Christian Scriptures exam
Bible Basics:
· Two Testaments (old & new)
· 39 Books in the Old Testaments
· 27 Books in New Testament
· Written by multiple authors over a period of 1200 years, from 1000 BCE to 100 CE
· The Bible contains many different genres
The Old Testament:
· Also known as the Hebrew Bible (neutral name)
· Sacred text for all Christians and Jews
· Three parts: The Torah (or The Pentateuch), The Prophets, and the Writings
· Tells us the story of Israel from Creation until their Return from Exile
The New Testament:
· Sacred text for all Christians
· Tells the story of Jesus (Nazareth) and the Early Church
· Contains Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalyptic Literature (about things that have yet to be revealed)
The Deuterocanon
· Sacred text for Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
· Contains books written in the 3-1st centuries BCE (extra psalm 151)
· Tells the story of the Maccabean Revolt among other stories
Other Biblically Adjacent Texts:
· The Samaritan Pentateuch (group of people still live in Highlands of Israel, small community)
· The Ethiopic Tradition (own unique tradition)
How did we get the Bible?
The Manuscripts
Step 1: Find Ancient Manuscripts
Manuscripts: ancient handwritten copies of copies of the earliest text
Types of Ancient Manuscripts
· The Masoretic Text (Greek Papyri & Codices, Ancient translations- people took OT or NT & translated to their language)
· The Septuagint
· Dead Sea Scrolls (collection of scrolls of OT)
· Codices: Alexandrinus, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus
Step 2:
Comparing Manuscripts
· Textual criticism: compares manuscripts to identify the best readings
· We compare to prevent mistakes
· Formal -> as wooden as possible
· Originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek
· Early Translations are in even more languages
· Textual Criticism established the best readings
Step 3:
The Process of Translations
· Translators into the target language
· Might not flow correct
· Methods of translating: Formal vs. Dynamic
Canon and Why it matters
· Canon: a selection of texts that are considered sacred to a particular group
· Canon can change to different groups/ people
What do we mean by sacred?
· Protestant and Sola Scripture
· Catholics & Two Authorities
· Orthodox & Tradition
· Roman Catholic: look @ Bible & Church Tradition
Bible as Text:
· Written over 1200 years (from about 1000 BCE0 150 CE)
· Written at specific times
· Written by individuals (countless authors, only a few of which we know by name)
· Written for a purpose
Bible as Ancient Text
· Who were the authors writing to?
· What type of literature were they writing?
· How was their world different than our own?
How will we read the Bible in this class?
· As an ancient test
· Recognizing it historical, cultural, and literary components
· Willing to ask tough question about the Bible & its significance
To conclude:
· The Bible is sacred text for many communities around the world
· What we mean by sacred is different for each community
· The Bible is a literary text produced in a specific time & place.
History of Israel from 1200-300 BCE
BCE= before common era= BC
CE= the common era=AD
Geographic Terminology
· Canaan
· Cisjordan
· Israel
· Transjordan
· Palestine
· Levant
History of Israel
Sources:
· The Archaeological Record
· Inscriptions
· The Biblical Text
· The Need for Interpretation
3 Important Dates
722 BCE- The Fall of Samara
586 BCE- Fall of Jerusalem/ Destruction of 1st Temple/ Start of Exile
· Jewish revolt against Israel/ 2nd Temple destroyed
· 110% chance these dates will be on 1 Test
Life in the Ancient World:
Homelife
· Semi-nomadic pastoralists
· Low average life expectancy
· Centered around patriarchal households
· 4 Room Life
Religious Life
· Polytheism: the worship of any gods
· Monolatry: The worship of 1 God
· Monotheism: The Belief in only one God
· Sacrifices- why?
· Owens & amulets- protection from evil
· Family religion
Civil Life:
Beyt Ab: The House of the Father
Kingdom
Tribe Tribe
Clan Clan Clan Clan
The Late Bronze Age
Israel & Settlement of Canaan (~ 1150-1100 BCE)
· Three Theories about how Israel came to being Canaan
The Tribal Chiefdoms (1100 BCE- 950 BCE)
· Saul & David likely ruled over small tribal chiefdoms
· Archaeological evidence
· Biblical Evidence
The Divided Kingdom (950 BCE- 722 BCE)
· Rehoboam & Jeroboam I- The Kingdom divides
· Judah follows the Davidic Dynasty
· The Omrides & The Nimshides
· The Tell Dan Stele
· The Mesha Stele
· The Kurkin Stele
· The Black Obelisk
The Neo-Assyrian Empire
· From its first capital city of Assur (or Ashur), the Neo-Assyrian Empire arose in the tenth century BCE and dominated Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers (the Tigris and Euphrates), along with most of Southwest Asia and Egypt from 934-609 BCE.
In The Beginning
Genesis 1
· The opening of all Jewish and Christian canons
· Describes creation over 7 “days”
· Days 1-3 & 4-6 correspond to one another.
Days 1-3
Day 1: separation of Light and Darkness
Day 2: separate the waters above from the waters below creating the sky.
Day 3: gathering the waters below to create dry land & vegetation
Days 4-6
Day 4: placing lights in the sky, the sun, moon and stars, to govern the light and the dark.
Day 5: creating bird to live in the sky & fish to live in the sea
Day 6: creation of animals & humans
Imago Dei= The “Image of God”
The Creation of The Sabbath
Day 7: God rested & blessed the seventh day as holy.
· Rest is built into creation
Cosmogony: a myth, story, or legend about the creation of the world.
The Enuma Elish
· Main characters
· Main themes
· Creation of the world
· Creation of humanity
The Enuma Elish & Genesis 1
· Genesis 1 as counter narrative to the Enuma Elish
· Genesis 1 does not have conflict
· Genesis 1 views the creation of humanity to rule the earth not as slaves to the Gods.
· Gensis 1 portrays God reigning from the beginning
Genesis 1 & 2: A quick comparison
· Method of creation
Gen 1- spoken word
Gen 2- formed with God’s own hands
Order of Creation
· Gen 1 – Day 1-3: Day and Night, Sky and Sea, Land and Vegetation; Day 4-6: celestial bodies, birds & fish, animals & humans.
· Gen 2- Creation of Earth, Creation of Humans, Creation of Humans, Creation of Vegetation, Creation of Animals, Division of Human into Man & Woman
Name of God
· Gen 1- Elohim (Generic)
· Gen 2- Yahweh Elohim (personal
Portrayal of God
· Gen 1- God is sovereign, almighty, other
· Gen 2- God is personal, relational, involved (Anthropomorphic)
The Point of the Passage
· The point of the story is not in creation itself but is in the specifics.
· Gen 1 is the counternarrative to Babylonian religion that argues that the Israelite God is great than Marduk
· Gen 2 is about the personal nature between God and humanity with his very own hands & breath
The Primeval History
The Fall or Fallout of Genesis 3
Western View of Gen 3
· Original Sin
· Humans are by nature sinful
Eastern View of Gen 3
· Severe repercussion but no concept of ‘original sin’
· Eastern Orthodox & Jewish View
· Do not see humans as utterly depraved
· Jewish view sees evil in Gen 6
When did sin enter the world?
· Gen 3 (desire) -> Gen 4 (sin)- Gen 6 (evil)
· Gen 3 never characterizes the eating of the fruit as ‘evil’ or ‘sin’. Instead, it is a story telling how humans acquired knowledge of good and evil.
· All of the consequences are etiologies to explain why things are the way they are.
Gen 6-9 The Flood
· rationale for the Flood
· Noahic Covenant
· Rain (war)bow?
· Tower of Babel- Another Jab at the Babylonians
· Etiology: a story that describes why things are the way they are. Can refer to the origins of nations, existence of cities, or way things are done.
The Composition of Pentateuch
· Three views:
· Traditional view
· Documentary hypothesis
· Current theories
The Traditional View
· Jewish & Christina tradition hold that Moses wrote the Pentateuch.
· However, Num 12:3 & Deut 34.
· Some supplement this view by saying Joshua may have finished the Pentateuch.
· Passages such as Gen. 12:6 & 36:31 suggest a later writer.
The Documentary Hypothesis
· Jean Astruc (1684-1766)
· Noticed in Gen 1 & 2 that used different names for God
· Johann Eichhorn (1752-1827)
· Builds upon Astruc’s work & fines a similar pattern in all Genesis
· Suggests a J (Jahwist) & E (Elohist) source.
· Others also notice various doublets that seem to repeat content but change the divine name or various other small details
· The Beginnings of Source Criticism
Source Criticism
· Source criticism: an aspect of biblical studies that attempts to identify various underlying sources for out current biblical text.
· Redactor: an ancient individual who was responsible for redacting the test either by brining various sources together (source criticism) or adding to the text in other ways (details, vignettes, clarifications, etc.)
· Redactions: layers of additions presumed to be added to the text as it was passed won before it became solidified as scripture.
Wilhem de Wette (1752- 1827)
· Identified a D source which was mostly found in Deuteronomy and other parts of the Pentateuch which used Deuteronomic language.
Herman Hupfeld (1796-1866)
· Split E into a priestly source and the E source
Julius Wellhausen & JEDP
· Wellhausen in late 19th century puts the pieces together and suggest a four-source hypothesis behind the Pentateuch
· The Four Sources: Yahwist, Elohist, Deuteronomic, Priestly
· His theory survives more or less in tack until the 1970s & 80s
The Current Theories
· Supplementary hypothesis
· Lack of confidence in identifying a J & an E source.
· D&P still hold
· We now speak more of P and non- P literature in the Pentateuch
· The Neo-Documentarians
· A few want to revitalize Wellhausen’s hypothesis.
The Ancestral Narratives
The Call of Abram
· Ur of the Chaldeans
· Called by God
· Abram, Sarai, & Lot
· First Promise of Blessing: Gen 12:1-9
Abram & Melchizedek
· Background: Lot & Abram separate, Lot is captured, Abram saved the day
· Melchizedek- the high priest at Salem to El- Slyoh
· Abram’s clarification- Gen 14:22
· New Testament Connotations
Abrahamic Covenant
· Genesis 15
· Yahweh’s Promise
· Abram’s Problem
Taking Matters into their own hands
· Hagar & Ishmael
· Hagar runs away
· Hagar names God
· Hagar in tradition
A New Name & a painful sign
Abram -> Abraham
· Exalted Father -> Father of Many
· Sarai -> Sarah
· Princess -> Princess
· Male circumcision as sign
Isaac & Rebekah
· Skipped over patriarch
· Rebekah- Abraham’s brother’s granddaughter
· Rebekah speaks with God, not Isaac- Gen 25:21-28
The Man who would be Israel
The story of Jacob
The Birth of Jacob & Esau
· Two nations
· Two sons
· Esau born first (hunter/ adventurous)
· Jacob (homebody but devious)
· Rebekah inquires of the Lord
Jacob and Esau
· Reversal of youngest and oldest
· Repeated trope in Genesis: Ishmael & Isaac, Jacob, & Esau, Ephraim & Manasseh
· Soup or birthright.
· Birthrights in the ancient world
· Jacob steals Esau’s birthrights and blessings
· Jacob the Trickster
Jacob & Bethel
· Passing through Bethel
· Jacob gets tired on the way & takes a nap/ has a dream
· He sees a staircase going from Heaven to Earth
· Bethel- house of God
· Jacob receives the promise
· The Ancestor Narratives and Etiologies
· Meaning of Bethel
· Has 4 kids with Leah but still wants Rachel
· Jacob weds Rachel (but actually Leah)
· Leah has weak eyes
· Rachel is attractive
Jacob and Leah and Rachel and Bilhan and Zilpah (seriously calm down)
· Jacob now has 4 wives
· The 12 Tribes of Israel
· Leah: Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun
· Bilhan: Dan, Naphtali
· Ziplah: God, Asher
· Rachel: Joseph & Benjamin
Showdown at the Jabbok
· Jacob verses somebody?
· God?
· Angel?
· Human?
· Jacobs learns Esau is going to meet him with 400 armed men.
· Jacob stays safe and sends family to distract
· Random man wrestles Jacob & dislocates his hip
· Thinks he wrestles God
· From Jacob to Israel
· The passing down of the promise
· Meaning of name
· Story provides a few etiologies
· Name of Israel
Jacob returns to Bethel
· Another story explaining Israel’s name- Gen 35
· Bethel & the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Story of Joesph
· Joesph and Genre
· Genre in the ancient world
· Genre in Genesis
· The Genre of Joseph
Joseph: Man of Dreams
· Rachel’s oldest
· Beloved of Jacob
· Receives dreams
· Hated by his brothers
· Sold into slavery by his brothers
· Becomes important at Potiphar’s House
· Ends up in prison
Joseph: Man of Dreams
· Interprets dreams for Pharoah’s’ servants
· Interprets Pharoah’s dreams
· Rises to be the 2nd highest individual in Egypt
· Famine strikes Canaan
· Joseph meets his brothers
· Requires one of them to stay in Egypt until they send Benjamin back
· The brothers dine with Joseph
· Joseph puts a silver cup in Benjamin’s release
· Joseph reveals himself
· What you intended for evil God changed for good
· Jacob brings his whole family- to Egypt
· Jacob blesses Joseph’s Manasseh
· Once again reversal of oldest and youngest
· Jacob blesses his sons
Composition of Joseph
Exilic or Persian Period (586-400 BCE)
· Similar to other stories
· Egyptian characteristics Monarchic Period (900-722 BCE)
· Connection to Northern Kingdom
· Comparable stories from the Late Bronze Age
Joseph: A historical Memory
· Joseph and the Hyskos
· Joseph and Aper- El
The Exodus
A New Pharoah:
· Pharoah’s command
· The Hebrew Midwives- unclear if they are Egyptian or Israelites
The Birth of Moses
· Moses and Sargon?
· A type scene?
· Moses and the daughter of Pharoah
· Moses in Pharoah’s court
· Pharoah’s daughter
· Moses and slave drive
Moses Fleas to Midian
· Jethro and Zipporah
· The Burning Bush
Quiz Questions
What three characteristics were used to determine the books of the New Testament?
Apostolicity, Universality, and Tradition
What is the difference between Formal Correspondence and Dynamic Equivalence?
Formal Correspondence focuses on the form of the original language while Dynamic Equivalence instead aims for function
What is a canon?
A list of authoritative texts for a faith community
Name the various parts of the Hebrew Bible:
The Torah, the Prophets and The Writings
What is Textual Criticism?
The study of manuscripts to reconstruct the earliest form of the text
What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Biblical and nonbiblical manuscripts that provided many ancient texts to aid us with textual criticism
Where does most of the Old Testament take place?
Palestine
How do archaeologists date sites?
Pottery, writing, and carbon dating
Name two texts from Mesopotamia that help us understand the cultural context around the Old Testament
The Enuma Elish and the Epic of Gilgamesh
Why did numerous empires fight over Palestine/The Levant?
Valuable trade routes
The Tower of Babel began as what sort of story?
An Etiology
What is the Atrahasis Epic?
A Mesopotamian account of a flood narrative
Which ancient Near Eastern text shares a complex relationship with Genesis 1?
The Enuma Elish
The first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis are known as the:
The Primeval History
What is an etiology?
An explanation of a current reality by explaining its origins
Abraham's first child is:
Ishmael
Which of the following are major themes of the Ancestor Narratives?
Barrenness and Sibling Rivalry
Where did Abraham and Sarah migrate from?
Ur
What is the physical sign of God's Covenant with Abraham?
Circumcision
God's promise to Abraham consists of what blessings?
Descendants, Land, Blessing
What genre of literature is the Joseph story?
Novella
What is Canonical Criticism?
An interpretation of the Bible that focuses on the context when a text took its final form
Following Jacob's wrestling with a figure at the Jabbok his name his changed to:
Israel
Throughout Genesis 25-36 Jacob is portrayed as a:
Trickster
What is the Documentary Hypothesis?
The theory that the Pentateuch developed from the combination of several documents
What Egyptian historical period can help serve as the backdrop for the Exodus narrative?
The Amarna Age
What is the Tetragrammaton?
The four letters of the divine name
What miracle does Exodus 15 describe?
The parting of the waters at the Red Sea
How does Moses first encounter God?
In a burning bush
The final plague that comes upon Egypt results in what Hebrew festival?
Passover
Which of the following is a key feature of Deuteronomy?
Centralization of Worship
How does the Code of Hammurabi help us to understand biblical law codes?
It provides a comparable ancient law code
Deuteronomy is most similar to what type of ancient Near Eastern literature?
Suzerainty Treaties
What are the two types of laws in the Hebrew Bible?
Apodictic and Casuistic
Deuteronomy literally means:
Second Law