The Hebrew God

1
The Hebrew God

• The ShemaDeuteronomistic commitment to one
  single GodJahweh
• Does not explicitly deny other gods
• Henotheismallegiance to one god while conceding
  that others also exist
• Apparent throughout Hebrew scriptures
• Hebrew god as incomparablebut not necessarily
  alone
• Mutliplicity of names for Hebrew godtranslations
  suggest uniformity

2
Names for Hebrew God

• Elohimplural gods or divine powers
• Canaanite Elgeneric Near Eastern divine being,
  divinity
• Chief god of Cannaanite pantheon (roster of gods)
• Strong documented influence on Hebrew god
• Artistically depicted as dignified old man with
  long beard
• No biblical writer has anything bad to say about
  Elplenty of bad things said about Baal and his
  female counterpart Asherah

3
Names for Hebrew God

• El ShaddaiGod Almighty, God of the Mountain
• Name derived from pre-Mosaic tradition
• God as member of divine councilcommon to Near
  Eastern thought
• Other divinities lack compassion of Hebrew deity

4
Satan

• Satanthe satan
• Functionaladversary or adversary of humanitynot
  god
• Pitchfork dude a Medieval creation
• May be servant of a deitycalled to duty by god

5
Gods of Geographical Region

• El well known
• Hebrew god less recognized
• Pharaoh does not know Hebrew god
• Hebrew god out to prove something
• Hebrew god reveals himself to Moses
• Theophanymanifestation or appearance of god
• Moses guided by Jethro while exiled
• Priest of Midian

6
Gods of Geographical Region

• Median territoryNW Arabian Peninsulamay be
  original region of Hebrew god worship
• Kenite hypothesistheory that Mosaic Hebrew god
  worship began in Median territory

7
Hebrew God

• Elohimdeity of Genesis creation who originates
  light and cosmos
• Jahwehreverses optimism of Elohim
• Advanced sense of ethics
• Christian stereotype of harshly judgmental Hebrew
  god
• Contradictory qualitiesfunction of monotheism
• Demands exclusive worship
• Forbids artistic representation

8
Hebrew God

• Both kind and severe
• Upholds righteousness
• Beyond scope of human ethical systems
• After Babylonian Exile, will deal with each
  generation individually
• Great warrior figuremay derive from archaic
  military songs
• The Book of Wars--cited in Numbers
• Hebrew god as great war advisor

9
Hebrew God

• Fundamentally holydistinct from mundane
• Universal sovereign
• Authorizes Davidic line of kings
• Manager of human history
• Cosmic judge
• Hesedsteadfast love/loyal affection of
  divine being
• Demands Israels love in returnShema

10
Hebrew God

• God as ultimate realityPaul Tillich
• Source of allgood and evil
• Creates great intellectual/cultural dialogue
• Prime mover of Hebrew Scriptures
• Can move amongst earthly people

11
The Torah

• Human history as progressive revelation of divine
  will
• Promises of divine
• Future promise of Israel
• Great diversity
• Central figure of Mosestraditional author
• Composite work
• Emphasis on Covenant

12
The Torah

• Climax of Gods theophany at Mount Sinai/Horeb
• Deuterononomistic Narrative/Historyfollow
  commands, good breaking commands explains human
  history
• Mosaic lawMoses as great law-giver of Israel
• Sinai
• Book of the Covenant
• Josiah adds Deuteronomy

13
Documentary Hypothesis

• Multiple authors
• Duplication, repetition, variation
• Pentateuch as composite text
• Literary patchwork
• Theory of at least four authors

14
Jahwist Source

• Earliest source
• First continuous narrative
• Ancient oral traditions
• Begins with second creation story
• Anthropomorphic deity
• Provides court history of Davidic kings
• Composed c. 1000 BCE as justification of Davidic
  monarchy
• Presented monarchy as workings of god
• Focus on Judah

15
Elohist Source

• Uses Elohim rather than Jahweh
• Narrative attributed to Northern kingdom of
  Israel
• Corrective to J narrative
• Begins with Abraham
• Abstract portrait of deity
• Exists only in fragmentsmay never have been
  continuous narrative

16
JE Epic

• Synthesis of J and E accounts after 721 BCE,
  following Assyrian defeat of North
• Creation of patchwork of written and oral sources

17
Deuteronomist Source

• May be confined to Deuteronomy
• Some view D-source as dominant voice of
  Pentateuch
• book of the law discovered in 621 BCE during
  repairs on Jerusalem Temple
• King Josiah
• Centralized worship
• Credited with Deuteronomistic History

18
Priestly Source

• Work of priestly writers
• During and after Babylonian Exile (587-300 BCE)
• Postexilic redactors
• Redacted Abrahamic Covenant, Flood Story
• Ex Nihilo creation account
• Moses death
• Extensive instructions for building
  Tabernacleportable dwelling place for deity
• Genealogies

19
The Torah

• Historical evolution of Hebrew gods relationship
  with people
• Partnership/Covenant
• HopeRetribution
• Gods plan for ordered/obedient humanity
• Human inability to maintain covenant
• Torah redactions to explain exile

20
Promises of Torah

• Son
• Descendants
• Presence of deity
• Land
• Blessing
• Covenant

21
Promises of Torah

• Torah tends to favor younger sons
• Tabernacle ensures sustained presence of deity
• Pitch my tent
• Scriptural validation of landlegalistic
• Blessing both individual and universal
• Post-Noah covenants concern specific people
• In Exodus, promises become contingent

22
Genesis

• Composite work
• Primeval history
• Patriarchs
• Joseph story

23
Primeval History

• Ex Nihilo Creationchaos into order
• Tehomthe deep
• Unorganized preexistent sea
• Primal and chaotic sea
• J creation uses pre-existing raw materials
• Down to earth creation story
• Human form made from earthly
• mate of Evedesperation?
• Serpent

24
Flood Story

• Classic tale
• Noachan Covenantuniversal
• Genealogies of Noahs sons
• HamCanaanites
• ShemSemitic people
• JaphethAegeans
• Interwoven story of Babel
• Etiological

25
Israels Ancestors

• Foundation of Twelve Tribes via Abraham, Isaac,
  Jacob descent
• Ishmael and Hagar
• Esau
• Sarah
• Rebecca
• Rachel
• Lot
• Laban

26
Story of Joseph

• Short story
• Etiological
• Younger son story
• Gift of dream interpretation
• Potipharinitial Egyptian master of Joseph
• Joseph becomes Pharaohs chief administrator

27
Genesis

• 1 Creation by separation/distinction
• Each with own
• 2 great lights
• According to kind
• Humans in our image
• In imagemale and female
• Be fruitful
• Subdue earth

28
Genesis

• 2 Creation complete
• Rest of 7th day
• Human from dust
• Tree of knowledge
• Man put in garden
• Need mate
• Woman from rib

29
Genesis

• 3 Serpent
• Will be like God
• God walking in garden
• Adam blames Eve
• Eve blames serpent
• God punishes all
• Womans punishmentlabor, desire?
• Mans punishmentlabor
• Banishes Adam and Eve

30
Genesis

• 4 God prefers Abels offering
• Sin alive
• 1st murder
• Blood criespagan?
• Cain to be a wanderer
• God protects Cain and gives him land
• 5 GenealogyAdam to Noah
• Noah as child to restore balance to force

31
Genesis

• 6 Human race increase and spreads
• Sons of gods take daughters of humans
• Race of Nephilimheroes of old
• Wickedness of earth
• God regrets creation
• Story of Noah
• Ark
• Gods planeach of every kind

32
Genesis

• 7 Noah alone of people
• Pairs on ark
• Heaven opened
• God closes door
• All life destroyed
• 8 Gods winddries earth
• 40 days
• RavenDoveDoveOlive branch

33
Genesis

• Dry land
• Altarsacrifices of every kind
• Gods promiseas long as the earth lasts
• 9 Be fruitful and multiply
• Animals subject to you
• God requires satisfactionespecially for death

34
Genesis

• Noahs sons
• Noah gets drunk
• Something happens to make him angry
• Noah curses Canaan and blesses Shems descendants
• 10 Descendants of Noahs sons
• 11 Time of one language

35
Genesis

• Build towerto make name for ourselves
• Let us confuse
• God makes babble of language
• Scatters people
• 12 Origin of Abraham
• God tells Abram to leave home
• Great nation and blessings
• Abraham sets out

36
Genesis

• Abram goes to Egypt to avoid famine
• Sarai beautiful
• Taken by Pharaoh as wife
• Lord inflicts plagues on Pharaoh
• 13 pitched tent
• Abram and Lot part ways
• Lot heads for Sodom Abraham to Canaan

37
Genesis

• 14 Great war in area
• Lot captured
• Abram rescues Lot
• Melchizedek blesses Abram
• Abram will not accept money from Sodom
• 15 God as Abrams shield
• God promises heir and descendants

38
Genesis

• God promises land
• Abram wants proof
• Abram in trancegods plan
• Gods covenant with Abraham
• 16 Hagar
• Sarai mistreats HagarHagar runs away
• Angel of god sends Hagar backpromises great
  descendancy
• Ishmaelto live at odds

39
Genesis

• 17 Covenant extendedAbraham
• God shall be god of all Canaan
• Abraham and people must now keep covenant
• Circumcisionmark flesh
• Sarahmother of nations
• Sarah to bear son--Isaac

40
Genesis

• God to maintain covenant with Isaac
• God will bless Ishmael and give him nation too
• All circumcised
• 18 Lord as 3 guests of Abrahamnumber shifts
• Abraham welcomes guest(s)
• Visitors promise son

41
Genesis

• Sarah laughswhat a riot!
• Abraham to be great nation
• Wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah
• Abrahams bargaining with god
• Down to 10
• 19 Lot welcomes angels
• Sodomites want to have intercourse with guests

42
Genesis

• Lot offers his virgin daughters instead
• Angels protect Lot
• Lot gathers family
• Angels tell Lot and family to flee for life
• God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah
• Lots wife looksturns to pillar of salt
• Etiological

43
Genesis

• Lots daughters seduce himlie with him
• 2 sonsfounders of Moabites and Ammonites
• 20 Sarahstill getting it done!
• Abraham intercedes for Abimelech
• 21 Isaac

44
Genesis

• God will make them great people
• God preserves Hagar and Ishmael
• God with Ishmael
• Abraham swears faith with king Abimelech
• Pact at Beersheba re well
• Abraham keeps living in alien lands

45
Genesis

• 22 testsacrifice Isaac
• Isaac asks about sacrifice
• Angel stops sacrifice
• Covenant redux
• 23 Sarahs death
• Hittites honor Abrahamprovide best burial site
  for Sarah
• Abraham gain legal possession of Hebron

46
Genesis

• 24 Abraham makes servant take oath re Isaacs
  wife
• Must marry a woman from homelandnot Canaan
• Must come back to Canaan
• Servants plan for discerning Isaacs wife
• Arranged deal with god
• Rebecca follows plan

47
Genesis

• Laban welcomes guests
• Abrahams servants message
• Laban and Bethuel offer Rebecca
• Rebecca willing to go
• Blessed by brother and sister
• Isaac takes Rebecca as wife
• Consoled for loss of mother

48
Genesis

• 25 Abraham gives all to Isaac
• Had already given other sons gifts and sent them
  East
• Isaac and Ishmael bury Abraham at Hebron
• Ishmaels descendants
• Inhabited land east of Egypt
• 2 nations in Rebeccas womb
• Esau and Jacob

49
Genesis

• Esau sells Jacob birthright
• 26 famine
• God tells Isaac to stay
• Covenant redux
• Isaac prospers
• Gods covenant with Isaac
• Abimelech makes oath with Isaac
• Esau marries Juditha Hittite
• Grief for Isaac and Rebecca

50
Genesis

• 27 Isaac oldtells Esau to prepare food for
  blessing of birthright
• Rebeccas plan to trick Isaac
• Isaac in disguise
• Jacob receives blessing
• Isaac blesses Jacob
• Esau returns
• Blessing will stand
• Anything left for Esau?

51
Genesis

• Esaus blessing
• Esau plans to kill Jacob
• Rebecca sends Jacob to Harran
• 28 Rebecca doesnt want Jacob to marry a Hittite
  
• Now talking about a community of nations
• Jacob to visit Laban

52
Genesis

• Jacobs ladder
• Gods covenant with Jacob
• Jacobs vow to god
• 29 Rachel
• Jacob welcomed by Laban
• Jacob will work for Laban for 7 years to marry
  Rachel
• Leah and Rachel

53
Genesis

• Leah trick
• Works 7 more years for Rachel
• Leah bears 4 sons
• 30 Jacob lies with slave girl2 sons
• Leahs 5th and 6th sons
• Rachels sonJoseph
• Later bears Benjamin

54
Genesis

• Joseph plans to take wives and sons and go home
• Doesnt want wages
• Jacob makes striped flock
• 31 Leah and Rachel renounces ties with father
• Go with Jacob to Canaan
• Rachel steals household gods

55
Genesis

• Laban pursues Jacob
• Jacob professes his great loyalty to Laban
• God was with Jacob
• Laban and Jacob make pact
• May Lord watch us
• Laban goes home

56
Genesis

• 32 Jacob sends messengers to Esau
• Jacob divides company in 2
• Jacob prays for assistance with Esau
• Jacobs gifts for Esau
• Jacobs plan to appease Esau
• Jacob wrestles with godIsrael
• God asks why Jacob wants to know his name

57
Genesis

• 33 Esau welcomes Jacob and family
• Esau agrees to accept gifts
• Jacob pitches tent in Canaan
• 34 Dinahraped by Hamars son Shechem
• Outraged Israelites
• Hamor and Shechem attempt to reconcile by
  open-exchange of daughters

58
Genesis

• Hamors people must practice circumcision
• Plenty of room
• Jacobs sons, Simeon and Levi, kill every male of
  Hamors region
• Plunder town
• Jacob chides Simeon and Levi

59
Genesis

• 35 Jacob purges house of foreign gods
• Covenant with Jacob
• Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin
• 12 sons of Jacob
• Isaac dies
• 36 Esaus descent in Edom
• Esau moves to hill country of Seir

60
Genesis

• Extensive genealogies of Esau and his descendants
• 37 Jacob settled in Canaan
• Jacob loved best by Jacob
• Colorful robe
• Josephs dreamall bow to him
• Reuben does not want to kill Joseph
• Throw him in cistern

61
Genesis

• Decide to sell him to Ishmaelites
• Joseph already gone/sold
• Craft scene of Josephs death
• Jacob mourns Joseph
• 39 Potipharnew master of Joseph
• Trusts Joseph with house
• Joseph refuses advances of masters wife

62
Genesis

• Joseph charged with rape
• Joseph thrown in prison
• God keeps blessing Joseph
• 40 Pharaoh imprisons cupbearer and baker
• Share dreams with Joseph
• Joseph asks cupbearer to plead his case with
  Pharaoh

63
Genesis

• Cupbearer restored and baker hanged
• As Joseph predicted
• 41 Cupbearer forgets Joseph
• Pharaohs dream reminds cupbearer of Josephs
  interpretive ability
• Joseph credits god with dream interpretation
• Joseph explains dream

64
Genesis

• Josephs advice for famine management
• Pharaoh appoints Joseph
• Gives Joseph authority over all Egypt
• Joseph organizes grain
• Josephs sonsManasseh and Ephraim
• Famine arrivesJoseph sells grain to people

65
Genesis

• 42 Jacob sends sons to Egypt for grain
• Jacob keeps Benjamin behind
• Joseph recognizes brothers
• Maintains anonymity
• Josephs 1st test/game
• Joseph requires Benjamin to travel to Egypt

66
Genesis

• Brothers know they are being punished for
  treatment of Joseph
• 43 Jacob allows Benjamin to go
• Joseph welcomes Benjamin with feast
• Joseph restores Simeon
• Joseph inquires of family/father
• 44 Josephs plan with goblet
• Puts it in Benjamins pack

67
Genesis

• Judah pleads for Benjamin
• Judah offers to pay Benjamins penalty
• 45 Joseph cant control emotions
• Joseph identifies himself
• Gods plan to send Joseph to Egypt
• Joseph sends brothers back for father
• Please come to Egypt for the famine

68
Genesis

• Pharaoh pleased to hear of Josephs family
• Invites them to Egypt
• Jacob to go to Egypt
• 46 God reassures Jacobgo to Egypt
• Israelites
• 70 Israelites in Egypt
• Jacob sees Joseph

69
Genesis

• 47 Jacob and family settle in district of
  Rameses
• Josephs management of grain
• Joseph acquires all land and livestock in Egypt
  for Pharaoh
• Josephs policy1/5 of all produce goes to
  Pharaoh
• Jacob wants to be buried at Hebron

70
Genesis

• 48 Jacob to count Josephs sons as his
  descendants
• Jacob blesses Josephs sonsManasseh and Ephraim
• Jacob favors younger sonEphraim
• Will be greater
• But Manasseh will also become people
• 49 Jacob gathers 12 sonsfuture for each

71
Genesis

• 12 Tribes of Israel
• Jacob dies
• 50 Pharaoh tells Joseph to bury his father as he
  swore
• Jacob buried
• Josephs brothers now fear grudgeforge letter
  from Jacob asking pardon for brothers

72
Genesis

• Joseph comforts brothers
• Joseph sees 3 generations of his descendants in
  Egypt
• Promises descendants they will return to land
  promised by God to Abraham
• God will come to their aid
• Joseph makes them swear to take his bones back to
  promised land of his fathers