The Composition of the Hebrew Bible: The Old Testament

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The Composition of the Hebrew BibleThe Old
Testament
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Evolution of the Torah12th-5th c. bce

• Torah Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
  Deuteronomy
• Lay Source
• J Source (Jahwist)
• E Source (Elohist)
• JE Source
• P Source (Priestly)

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Lay Source ca.12th-10th C. bce

• Earliest datable material Song of Deborah
  (Judges 5), Blessing of Jacob (Genesis 49), Song
  of Miriam (Exodus 15), Prophecies of Balaam
  (Numbers 22-24)
• Some Mosaic material refers to Moses in 3rd
  person, the Book of the Covenant including the
  Ten Commandments
• Oral traditions -- "Some of these Old Testament
  texts preserve living conditions that may be
  traced back to the historical situation of the
  tenth century bc. confrontation of the nomadic
  patriarchal society with the agricultural
  matriarchal society

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J Source ca. 950 bce

• Core of Genesis, Exodus and Numbers. God is
  called Jahweh -- "full of joy, confidence and
  faith
• First version of early Israelite history,
  probably written during the age of the United
  Monarchy
• Reflects Jerusalem cult -- institutionalized
  priesthood

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E Source ca. 9th C. bce

• Collected oral or written version circulated in
  Northern Israel.
• God is called Elohim.
• Rejects central monarchy in Jerusalem and its
  special priestly caste.

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Collation of JE oldest material in Genesis,
Exodus and Numbers
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The Prehistoric Myths of GenesisEtiological
Stories

• stories of origins and causes
• existence and knowledge and ethics

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The Creation and Fall from Paradise
The Primacy of the Word Creation by Command
Cain and Abel
Prohibition against murder
The Floodcleansing of evil
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The Rainbowsymbol of the covenant between God
and mankind
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P Source 6th C. bce

• Final fixed form of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus
  and Numbers.
• Probably written by group of priests during exile
  in Babylon, the P source adds
• detailed description of wilderness tabernacle in
  Exodus
• all of Leviticus worship and priesthood rules
• fragments in Numbers.

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Historical LegendsThe Patriarchs and Matriarchs
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Terah of Ur
Nahor
Abram/Abraham
Keturah
Milcah
Haran
Sarai/Sarah
Hagar
Ishmael
Arabs
Bedouins
Lot
Isaac
Rebekah
Laban
Esau/Edom
Jacob/Israel
Leah
Rachel
Israelites
Edomites
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Ishmael and Isaac
Ishmael is sent into exile
Abraham and Isaac
Covenant against human sacrifice
Esau and Jacob
Jacob receives the birthright blessing
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Jacobs LadderJacobsees the vision of a ladder
into heaven and wrestles with the angel. Jacob
becomes Israel
Dore, Jacob Wrestlling with the Angel
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The Twelve Tribes of Israel
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Rachel
Bilbah
Jacob/Israel
Leah
Zilpah
1) Reuben 2) Simeon 3) Levi 4) Judah
5) Dan 6) Naphtali
7) Gad 8) Asher
9) Issachar 10)Zebulon 11)Dinah
12) Joseph 13) Benjamin
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Stories of Brothers in Genesis

• Cain and Abel
• Isaac and Ishmael
• Jacob and Esau
• Joseph and his Brothers

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AbrahamUr of the Chaldeans ? Egypt ? Canaan
Canaan ? Egypt ? Canaan/IsraelThe Israelites
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Exodus from EgyptLeviticusTHE LAW
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The PentateuchThe Torah
GenesisExodusLeviticus Numbers Deuteronomy
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Deuteronomy old book found in temple in 622 bce
-- caused religious revival and inspired writing
of the history of Israel in Palestine Joshua,
Judges, Ruth, I II Samuel, I II Kings.
History finished c. 600-550 bce
D Source and Religious Revival7th-6th c. bce
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Teleological Orientation

• Teleology being directed toward a definite end
  or having an ultimate purpose
• Importance of historical consciousness
  especially the history of the chosen people of
  God the Hebrews and their ongoing relationship
  with God
• Israel evolved from nation ruled by Judges to
  one ruled by Kings Saul, David, Solomon
• Prophets proclaimed Gods word and operated as
  voices of conscience to the kings

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• Lamentations poetic laments about the
  destruction of Jerusalem in 587 bce

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Chronicler 4th c. bce

• Worked from older sources about the history of
  Judah
• I II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah
• Completed for small Jewish community struggling
  to regroup after Babylonian exile

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Song of Songs post-exilic collection of poems
dating from the 9th c. bce and earlier
Prophetic Books 4th C. bce
4 large scrolls Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and
the 12 lesser Prophets Collections of sermons
gathered by the prophets' disciples
Psalms devotional poetry and hymns composed
10th-5th c. bce, collated in 4th c. bce
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Wisdom Literature4th c. bce

• Proverbs
• Collated 4th c. bce
• Traditional wisdom sayings
• Sharp, epigrammatic
• Widespread throughout the region -- comparable to
  Egyptian "Wisdom of Amenemope"
• Job
• 4th C. bce text of older stories
• Prose introduction and conclusion framing poetic
  dialogue
• Prose and poetry by different authors
• Ecclesiastes c. 300 bce

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The Septuagint
The Septuagint Online

• THE SEPTUAGINT, derived from the Latin word for
  "seventy," refers to the 3d c. BCE translation of
  the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek in Alexandria,
  Egypt.
• The Letter of Aristeas, documents how the Ptolemy
  (Philadelphus II 285247 BCE) commissioned a
  translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek.
• The Ptolemy wrote to the chief priest, Eleazar,
  in Jerusalem, and arranged for six translators
  from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
• The seventy-two translators arrived in Egypt and
  translated the Torah (or Pentateuch the first
  five books of the Hebrew Scriptures) in
  seventy-two days in 282 BCE.

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THE CANON 1st c. ce

• Many books written from the 4th-1st c. bce
  leading to much discussion about the "canon."
  Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs long debated.
• Rabbinic Council of Jamnia 90 ad Set the
  canonical text of the Hebrew Bible -- accepted as
  the Old Testament by Christian Churches.

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Apocrypha Disputed books that remain part of
the traditional literature, but not the canonical
sacred text.
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Before ca. 2000 B.C.E. Beginnings ca.
2000-1550 B.C.E. Patriarchs ca. 1550-1300
B.C.E. Bondage in Egypt ca. 1300 B.C.E.
Exodus and Covenant Making ca.
1300-1250 B.C.E. Wanderings in the
Wilderness ca. 1250 B.C.E.
Conquest / Settlement of Canaan ca. 1250-1020
B.C.E. Time of the Judges ca. 1020-922
B.C.E. United Monarchy J/E
Source922-587/586 B.C.E. Divided
Monarchy D, history Israel fell in 722
B.C.E.Judah fell in 587/586 B.C.E.
Lamentations 587-539 B.C.E.
Exile in Babylon P Source
539-333 B.C.E. Persian Period
Chronicler, Prophets,

Wisdom, Psalms 333-167 B.C.E.
Hellenistic Period Esther,
Daniel167-63 B.C.E. Maccabean
(Hasmonean) Period 63 B.C.E. - 135 C.E.
Roman Period Canon established
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Sources

• Beltz, Walter. God and the Gods Myths of the
  Bible. 1975. Trans. Peter Heinegg.NY Penguin,
  1983.
• Wright, G. Ernest and Reginald Fuller. The Book
  of the Acts of God Contemporary Scholarship
  Interprets the Bible. 1957. Rpt. NY Doubleday/
  Anchor, 1960.