The Old Testament:

1
Chapter 1

• The Old Testament
• The Story of Gods Boundless Love

2
In This Chapter

• Major Sections
• The Bible A Love Letter from God
• Studying the Scriptures
• A God Who Acts in History
• What Are the Scriptures of the Old Testament?

3
The Bible A Love Letter

• Word of God
• Inspired by the Holy Spirit the Bible is a
  written account demonstrating Gods love for
  creation
• Active not passive
• Not words on a page but an encounter with the
  living God
• The Word of God is active indeed

4
The Great Story

• Two parts to the Bible
• Old Testament and New Testament
• Tell the story of Gods love
• Note In this class, I prefer that you use the
  designations B.C.E. and C.E. instead of B.C. and
  A.D.
• More sensitive to other cultures and peoples
• The Old Testament is not just for us who are
  Christians
• Gods word does not discriminate
• See pg. 8

5
Old Testament

• The Old Testament covers a period of
  approximately two thousand years
• Starting with Abraham, not creation
• almost the same amount of time that had passed
  from Christs birth until present day.
• Testament is another way of saying covenant
• The term Old is not outdated
• It is fulfilled in the New Testament
• We call the Old Testament the Hebrew Scriptures
  because most of the books were originally written
  in Hebrew
• also out of respect for the Jewish faith.

6
Inspired Word of God

• Inspired
• refers to the divine origin of the Bible
• What does divine inspiration mean?
• It does not mean that God whispered the words
  into the ears of the authors
• God so moved the inspired writers by his
  supernatural operation the He incited them to
  write, and assisted them in their writing so that
  they correctly conceived, accurately wrote down
  and truthfully expressed all that He intended and
  only what He intended and only thus can God be
  the author of the Bible.
• --Pope Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus

7
Operator, Operator

• What does all this mean? Doctrine basically
  implies that
• Canonical Scripture comes from God in a way that
  is distinctive from the fact that all things come
  from God the Creator.
• Also comes from God in a way that is distinctive
  from other types of writing (i.e. poetry) which
  is said to be inspired.
• The writers still wrote in a human fashion,
  retaining personality, culture, etc.
• Because the Scripture is normative and
  authoritative, it is the foundation of the faith
  of Israel and of the Church.
• The Truth of the scriptures is given for the
  salvation of humankind.

8
Why do we study the Old Testament?

• A historical document
• a document with some of the most extensive
  information we have about the culture of the
  region at that time.
• Literature
• filled with exciting and sometimes strange
  stories. Poetry and songs. Drama and Mystery.
  Adventure, etc. However, when we regard the Old
  Testament as Literature, we cant forget that the
  Writers had a higher purpose in mind.
• Influence on Culture
• the influence of scripture is everywhere in our
  culture, in our laws, our morality, etc. This can
  be our initial jumping off spot how does it
  affect my life.
• Most Important
• Gods Self-Disclosure to his People.

9
Scripture Scholarship

• It is not enough to just read the scriptures
• Not just words on a page but a message of love
  and hope
• Biblical stories written in a particular time and
  place
• It is necessary to study the setting/culture in
  order to understand the intention of the authors
• Use of various tools including archeology,
  history, geography, and literary forms

10
Scriptures and the Church

• Three sources of our faith
• Scriptures, Tradition, and Magisterium
• The Church offers guidance in understanding the
  meaning of the Scriptures
• Sacred Tradition
• Gods revelation throughout history the truths
  of the faith passed down over generations
• Magisterium
• The teaching body of the Church includes the
  pope and bishops guided by the Holy Spirit
• None of the three is more important all three
  depend on each other

11
So, What are the Hebrew Scriptures?

• For the Jews, they are letters from home.
• Imagine that you are a Jew after the Dispersion,
  living away from your homeland and the home of
  your ancestors. These books were treasured not
  only as scripture, but as a connection with home.
• Canon of Catholic Scripture
• official writings recognized to contain divine
  revelation
• Catholic Church has 46 books in the Canon of the
  Hebrew Scriptures
• Remember this is canon not
• Cannon

12
Salvation History

• See pg. 14-15
• Major Periods
• Founders and the Promise
• Exodus and the Covenant
• Promised Land
• Nation and Temple
• Kings and Prophets
• Exile
• Oppression
• Jesus
• Judaism after the Biblical Period

13
Abraham/Sarah and the Patriachs/Matriarchs ? Moses
and The Exodus the Isrealites are brought out
of Slavery ? Joshua Leads the People into the
Promised Land ? Israelites become a Nation, with
David as the Annointed King ? Davids Son,
Solomon, Builds the Temple in Jerusalem ? Kingdom
is Divided, becomes Israel and Judah ? Assyrians
conquer Israel, Babylonians conquer
Judah ? People are exiled from the
Homeland ? Oppressed by Greeks and Romans
Looking for the Messiah from line of
David --------------(Old Testament
ends)-------------- ? Ministry of Jesus ? Judaism
carries on the Temple is Destroyed by Romans and
Surviving Jews flee.
14
4 Major Sections

• Pentateuch (called the Torah by Jews)
• five books instruction
• Considered the central and primary scriptural
  authority for Jews. All other books following are
  considered a reflection on these 5 books.
• Historical books
• Explore the living out of the covenant in the
  Promised Land.
• Continuation of the History of the Israelites
  from the Pentateuch.
• Wisdom books (or the Writings)
• Contain many profound and beautiful examples of
  Jewish reflections on their faith. Contains
  songs, poetry, and other writings.
• Prophetic books
• Stories or writings of prophets who warn the
  Israelite people of the dangers of infidelity to
  God, i.e. destruction as a nation.

15
The Four Writers of the Pentateuch

• J - The Yahwist
• Called the Yahwist because he uses the name
  Yahweh when referring to God. Primarily wrote
  about the southern tribes in Judah.
• E - The Elohist
• Primarily uses the term Elohim to refer to the
  deity. Primarily wrote about the northern tribes.
  
• D - The Deuternomists
• Generally thought of as a group of writers.
  Primarily wrote to update the religious laws from
  Moses time.
• P - The Priestly Writer
• The last of the Writers. His/Their writing
  emphasizes subjects of interest to priests the
  covenant, the temple and ritual.
• May also have acted as editor, weaving together
  the stories of the previous writers.