The Old Testament: The Story of God’s Boundless Love.

The Old Testament: The Story of God’s Boundless Love

Bible

• Biblia: means “little books”

• The Bible is the word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit

• Consists of both the Old and New Testament

Old Testament

• Covenant: the conditional promises made to humanity by God

• Testament is another word for “covenant”

• Old Testament tells the Story before the time of Jesus

• Comprised of 46 books

New Testament

• Comprised of 27 books

• These books detail the life of Jesus and the early Christian community that followed His death and resurrection

Inspired Word of God• DOES NOT mean that

God whispered into the ears of writers what they should write

• DOES NOT mean the Bibles is factually or scientifically correct

• IT DOES MEAN that it contains “all the truth that is necessary for salvation”

• Salvation: deliverance of penalty of sin

Inspired Word of God

• Authors of biblical writers were influenced by their surroundings

• Influenced by their ancient myths, legends, stories, political ideals

• Various forms used to meet audiences’ needs.

• -Orally told before written• Old Testament was

written over a period of about 1,000 years

• New Testament was written over a period of about 50 years

Why Study the bible?

• Scripture Scholarship varies – what was the original intent? What does the author mean?

• Early texts were translated from Hebrew—Greek—Latin—English

• Scholars try to understand the history, archeology, literary forms and culture surrounding the writings

The church’s role in Scripture• The Church’s main role is to

provide help and guidance in understanding the “meaning” of scripture

• Tradition is the oral preaching of Jesus’ followers

• Magisterium: the primary teaching body of the Church—the pope and bishops– Guided by the Holy Spirit– Interpret the Scriptures and

Tradition

Salvation history

• Salvation history is the Story of God’s actions and the people’s responses over many centuries

• Salvation history began around 1850 B.C. to circa 100 A.D.

Periods of Biblical History

• The Founders and the Promise• The Exodus of the Israelites and the Covenant• Taking over the Promised Land• The Nation and the Temple• The Kings and the Prophets• The Babylonian Exile and the Jewish Dispersion• Jesus, the Savior• Judaism after the Biblical Period

The Founders and the Promise

• Story begins with Abraham, a wandering herdsman who lived in present day Iraq around 1850 BC

• God made a covenant with Abraham promising him land in modern-day Israel (Canaan)

The Exodus and covenant

• Story of escape from Egypt led by Moses

• Covenant of the 10 Commandments

• Hebrew people were made “the people of God”

Taking Over the Promised

Land

• Led by Joshua, the Israelites take over the Promised Land

• They fought to take back the land being led by judges

• Begin to build up a vast empire

The Nation and the Temple

• Around 1,000 BC Israel became recognized as a nation

• King David was the GREAT leader from this period

• David’s son Solomon builds the Temple in Jerusalem

The Kings and Prophets

• After Solomon's death, the Kingdom is divided

• Prophets began to speak out against the kings

• Prophets tried to re-new the covenant with God

The Babylonian Exile and

Dispersion

• Exile: Forced from your homeland

• Dispersion: The spreading out or scattering of people

• Concept of monotheism is developed

• Monotheism: belief in one God

• Released after about 50 years of captivity

Jesus, The Savior

• Jesus the Christ comes for the forgiveness of sins

• Christianity develops and Christians (the followers of Christ) believe Christ is the Messiah—anointed one

After Jesus

• Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD

• Council of Jamnia in 90 set the official canon of the Bible

• Canon: list of books recognized as divinely inspired

The OLD TESTAMENT

• There are 46 Books in the Old Testament

• Four main groups:– The Pentateuch or The Torah – The first five

books of the Bible– The historical books– The wisdom books– The prophetic books

The Pentateuch

• The first five books of the Old Testament—means five books

• Jews refer to these books as the Torah

• The five books of the Pentateuch are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy

The Historical Books

• These books tell the story of conquering the Promised Land

• There are 16 Historical books

• These books discuss Joshua, the judges and the first kings, heroes and heroines

The Wisdom Books

• Poetic books that discuss ways of prayers

• They also discuss the power of faith in every day life

• There are 7 books of wisdom.

The Prophetic Books• The prophetic books tell

us about men who loved Israel and who warned it to depart from its bad ways.

• There are 18 prophetic books.

• Prophets are broken up into three periods:– Pre-exilic prophets– Exilic prophets– Postexilic prophets

Beginnings: Stories of God’s Creation and PRomises

Genesis

• Genesis means “beginning”

• Think of it as Israel’s pre-history

• Depicts:– Story of Creation– Adam and Eve and the

Fall– Cain and Abel, Noah– The Tower of Babel

Babylonians

• Polytheistic: worshiping many gods

• These gods were self-serving, violent and destructive

• These gods thought of human beings as slaves and humans were put in the middle of the wars between the gods

• Babylonians felt a need to please the gods

Jewish Faith

• Monotheistic: believe in one God

• Unlike Babylonians chaotic world, Jews believed that out of chaos God brought forth goodness, order, beauty and life

How Jews were Different?

• Jews believed God to be good, humans to be good and life to be good

• Sabbath day: importance is that it set the Jews apart from their Babylonian captors

• By putting it in the story of Creation is emphasized its importance

Is Creation Story Science?

• Creationists: those who insist that the account of Genesis is factually true

• Evolutionists: argue that the universe has evolved over millions of years, with humankind as a recent part of that evolution process—biblical accounts of creation were meant to convey religious truth, not scientific fact

Catholic Church’s Teachings

• Church teaches that both the biblical account of creation and evolution work together

• The biblical creation story is not scientific fact

• However, it does contain the underlying truth that God is the source of all goodness

Sin Enters the World

• In the 2nd story of creation we encounter the story of Adam and Eve

• Adam is accused of eating from the forbidden tree—he passes blame to Eve—she passes blame to the serpent

• Result: relationships were hurt, man will have to work and women will be subject to their husbands

Original Sin

• The Fall: the first sin of humankind

• Original Sin: the inherited sin of Adam and Eve—inclination towards evil

• Essentially is human beings refusal to acknowledge God as God and ourselves as dependent on Him.

The Main Point?

• It was human beings who chose to rebel against God

• God does not create injustice in the world; human beings do by their bad choices

Sin Spreads

• Following the Fall, sin continues to spread with Cain and Abel

• “Am I my brother’s keeper?

• People use this today to try and get out of responsibility of knowing something is wrong and still do it

The First Covenant

• Noah’s Flood story is a story about how human beings became corrupted and God attempted to start over

• As a result of Noah’s loyalty, God creates a covenant with Noah

• Covenant: a solemn promise

Point of Noah

• Whoever hears and obeys God’s word will be saved and whoever does not, will be lost

• Saved is not in terms of life, but in terms of not forgetting how to love and serve

• First covenant, the world will not be destroyed again by a flood

The Tower of Babel

• Great sin here is the arrogance the nation had in thinking it could build a tower to heaven

• The writer also tried to explain why people speak different languages

Abraham: The Father of Faith

Abraham and Sarah

• Abraham was the father of biblical faith—father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

• Sarah: the wife of Abraham

Call of Abram and the Covenant

• Semites: ancient peoples of the Near East who the Israelites descended from

• Abram travelled from the city of Ur to Haran (hears God’s call in Haran)

• God tells Abram to go to Canaan and it is there a great nation will grow

• Hint the name: Promised Land

Abram Responds

• Abram leaves everything behind and follows God

• Abram is disappointed because he is old and does not have a son (heir)

• God tells him to look at the stars…everything he sees will be a descendent of his

• Sarai and Hagar devise a plan

Abram has more than one wife?

• Polygamy: the taking of more than one wife

• Although Hagar was taken as a concubine—monogamy was the ideal for biblical fathers

• Covenant of circumcision

Sarah is told of impending Birth

• Hospitality: a necessity for survival in the ancient times

• Sarah laughs because she is too old and does not believe she will be blessed with a child

• Isaac: in Hebrew his name means “laugh”

Isaac Enters, Exit Ishmael

• Following the birth of Isaac, Sarah expels Hagar and Ishmael in order to preserve Isaac’s inheritance

• God continues to watch over Hagar and Ishmael because of her perseverance and faith—she was obedient

Ishmael’s Importance

• Ishmael became a Bedouin—a nomadic Arab tribe

• Ishmael is considered the father of the Arab peoples

• Thus, Muslims claim Abraham as the Father of Faith through the line of Ishmael

• Monotheistic: belief in one God

Abraham’s Story of Faith

• God tests Abraham by having him take Isaac up to a mountain and sacrifice him as a holocaust

• Holocaust: a burnt offering• God steps in at the last minute

and provides a ram for holocaust

• Stories point—Abraham was willing to do anything for God, including sacrificing the son he waited so long to have

Isaac and Rebekah: The Love Story

• As Isaac gets older, his father sends him to Haran to find a bride

• Sarah is buried in the new land

• Abraham lived until he was 175—or did he?

Jacob

• Rebekah is pregnant with twins—youngest one is destined to be the heir

• However, according to custom the firstborn is the heir

• Rebekah sets out to give Jacob the status of firstborn

Esau and Jacob

• Esau and Jacob are the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah

• Isaac is set to give Esau the blessing but Rebekah tries to defy this by getting him to give it to Jacob

• Esau vows to kill Jacob one day over blessing

Jacob Flees to Haran

• Fearing for his life, Jacob flees for Haran and stays at his uncle Laban’s house

• Trick of Jacob in marrying Leah rather than Rachel

• Jacob stays married for seven years to Leah before marrying Rachel

• He then leaves for Canaan where he has an “experience” and his name switches to Israel

Joseph

• Joseph is the first son of Rachel and Jacob (Benjamin is his other son with Rachel)

• Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob; thus, his brothers resent him

• Father gives Joseph a lavish colorful tunic and he begins to have dreams that he will one day be ruler over his family

Joseph is Sold into Slavery• As Joseph approaches a

well where his father is, they plan to attack and kill him

• His brother Rueben instead suggest throwing him into a well

• However, when Egyptian traders approach, Judah suggests selling Joseph instead

• The brothers take tunic back to Jacob and say that Joseph is dead

Joseph in Egypt

• Joseph lands himself in prison for being accused of rape who actually tried to seduce him

• Joseph interprets dreams which ultimately lead him our of prison and help him gain favor with the pharaoh rising to governor of Egypt

• Egypt had a surplus during famine

Brothers Return

• Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy food during famine

• Joseph recognizes the brothers, but they do not recognize him; thus, he decides to toy with them by putting them in prison

• Joseph releases them under the condition that they bring back Benjamin (Simeon is left behind)

Benjamin Goes to Egypt

• Jacob finally allows Benjamin to go to Egypt

• Joseph has a big feast with the brothers and end the end reveals his identity

• Story is a story of reconciliation and redemption

• Family moves to Egypt

• Manasseh and Ephraim are adopted by Jacob