Christian Scriptures Unit 2 Notes

Christian Scriptures Unit 2 Notes

UNIT 2 Module 3: The Prophets

Deuteronomistic History

  • Scope of Deuteronomistic History: Includes books from Joshua to 2 Kings, excluding Ruth.

    • Key Themes:

    • Obedience leads to blessings.

    • Disobedience results in curses.

    • Punishment is intended to inspire repentance.

    • Central Question Addressed: Why did the kingdom of Judah fall to Babylon? What should the people do now?

Joshua

  • Content Overview:

    • Details Israel's entry into Canaan.

    • Discusses military campaigns (Chapters 1-12).

    • Covers the division of land (Chapters 13-21).

    • Concludes with a renewal of the covenant (Chapters 22-24).

  • Historical Models of Israel’s Emergence in Canaan:

    • Military Invasion: Conquest through armed forces.

    • Peaceful Infiltration: Gradual settlement and integration into the existing society.

    • Peasant Revolt: Suggests a socio-economic uprising against oppressive systems.

Joshua and Genocide

  • Considerations on Warfare Texts:

    • Texts regarding YHWH's wars reflect their cultural context.

    • War instructions relate specifically to YHWH's covenant with ancient Israel.

Judges

  • Role and Function of Judges:

    • Judges serve as leaders, predominantly military rather than judicial figures.

    • Cycle of Judges:

    • Sin/Disobedience: Israel turns away from YHWH.

    • Oppression: Resulting consequences arise as foreign nations subjugate Israel.

    • Repentance: Israelites seek forgiveness and return to God.

    • Deliverance: God raises a judge to free them.

    • Rest: The land experiences peace until the cycle repeats.

  • Nature of the Cycle: More accurately described as a spiral, indicating Israel's increasing deterioration of faithfulness to the covenant.

The Monarchy (1-2 Samuel & 1-2 Kings)

Saul (Reigned: 1020-1000 BCE)

  • Anointing: Chosen by Samuel, who was the last judge of Israel.

  • Initial Success: Experience success in military endeavors.

  • Rejection by God:

    • Reasons:

    • Improper Sacrifice: Disobedience results in the loss of a dynasty (1 Samuel 13).

    • Sparing the Amalekites: Resulted in God's rejection as king (1 Samuel 15).

  • Suspicion Towards David: Saw David as a threat to his kingship.

  • Death: Killed in battle.

David
Public Accomplishments

  • Unification of the Kingdom: Successfully unites Israel and Judah.

  • Capital Established: Jerusalem is set as the capital city.

  • Military Victories: Defeated various rival factions.

  • Government Administration: Establishes a governing cabinet.

  • Worship Initiation: Pioneers worship practices in Jerusalem/Zion.

  • Legacy: Leaves a significant spiritual and political legacy.

Private Failures

  • Personal Sin: Engaged in adultery and orchestrated murder related to Bathsheba.

  • Familial Issues: Fails to discipline his children adequately.

  • Temporary Dethronement: Overthrown by his son Absalom, leading to a civil crisis.

  • Consequences: The sin leads to a plague that claims numerous lives.

David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12)

  • Descriptive Terms: Often described using the term "agair".

  • Media Representation: Bathsheba depicted as a temptress in modern portrayals.

Solomon (Reigned: 961-922 BCE)

  • Economic Success: Noted for prosperity in Israel (1 Kings 4).

  • Wisdom Renown: Famous for wisdom and understanding (1 Kings 4).

  • Temple Construction: Oversees the building of the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 5-8).

  • Corvee System: Instituted forced labor (1 Kings 5:13-18).

  • Idolatry: Worship of other gods leading to disfavor from YHWH (1 Kings 11).

Israel (Northern Kingdom)

  • Rehoboam: Solomon's son who ascends to kingship.

  • Northern Tribes' Rebellion: Led by Jeroboam, seeking relief from oppression, resulting in a division from Rehoboam's harsh response.

  • Jeroboam as First King:

    • Constructed temples with golden calves in Bethel and Dan.

    • Viewed negatively by Deuteronomistic historians.

    • Capital city established in Samaria.

  • Ahab: Notable as the worst king, marries Jezebel, and promotes the worship of Baal.

    • Conflict with Elijah: Notable prophet who challenges Ahab's idolatry.

  • Decline of Israel: Kingdom falls to the Assyrian Empire circa 722/721 BCE.

    • Deuteronomic Explanation: Israel's downfall attributed to lack of faithfulness to God (2 Kings 17:7-23).

Judah (Southern Kingdom)

  • Capital City: Jerusalem.

  • Notable Kings:

    • Hezekiah: Reformer and survivor of the Assyrian invasion.

    • Manasseh: Notorious as the worst king, promotes syncretism.

    • Josiah: Considered the best king, known for religious reforms.

    • Survives Major Invasions: Rescued from both Assyrian and Babylonian threats.

Josiah’s Reforms

  • Covenant Renewal: Reinforcement of commitments to God’s law.

  • Syncretism Elimination: Cleansing the temple of foreign practices.

  • Passover Renewal: Promotes observance of the Passover.

  • Worship Centralization: Focus on Jerusalem as the sole worship site.

The Problem

  • Destruction of Judah: Babylon conquers Judah, destroys the Temple of YHWH, and deposes the king.

    • Perception: In light of Ancient Near East ideology, suggests Babylonian gods triumphed over YHWH.

The Deuteronomic History’s Solution

  • Understanding Defeat: True reason for defeat lies in YHWH allowing Babylon’s conquests as punishment for Judah’s unfaithfulness.

  • Divine Control: Affirms that YHWH remains sovereign despite Babylonian victories.

Foretelling and Forthtelling

  • Foretelling: Although Hebrew prophecy includes future predictions, this is not its primary function. It targets immediate behavioral change in the audience.

  • Forthtelling: Main purpose is to communicate God's messages, calling for covenant faithfulness, exclusive worship of YHWH, and ethical conduct towards others.

Key Prophets
Amos (circa 760 BCE)

  • Origin: From Judah, primarily addresses Israel.

  • Content: Starts with oracles against nations, addressing enemy nations, then Judah, and finally Israel.

  • Focus: Social injustice, highlighted by the famous verse Amos 5:24, advocating for justice.

Hosea (750-725 BCE)

  • Origin: From Israel, addressing primarily his own nation.

  • Personal Metaphor: Based on Hosea’s tumultuous relationship with Gomer, symbolizing Israel's infidelity.

  • Critique: Addresses condemnation of idolatry with marriage as a governing metaphor representing the divine-human relationship.

Isaiah (742-700 BCE)

  • Origin: From Judah, directed at the citizens of Judah.

  • Book Development: Likely a compilation over time:

    • 1-39: Focused on pre-exilic content.

    • 40-55: Addressing the exilic experience.

    • 56-66: Post-exilic messages.

  • Themes:

    • Calls for faithfulness to God amidst crises.

    • Critiques social injustice and idolatry.

Micah

  • Origin: From Judah, addressing his own nation.

  • Critique: Denounces corrupt leaders across economic, civic, and religious spheres.

  • Message: Alternates between judgment (exile) and hope (promise of a remnant returning) with a summary of prophetic ethos in Micah 6:1-8.

Prophets of the Exile

  • Historical Context:

    • 722/721 BCE: Fall of Israel to Assyria, scattering the populace.

    • 587/586 BCE: Conquest of Judah by Babylon, leading to deportation of Jewish leaders.

    • 538 BCE: The Persian king Cyrus permits return to Judah.

Continuing Prophetic Themes

  • Focus on Forthtelling: Prophets continue to emphasize forthtelling over foretelling, critiquing idolatry and social injustice, which are violations of the Deuteronomic/Mosaic covenant.

  • Common Pattern in Prophetic Messages: Surrounding themes of judgment on Jerusalem and Judah, judgment towards foreign nations, followed by hope for future restoration.

Jeremiah

  • Textual Variance: Existence of two textual traditions within the Jeremiah material.

  • Prophetic Role: Accurate in foretelling Jerusalem's destruction, viewed as a traitor by those claiming security.

  • Title: Known as "the Weeping Prophet" due to lamentations.

The New Covenant in Jeremiah 31

  • Characteristics: The new covenant described encompasses bonds with all God's people, focusing on inward commitment (written on hearts) rather than mere adherence to external laws.

    • Key Features:

    • God will be their deity and all will have knowledge of Him.

    • Emphasizes forgiveness and non-recollection of sins.

Ezekiel

  • Visionary Tone: Notable for its vivid, sometimes unsettling imagery and distinct visionary style.

  • Key Text: Famous for the vision of the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37).

Isaiah 40-66

  • Development Period: Likely created in stages during and after the Babylonian exile.

  • Important Themes Introduced:

    • YHWH as unique, incomparable, creator, and sovereign.

    • Depicts a servant of YHWH, often interpreted within Christian theology as a foreshadowing of Jesus.

The Servant of YHWH

  • Four Servant Songs: In which Israel is frequently mentioned as the servant, sometimes it refers to an individual.

  • Christian Interpretation: Seen as prophetic of Christ's role as the servant.

The New Exodus

  • Comparison with Initial Exodus:

    • Initial Exodus: Marked establishing a covenant with the nation, defined by freedom to worship, miraculous provisions, and travel towards the Promised Land.

    • New Exodus in theology echoes these themes but emphasizes a renewal of creation and history.

Unrealized Vision of Return

  • Post-Exilic Disappointment: The reality of Jerusalem in ruins leads to lamentation from leaders like Nehemiah due to limitations in rebuilding efforts.

  • Opposition and Setbacks: Facing resistance from newcomers to the land during the exile period, the reestablishment of the temple underwhelms in comparison to Solomon’s temple.

Continued Hope

  • Faith Throughout Disappointment: Each setback fuels an enduring expectation for an ultimate eschatological restoration rather than a mere national one.

  • Vision for the End Times: Such expectations persist even into New Testament narratives.

Japanese Poetry

Structuring Principles

  • Overall Structure: Balance in syllable count within lines.

Haiku

  • Form: Composed of 5-7-5 syllable structure.

  • Seasonal Reference: Contains indicators correlating with seasons.

  • Cutting Word: Use of kireji in practice.

Tanka

  • Form: 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure.

  • Turning Point: Usually present after the third line, indicating shift in focus or emotion.

Ancient Hebrew Poetry

Major Features

  • Parallelism: Central characteristic found throughout Hebrew poetic forms.

  • Types of Parallelism:

    • Synonymous Parallelism: Repetition of the same idea using different words or phrases.

    • Antithetic Parallelism: Contrasting ideas presented to highlight differences.

    • Stair-step Parallelism: Sequence of thoughts progressing in a layered fashion.

Wisdom Literature

Practical Wisdom

  • Definition: Traditional generalizations about life.

  • Embodiment: Found in the Book of Proverbs, which connects wisdom to reverence for God, focusing on practical application in daily life.

  • Deuteronomic Principle: Base assertion that faithfulness to Yahweh results in rewards, while apostasy leads to punishment.

Speculative Wisdom

  • Exploration of Life’s Meaning: Questions traditional norms and beliefs.

  • Textual Examples: Present in Job and Ecclesiastes.

  • Challenges: Questions the Deuteronomic principle highlighted by the reality of righteous suffering and the prosperity of the wicked.

Suffering in the Bible

  • Nature of Suffering:

    1. Viewed in the context of divine punishment for sin.

    2. Considered a part of divine