The Development of the Old Testament Canon, Part 1

1
The Development of the Old Testament Canon, Part 1

• Objectives
• 1 To illustrate the process by which the Old
  Testament became a uniform body of literature
• To stimulate deeper and more discriminating study
  of the Bible
• To affirm faith in God and His word

2
First Form of the Biblical Material

• Oral Form
• The contents of most of the books of the OT
  existed in an oral form before they were
  eventually written down, sometimes hundreds of
  years later.

3
Evidence of Oral Existence

• The pattern the Word of the Lord
• Most of the time this pattern had to do
  with oral communication, not with written
  communication
• Mic 11 Zeph 1Hag 11 Zech 11,7 The word of
  the Lord came to Micah, etc.
• Jer 42 Hear the word of the Lord O house of
  Israel

4
Evidence of Oral Existence

• Psa 1382-4 You have magnified your word when
  they heard the words of your mouth
• Deut 55, 22 I declare to you the words of the
  Lord
• The preaching of Jesus, Luke 51 811 1128
• The word preached by the Apostles, Acts 429 62
• Paul, the Gospel he preached, 1Cor 1436 2Cor
  217

5
Importance of Oral Communication in Antiquity

• Platos Seventh Letter
• Every serious man in dealing with really serious
  subjects carefully avoids writing, least thereby
  he may possibly cast them as prey to the envy and
  stupidity of the public. As quoted in William
  Schniedewind, How the Bible Became a Book, 14
• Written words seem to talk to you as though they
  were intelligent, but if you ask them anything
  about what they say, from a desire to be
  instructed, they go on telling you just the same
  thing forever, Schniedewind, 14

6
Papius

• If anyone came who had been a follower of the
  presbyters, I inquired into the words of the
  presbyters, what Andrew or Peter or Phillip or
  Thomas or James or John or Matthew or any other
  of the Lords disciples had said, and what
  Aristion and the presbyter John, the Lords
  disciples, were saying. For I did not think that
  information from books would help me so much as
  the utterances of a living and surviving voice
• Eusebius, The History of the Church, 339.

7
Importance of Oral Communication in Antiquity

• 2 John12 Though I have many things to write to
  you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink
  but I hope to come to you and speak face to face,
  so that your joy may be made full. See also, 3
  John 13,14
• Note The Rabbis of the first century AD
  emphasized that the oral tradition i.e., oral
  Torah was the final authority above the written
  Torah, Schniedewind, 15.

8
The Sources of the OT JEDP

• J Yahwistic
• E Eloistic
• D Deuteronomistic
• P Priestly

9
Sources

• YHWH (J) Used the name YHWH for God,
  e.g., source of Gen 2 mostly Gen, Exo,
  Num
• (Date 10th Cen BC)
• Eloist (E) Employed name Elohim for God., e.g.,
  Gen 11-24b (9th Cen BC)
• Deteronomistic (D) Source, concerned with
  laws, e.g., the book of Deuteronomy
• Priestly (P) Writings concerned with the
  priesthood, e.g.,
  Leviticus Gen 24b

10
Evidence of Oral Existence in Multiple Sources

• Different accounts of the same events
• Exo 337 - Tabernacle outside the camp
• Num 217 - Tabernacle in middle of the
  camp
• Exo 191- Commandments given at Sinai
• Deut 16 - Commandments given at Horeb

11
Evidence of Oral Existence Multiple Sources

• Exo 19 3,20 242 Moses alone enters the
  mountain to receive Ten Commandments
• Exo 241, 9- Moses, Nadab, Abihu, plus 70 elders
  enter mountain to receive Ten
  Commandments
• Exo 2411 They (including Moses) saw God,
  
• eat and drink
• Exo 3428 Moses did not eat or drink

12
Multiple Sources

• Exo 2412 God wrote the Ten Commandments
• Exo 2443428 Moses wrote Ten Commandments
• Note the emphasis on oral communication where the
  Ten Commandments and other laws are concerned,
  e.g., in Exo 20 the Ten Commandments are not
  written but spoken see also 311213
• In Deuteronomy 11 the laws are again spoken to
  the people by Moses

13
Thought Question

• If Moses was the original author of the
  Pentateuch, how is it that he is saying so many
  opposites about his own experience, and
• why is he always writing in the third person
  throughout the Pentateuch and
• did he record his death in Deuteronomy 34 ?

14
Multiple Sources

• Languages
• Gen 10 5,20,31 Many
  nations and many languages
• Gen 116 The
  whole earth, one language
  
• Building of the Ark
• Deut. 101-5 Ark built before Moses
  ascended
• Mt. Sinai
• Exo. 4020/Deut 371 Ark build
  after Moses
  descended from the mountain
• Different Order of Places
• Deut 106-7
• Num 3330,39

15
Multiple Sources

• Deut 106 Aaron died at
  Moserah
• Num 221-29 33, 38 Aaron died at Mt. Hor
• Note If he died at Moserah he could not have
  arrived at Kadesh to which the Israelites
  journeyed after leaving Moserah. In addition,
  he played a prominent role in the events of
  Kadesh then from there to Mt. Hor.
• See also, Num 2022-29 Deut 3250

16
Evidence of Multiple Sources other Places in the
OT

• 2 Sam 241-The Lord caused David to number
  Israel
• 1Chro 211-The Devil caused David to number
  Israel
• Note the many differences in both stories

17
Some Evidences of Editorial work

• Two books of Jeremiah
• Two books of Isaiah
• The Isaiah and Kings sources
• The stories of the Chronicles, Kings and Samuel
• As it is written in the books of Gad and Asher

18
Editorial Activity in Jeremiah

• There are actually two books of Jeremiah
• Book 1 Jer 2513 - completed before 3rd
  Babylonian deportation, 582 BC
• This is shorter version, now lost
• Basis for LXX
• Book 2 Longer version edited during Babylonian
  captivity
• Is 1/6 longer than version 1, i.e., the LXX
  version
• Basis for the Masoretic text, found in English
  Bible

19
Editorial Activity in Jeremiah

• Verses present in the Masoretic Hebrew text but
  missing in the Greek LXX include
• Jer 21 71 811-12 106-8 117 171-4
  2513b-14 271,7,13, 17, 21 296,16-20
  3010-11,22 3314-26 394-13 (// Jer 524-16)
  461 496

20
Differences in the Hebrew MT and the Greek LXX of
Jeremiah

• Hebrew (MT)
• 1-2513a
• 2513b-38
• 26-45
• 47
• 48
• 491-6
• 497-22
• 4923-27
• 4928-33
• 4934-39
• 50-51Babylon
• 52

• Greek (LXX)
• 1-2513a
• 3213b-38
• 26
• 29
• 31
• 3017-21/22
• 301-16
• 3029-33
• 3023-28
• 2514-20
• 27-28
• 52

21
Edit

• Note edited version of Jeremiah intended to show
  that Johoiachin not Zedekiah legitimate ruler of
  Judah and that the fate of Judah was a result of
  the sins of Manesseh and the false prophets.

22
Two Books of Isaiah

• Book 1 Chap 1- 39
• Book 2 Isa 4066
• Note the difference in tone and message of both
  sections

23
Evidences of Editorial Activities Schniedewind,
186

• 2 Sam 5-24 reorganized in 1Chron 11-21
• Note negative aspects of Davids life
  (Bathsheba/Uriah incident) edited out, so as to
  present him worthy to build temple etc.
• Chronicles borrows heavily from Samuel and Kings

24
Approximate Date of OT Writings

• Most of the OT was written between the 8th - 6th
  Cen. BC, Schniedwind, 17
• Ezra is credited for being the scribe who pulled
  all the different books into one collection 5th
  4th Cen. BC
• Prior to that, it existed in oral/written form as
  the previous evidences show
• Note writing was not popular among the Jews
  until the 8th Cen. BC

25
The Septuagint - 285-247 BC

• Jews of post-Babylonian captivity forgot Hebrew
  language
• Greek became the international language
• Jews in Alexandria translated Hebrew OT into
  Greek

26
The Septuagint

• Nature An interpretive text, does not always
  agree with the extant Hebrews texts
• Origin From mss earlier than the Masoritics mss
• Usage 80 of time by NT writers
• Contents The Apocryphal books, e.g.,
• 1-3 Macabbees, Judith,Tobit, Bel and the
  Dragon, Ecclesiasticus

27
Arrangement of Books in the Septuagint

• Law
• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy
• History
• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1 Reign 1 Samuel
• 2 Reigns 2 Samuel
• 3 Reigns 1 Kings

• 4 Reigns 2 Kings
• 1 Chronicles
• 2 Chronicles
• 1 Edras
• 2 Edras Ezra-Nehemiah
• Esther
• Judith
• Tobit
• 1Maccabees
• 2 Maccabees
• 3 Maccabees
• 4 Maccabees

28
Arrangement of Books in the Septuagint

• Poetry
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Odes
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs
• Job
• Wisdom
• Ecclesiasticus
• Psalms of Solomon
• Prophecy
• The Twelve
• Hosea
• Amos
• Micah
• Joel

• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zachariah
• Malachi
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Baruch
• Lamentations
• Epistle of Jeremy

29
Arrangement of Books in the Septuagint

• Ezekiel
• Susanna
• Daniel
• Bel and the Dragon

• x

30
Relation of the LXX to the Masoretic Hebrew Text

• BC 285/247 Jesus/NT
  200AD
• Heb (Lost) LXX
  Masoretic (Heb)
• Greek OT
  Heb OT -English

31
Multiple Sources Difference Between the LXX and
the Masoretic Text

• 1Sam 17-18 Story of David and Goliath- two
  versions from different sources
• a). Not included in the LXX or addition to
  Masoretic
• 1712-31, 41, 50, 55-58
• 181-6 9-11 1719 30-191
• b) addition to 1Sam 1743- And the Philistine
  said to David, am I a dog that thou comest
  against me with a staff and stones? And David
  answered, Nay but worse than a Dog

32
The Bibles of Jesus day

• There was no fixed canon in the time of Jesus,
  there were
• The canon of the Pharisees
• The canon of the Sadducees
• The Canon of the Essenes
• The Canon of the Samaritans

33
Canon of the Pharisees

• Written Torah (OT) Oral Tradition
• Written Torah The Law, the Prophets and the
  Psalms, essentially the LXX
• Moses received the Law from Sinai and committed
  it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the
  elders to the Prophets and the Prophets
  committed it to the men of the Great Synagogue.
  Mishnah, Aboth 11

34
Canon of the Pharisees

• Oral Tradition Two dimensions
• a) halakah rules
• b) haggadah lore, stories,
  theology

35
Canon of the Sadducees

• Only the five books of Moses
• Evidence Matt 2223-33 Mk 1218-27
  note Jesus response from Exo 36 instead of
  from prophetic books where the resurrection is
  more clearly mentioned (see also, Acts 236-10)

36
Canon of the Sadducees

• The Sadducees teach that the soul dies along with
  the body and they observe no tradition apart from
  the written laws. Whenever they assume office
  however they submit to the formula of the
  Pharisees, because the masses would not tolerate
  them otherwise. Ant 18.16.

37
Canon of the Essenes

• 1. All Old Testament (except the book of Esther)
  with Apocryphal books
• 2. The Manual of discipline

38
The Canon of the Essenes

• Essenes would alter the text of scripture e.g.,
  add the refrain praise be the Lord and praise be
  his name forever and ever after each verse of
  Psa 145. Also changed the script spelling and
  grammar and content of Isaiah. Therefore
  different attitude from later rabbinic Judaism
  that copied every word faithfully. McDonald,
  Formation, 73

39
Canon of the Samaritans

• The Samaritan Pentateuch Only Moses was inspired
• Differs From Hebrew Scriptures
• 1.Mt. Gerizim, not Jerusalem is the
  chosen place of worship
• 2. Had different numbering for the Ten
  Commandments
• 3. Tenth Commandment a passage based on
• Deut 272-8 1130
• 4. Inserted singular verb with the plural
  Elohim,
• Gen 2013 3153 357
• Note More strict than the Jews in applying the
  letter of the Torah, had no
  commentary on the Torah.

40
x

• End - Part 1

41
The Use of the Apocrypha in the NT

• Ascension of Isaiah1134
• Romans 119-23
• Jude 4
• Jude 6
• Jude 14 2Peter
  Heb 13
• James 45

• 1Cor 29
• Wisdom of Sol 13-15
• 1Enoch 4810,
• 1Enoch 106
• 1Enoch 19
• 1Enoch 24 36
• Wisdom 725-26
• Unknown source

42
NT Use of the OT

• Judges, Ruth Esther not mentioned by NT writers
• Jesus does not quote from Judges, Ruth and Esther
  (p. 98)
• Luke 2444 - Only clear reference to the third
  division of the OT in NT.
• Therefore OT canon in time of Jesus appears to be
  the Law, Prophets and an undefined section, the
  Psalm

43
Josephus 22 book Canon

• Against Apion 137-43
• Our books those which are justly accredited,
  are but two and twenty and contain the
  records of all time.
• 4 Ezra1422-48- written 100ce Mentioned 24
  books in the Hebrew scriptures -does not say
  which 24

44
Criteria for Canon Among 2nd Century Jews

• 1. Prophecy ceased by time of Artaxerxes, 465-
  424BC,Therefore books written thereafter suspect
• 2. A book originally written in Hebrew
• 3. A book used by Christians suspect, e.g. the
  Apocrypha
• 4. Conformity to the Torah
• 5. Practical value among Jews

45
Criteria for Canon Among 2nd Century Jews

• 6. Reject the LXX because Christians used it
• Replaced with Aquilas translations from the
  Hebrew

46
Criteria for Canon Among 2nd Century Jews

• Note Early Judaism of Jesus day had a wider
  canon than later Judaism of second century
  onwards. By second century OT canon decided
  among Jews, at the same time the quest for OT
  Canon began among Christians. Gowan, Bridges,
  p.127

47
OT Canon Among Christians 2nd Onwards

• Whereas for the Jews the OT canon was fixed by
  the end of the 2nd Century for the Christians the
  same period marked the process that began the
  fixing of the OT canon

48
Disputed Books Among Christians/Jews From 3rd
6th Cen

• Ester Never mentioned the name
  God
• Song of Songs There seems not be nothing
  about God therein, other
  than what is derived from
  interpretation
• Ezekiel It appears to be in conflict
  with the Torah
• Ecclesiastices Its authorship by Jeremiah was
  in doubt

49
Canon Lists of the of the Early Church

• When the early church began to compile lists of
  OT books none of the various lists were identical
  
• e.g.,
• 1. Cyril of Jerusalem (350AD) 22 canon
• 2. Jerome (342-420AD) 24 book canon
• 3. Augustine (354-430AD) 44 book canon,
  (includes Wisdom, Sirach,Tobias,Judith,
  
  1-2 Maccabees, Baruch,Jeremiah etc).

50
Canon Lists of the of the Early Church

• Note Melito bishop of Sardis was the first to
  offer a list of books that make up the OT canon
  of scriptures, his list contains 22 books
  including Wisdom of Solomon but exclude Ester

51
Melito (180AD)

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Numbers
• Leveticus
• Josh
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1-4 kingdoms
• 1-2 Chron
• Psalms

• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Song
• Job
• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• The Twelve
• Daniel
• Ezekiel
• Ezra

52
Origen (185-256AD)

• Gen
• Exo
• Lev
• Num
• Deut
• Josh
• Judg
• Ruth
• 1-2 Kings
• 3-4 Kings
• 1-2 Chron
• 1-2 Esd

• Psa
• Prov
• Eccl
• Song of Sol
• Isa
• Jer
• Lam
• Epistle of Jeremiah
• Dan
• Ezk
• Job
• Esth

53
Origen

• A Christian diet should include OT apocrypha,
  Ester, Judith Tobit, Wisdom the Psalms and the
  Gospels

54
Council of Hippo

• Gen
• Exo
• Lev
• Num
• Deut
• Josh
• Judg
• Ruth
• 1-4 Kings
• 1-2 Chron
• Job

• Ps
• 1-5 Sol
• Twelve
• Isa
• Jer
• Ezk
• Dan
• Tobith
• Judith
• Ester
• 1-2 Esd
• 1-2 Macc

55
Codex Vaticanus (B) 350AD29 Books

• Gen
• Exo
• Lev
• Num
• Deut
• Josh
• Judg
• Ruth
• 1-4 Kings
• 1-2 Chron
• 1-2 Esd
• Ps
• Prov
• Eccl

• Song of Songs
• Job
• Wisdom
• Sir
• Ester
• Judith
• Tobith
• Twelve
• Isa
• Jer
• Bar
• Lam
• Epistle of Jeremiah
• Ezek
• Dan

56
Canon of the Reformation and Beyond

• The Protestant Canon is derived from Luthers
  choice of books. He rejected the books that
  supported the Catholic doctrines which he
  rejected e.g. (2Macc 1245f prayer for the dead)
• Note he also rejected James and Revelation, and
  Ester

57
Canon of the Reformation and Beyond

• I hate Ester and 2 Maccabees so much that I wish
  they did not exist, they contain too much Judaism
  and no little heathen vice. Bruce,Canon,101
• Separated the Apocrypha from the OT, place in
  appendix of his Bible

58
Protestant Canon

• The contracted conservative Jewish canon of the
  2nd century eventually became the Protestant
  canon, not the more elaborate canon of Jesus
  day. Gowan, Bridges,128
• This is confirmed by the more than 150
  references or allusion to the Apocrypha and
  pseudepigraphal literature in the New Testament.
  Gowan,128

59
Counter Reformation

• The Counsel of Trent April 8,1546
• Affirmed Jeromes Latin Volgate as official Bible
  of the Catholic Church, but
• The Protocanonical and Deuterocanonical books
  should not be distinguished.

60
Lessons

• In light of the fact that the scriptures of
  Jesus day contains the Apocrypha, what are we to
  understand by Pauls statement in 2 Tim 316,
  all scripture is inspired by God.
• The scripture is a combination of the human and
  the divine
• We need to constantly be hearing the voice of God
• Note Rabbinic tradition contends that those who
  labor in the study of Torah can produce learning
  that was not revealed to Moses at Sinai.
  Revelation for the Rabbis continues to produce
  new echoes after Moses time Benjamin D.Sommer,
  Revelation at Sinai in the Hebrew Bible and in
  Jewish Theology, 447

61
x

• If scripture contains tradition, or
  interpretation of past events or of Gods spoken
  word, How should we approach different traditions
  today, eg Adventist tradition, Catholic
  tradition, Baptist tradition etc. What is the
  value of tradition today

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65

• The END

66

• NOTES

67
The Essenes 200/150 BC-70AD

• Scrolls from about 600 works, came from 11 caves
• Some worksSirach
• John Baptist an Essene Preach Isa 403 popular
  among the Essenes, message of repentance and
  purity Mk 14-5

68

• Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom of Sirach, Ester,
  Judith, Tobit, the Didache and Hermas are good
  for instructions (quoted in Schniedewind,111)

69

• The list of 22 varies in different sources
• Council of Laodicea 360-364 adds Baruch and
  Epistle of Jeremiah to the list that Melito of
  Sardis found at Jerusalem 170-180 AD see Eusebius
  H.E. 426 p63

70

• Origin indicates 22 books includes Epistle of
  Jeremiah, p63
• Cyril of Jerusalem (350AD) indicates 22 adds
  Epistle of Jeremiah
• Gregory of Nazianzus 570 ad 22 bks separates
  Ruth from Judges and omits Ester p63/64

71
Criteria

• The final canon was determined not by a council,
  but by widespread use in the community of faith,
  p64 McDonald Councils confirmed what was wide
  spread practice.
• Criteria

72

• Origin in Against Celcus 1.49 Jerome commentary
  on Matt 22.23ff agreed that the Sadducees
  accepted only the law of Moses as scripture (p
  69)

73
Canon of the Pharisees

• Gen
• Exo
• Lev
• Num
• Deut
• Josh
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1-2Kings
• 3-4kings
• 1-2Chron
• 1-2Esd
• Ps

• Prov
• Eccl
• Song Sol
• Job
• Twelve
• Isa
• Jeremiah
• Baruach
• Lam
• Epistle of Jeremiah
• Ezekiel
• Dan

74

• Two books of Jeremiah
• Two books of Isaiah
• The Isaiah and kings sources
• The stories of the Chronicles and Kings and
  Samuel
• Three different version of the ten commandments
• As it is written in the books of the Gad, Asher
• The voice of Moses in the third person
• The death of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy