The BibleBasics

Old Testament

Division

The Old Testament contains 39 (Protestant), 46 (Catholic) , and sometimes more books.

About 40 different human authors contributed to the Bible, which was written over a period of about 1500 years. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, shepherds, and doctors. From all this diversity comes an incredible unity, with common themes woven throughout.

• Pentateuch = tells how God selected Israel to be his chosen people– Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (all part of the Jewish Tradition, aka

Torah)– The Torah was dictated to Moses by God– Covers the creation to the death of Moses

• history books = tell the history of the Israelites from their conquest of Canaan to their defeat and exile in Babylon – Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra,

Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees

• poetic and "Wisdom" books aka didactic literature = deal with questions of good and evil in the world– Job, Psalms, Proverbs,

Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Sirach

• books of the biblical prophets = warn others of the consequences of turning away from God– Isaiah, Jeremiah,

Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah (Abdias), Jonah (Jonas), Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Purpose

• For the Israelites who were its original authors and readers these books told of their own unique relationship with God and their relationship with proselytes, but the overarching messianic nature of Christianity has led Christians from the very beginning of the faith to see the Old Testament as a preparation for the New Testament.

Interpretation• Themes: individual relationship with a singular God, salvation, redemption,

judgement, obedience and disobedience, faith and faithfulness, among others.• Emphasis on ethics and ritual purity, both of which God demands, although some of

the prophets and wisdom writers seem to question this, arguing that God demands social justice above purity, and perhaps does not even care about purity at all.

• The Old Testament's moral code enjoins fairness, intervention on behalf of the vulnerable, and the duty of those in power to administer justice righteously. It forbids murder, bribery and corruption, deceitful trading, and many sexual misdemeanors. All morality is traced back to God, who is the source of all goodness.

• The problem the Old Testament authors faced was that a good God must have had just reason for bringing disaster (meaning notably, but not only, the Babylonian exile) upon his people. The theme is played out, with many variations, in books as different as the histories of Kings and Chronicles, the prophets like Ezekiel and Jeremiah, and in the wisdom books like Job and Ecclesiastes.

Differences from OT to NT• In short, the Old Testament is the story of a nation, and the New

Testament is the story of a Man.

• The Old Testament gives the Law, which has two parts: the commandments and the blessing/curse that comes from obedience or disobedience to those commands. The Old Testament saw paradise lost; the New Testament shows how paradise was regained for mankind through the second Adam (Christ) and how it will one day be restored. The Old Testament declares that man was separated from God through sin (Genesis chapter 3), and the New Testament declares that man can now be restored in his relationship to God (Romans chapters 3–6). The Old Testament predicted the Messiah's life. The Gospels primarily record Jesus' life, and the Epistles interpret His life and how we are to respond to all He has done.

• Is Jesus in both sections?– the Messiah through the many detailed prophecies that were given

concerning Him, e.g., His birthplace (Micah 5:2); His manner of death (Psalm 22, especially vv. 1, 7-8, 14-18; Psalm 69:21), His resurrection (Psalm 16:10), and many more details of His ministry (Isaiah 52:13-15, 9:2)

• Image of God: vengeful and spiteful vs. loving and forgiving

• Revelations (New Testament prophecies relate to events surrounding the second coming of Christ. Roughly two out of three verses in Revelation are based on or related to Old Testament verses)

• Treatment/Presence of Women