Biblical Israel I 1. The Tanakh 2. The Torah: –Definition –Fundamental elements –Origins (Who were the Israelites?) –God of the Torah 3. Text study: covenant.
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Biblical Israel I
1. The Tanakh2. The Torah:
– Definition– Fundamental elements– Origins (Who were the Israelites?)– God of the Torah
3. Text study: covenant
TaNaKH תנ"ך
T = TorahN = Nevi’im (Prophets)K = Ketuvim (Writings)
ת תורה
נ נביאים
כ)ך( כתובים
TORAH
• From the root meaning “teach,” “instruct” (old-fashioned translation: “The Law”)
• Five books (Humash = Pentateuch):1. Genesis Bereishit (“In the beginning”)2. Exodus Shemot (“These are the names”)3. Leviticus Va-yikra (“And God called”)4. Numbers Ba-midbar (“In the desert”)5. Deuteronomy Devarim (“These are the
words”)
Divisions within the Torah’s books
• Each book divided into sections or paragraphs (NOT chapter and verse!)
• Also divided into weekly readings (parshiyot, sing. parasha)
TORAH: many meanings
• The Pentateuch (5 Books of Moses or Humash)
• Specific instructions or laws within the Pentateuch e.g. Torat ha-kohanim = the instruction for the priests
• The Tanakh• The Tanakh and the Talmud• The entirety of Jewish sacred learning
Prophets / Nevi’im: 8 books
Former prophets (historical books):
JoshuaJudgesSamuel (I and II)Kings (I and II)
Later prophets (literary books):
IsaiahJeremiahEzekiel“The Twelve”Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Writing / Ketuvim: 11 books
“The Books of Truth”PsalmsProverbsJob
“The Five Scrolls”Song of SongsRuthLamentationsEcclesiastesEsther
DanielEzra and NehemiahChronicles (I and II)
What is the Torah (Humash)?
• A book of divine instruction handed by God to Moses at Mt. Sinai
• The record of a people’s encounter with the divine
• A compendium of history, stories/legends, law, priestly regulations, prophecy, wisdom literature, and poetry that makes up the collective identity of a people
Putting it all together: a sacred narrative, providing a common ancestry and holy mission, and “forging a national identity” (Satlow 10)
What binds this nation together?
• ancestry • history • covenant
– unique mission– commandments from God (mitzvot)– land
West Asia to 1200 BCE
The Fertile Crescent
Ancient Israel
Confederation of tribes in Canaan (= Land of Israel / Palestine) (c.
12th c.)
Then a monarchy (11th c.) that splits into 2 kingdoms
(Judea and Israel) (10th c.)
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