Class notes
Old Testament Survey Notes
- Course
- BIB 106
- Institution
- Grand Canyon University
Comprehensive and detailed Class notes from Old Testament Survey, covers topics 1-3 and a little of topic 4. *Essential!! *For you!!
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TOPIC 1The Bible as Canon
What is Canon?
❖ Originally, it meant a reed or measuring stick
❖ In Biblical studies, it connotes an authoritative collection of books accepted as the rule of faith and practice
- Bible, Qur’ran, Harry Potter
What is our Canon? (OT)
- Jewish: Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
❖ Nevi’im: Former = Joshua, Judges, 1-4 Kings. Latter = Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Book of the Twelve
❖ Ketuvim: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemia, 1-2 Chronicles
- Catholic/ Orthadox: Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
❖ Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth. 1-4. Kings. 1-2, Chronicles, Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Esther, (additions) 1-2 Maccabees
❖ Wisdom Books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Ecclesiasticus
❖ Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Bel and Dragon, Susanna, the Twelve
- Protestant: Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
❖ Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth. 1-4. Kings. 1-2, Chronicles, Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Esther, (additions) 1-2 Maccabees
❖ Poetic Books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
❖ Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, the Twelve
,Tests for Canonicity
Test 1: Written by a prophet or other Spirit- led person
Test 2: Written to all generations
Test 3: Written in accord with previous revelation
- NOTE: there are some issues with applying these to the Old Testament, ex: Jeremiah 36: 1-8 (HCSB)
- THe books of Kings and Chronicles look quite different. For instance in 1 Chronicles 11-12, all the Israel pledges support to David, but in 2 Samuel 2, two
kings are crowned and war ensues
Definition of Hermeneutics
Science of interpreting the Bible, Hermeneutics involves the application of time-tested principles to draw out the biblical texts' intended message. (EOT Glossary)
What Principles are used to interpret the Old Testament? EOT provides a set, which are based in Western Evangelical Christianity that, together, are called
the grammatical- historical method
Grammatical - Historical Method
This method uses both history and grammar to try and understand the author’s intent as he wrote to his audience. However, there are two distinct
weaknesses
1. This approach introduces historical reconstruction, which may or may not be correct
2. It also assumes both we and the original writer understand and follow standard rules of grammar and syntax for Hebrew and Aramic, and that it
, translated properly, uniformly, and correctly for readers who do not know OT languages
These weaknesses aside, this method is still the best one to use as it searches for the plenary or “plain sense” meaning of a text through the following steps
❖ Immediate Context: reading the word, sentence, or passage in light of the surrounding words, sentences, or passages
❖ Remote Context: understand the passage in a chapter according to the surrounding chapters and beyond that, other parts of the Bible. There are
different methods involved here, and not all scholars agree on the methods
❖ Historical Context: what was the setting of the writing? Again, different methods are used
❖ Genre: this step concerns understanding the type of writing a person is reading. Each genre includes its own rules of interpretation. Narrative, poetry,
law, and so on are interpreted differently due to the rules in which they are written
● Identify and interpret figurative language, not every word in narrative is literal. Not every word in poetry is figurative. What does the author really mean?
● Let Scripture interpret Scripture: difficult passages are translated based on easier to understand passages
- This Principle gets abused by interpreting passages that threaten our beliefs or doctrines by passages that support them. That is not the point of
this principle
● Discover application to modern life: this is the application of the teachings of scripture to parallel issues in modern life
FIRST ORDER
, Hebrew Manuscripts
Textual Families
Ancient Text(s)
1. Masoretic Text (MT)
2. Dead Sea Scrolls (found in 1947 by Bedouin, in a cave near Khirbet Qumran)
3. Samaritan Pentateuch/ Texts
Ancient Translations
1. Septuagint (Known as the LXX - Greek, 200 BCE)
2. Targums (Aramic Writings, 100 CE and after)
3. Peshitta (i has e sound) (Syriac, 6th Century)
Who Wrote the Pentateuch
Tradition Says Moses
❖ Jesus refers to Moses in Luke 24:27
❖ It seems so in Deut. 31: 25-26 : “After Moses finished writing all the words of the teachings in a book he gave command to the Levites… ‘Take this book of
the teachings and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord your God” (Deut 31; 25-26)
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