saves us (12-50) 2. Prehistory > History: written facts + documents! > Proto-history > the origin of the world and life on it. Story: present the reader with a parade of easy to remember symbolic stories. Written in symbols: creation of world + species: there were no witnesses! Folk History: not prehistory or proto-history. Parade of easy to remember folk stories passed on from generation to generation orally! No one wrote it down! Page 39 Chapter 4 Exercise 19 1. God promised to give Abram’s descendants all this land. Lot’s of descendants + land! Passing through the animal halves signified that the two parties would rather die like the animal they slaughtered than break the covenant that they cut. 2. A clay tablet unearthed and dated to Abraham’s time found in Nuzi (Iraq) was a marriage contract. It said that a sterile wife had to find a suitable wife for the husband to get pregnant and carry on the name and property. Sarai’s actions confused many people until these tablets were unearthed. 3. At first, wedges stood for ideas. > Foot is walking. Later on, they stood for a sound > Foot for sound as in football. Abraham > Lived in Ur > Felt an inner call to move > Went to Haran Abram + Sarai >>> Hagar (servant) == Ishmael (Arab nation’s ancestor > they trace their roots back to Ishmael!) Page 41 Chapter 4 Exercise 20 1. A. The purpose of a biblical name change is to signify the sign of a new vocation. B. Abram’s new name signifies his new calling. “Abram” means, “exalted Father”. Abraham means, “father of many”. Sarai’s new name, Sarah, means “princess” and fits her new vocation. 2. Abraham’s mark is a sign of God’s covenant with him and his descendants. It identifies them as belonging to a privileged group: God’s Chosen People. 3. After Isaac’s birth, hostility erupts between Sarah and Hagar. Hagar and Ishmael are dismissed by Sarah on Abraham. God consoles him by saying that he will give many children to the slave woman, so that they too will become a nation. He too is your son. This is how Arabs trace their ancestry to Abraham. 4. Id al-Adha is an Islamic holy day commemorating Abraham’s readiness to offer his son in sacrifice to God. Page 43 Chapter 4 Exercise 21 1. God tests Abraham’s faith by telling him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. 2. 1. Faith involves great trust. 2. Faith involves ongoing struggle. 3. Faith involves periodic darkness. 3. An Old Testament person or event that points to a New Testament person or event is called a “type.” Early Christians used types to show that Jesus was the one toward whom the Old Testament pointed. First God Encounter: Leave present surrounding Listen for future instructions Second encounter: Covenants Abram Descendants: Chosen people Land: Promised Land Third Encounter: Name change: Abraham Mark (Circumcision) Exercise 23 1. Jacob dreamed that he saw a stairway reaching from heaven to earth, with angels going up and coming down on it. And there was the Lord standing next to him. He said “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac…I will give you and your descendants this land…and through you and your descendants I will bless all the nations. He experiences God’s presence again. “Your name is Jacob, but from now on it will be Israel…Then God left him and Jacob named the place Bethel.” 2. Folk history deals with the origin of tribal traditions and customs. Prehistory deals with such important revelation as the origin of the world and evil. 3. Jacob had 12 sons, who are forerunners of the twelve tribes of Israel (Israelites). His favorite son is Joseph because he is the son of his old age. Joseph is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, then he is brought to Egypt. 4. The letters El refer to God in Hebrew. Exercise 24 1. Potiphar’s wife attracted to Joseph, but when he turned her down, she falsely accused him, and Joseph was imprisoned. He caught the king’s attention when he gained fame in jail interpreting dreams. The Israelites end up living in Egypt because of the surplus of food. 2. They unearthed records to show that in Joseph’s time, dream interpretation was a respected art. They also documented long-term famines. “For the past seven years…there is a shortage of food.” The new Pharaoh enslaves all the Israelites, and the newborn males are ordered to be put to death. He was saved by his mother who hid him in the reeds along the Nile. He was raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter as her son. Moses was educated as an Egyptian Exercise 25 1. A. It is spelled YHWH in Hebrew B. “I am who I am.” C. It’s expressed as LORD in English. D. Some interpret it as “I cannot be named or defined.” 2. The 10th and final plague was the death of all firstborn males. God told moses to prepare for it by sacrificing a lamb and smearing the blood on their houses. This was a sign for the Angel of Death to pass over their house. This is celebrated under the name Passover. Exercise 26 1. A. Moses held up his walking stick and the Red Sea parted. The Israelites walked through the dry ground to the other side. The Egyptians pursued them but got stuck in the ground. Then Moses lifted up his stick again and the sea covered the Egyptians. B. Reed Sea C. It fits better because it suggests that this place was a swamp-like area, typical of lake regions. 2. The important point is not what happened, but why it happened. It is an affirmation of Israel’s faith that it was Yahweh who delivered them from Egypt. Exercise 32 1. A. The Jordan Crossing: Joshua organizes the crossing into the Promised Land. The priests led the way, carrying the Arc of the Covenant. As soon as they stepped into the river the water stopped flowing. B. The fall of Jericho: The Lord gave instructions to Joshua to march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets, and the city walls will collapse. He does so and the walls collapse. This is the fall of Jericho. C. The Ban: After Jericho falls, the Israelites destroy everything in the city. This mass killing is called the ban. It was not uncommon in biblical times. D. Israel’s view of God in the book of Joshua: > God orders wars > God takes Israel’s side > God destroys Israel’s enemies. E. The book’s main point: God, not Joshua’s armies, is responsible for the takeover of the Promised Land. F. The book of Joshua is historical because it is listed as a historical book in most bibles. It’s not though in modern sense. The battle stories are simplified and the time between them is telescoped. This is typical with oral communication. 2. Earthquakes that explain the miracles: The stoppage of the river can be explained by an earthquake, similar to the one in 1927, which killed hundreds and blocked the Jordan for a day. Also, archeology clearly shows that earlier in Jericho’s history an earthquake did crumble it’s walls. 3. Tell: A tell is a mound or hill concealing the remains of buried ancient city. Pottery is valuable because it allows archeologists to date the layers of a tell with high accuracy. It’s design and shape puts it in a definite period of history. Exercise 33 1. A. Judges and their role: When God’s people drift from the covenant, and turn to false Gods (idols). God corrects them by letting their enemies defeat them. Then, the people come to their senses, repent, and come back to God. Judges are charismatic leaders. They are not black-robed figures who sit in courtrooms, rather they are gifted natural leaders who surface from time to time to defend Israel, uphold her honor, and lead the people back to God. B. Deborah: The name introduces us to charismatic leaders called judges. They are gifted natural born leaders who surface from time to time to defend Israel, uphold her honor, and lead the people back to god. C. Gideon: another judge. They are not saintly people, merely products of their times. God uses them in spite of their sins. D. Samson: another judge. 2. 1. Israel sins. 2. God corrects. 3. Israel repents. 4. God forgives. 3. Era of the Judges: 1240 BCE to 1040 BCE. Exercise 34 1. The crisis of not having a leader threatened Israel at the end of the Era of the Judges. Similar to a group of people at sea without a captain. 2. A. Samuel: When the Era of the Judges ended, there was no leader for the Israelites. Into this leadership void stepped Samuel. (Two books of the bible bear his name) Samuel anointed Saul Israel’s first king. B. Saul: Israel’s first king. Started brilliantly, but success turned his head. He drifted from God and ended up as one of the tragic figures of Old Testament history. C. David: As Saul fell from power, a young shepherd rose above the horizon. David succeeded Saul as King. Under David’s leadership, Israel began its “years of lightning”. David made Jerusalem his political and religious capital. He brought the Arc of the Covenant to Jerusalem and laid elaborate plans to build a beautiful temple to house it. One night the Lord told him that the honor of building the temple would fall to Solomon, his son. He added that David would always have descendants, and that his kingdom will last forever. “Your dynasty will never end.” D. Solomon: Son of David who would have the honor of building the temple. E. Messianic Prophecies: The first covenant to David starts a series of promises known as the messianic prophecies. They point to a messiah (“anointed one”) from David’s line, whose kingdom (God’s) will never end. Like God’s covenant with Abraham and Israel, it changes David also. F. Jerusalem: The political and religious capital of the Israelites. 3. Abraham is given: 1. A new identity: chosen person 2. A new destiny: father of many Israel is given: 1. New identity: chosen people 2. New destiny: priestly people David is given: 1. New identity: Chosen king 2. New destiny: messiah’s ancestor Exercise 35 1. David is credited with authoring the book of Psalms. He probably wrote only 150 Psalms. Ancients credited authorship to a person who inaugurated or promoted an important literary project. 2. A. The Book of Psalms gives us a glimpse into Israel’s soul (as a prayer book) we see how the people prayed to God in times of doubt, sorrow and joy. B. It gives us a glimpse into Israel’s heart (as a hymnbook) we see how the people worshipped God, especially in two settings. C. 1. Around the campfire: where the people gathered when the work of the day was finished. A musician would strum an instrument and the children would clap and dance. Then the words of the song would be sung. 2. In the Temple Worship: Especially on Jewish holidays. Use of the psalms in the temple was elaborate and exiting. Instrumental music, dance, and song. It involved chorus, dancers, musicians, and the whole congregation. D. Praise Psalms: concern God’s glory and frequently begin “Praise the Lord.” Wisdom Psalms: concern human conduct and often begin “Happy are those.” Royal Psalms: concern the king, who is a symbol of the coming messiah Lament Psalms: are “Songs of Woe” about a bad situation: “I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.” Thanksgiving Psalms: express thanks! Exercise 36 1. Good about Solomon: he made Israel strong and wealthy. Tragic: Power and prosperity took their toll on Solomon. His early idealism gave way to decadence. Which of course led to his downfall. 2. Books credited to Solomon: 1. Proverbs 2. Song of Songs 3. Ecclesiastes. They were credited to him because God gifted him with great wisdom. 3. The purpose of the Book of Proverbs is to teach the young, especially, “how to live intelligently and how to be honest, just, and fair.” Ex: If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your own cry for help will not be heard. 4. The poem has two levels of meaning: On the surface, it describes the love of two people. On a deeper level, it describes God’s love for Israel. De-creation and Sin Notes De-creation stories: stories about how evil defeats good. Contextualists: interpret as a symbolic story. The key to understanding is the symbolism of the word eat. To eat is to know. Entered through the sin of the first couple. The bible says that sin entered our world through the sin of the first couple. The bible answers everything symbolically, that is why Roman Catholics are contextualists. The bible may say it, when it really means to know. Eat is a symbol of tasting evil. They now know the difference between good and evil. Nakedness: A symbol of defeat and disgrace. Stone slabs show Assyrians shooting arrows at naked prisoners. Nakedness in the bible: author uses it to dramatize Adam and Eve’s disgrace by the snake. They felt embarrassed after sin. Adam hid from God because he was naked. Conversation between God and Adam: God asks where is, says he heard God, was afraid and hid, because he was naked. God asked him if he ate the fruit, he blames Eve, who blames the snake. This dialogue proves: 1. Reaffirms the first effect of sin. 2. Teaches us that the second effect of sin on Adam and Eve is alienation from God. Moral Evil: A sin of any kind Physical Evil: Is suffering and death. Was brought on by the first sin, when God said, “I will increase your pain in giving birth…” Cherubim: beast with wings and the head of a human. To protect buildings etc. Angelical figure in Christian and Hebrew scriptures. Tree of Life: Like fountain of youth, mythical plant. Biblical writer uses these symbols to show the point that sin opens up into physical evil. We lose access to immortality and become vulnerable to suffering and death. 6 Effect Of Sin!!! Alienation: when something is uninvitedly separated from something else. Alienation from: Self: Taught through embarrassment after sin. They feel uncomfortable and guilty. Alienated from themselves! God: After Adam and Eve blame other people, they feel alienated from God. Nature: Taught by destroying the harmony that once existed between the first couple and the rest of nature. Caused birth pains for the woman and hard labor for man; snake must crawl on his belly. People: Sin separates us from one another. Even from members of our own family. Instead of living with them in the harmony God intended, we do the exact opposite. Cain and Abel perfect example. Spiral: All engulfing sin whirlpool; we are all doomed! Climax: Threefold pattern of State of Original Sin. Marvin Gaye = Cain and Abel: As Marvin and father grew, Marvin couldn’t teach his father forgiveness, and they got in a fight, just like Cain and Abel, and Marvin was killed. Two Family Trees in Genesis: 1. Begins with Adam, ends with Noah 2. Begins with Noah’s son, ends with Terah, Abraham’s father. Reason for two trees: 1. Leapfrogging from Adam (Father of all people) to Abraham (Father of all Hebrews) 2. To dramatize the decrease in life spans from Adam (930) to Abraham’s father (205) God is portrayed as wanting to destroy the earth with a flood because he saw the earth as evil. Flood Story: Literalists: fact, it actually happened Contextualists: symbol or factual- symbolic: sin leads people to destruction Mount Ararat: large mountain in Turkey that was thought to contain remnants of Noah’s arc. Epic of Gilgamesh: a story written 700 years ago before Jesus that tells of a Babylonian flood story. Clay Tablets: what they used instead of paper to write on, used a triangular pen, then the tablets were put in the sun to dry. Tower of Babel: The Tower That reaches The Sky refers to Ziggurat (mountain peak) it was intended as a meeting place for God and his people. Very First Chapter Notes(DS Scrolls etc) Stories first communicated orally because people couldn’t read nor write They were recorded to prevent them from being lost 3 Stages Life Stage: the events and experiences people actually lived. Ex. Exodus when God led the Israelites out of Egypt Oral Stage: the telling of this event from parents to children Written Stage: the recording of the event for future generations Scribes: people who collected, edited, and recorded the stories. The need to record the stories gave rise to their profession. They could read and write Ancient Scrolls 2 sections: Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Scriptures 1947: oldest copies of biblical books found at Qumran a.k.a. Dead Sea Scrolls 11 caves!! 800 documents!! 200 biblical writings!! Essenes (Jewish ‘monks’) Biblical writings 1000 years older than previous copies!! Inspired: what they think God wants them to write plus their own personal interpretation Must avoid two myths: an angel dictated the bible / HS is spiritual watchdog watching for errors The bible is free from religious error!! A.k.a. matters related to salvation There is historical errors (Saul killed self?) and scientific errors (hares chew cud) in the bible Scholars were the ones who divided the bible centuries after the Egyptians The ‘canon’ is the list of inspired books in the bible Christians believe the church chose the canon, inspired by the HS. The Septuagint (latin word is Vulgate) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures. Christians chose it as their Old Testament Ancient Jews distanced themselves from the Septuagint. After Jesus’ ascension, Palestinian Jews adopted a new canon. Now modern Jews / Protestants follow the Palestinian listing. Books Tobith Judith Maccabees (1,2) Esther Daniel Sirach Baruch In the 14th century the bible was translated to english. A Codex: a biblical manuscript in page form Canon means list Why were the DSS so NB too the scholars? B/c it shows the bible didn’t change throughout all the years, throughout all the translations New Testament 27 Gospels 4 Acts 1 Letters 21 Revelation 1 Old Testament 46 Torah 5 Historical 18 Prophetic 16 Wisdom 7 Torah: Hebrew word meaning law or instruction Pentateuch: Greek word meaning 5 scrolls Inspiration Theories Divine Dictation Negative Assistance Positive Assistance
