bible, church & world writing of the old testament november 12, 2008

Bible, Church & World

Writing of the Old Testament

November 12, 2008


Format:

• Questions of the Day• Small Group Discussion • Presentation • General Discussion/Summing Up


Question of the Day:

How was the Old Testament Written?

What is the internal evidence in the Bible?


How was the Old Testament written?

What is the internal evidence in the Bible?

Small Group Discussion:

Exodus 24:1-4 Deuteronomy 31:9

Joshua 8:30-32 2 Chronicles 34:14-18

Genesis 21:34 Genesis 26:14-18

Genesis 36:31 Deuteronomy 34:1-8

Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah 44:28


Presentation:

Compiling the Old Testament


Divisions of the Old Testament

• Law

• Prophets

• Writings


Organization of Hebrew Scripture


The Law

• Genesis

• Exodus

• Leviticus

• Deuteronomy

• Numbers


The Prophets

• Former Prophets

• Latter Prophets

• The 12 Prophets


The Former Prophets

• Joshua

• Judges

• Samuel

• Kings


The Latter Prophets

• Isaiah

• Jeremiah

• Ezekiel


The Twelve ProphetsHosea Joel

Amos Obadiah

Jonah Micah

Nahum Habakkuk

Zephaniah Haggai

Zechariah Malachi


The Writings

Psalms Proverbs Job Song of Songs Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes Esther

Daniel

Ezra Nehemiah

1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles


Apocryphal Books1. The First Book of Esdras (also known as Third Esdras)

2. The Second Book of Esdras (also known as Fourth Esdras)

3. Tobit

4. Judith

5. The Additions to the Book of Esther

6. The Wisdom of Solomon

7. Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach

8. Baruch

9. The Letter of Jeremiah (This letter is sometimes incorporated as the last chapter of Baruch. When this is done the number of books is fourteen instead of fifteen.)

10. The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men

11. Susanna

12. Bel and the Dragon

13. The Prayer of Manasseh

14. The First Book of Maccabees

15. The Second Book of Maccabees


Stages in the Compiling of the Old Testament

Appearance of Scroll in Temple - 2 Kings 23:1-10 (630 BCE)

Reading of the Law after Return – Nehemiah 8:1-3 (500 BCE)

Compiling of Hebrew Scripture w/vowels – 5th Century BCE

Compiling of Septuagint in Alexandria - 300 to 200 BCE

Council of Jamnia confirms Hebrew Canon – 90 AD

Synod of Carthage – 397 AD

Jerome Compiles Latin Vulgate – 405 AD

Hebrew Masoretic Texts Completed - 9th Century AD

Luther Translates OT into German – 1534 AD

King James Translation – 1611 AD


The Scriptures Compiled Post-Captivity

All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.

So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

Nehemiah 8:1-3


The Scriptures Compiled Post-Captivity

• Scripture Collected & Compiled

• Revisions to Include Vowels – Masoretic Text

• Reconstructing the Culture

• What Went Wrong?

• Work on Scriptural Texts Continuous


Septuagint

Greek Translation of Hebrew Scriptures – 300 to 200 BCE

Compiled by Jewish Scholars in Alexandria

Attempt to Translate Scripture into Common Language

Called “The 70” because of the Number of Scholars

Scripture Familiar to Jesus and Apostles, Early Church

Primary OT Source for Greek Orthodox Church


Septuagint - What Does It Contain?

The Septuagint contains the standard 39 books of the Old Testament canon, as well as certain apocryphal books. The term "Apocrypha" was coined by the fifth-century biblical scholar, Jerome, and generally refers to the set of ancient Jewish writings written during the period between the last book in the Jewish scriptures, Malachi, and the arrival of Jesus Christ. The apocryphal books include Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), the Wisdom of Solomon, First and Second Maccabees, the two Books of Esdras, additions to the Book of Esther, additions t the Book of Daniel, and the Prayer of Manasseoh.


The Septuagint in the New Testament

Of the approximately 300 Old Testament quotes in the New Testament, approximately 2/3 of them come from the Septuagint.

Matt. 1:23 / Isaiah 7:14 - behold, a "virgin" shall conceive. Hebrew - behold, a "young woman" shall conceive.

Mark 7:6-8 – Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 from the Septuagint – “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”


Council of Jamnia – 90 AD

Rabbinical School Founded after Destruction of Temple

Comprised of Later Generations of Jerusalem Sanhedrin

Reviewed Jewish Scripture – Established Canon

• Must Conform to Pentateuch

• Must not have been written after Ezra (400 BCE)

• Must have been written originally in Hebrew

• Must have been written in Palestine

• Accepted 10 Fewer Books than Septuagint


Final Form of Jewish Old Testament Canon

By 9th Century AD


Synod of Carthage – 397 AD

The Council of Carthage, on 28 August 397 issued a canon of the Bible restricted to: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Josua, Judges, Ruth, 4 books of Kingdoms, 2 books of Paralipomenon, Job, Psalter of David, 5 books of Solomon, 12 books of Prophets, Isaias, Jeremias, Daniel, Ezechiel, Tobias, Judith, Esther, 2 books of Esdras, 2 books of Machabees, and in the New Testament: 4 books of Gospels, 1 book of Acts of the Apostles, 13 letters of the Apostle Paul, 1 of him to the Hebrews, 2 of Peter, 3 of John, 1 of James, 1 of Jude, and the Apocalypse of John.


Jerome Compiles the Latin Vulgate

Commissioned by Pope Damasus in 382

Translates 39 OT books from Hebrew

Includes Several Apocryphal Books from LXX

Tobit, Judith (from Aramaic)

Additions to Daniel & Esther

Baruch, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus

I & II Maccabees, 3 & 4 Esdras

Prayer of Manasseh


The Vulgate Bible

Vulgate Completed about 405 AD

Standard Latin Bible of Roman Catholic Church

Gutenberg Bible is a Latin Vulgate Bible


The OT in the Reformation

Luther Begins OT Translation in 1522

Completes Pentateuch in 1523

Completed Entire OT in 1534

Worked from Latin, Greek & Hebrew Masoretic Sources

Did not include Apocryphal Books


Cover to Luther’s 1534 OT Translation


Old Testament Canon – by Denomination


Comparison of Apocryphal Books

by Denomination


Dead Sea Scrolls

Discovered at Qumran, Palestine in 1947

Oldest Known Copies of Scripture

Date to Before 100 AD – Essene Community

Includes Fragments from Every OT Book

Wide Variety of Textual Variance but…

In Substantial Agreement with Masoretic Texts


Summing Up:

Five Conclusions


This is a Very Complex Subject!

Covers Over 2000 Years

Israelite History is Chaotic

Reflects Interwoven Traditions

Oral & Written Transmission

External Evidence is Scarce


We Know Most About What is Least Important

Compiling of the Septuagint

Development of Masoretic Texts

Textual Nuances in Dead Sea Scrolls

We Know Little About What is Most Important

Who Compiled Pentateuch? How? When?

Who was Abraham? Moses? Jacob?

Where is Archeology of the History of Israel?


What Do We Do With the Septuagint?

LXX Most Influential During Time of Jesus, Early Church

LXX Embraced as Canon by Greek Orthodox Church

But…

Jewish Scholarship (Jamnia) Takes Another Path

And…

Catholics Embrace Hebrew Texts, Some Apocryphals

Protestants Accept Only 39 OT Hebrew Books


Tradition of Literature as Response to Adversity

Ezekiel, Job as a Response to Babylonian Captivity

Judith, Daniel as a Response to Oppressive Greek Rule

Academy at Jamnia as a Response to Destruction of the Temple

And…

Revelation - a Response to Roman Persecution of the Early Church


Underlying Motivation for the Shaping of the OT

As a Cultural Anchor and Rallying Point

As an Explanation for Babylonian Captivity

Addressed the Needs of the Post-Exile Generation

So That…

The Old Testament was compiled in such a way that it became highly relevant to the Jewish situation in 1st Century Roman Palestine.


Questions and Comments?


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Christian Perspective

of the

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