Bible Blitz

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(No Transcript)
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Bible Blitz

• Msgr Ed Thompson
• And
• Deacon Norm Kazyk
• With Technical Assistance
• Ray Hosler

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Review for Lesson 5

• The exile of 587 B.C. and some of its effects
• Language (Greek)
• Customs (When in Rome, do as Romans do)
• Inter-Marriage

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• Cult (Religious Practices
• Temple, Food, Purification)
• Canon of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Apocrypha
  (Deutro-canonical)
• Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach,
• Baruch, I II Maccabees

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Ezra

• Ezra and Nehemiah are a continuation of
  Chronicles.
• Ch 1-3 Resumes his history with return of Jews
  from exile and attempts to rebuild Temple.

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• Ch 1 1-4 Proclamation of Cyrus, King of Persia
• Ch 4-6 Work halted hostility of Samaritans
  finally finished in 515 B.C.

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• Ch 619-22 Return to Israelite worship
• Ch 7-10 Mosaic law is strictly applied.
• Ch 1010-11 Severe measures taken against Jews
  married to foreigners.

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Nehemiah

• Except for Ch 8-10 is largely based on his
  memoirs the only example of a persons career
  written in the style of an autobiography in the
  Old Testament.
• Appointed by the Persian king to two terms as
  governor of Judah with the mission of rebuilding
  Jerusalem and reverse the dismal conditions there.

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• Ch 2 Decides to rebuild the walls and gates
  surrounding Jerusalem.

• Ch 3-4 The work begins but is opposed by
  various groups and even threatened with war.
• Who is in charge the people of the land or
  the newly returning exiles?

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• Ch 6 The walls completed in 52 days.
• Ch 6 -13 The reforms of Nehemiah.
• Defined membership in the Jewish community
  Birth, loyalty to the Torah and faithful support
  of the Temple.
• Ch 13 23-27 Required giving up foreign wives.

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• Ch 9 10 The renewal of covenant faith.
• A recounting of the history of God in the lives
  of His people, His gracious initiative and
  redemptive activity as contrasted to their
  unfaithfulness.
• Israel returns from exile not as a nation, but as
  a religious community.

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Tobit

• Written in the early second century B.C. and
  named after the principle hero who is a pious
  Israelite and trusts completely in God.
• The setting is among the Israelites living among
  the captives in Nineveh after 721 B.C.

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• Written in the literary form of a religious novel
  its purpose for instruction and edification.

• Chapter 1-2 Tobits goodness and regard for the
  law gets him in trouble. (Ch 116-20). All his
  considerable wealth is confiscated and he is
  forced to leave the city. A change of political
  administration allows his return. (Written in
  first person). vs.9-10 Tobits blindness.

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• (Ch 2) His wife works to support the family.
  Tobit questions a gift that she receives.
• (Ch 4) Sends his son, Tobias to retrieve money
  he had left in trust.

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• Ch. 3 (Written in third person). A young woman,
  Sarah is introduced who is tormented by a demon,
  Asmodeus, who has killed her previous seven
  husbands on their wedding night before they were
  intimate. Sara is verbally abused and prays for
  death.

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• Ch. 4 A fathers instruction including to marry
  someone who was part of the family group.
• Ch. 5 The Angel Raphael, in disguise becomes
  Tobias guide.
• Ch 6 Vs.2-9, The cure for demon possession and
  cataracts.
• Ch. 7 Sarah and Tobia meet and marry.

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• Ch.8-14 The demon is expelled vs. 8-14 digging
  a grave. The money is recovered, Raphaels
  identity is revealed, Tobits eyesight is
  restored, death of Tobit and Tobiah.

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The Book of Judith

• Judith (and Esther) tell of the deliverance of
  Gods people through the hands of women from a
  destruction which humanly speaking seemed
  inevitable.
• Written in the second century B.C. (about events
  in the eighth century B.C.), it teaches that God
  will always come to the help of his people as
  long as they remain faithful to Him.

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• The story centers on an assault by the Assyrians
  against those vassals who refused to help the
  Assyrians in their war against the Medes. The
  immediate scene is at Bethulia which guards the
  access to Jerusalem.

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• The Assyrians are warned that the Jews cannot be
  conquered unless they sin.
• The water supply is cut off, and the exhausted
  defenders are desperate and ready to surrender.

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• The two heroines stand for the whole of Judaism
  putting all their beauty and intelligence in the
  hand of God to win the victory.
• Ch 111-12 Setting the stage.
• Ch 2 4-6 The plan
• Ch 210-13 Further definition
• Ch 4 1-3, 7, 9, 15 The defense
• Ch 710-32 Despair

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• Ch 8 Judith appears, chastises the Elders
  for their lack of trust in God.
• Ch 84-8 Judith is described.
• Ch 832-36 partially discloses her plan.
• Ch 1011-17 Judith is captured.
• Ch 1020-23 She meets Holofernes.
• Ch 1117-18 She offers him a deal.
• Ch 1120-21 It pays to be pretty smart.

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• Ch 12 2 Will not violate dietary laws.
• Ch 129 Remains purified.
• Ch 1216-20 Holofernes lust drunkenness.
• Ch 13 2-3 Alone at last
• Ch 134-10 Loses his head.
• Ch 14 1-4 Display of head leads to panic
  and victory for Israel.

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The Book of Esther

• This book is associated with the feast of Purim,
  a celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from
  destruction through the hands of a woman.
• Does not contain a single explicit mention of God
  or the religious practices of Judaism.

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• It tells the story of a plot to destroy all the
  Jews living in the Persian Empire in a single day.

• (Chapter headings are indicated by numbers for
  the for the Hebrew text and letters for the Greek
  additions.)

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• Ch 110-12 The queen Vashti refuses to show off
  her beauty at a party.
• Ch 117 Not a good example.
• Ch 122 The queen is deposed and an order
  issued The man is boss.

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• Ch 2 A beauty contest of virgins to replace
  Vashti. Esther, cousin of Mordecai who adopted
  her, wins hands down.
• B Jews seen as dangerous Haman, an evil
  advisor to king gets a decree for their total
  extermination (vs 4,6)

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• Ch 3-8 Many intrigues. Esther prevails over
  Haman who is hanged in place of Mordecai.
• Ch 87-8 A problem Cant change a royal decree.
  Esther given power to issue new decree allowing
  Jews to defend themselves making the original
  without effect.

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• Ch 9 The Jews are victorious
• Ch 920-23 Purim defined.