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   Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

Code 1.2.1.

 

 

Level

 

1

Field

Understanding the Word

Status

Foundational  Module

Normal pre-requisites

0

Module leader/tutor(s)

Richard Harvey, Chris Wright

 

Aims: 

 

This module is designed to introduce students to the Old Testament in such a way that they begin to appreciate its importance and value, its status as part of the Christian scriptures, its relevance to the ministry, mission and ethics of the church, and thus to become motivated to use it effectively.

 

Objectives:   

 

As a result of completing this module, the student should be able to:

 

·      Understand the basic background and historical framework of the Hebrew Bible;

·      Recognise its major literary forms and theological themes;

·      Have acquired the basic tools and resources to engage in further detailed study and application of specific biblical texts;

·      Actively engage with the Hebrew Bible as a basis for mission, ministry and personal devotion.

 

Content:

 

A general introduction to the major historical periods and different types of literature of the Hebrew Bible is given, alongside an introductory survey of each major section of the canon of the Hebrew Bible: the Law, the Prophets and the Writings (including Psalms and the Wisdom Literature). The module includes examination some major theological issues in the OT, such as its teaching on origins and end-times.

                                         

Method:

 

The module, which uses a variety of teaching styles and learning opportunities, is presented with an awareness of hermeneutical and cross-cultural issues. Lectures and guided reading are supplemented with videos and other aids.

 

Assessment:                 

 

One written assignment or set of reading reports (see below)

                                       

 

Course Structure - Term 1

 

 

Monday Period 1

Tuesday Period 2

Thursday Period 1

Weeks 1-5

Historical Overview (RH)

Understanding the Law (CW and RH)

Historical overview  (RH)

Weeks 6-10

Understanding the Prophets (RH)

Understanding Wisdom Literature (CW)

Psalms, Science and the Future (CW and RH)

 

A.      Historical Overview (RH)

 

1.               Why Bother With the Hebrew Bible?

2.               What is the Hebrew Bible?

3.               Are You Sitting Comfortably? Beginnings

4.               Let’s Go!  The Exodus and Conquest

5.               Judges Rule, OK?

6.               The Good, the Bad and the Wealthy - Saul, David and Solomon

7.               The Decline and Fall of Israel and Judah

8.               The Babylonian Exile

9.               The Return

10.            Great Expectations

 

B.      Understanding the Law (RH and CW)

 

1.     Old Testament Law: Where, What and Why? (CW)

2.     Old Testament Law: Its Values and Priorities (CW)

3.     Old Testament Law: (How) Can We Apply it Today? (CW)

4.     Old Testament Law : A Socio-Economic Model (CW)

5.     Old Testament Law: Grace for Failure -the Sacrificial System (RH)

 

C.      Understanding the Prophets (RH)

 

1.   Introduction to the Prophets (RH)

2.   The Prophets in Society (RH)

3.   The Prophets as Communicators (RH)

4.   The Prophets in History (RH)

5.   The Prophets Today (RH)

 

D.      Understanding Wisdom Literature (CW)

 

1.     Biblical Wisdom in Context (CW)

2.     Proverbs (CW)

3.     Ecclesiastes (CW)

4.     Job 1(CW)

5.     Job 2 (CW)

 

E.      Psalms, Science and Future Hope(RH and CW)

 

1.   Introduction to the Psalms (RH)

2.   The Psalms and Biblical Worship (RH)

3.   Creation and Science 1 (CW)

4.   Creation and Science 2 (CW)

5.   Future Hope  in the Hebrew Bible (RH)

Module Assignments

 

You need to complete either ONE written assignment of 2,500-3,000 words or a reading assignment of 10 reading reports. These can be done at any time in the year, but preferably in Term 1.

 

If you are unfamiliar with the outline of biblical history you are encouraged to do the Wright/Drane reading reports (marked *) or the time-chart and book comparison as a way of gaining familiarity with the significant people and events that form the background to the Hebrew Bible. Then you'll really know your Hosea from your Habakkuk!

 

Reading reports on Wright and Drane

Week 1                        Drane ch.1, pp.16-34

Week 2                        Wright ch.1, pp 1-54

Week 3                        Drane, ch.2 pp.38-58

Week 4                        Drane, ch.3, pp. 60-76

Week 5                        Drane, ch.4, pp.78-104

Week 6                        Wright, ch.2,pp. 55-102

Week 7                        Drane, ch.5, pp. 106-128

Week 8                        Drane, ch.6, pp.130-154

Week 9                        Drane, ch.7,pp. 156-186

Week 10                      Drane, ch.8, pp.188-202

 

Assignment Titles

 

1.         Prepare an outline history of Israel in chart form. This should stretch from Abraham to the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. It should make clear the major events, with dates (as far as is known); major persons involved, including the prophets in their proper historical location.

2.         Compare and contrast three books of the Hebrew Bible, one from each of the main sections we have covered (eg. Leviticus, 1 Kings, and Ecclesiastes). Consider their origin, structure, contents, genre and how they may be taught and applied today.

3.         What are the values and principles embodied in the Old Testament Law? Illustrate your answer by selecting a major topic covered in the law (eg. Sabbath, slavery, Jubilee, family) and show what the Law pre-supposes or teaches about God, human life and the world, and how it is relevant today.

4.         Your Hollywood Producer/Blockbuster novel publisher/Field mission leader has invited you to write a major screenplay/biography/autobiography/study-series on the life and work of one of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. The first stage is to write a 2,500-3,000 word treatment for one of them, showing how you would cover the life and times of the prophet you have chosen, linking their character, background and family life,  written and/or spoken message with their position in society and history.

5.         Compare and contrast the life and ministry of a contemporary prophet (Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King or A.N.Other) with one or more of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, commenting on their life, message, relevance and authority.

6.         Has prophecy a future? Examine the gift, ministry and importance of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible and compare that with Christian and non-Christian views of the gift today.

7.         Choose one major theological issue found in the Hebrew Bible, and discuss it's relevance and application today, in the light of the New Testament and missiological considerations.

Assignments on Wisdom

 

1. 'Ecclesiastes speaks more powerfully than any other biblical book to postmodern culture.'  Discuss and evaluate this statement.

 

2. With respect to any specific culture known to you, discuss the ways in which the Book of Proverbs could be used as a bridge between talking about the God of the Bible and the worldview of that culture.  How adequate is Wisdom as 'a bridge for the gospel'?

 

3. Choose one of the Wisdom books and prepare a lectionary for a congregation's use over a period of 10 services.  Each service must include a reading from the Wisdom book, a Gospel portion, and one other passage from anywhere else in the Bible.  Justify and explain your choice of readings and how they fit together in providing a good understanding of the Wisdom book you have chosen. You might like to suggest, for example, themes for the sermon each week, that would be based on your readings, but with particular reference to the Wisdom passage.

 

4. 'The Book of Job is not so much about human suffering as about a mature relationship with God.'   Discuss.

 

Select Bibliography

You should try to do some preliminary reading before each session. If you choose you may make these the reading reports, choosing either the set passages from Wright and Drane (marked with *), or one or two of the other selections for each topic. The material is graded as

 

A= straightforward, B= moderate, C= advanced, # = food, fiction or fun (!)

 

There are many good introductions to the Hebrew Bible available. We particularly recommend:

 

Key Texts

 

*Drane, J.                       Introducing the Old Testament  (UK: Lion, 1987)          

Lasor, W. et al                Old Testament Survey (USA: Eerdmans, 1994)             

*Wright, C.                     Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament  (UK: Marshal Pickering, 1992)                                                   

 

Also helpful are:

 

Bright, J                   The History of Israel (London: SCM, 3rd Ed., 1995)               (C)

Bruce, F.F.               Israel and the Nations (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 1978)      (B)

Brueggemann W     The Prophetic Imagination (USA: Fortress, 1978)                (B)

VanGemeren W       Interpreting the Prophetic Word (USA: Zondervan 1990) (A)

Wright, C.               Living as the People of God  (UK: IVP, 1983)                           (A)

Wright, C.               Understanding Old Testament Law (Swindon, UK: Bible Society, 1990)(A)

Wright, C.               User's Guide to the Bible (UK: Lion, 1984)                               (A)

Wright, C.              Walking in the Ways of the LORD (Leicester, Apollos, 1995)

 

Bibliography on Wisdom

 

D Kidner                    Wisdom to Live By (IVP)

D Kidner                    Proverbs (Tyndale)

D Kidner                    The Message of Ecclesiastes  (BST)

F Andersen                 Job (Tyndale)

D Atkinson                 The Message of Job (BST)

G Goldsworthy           Gospel and Wisdom (Paternoster)

J L Crenshaw              Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction (John Knox)

LaSor, Hubbard and Bush,              Old Testament Survey,  chs. 41-44

R.E. Murphy,             'Wisdom in the OT', in  Anchor Bible Dictionary Vol. 6

G.T. Sheppard,           'Wisdom', in International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia  Vol. 4

Fee and Stuart           How to read the Bible for all its worth,  ch. 12

 

Useful Bible Dictionaries and Handbooks:

 

NLH                              New Lion Handbook to the Bible                                                 (A)

NBD                              New Bible Dictionary                                                                    (A)

VanGemeren, Ed.        New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis (NIDOTTE) (UK: Paternoster 1997)  (with good introductory essays)(B)

 

For those wanting a theological overview, good basic Old Testament theologies are

 

Brueggemann, W.       Theology of the Old Testament  (Minneapolis, USA: Fortress, 1997) (C)

Dyrness, W.                 Themes in Old Testament Theology  (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster 1998)(A)

Harrison, R. K.            Introduction to the Old Testament (Leicester, UK: IVP, 1969)           (B)

Martens, Elmer            God's Design: a Focus on Old Testament Theology (Michigan, USA: Baker/Apollos, 2nd Ed. 1992)                                               (B)

A.      Historical Survey (RH)

1.      Introduction

We review the course aims, overview and assignments. You are invited to fill in a learning contract and self-test.

Key Question: Why bother with the Hebrew Bible?

Does it help to call it that and not the "Old Testament"? What difference did the Hebrew Bible make to Jesus, the New Testament and the early church? What difference does it make today, as a tool for ministry, mission and theology?

What do you think of the following statement?

 

“To reject the Old Testament in the second century was a mistake the church rightly repudiated; to retain it in the sixteenth century was a fate which the Reformation could not yet avoid; but to continue to keep it as a canonical document after the nineteenth century is the consequence of religious and ecclesiastical paralysis." (Harnack, A Marcion Das Evangelium von fremden Gott (Leipzig, 1921pp.248), in Hayes, J.H. and Prussner, F.C.  Old Testament Theology: Its History and Development  (London: SCM, 1985 p. 151)

 

What do you think about the Hebrew Bible?

Reading:

*Drane, John               ch.1, pp. 16-34

Bright, John                 The Authority of the Old Testament (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 1994?) (A) pp.15-57

Drane, J.                       ch.13, pp. 327-42 ("The Old and the New" - The Problem)           (A)

Edwards, James           "What's in a name? Why we shouldn't call the Old Testament the 'Hebrew Scriptures'" in Christianity Today (check, August 9, 1999, pp. 59-61)   (A)

Glasser, Arthur            "The Old Testament and Contextualisation" in Missiology (1979) vol. 7:4 pp.403-410 or  "Old Testament Contextualisation: Revelation and Its Environment" in The Word Among Us ed. Gilliland, D. (Dallas, USA: Word, 1989) pp. 32-51                                                      (B)

Seitz, Christopher       "Old Testament or Hebrew Bible? Some Theological Considerations" in Word Without End: The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness (Grand Rapids, USA: Eerdmans, 1998) pp.61-74, (C)

 

2.      Many Voices, One Choir

Key Question: How are we to understand and appreciate the diversity and unity of the literature of the Hebrew Bible?

What sort of materials make up the Hebrew Bible? How was it put together in the shape and order we have today? How do we distinguish between history and prophecy, law and proverb, psalm and lament? What different approaches are there to reading and interpreting the Hebrew Bible? What does it involve to sing a psalm, or hear a story? Why does it matter?

Reading

 

*Wright, C.                  ch.1, pp.1-54

Fee, G. and Stuart, S.   How to Read the Bible for all it's worth (London: Scripture Union, 1985) chs. 5, 9-12, pp. 73-86, 135-204                                         (A)

Longman, T.                Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids, USA: Zondervan, 1987)                                                                             (B)

Osborne, G                   The Hermeneutical Spiral (USA, IVP: 1991) pp.149-220 (Genre Analysis)                                                                                          (C)

Powell, C                       "Women in the Bible" in New Lion Handbook to the Bible (UK, Leicester: IVP, 1999)

 

3.      Are You sitting Comfortably? Beginnings

Key Question: How do the creation narratives and stories of the Fathers and Mothers of Israel set the scene for the Exodus and the birth of the nation?

The primal history of the creation narratives, and the call of Abraham and his offspring, set a direction and pattern for the story that will unfold in the subsequent history of Israel. What devices are employed to create such a rich narrative? How are we to understand these narratives today? Are the creation stories "myth" or "history"? Were the Patriarchs real people?

*Drane, J.                     ch.2, pp. 37-58                                                                               (A)

Bright                           ch. 2, pp. 67-103                                                                            (B)

La Sor                           chs 6-8 pp.54-116                                                                          (B)

Tinker, M                     "Truth, Myth and Incarnation" in Themelios (Leicester: IVP, 1988) vol.14, No. 1 pp. 11-17                                                                    (B)

Wenham G.                  "The Religion of the Patriarchs" in Millard, A. ed Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives (UK, Leicester: IVP, 1980) pp. 157-188    (B)

 

4.      Let's Go! Exodus and Conquest

Key Question: What was the significance of the Exodus for Israel, and what model of mission does it provide for the nations?

What were the effects of the Exodus? When did it happen? How did the experience of Sinai form the people into a nation? What was the nature of the covenant made with Moses? What were the benefits of the wanderings in the wilderness?

When Joshua entered the land, what did he find? How should we understand the settlement in Canaan, both morally and historically?

*Drane, J.                     ch.3, pp. 60-76                                                                               (A)

Bimson, J                     Redating the Exodus and Conquest  (UK, Sheffield: JSOT, 1978(C)

Bright                           ch.3, pp. 105-182                                                                           (C)

Childs, B                      Exodus (UK, SCM: 1974)                                                               (C)

La Sor,                          chs. 9,10,15 pp. 117-148, 197-212                                                (B)

 

5.      Judges RULE, OK?

Key Question: What sort of people were the Judges, and what does the Book of Judges tell us about their life, times and significance?

Judges presents a cycle of sin, punishment, repentance and restoration. How does this relate to the sweep of Israel's history, and the desire for a king? How does the Book of Ruth relate to Judges? Should we emulate the behaviour of the judges, or be appalled by it? And how do we justify it today?

*Drane, J.                     ch.4, pp. 78-104 (A)

Bright                           ch. 4, pp.144-182    

Gunn, D                        "Joshua and Judges" in The Literary Guide to the Bible  ed. Robert Alter (London: Fontana, 1997) pp. 102-121. (B)

La Sor,                          chs. 16 pp. 212-226 (B)

 

6.      The Good, The Bad & the Wealthy: David, Saul & Solomon  

Key Question: Was Kingship God's idea?

The sweep of Israel's history described in 1-2 Samuel and 1 Kings 1-11 describes sweeping changes in political, social and religious life. The chaos and degradation of the Judges is left behind, and the period ends with the splendour of Solomon's empire and the building of the Temple. How does the Hebrew Bible view these changes, and what theology of history is at work? Was Saul all bad, David all good, and Solomon a bit of both?

 

*Wright C.                   ch.2, pp.55-102

Bright                           ch. 5, pp.184-227

La Sor,                          chs. 17-18 pp. 227-257 (B)

Rosenberg, J                "1 and 2 Samuel" in The Literary Guide to the Bible  ed. Robert Alter (London: Fontana, 1997) pp. 122-145. (B)

7.      The Decline and fall of Israel and Judah

Key Question: How was the political and spiritual health of the two kingdoms related?

 

What caused the destruction of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) in 722 and the exile of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) in 586? And how do the writers of Kings and Chronicles evaluate the reigns of the intervening kings? What part do the prophets play? How could things have been different?

 

*Drane, J.                     ch.5, pp. 106-128

Bright                           chs. 6-8, pp. 229-340

La Sor                           chs. 19-21, 49, pp.258-297, 630-637

 

8.      The Babylonian Exile

Key Question: Why did the exile happen, and what were the results?

 

The exile was the most significant experience of God's judgement that Israel was to experience. What were the reactions to exile, and how did the prophets point the people back to God?  How did the Jewish community survive in exile, and what became of their hopes for the future?

 

*Drane, J.                     ch.6, pp. 130-154

Bright                           pp.341-359  

Further reading on Jeremiah, Ezekiel        

9.      Return and Restoration

Key Question: How did Ezra and Nehemiah cope with the re-building of Jerusalem?

 

When Cyrus allowed the Jewish people to return to the land, what  steps were taken to restore Israel, and what hopes for future restoration were given? How were these fulfilled?

 

*Drane, J.                     ch.7, pp. 156-186

Bright                           chs. 9-10, pp. 360-403

10.     Future hopes, Inter-Testamental period

Key Question: What happened between the Testaments?

 

How are we to understand the transition between the Testaments? Were they "silent years"? What groups and institutions developed among the Jewish people and how would this affect the understanding of the Hebrew Bible on which Jesus and the early church would build? What were the effects of the encounter with Hellenism and the war with Rome? And why do Jewish people eat doughnuts at Christmas time?

 

 

*Drane, J.                     ch.8, pp. 188-202

Bright                           chs. 11-12, pp. 403-464      

 

B.      Understanding the Law

 

Apart from Week 1, there will be essential prior reading for each of the classes. It is not very long, but please make an effort to do it before the class, so that we can have well-informed discussion.  It comes from the following books, all by the same self-effacing author.  You should buy the first on the list for the unbelievable price of 50p and use it through this whole section of the module. It is in the form of group bible studies on the law, so you could study it with a group if you wish, but it can just as easily be worked through by an individual, if you take the time to look up the passages and think through the questions.  Each week, the reading marked * is the one you must do.  If you can manage the second as well, that will be even better.

 

 

1.      Welcome to the Torah!

 

·      What is the Pentateuch?

·      Why is it important?

·      How was it formed?

·      What is its central theme?

 

 

2.      Finding our way around the law

 

Prior reading:            * Understanding OT Law Today  Study 5,  pp. 33-36

                                    Living as the People of God,  ch. 7, pp. 148-159    

 

·      Where are the major blocks of the law to be found?

·      What are their characteristics?

·      What are the different kinds of law in the Pentateuch?

·      Does any of it, all of it, or none of it apply to us and how can we tell?

 

 

3.      Making positive use of the law

 

Prior reading:            * Understanding OT Law Today, Study 5, p. 37 and Study 7

                                    Walking in the Ways of the LORD, ch. 5, pp. 111-116

 

·      What assumptions do we make as Christians using Old Testament law?

·      What were the social objectives of the laws in Israel's own society?

·      How can we preserve those objectives while changing to a modern context?

 

 

4.      Responding to the motivation and values of the law.

 

Prior reading:            * Understanding OT Law Today,  Study *6, pp. 39-344;

and Study 3, pp. 21-26

                                    Knowing Jesus through the OT, ch. 5, pp. 191-222

 

·      What motives for obedience were given in the law itself ?

·      What are the central theological and ethical values of the law?

·      How are these motives and values reflected in the teaching of Jesus and how can we be faithful to them today?

 

 

5.           Forgiveness and restoration through the law (Leviticus)

 

Prior reading:      *Understanding OT Law Today,  Study 8, pp. 51-56

                         Judaism: Practice and Belief 63bce-66ce, E. P. Sanders, (London, SCM Press, 1992) pp.103-119

                              "The Theology of Old Testament Sacrifice" by Gordon Wenham

in Sacrifice in the Bible, ed. R.T. Beckwith and M.J. Selman, (Carlisle, 

Paternoster, 1995) ch. 5 pp. 75-87

 

"Theology is what Leviticus is all about.....It is not expressed in pronouncements but embedded in rituals." (J. Milgrom, Commentary on Leviticus 1-16, (New York, Anchor, 1991) p42)

 

·      How are we to understand the laws concerning sacrifice?

·      What function did sacrifice play in the life of ancient Israel, and how are we to understand the sacrificial system in the light of Jesus' death and resurrection?

·      What relevance does sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible have today?

 

C.      UNDERSTANDING THE  PROPHETS (RH)

Key Question: What is a prophet?

Welcome  to the “school of the Prophets”! In these sessions we shall take an overview of the phenomenon of prophecy. Prophecy and its interpretation  is a fascinating and fruitful study, vital for an understanding of the church’s ministry and our own. In these five sessions we will cover a variety of issues, including the concept of prophecy, the call, character  and context of a prophet, and the content, consequences and contemporary  relevance  of the prophet’s message.

Brueggemann W         The Prophetic Imagination (USA: Fortress, 1978) ch.1             (B)

Fee G D and Stuart      How to Read the Bible  For All  It’s Worth (USA: Zondervan 1980) ch.10, pp. 149-168                                                                           (A)

VanGemeren W           Interpreting the Prophetic Word (USA: Zondervan 1990) ch.1-3(A)

 

2.      The Prophets in Society

 

Key Question: How were the prophets called?

 

How did you come to be a prophet in Ancient Israel? What was it like to experience God's presence, and what was the prophets' concern for God and God's people? What were the key elements of their ministry, and how was it contextualised into their surroundings and circumstances?

 

3.      The Prophets as Communicators

 

How did the Prophets receive and transmit God's message? What features of prophetic communication are relevant today?

How do you experience God, hear from God and communicate about God?

In what ways can a "prophetic ministry" effectively communicate today?

Did the Prophets always communicate clearly? If not, why?

 

4.      The Prophets in History

What was the significance of the prophets in the history of Israel? What key events did they participate in and comment on?

 

5.      The Prophets Today

How should we interpret and apply the message of the prophets today? How do we relate the original context and meaning to today's world? What about predictive prophecy? How does prophecy in the New Testament relate to prophecy in the Hebrew Bible? What about "prophecy" today?

 

Bruce F                         This is That (UK: Paternoster,1967)                                            (A)

Edersheim, A               The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (UK: Longmans, 1883) vol. 2, Appendix 9.                                                                                      (B)

Green, J                         How to Read Prophecy (UK: IVP, 1984)                                      (A)

Houston, G                   Prophecy Now (UK: IVP, 1989)                                                    (A)

D.      UNDERSTANDING WISDOM LITERATURE (CW)

Biblical Wisdom in Context (CW)

 

In this section of the module, we shall study the Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible,  i.e. the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job.  We shall observe the distinctiveness of this wisdom material within the Hebrew Bible itself and also within its Ancient Near Eastern cultural context.  We shall reflect on the way the books balance and complement each other, moving from the optimistic world of Proverbs, to the more sceptical musings of Ecclesiastes, to the anguish of Job. We shall also ask how this material speaks to contemporary cultures and has a universal appeal that is missiologically fruitful.

 

1. "Where can Wisdom be found?"  Wisdom in the Ancient Near East and the Hebrew Bible

 

2. How can we live well?    The advice of Proverbs

 

3. How can we live with futility and death?   The enigma of Ecclesiastes

 

4. and 5.     How can we live with suffering?  The agony of Job

 

E.      PSALMS, SCIENCE AND FUTURE HOPE

 

1 and 2.      The Psalms and Biblical Worship (RH)

How did Israel use the Psalms as model and material for worship? What are the different types of Psalms, and how were they composed? What are the characteristics of Hebrew poetry, and the theological significance of praise, lament, supplication and confession?

 

Brueggemann, W        Israel's Praise: Doxology  against Idolatry (USA: Fortress, 1988) (B)

3 and 4.      God's Creation: Our Science (CW)

 

Does science contradict the biblical accounts of  creation? How are we to understand the creation/evolution debate?

5.      God's Unfinished Business: Our Hope (RH)

What part does eschatology play in the Hebrew Bible? How are we to distinguish between fulfilled and unfulfilled prophecy? Where does the hope for the Messiah and the Messianic Age fit in? And what role does Apocalyptic play?