Engaging the Old Testament

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(1) What Is the Old Testament and Why Study It?

• Canon: What is the Bible?• Inspiration: How Was the Bible

Written?• Textual Transmission: How Did We Get

the Bible?• Hermeneutics: How Do We Interpret

the Bible?

The Yorck Project / Wikimedia Commons

Old TestamentClassification: ENGLISH

• Law• History• Poetry and Wisdom• Major Prophets• Minor Prophets

Old Testament Classification: HEBREW

• Torah• Former Prophets• Latter Prophets• The Writings

1. Canon: What is the Bible?

• Hebrew — qaneh; Greek — kanon — a reed or measuring stick

• It’s the “standard” for faith and practice.

Tests for Canon

1. Written by a prophet or other Spirit-led person

2. Written to all generations — (relevant to all people throughout all time) — written for vs. written to

3. Written in accord with previous revelation

The Council of Jamnia (ca. AD 90)

2. Inspiration: How Was the Bible Written?

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

See also — 2 Peter 1:20-21

Inspiration• Divine inspiration allowed for human

personality to play a role.• Implications — First — It means that the

Bible is trustworthy.• Second — It means the Bible is

authoritative

3. Transmission: How Did We Get the Bible?

Old Testament Texts

• Masoretic Text• Samaritan Pentateuch• Dead Sea Scrolls• Septuagint• Targums

“Scribes”

• Scribe — “counter”• Torah — 400,945 letters.• Torah — Middle word “inquired” (Leviticus

10:16)• Torah — Middle letter in the Hebrew word for

“belly” in Leviticus 11:42

“Scribes”

• Hebrew• Aramaic — Genesis 31:47b; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-

26; Jeremiah 10:11b; Daniel 2:4b-7:28

Semitic Languages

• Ammonite• Ugaritic• Amorite• Aramaic• Hebrew• Phoenician• Akkadian• Moabite• Arabic

4. Hermeneutics: How Do We Interpret the Bible?

Hermeneutics Guidelines

• Use the grammatical-historical method• Understand the context• Determine the type of literature• Interpret figurative language• Let Scripture interpret Scripture• Discover the application to modern life