REL 105

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REL 105

• Introduction

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Why Study the Bible?

• Bumper Sticker Theology
• The Bible/God said it
• Ive read it
• That settles it.

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Terms for the Bible

• Greek Eng. the books
• Scripture Writing 2 Covenants
• 2 Testaments
• Hebrew Bible (24), aka Tanakh
• Old Testament (39)
• New Testament (27)

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The OT Canon

• Canon, Gr. measuring rod, rule
• set collection of texts
• Council of Jamnia AD 90, set Hebrew Bible canon
• Criteria
• Textual conform to Torah
• Chronology Ezra (400BC) or prior
• Linguistic Hebrew
• Geographical Palestine
• Apocrypha In LXX not in Masoretic Text

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Structure of the Bible

• 2 Testaments Old New Covenant
• Hebrew Bible (24) (Tanakh)
• Torah
• Neviim
• Ketuvim

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4 Ways of Structuring the Bible

• Judaism canon and order of Masoretic text
• Greek Orthodoxy canon and order of LXX
• Roman Catholicism canon and order of LXX, with
  apocrypha at end
• Protestantism canon of the Masoretic text, order
  of LXX

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OT Divisions/Groups

• 1. Law (Torah, Pentateuch)
• (Gen-Deuteronomy)
• 2. History (Josh-Nehemiah)
• 3. Writings (Esther-Song of Sol.)
• Wisdom Lit Job, Prov, Ecclesiastes
• 4. Prophets (Isaiah-Malachi)
• 4 Major Is, Jer, Ez, Daniel
• 12 Minor
• 5. Apocrypha (Deuterocanonical) 7 books

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Approaches to the Bible

• Devotional
• Academic
• Biblical criticism investigating the Bible
• (critical does not mean negative, but rather
  rigorous)

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Reading as Interpreting

• Interpretation
• Hermeneutics
• Exegesis v. Eisegesis

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Quadriga Fourfold Sense

• Quadriga popular in Middle ages
• Literal
• Allegorical
• Tropological (moral ethical)
• Anagogical (future fulfillment)

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Reading in Four Stages

• Popularized by Guigo (d. 1188)
• Reading (lectio)
• Meditation (meditatio)
• Prayer (oratio)
• Contemplation (contemplatio)
• gt Each step points and prepares for the
  next

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Interpreting the Bible

• Tasks of Hermeneutics
• Exegesis - discover the texts original meaning
• (v. eisegesis)
• 2. Application relate the text to today

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Interpreting the Bible

• Influences on Hermeneutics
• 1. Presuppositions
• 2. Context
• 3. Intelligibility

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Dual-Nature of Scripture

• 1. Eternal relevance
• 2. Historical particularity

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Nature of the OT

• YHWH is the defining character
• Inspired
• Ideological
• 4. Scripture (as referenced in NT)
• 5. History

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OT as History

• Salvation History
• Theological Interpretation

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Authority of Bible

• Inspired God-breathed (2 Tim 3.16-17)
• Reformers Sola scriptura
• RCC Scripture, Creeds, Reason, Tradition
  (papal decisions, councils)
• Word of God
• Bible
• Jesus Christ

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Authority of the OT

• Jews
• 1. Torah Law Pentateuch (lit. 5 scrolls)
• 2. Neviim Prophets
• 3. Ketuvim Writings
• Christians
• 1. Dietary laws
• 2. Sabbath/Sunday
• 3. NT view of OT (L P Mt 5.17 Acts 28.23
• L,P, Pss Lk 24.44)

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God in the Bible

• OT Nobody has seen God
• Human nature
• Human sinfulness
• Gods majesty wonder (Glory)
• NT Jesus is the incarnation of God
• Face (Jn 14.9)
• Image (Col. 1.15)
• Representation (Heb. 1.3)

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Principal Literary Types

• 1. Drama 6. Poetry
• 2. Law 7. Visions/Apocalyptic works
• 3. Genealogy 8. Allegory/Parables
• 4. History 9. Prophecy
• 5. Narrative 10. Epistles/Letters

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Important Terms

• Anathema
• Anthropomorphism
• Apocrypha
• Baal
• Canon
• Covenant (suzerainty, parity)
• Day of Atonement
• Diaspora

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Important Terms

• Doxology
• Exile
• Hellenistic
• Hermeneutics
• Idolatry
• Manna
• Messiah

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Important Terms

• Midrash
• Monarchy
• Motif
• Patriarch
• Pharisaic (Pharisees)
• Polytheism

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Important Terms

• Promise
• Prophecy
• Revelation
• Septuagint (275-100 BC)
• Syncretism
• Theology/Theological
• Theophany

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Names of God in OT

• Elohim Gen 1.1 (2300 times)
• strength, power
• Plural, yet often takes singular verbs
• Yahweh Elohim (beginning with Gen 2.4b)
• YHWH (See next slide)
• Adonai Heb. Lord

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YHWH

• Tetragrammaton (Lit. Gr 4 letters)
• Lit to be (Ex 3.13)
• 6500 times in OT
• Jews refuse to write or say this name (Ex. 20.7)
• Rendered Yahweh or Jehovah in English
• Rendered kyrios (Lord) in Greek (LXX)
• Only refers to God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
  never to other gods (unlike other Hebrew words
  for a divine figure)

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Types of Biblical Criticism (FMR, 35-50)

• Textual
• Historical
• Source
• Form
• Redaction

• Canonical
• Social-Scientific
• Narrative
• Reader-response

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Documentary Hypothesis

• J Yahwist (Yahweh)
• E Elohist (Elohim)
• P Priestly
• D Deuteronomist
• For more see Biblical Exegesis, by John Hayes
  and Carl Holladay

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Periods in Israels History

• Pre-monarchial
• beginning of Israel gt
• rise of David (1000B.C.)
• Monarchial rise of David gt destruction of Temple
  (587B.C.)
• Post-monarchial post-587B.C.

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I. The Torah

• Titles Pentateuch 5 Books of Moses Law
  Instruction
• Authorship Moses?
• Importance chief
• Contents Narratives Commands

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GENESIS

• I. Primeval History (1-11)
• II. Patriarchal History (12-50)

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Primeval History (1-11)

• I. Creation Fall (1-3)
• II. Implications of the Fall (4-11)

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Creation Narrative (1)

• Prologue to Creation Gen 1.1-2
• God created the Heavens and Earth
• Day Event
• 1 Separates light from darkness
• 2 Separates waters (creates the sky, heavens)
• 3 Separates land from water vegetation
• 4 Creates 2 Lights (Sun, Moon) and Stars
• 5 Creates Fish Birds
• 6 Creates land animals, humanity
• 7 Blessed, hallowed the 7th day rested

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Creation Narratives

• 1st Narrative (1.1-2.3 uses Elohim)
• Days of
• Separation (1-3) Creation (4-6)
• Environment Occupants
• 1 Light 4 Luminaries
• 2 Waters (Heavens, sky) 5 Fish Birds
• 3 Earth, vegetation 6 land animals, man
• 7 Sabbath

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Creation Narratives

• Announcement and God said
• Command let there be/let it be gathered/let it
  bring forth
• Report/fulfilment and it was so
• Evaluation/Commendation and God saw that it was
  good
• Temporal Framework/concluding formula there was
  morning and there was evening

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Creation Narratives

• Groups
• There are at least 2 similarities 7 differences
  
• 1 bonus point on Exam 1 to each group member for
  each correct answer.

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12 Theological Assessments

• God (1-5)
• There is 1 God
• Distinction between humanity God
• God is free and majestic
• God is active in creation from beginning to end
• For Christians, God is a Trinity

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12 Theol. Assessments, contd

• Creation (6-8)
• Creation is essentially good
• Creation is linked to redemption
• Creation is an affirmation of faith
• Humanity (9-12)
• Humanity is made in Gods image
• The problem of evil (and sin) is due to the moral
  failure of human beings
• This problem places humanity in conflict with
  each other, the world, and God
• Humanity has a special role (responsible for
  creation)

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The Fall and its Implications, I

• 4 Falls
• Adam Eve (3)
• Cain and Abel (fratricide) (4.1-24 v.8)
• Noah Ark (the flood) (6.5-9.17)
• Tower at Babel (11.1-9)

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The Flood

• Documentary Hypothesis
• J document P document
• Gen 6.5-8 Gen 6.11-16
• Gen 7.1 Gen 6.17-18
• Gen 7.2-5 Gen 6.19-22
• Gen 6.10 6.11
• Gen 8.6-12 8.13-16
• Gen 8.20-22 9.8-17

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Covenant

• Noah (Gen. 9.1-17)
• Covenant contract between 2 parties
• Sovereignty
• Chaos
• Promise
• Universality (9.8-11)

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The Fall and its Implications, II

• Repeated cycle of sin
• Rebellion, judgment, promise (3-11)
• Correspondence of sin to punishment
• Serpent seduced Eve into eating he must eat
  dust
• Cain settled (a farmer) becomes a wanderer,
• Tower punishment is directed toward the
  instrument of sin (1 language) and the intent of
  the sin to avoid being scattered

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EXAM I