Notes
10/5/2007 Religion 4:02:00 PM
Background of the Bible Bible-most important book for Jews and Christians Strict moral code o Influenced moral codes around the world Ruth-shot story model Psalms and Song of Solomon-poetry models Bible-a collection of various kinds of writings composed in different periods that in time came to regarded as divinely inspired sacred scripture Jewish bible-24 books Christian bible-39 books o 12 prophets separated, not together o Kings, Samuel, Chronicles Testament=covenant o Covenant-binding tie o OT-Hebrew/Jewish Bible o NT-Christian scripture Catholic Church added books to Hebrew Bible o Protestants and Jews rejected these o Included book of Judith Exquisite, observant Defeats evil general Evil general pursues Judith Judith makes own food (cheese pancakes to make thirsty) Gets general drunk
Cuts head off o Book of Tobit Tobit falls in love with beautiful Sarah Sarahs 7 "husbands" die before marriage o Ben Sira Hates women o Maccabees 4 of them o all known as Apocrypha ("hidden") Sefarm Hitznm-"books outside"
1st, authoritative division in bible o Books of Moses-Pentateuch-Torah (instruction) Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Includes 613 laws (w/ 10 commandments) 365 commandments w/in Torah Historical and legal material Historical-relate story of humankind to the writer, creation, death of Moses
Legal-civil & religious constitution 2 division of Bible o Nevm (Prophets) 700 years Canaan conquered
nd
rd
Israel falls 722 BCE Judah falls 580 BCE Prophetic movement dominant @ this time 1st systematic historians (not objective) Created religious history Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings (Early Prophets) Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel (Later Prophets) "repent or be destroyed" Religious practice is effective only when inward attitude
and outward action mirror each other 3 division of Bible o Ketvm (writings) 11 books Psalms-devotional literature Proverbs, Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth), Job-wisdom literature Song of Songs-allegorizes God and Israel Nehemiah, Ezra-memoirs (written by author of Chronicles)
Hebrew Bible-Tanakh o Acronym Books determined in 90 o o o o
CE
Group of Jewish elders Jamnia of Mediterranean Sea 1st crisis 2nd crisis-temple destroyed, Jewish community dispersed
o 3rd crisis-rise of Christianity o Formation of biblical canon list of books to be recognized as scripture "Is it divinely inspired?" o 2 criteria 1. Hebrew not Greek Hebrew was the language in which God communicated 2. Written prior to 400 BCE Prophecy ceased in 400 BCE w/ Ezra o Books not includedApocrypha (it did not fulfill the 2 criteria) o Problems: Aramaic Daniel: 165
BCE-scholars
after knew this
Hebrew o Semitic o Consonantal script, no vowels st 1 translation-Septuagint-LXX o Alexandria, Egypt-250 BCE o HebrewGreek o 70 scholars put in 70 rooms took 70 days to translate 70 books to Greek o Took 200 years to complete o Ruler of Egypt commissioned it 2nd translation o Peshitta-simple o Common o Syrian community o Syriac-language
No original copies of the Bible Oldest complete books--Massoretes o Medieval Jewish scribes (9th-10th century) o o o Dead Started orally Added vowels to Hebrew MT-Massoretic text Sea scrolls
o Earliest-150 BCE o Essenes-Jews Lived by Qumran Esther not included b/c the name of God not included in entire book commented on biblical text w/in script Arrangement o Jewish Torah Prophets Law (emphasize Law as structure) o Christian Emphasize prophecies Separates law from prophets Prophets point ahead to coming of Christ Moses wrote Torah o Natural outgrowth of nuclear Mosaic tradition Scholarly view of Moses laws Inconsistencies in the Bible Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis 1st 5 books of Bible are a composite work that contained at least 4 literary strands 4 sources: o 1. J (Yahwist)-Yahweh (Lord) Wrote around 950 BCE (early monarchy) Southern-Judah Vivid, earthy style Genesis 2 Creationconquest
o 2. E (Elohist)-Elohim [God(s)] 850 BCE Northern-Israel Less concrete and colorful than J Begins w/ Abrahamsettlement in Canaan Highlights N participation and N heroes Ephraim and Manasseh
10 Commandments & Covenant Code set w/in narrative Fondness for dreams (Jacob, Joseph) o Stage JE (combination of J and E) 750 BCE Dovetailed both accounts Did not eliminate contradictory stories (Genesis 12 & 20, Exodus 6) Mainly Genesis and Exodus o 3. D (Deuteronomic) 650 BCE o 4. P Northern-Israel/Southern-Josiah Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Kings Doing goodgood 622 BCE-repair work and law book in remains of Temple Reworked by southerners (Priestly) 550-450 BCE Southern-Judah Dry, concern for dates Included numbers, genealogies Rituals, temple ceremonies Emphasis: order Proper worship of God Give framework to J, E, and D
"final editor" One modification o Various strands derive from oral tradition o Differences evolved among stories @ covenant renewals Location helps determine evolution of traditions
Torah is not just from Moses; from various traditions Hegel-civilizations move from simple to more complexChristianity is the goal Original intent is to degrade Jews Genesis Creation Cosmology-understanding of how humankind and the world came to be o Genesis sets out Israels cosmology 1. Gen 1-11: universal history-primeval4 ancestors 2. Gen 12-24: ancestral narrative-Abraham-Gods covenant w/ Abraham 3. Gen 25-36: Isaac and Jacob ("heel")-devious underhanded Jacob has 13 children 4. Gen 37-50: Joseph and brothers-how they end up in Egypt
Genesis=Israels prehistory o Israel--1250 BCE Creation-Gen 1:1-2:4acaesura ("break") Enma Elish-"when on high"-Mesopotamian/Babylonian/Sumerian Creation One God Creates Earth Chaosorder God creates men and women to show divinity and dominion (tov me d=very good) Gen 2:4b-25 o Js account More human Godanthropomorphic Calls God "Yahweh" God=father figure, suspicious, angry View of woman Enma Elish Many gods War to create world-Marduk wins Creates Earth from Tiamat (slain enemy goddess)chaos ("tehom") Humankind created to serve as slaves of gods
Afterthought Reason for downfall of man Alongside Adam Adam and Eve aware of nakednesssexuality, vulnerability in front of God Curses Adam and Eve w/: Labor Death Painful childbirth Dominance by man "Adamah"-dust; "Ha adam"-dust person gods vs. humans
1. Superior knowledge 2. Immortality o Ps account Human=pinnacle of Gods creation Man and woman created simultaneously o Eve reaches for fruit b/c: Sustenance Beauty Wisdom o o Cain o o Eves eating of the fruit reflects human independence Eve opens relationship with God & Abel Accepted Abels animal sacrifice Rejected Cains grain sacrifice
o Younger son always wins David, Solomon, Jacob, Isaac, Joseph o Cain is marked w/ protection o Only God can take away life Methuselah-969 years After Flood human lifespan "normal" Noah The Flood-Gen 6:5-8:22 Why Noah? Bright, God-fearing, good Gilgamesh
o SumeriansBabylonians o Enlil (god) o Utnapishtm (Noah) o o o o Ea (wise god) warns Utnapishtm 6 days/nights-wind blew, rain fell 7th day-dove, swallow, raven 7 days total
Noah brings one or seven pairs of animals o Clean/ unclean? God closes door behind Noah (J) 40 days, 40 nights (J) Noahide Covenant (1st) o Differs from other 3--directed toward all life o God will never again destroy the world by water o Rainbow Noahs sons o HamEgyptians/Canaanites o ShemSemites/Hebrews o JaphetPhilistines P-Flood lasted 364 days Noahs drunkenness-J o Nude in his tent Shem and Japhet cover him o When Noah wakes up Curses Ham (Cannan)-J Blesses Shem and Japhet Leads to biblical justicelater generations suffer the consequences of previous generations This narrative w/ emphasis on cursing Canaan gives Israelites religious warrant to attack them Primeval story gives us this account o God creates perfect place that is distorted by humankinds struggle to be human o God then tries to wipe slate clean w/ flood o Sin continues to spread The immensity of sin is seen in Tower of Babel
o God cannot destroy world o God narrows focus-chooses Abraham (descendant of Shem) Abraham Gen 12-particular historyalienationreconciliation from God o Patriarchs and Matriarchs-prehistory of nation Abraham came from Canaan to Mesopotamia (fertile crescent) o Mesopotamia includes Tigris and Euphrates rivers Sumerians-2000s BCE o 2850-2360 BCE Literary empire 1st urban society Cuneiform 1st written accounts 1st schools o Organized into system of loose city-states Economically individual and self-governing Akkadians (Semites) take over-2360 BCE o 1st empire under Sargon I Moses-like story-farmer finds him Empire builderunion of city-states New o o o Ur-capital Makes daughter as priestess of moon gods (Sin) temple Semitic group (northwest)-Amorites-2000-1800 BC Ancestors of Hebrews (also NW Semites) King Hammurabi (Hamurap) 1728-1686 BCE Hammurabis Code-influenced biblical law Complies all laws in Mesopotamia Standardized legal procedure Lex talionis-law of retaliation (Ex 21, Lev 24) Inflicting same kind of injury on perpetrator Serves to limit cycle of vengeance
Significant importance o Amorite invasion coincides with patriarch migration Abraham moved in 1800 BCE Abraham moves to Palestine (importance rises from location) o Bordered by Mediterranean Sea and desert
o o o o
Land bridge linking Asia to Africa Egypt (W), Asia Minor (NW), Mesopotamia (NE) Flourished in trade 125 miles (NS), 70 miles (WE)
o 4 areas-climatically/geographically different 1. Coastal plain extremely fertile 20-30 miles wide Highway between Egypt and Mesopotamia, occupied by Philistines 2. Central hill country Mountainous backbone Where Israelites return Not fertile Place for shepherding Less populated 3. Great rift valley Geological fault Channel for Jordan River linking Sea of Galilee (freshwater lake) to Dead Sea (salty, lowest point on land)
Fertility along Jordan Desolation around Dead Sea 4. Transjordan Mountainous Canyons Least inviting Inhabitants are geologically and culturally isolated Chief cities in valleys, urban areas 3 occupational groups o 1. Farmers o 2. Shepherds o 3. Commercial traders
Israels class and religious conflicts are the result of geography
90% of population in Israel was tied to land o King Solomon never traveled beyond 100 miles of Jerusalem o Army traveled on foot Family tree-Inheritors of Gods promises Abraham--Sarah (Hagar) Ishmael (God was heard) Esau (Edomites) Jacob--Leah/Rachel Dinah Isaac--Rebecca
12 sons Abraham leaves Haran (hometown) o God
promises 3 things: 1. Give him land to which he is going 2. Large family 3. Those who bless him, He will bless; those who curse him, He will curse
o Abraham="paragon of faith"? Exemplar all humankind should follow Gen 11:31-32 o God tests Abraham Gods covenant w/ Abraham (Gen 15)-God has Abraham make sacrifice heifer heifer she goat she goat ram ram dove pigeon God walks between sacrifice Yahweh "cut" a covenant w/ Abraham Didnt see God b/c he would die Abraham sacrifices Isaac (Gen 21)
Covenant=framework of relationship o In ancient world: Legal relationship The firmest guarantee of a human relationship
Shalom (peace, wholeness)-balancing of all claims and needs between 2 parties o Bert<birittu-to bind, fetter o 4 types: 1. Suzerainty-powerful king and lower ruler (vassal) 6 features: 1. Preamble-who suzerain is 2. Historical prologue-explains how treaty came about, benevolent deeds suzerain did 3. Conditions suzerain issues on vassal o ex. So long as covenant is in effect, vassal will not make covenant w/ another suzerain 4. Clause-states that copies of treaty will be placed in temples of both countries to be read aloud publicly at least once a year-- keeps treaty fresh in peoples minds 5. Witnesses-God (gods, priest) 6. Blessings and curses 2. Parity-equal stature and bound to each other by equal obligations
3. Promissory-restates and guarantees of a promise already made (Gen 15 for Gen 12) 4. Royal grant-(J) property, land, rights made as a reward for faithfulness/loyalty (Gen 15:18) Always the woman who is barren o Could permit husband sex w/ slave to make offspring Sarah allows Abraham sex w/ Hagar o Results in Ishmael o Sarah mistreats Hagar God makes Abrahams descendants become circumcised on 8 th day o To be cut-blessed o To not be cut-cut off God tells Abraham Sarah will have a child in a years time o Gives birth to Isaac @ 90 years old Isaac-"He made me laugh"
Genesis 22-Abraham sacrifices Isaac-Aqedah("binding")-Testing of Abraham o All about faith and obedience o Does keeping faith w/ God mean breaking faith w/ humans? o Abraham has shown no difficulty sacrificing family members Hagar and Ishmael Gen 12 & 20-Sarah o God testing Abraham to see how far he will go o Child sacrifice Exodus 22:28-29 Firstborn son belongs to Yahweh Isaac Isaac marries @ 40-40 is a generation Abraham tells Eliezer to find Isaac a wife o Brings Rebecca-exquisite and barren o God blesses her with twins o Oldest: Esau (hairy), youngest: Jacob Jacob Jacob receives fathers blessing o Rebecca loves Jacob more o "older will serve younger" o Esau wants to kill Jacob o Jacob flees to Haran to Uncle Laban Laban has 2 daughters o Leah ("cow"), Rachel ("ewe") Jacob marries Leah o Tricked by Laban so that older could marry first Jacob works 7 more years for Rachel Jacob has 12 sons o From Leah, Rachel, and handmaids o Leah has more children so they could love her b/c Isaac and Rachel love each other o Rachels sons: Joseph & Benjamin Jacob wants to return home to Canaan o Jacob dreams of ladder (stairway) to heaven with angels ascending and descending
Wakes up and names place Bethel (house of God) Vows to accept God if He keeps him safe, provides food, and lets him get home safely
o Jacob encounters God again-Peniel (face of God) Wrestles with God Changes Jacobs name to Israel (he who struggles w/ God and prevails) Judah and Tamar Genesis 38 Er (aroused one) married to Tamar (erection) Er killed by Yahweh Onan (Ers brother) marries Tamar to have heirs for Er o Onan spills seed on ground o Killed by Yahweh Shelah-too young Tamar goes home Tamar waits many years Sees Judah and has baby with him Asks Judah for cord, staff, and signet Many years later, Judah sees her and does not recognize her Judah realizes its her when she shows his belongings Tamar has twins o Older one to be-Zerah (redness-had red wrist) o Younger intended-Perez (breakthrough)ancestor of David At this point in narrative, Jacob thinks Joseph is dead o Reuben-oldest-not next leader b/c guilty for Josephs "death" o Simeon-Levi-not next leaders b/c of vengeance on Dinah o Judah-story settles succession question Joseph Genesis 37-50 Joseph is hated by his brothers o Coat of many colors o Favorite o Dreams of power, ruling over his brothers Joseph rises to power in Egypt because he predicts famine Recognizes brothers when they want grain
Pharaoh gives Hebrews land-Goshen Sets up Exodus Dating issues-how long were Israelites in Egypt? o 160 years? o 400 years? o 430 years? Hyksos-foreign chiefs-occupy Egypt 1720-1550 BCE o Non-native rulers of Egypt Pharaoh during Josephs time may have been Semitic o Amorites-common Earliest known reference to Israel as distinct people appears on victory inscription in 5th year of Merneptah (Merneptah Stela) o Claims to have laid Israel waste o Israelites move to Egypt during 7th year reign Exodus Core of Israels recorded history Record of legal and theological concepts Exodus-going out, Eisodus-going in Beginning o Ruler does not know Joseph-Ramses II (1290-1212 BCE) o Israelites are many=threat to Egyptians o Israelites enslaved Build store cities (Pithom and Ramses) o Ruler cannot prevent population growth Kills Hebrew male babies o Moses is introduced Moses When Moses kills Egyptian, flees to Midian o Included Sinai Peninsula o Marries Zipporah (bird) o Becomes shepherd Yahweh came from NW Arabian desert o Deut 33:2 o Midian deity? o Introduced to Moses through father-in-law Has theophany ("God appears")-Exodus 3
o Burning bush o 2 effects: Frightening Compelling o Tells Moses to take off shoes-unclean o Emphasis on what God says to Moses o God tells Moses to say, "Let my people go." o God reveals his name-Yahweh-Ex. 3:14-15 o Hayah-to beYahweh-I am o Why know name? 1. Must know name to begin personal relationship 2. Name=character/identity 3. When you know someones namepower over them,
can manipulate character o Yahweh says that God is; not what God is o Moses speaking problem Solution: GodMosesAaron Moses goes to Egypt o Hebrews skeptical about Moses o Pharaoh does not let them go o 10 Plagues on Egypt: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Bloody Nile Swarms of frogs Flies Mosquitoes Sickness and death to Egyptian livestock
6. Boils on animals and Egyptians 7. Lightning and hail 8. Locust attack 9. Total darkness 10. Yahweh "passes over" Egypt killing firstborn
o Yahweh hardened Pharaohs heart o Revelation of Yahwehs power 2 focuses: Egyptian-to let them go Hebrew-show power to prove deity
o Passover Originally shepherds festival during spring, first full moon, no sanctuary, no priest, no altar Celebrated on the move by family groups Sacrifice-choose from flock and roast, eaten w/ unleavened bread, and bitter herbs Original purpose-to ensure fertility and well-being of flocks Blood of sacrificed animals brushed over door to protect flocks Originates prior to Exodus? How is it related to Exodus? Time-both in spring Experience-moment of intervention by God Reinterpreted to Exodus Passover Movement from summer to winter pasture grounds=movement from Egypt to Canaan Blood over doorpost=or protection from 10th plague Unleavened bread=no time to let it rise-hasty departure Bitter herbs=slavery
Historicized Pesah-"to limp"-dance performed o Pharoah goes after them w/ army Israelites cross over Reed Sea (Ex. 14) (E-P) Moses raises staff to open seas, raises hand and seas go back, Egyptians killed (J) pillar of cloud separates Egyptians and Hebrews, wind separates sea, Egyptians fail to escape English translation--Red Sea; Yam Suf--Sea of Reeds HebrewGreek said Red Sea Retained error Reed Sea=moment when Israel became a people Ex. 15:11-"who among the gods is like you Yahweh?" No monotheism until Isaiah
Mt. Sinai o Moses commanded to follow Yahweh o Yahweh wants to make covenant with the people-"Bert" o o o o Yahweh agrees to reveal Himself-people purify for 3 days God appears in thunder, lightning, clouds People fear God, so God speaks only to Moses God and Israel ratify covenant (Ex. 24) J Version-Ex. 24:1-2,9-11-unconditional Moses, Aaron, and other elders go up mountain and eat and drink w/ Yahweh Meals involve intimacybinds people 1. People do not ratify covenant directly 2. No stipulations imposed as part of covenant E Version-Ex. 24:3-8-conditional Foot of Mt. Sinai Moses puts commandments in writing Sets up altar @ foot w/ 12 pillars People sacrifice blood on altar, on people Blood =death for broken promise 1. Directly w/ people 2. Stipulation-in order to be Yahwehs people, had
to keep law 2 more suzerainty features: 1. Writing down=clause of preservation 2. 12 pillars=witnesses Suzerainty-between unequal powers, voluntary, no
coercion 10 commandments=conditions for vassel o 10 commandments Only 2 positive commandments Love thy father and mother Remember the Sabbath Other commandments-categorical prohibitions that do not include how they are to be implemented Negative commands L + tignob strict no + collective prep.
No/not tin af Commandments are in present tense Apodictic law-absolute law Ten CommandmentsTen "words" or "things" Thou shall not kill?/murder? Murder=killing w/ premeditation Covenant code-Ex. 20:22-23:33 W/in these laws-concern with the weak/lower class Casuistic-case law/procedural law-tells exactly what to do
1. General statement-when this happens, you do this 2. Subordinate clauses o Israelites there for 10 months, 19 days Laws Babylonian exile: 587-539 BCE Priests attempted to bring together Israels heritage Chronology? o In order for law to function as law w/in a community, law must be relevant Rules on circumcision, diet, uncleanness, disease, sexual stuff Lots of rules on uncleanness If Yahweh is a God of hesed (kindness), Israel must strive to be the same Ex. 19:6- "you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Israel must be holy nation-to be holy is to be separate To be clean is to preserve Yahwehs presence in the community Diet taboos (Ex. 11 & 17; Deut 14) o No fruit and vegetable prohibitions o Seafood must have fins and scales o Any animal that dies of itself-unclean o Any meat w/ blood, torn by wild beasts-unclean o Scavenger birds-unclean o No animals that move around on belly
o Must have cloven (split) hoof, chew on cud o No boiling ("seeth") kid (animal) in mothers milk-prevalent in Canaanite culture Anything from another culturedisrespectful to God Unclean disease o Leprosy, boils, death Uncleanness is contaminating Purification o 1. Waiting period-cease of pollution o 2. Cleansing agent o 3. Sacrifice Did Moses see god? o Ex. 33:17-no man will see Him o Ex. 33:11-God will speak to Moses face to face o Transcendent-immanent Is God a man? o o o o Portrayed as warrior, king, judge, father, husband Israel was patriarchy Gen. 1:27-creates both male and female in His image Language is limiting, no neuter in Hebrew
Why did they wander 40 years? (Num. 13 and 14) 12 spies sent into Promised Land for 40 days 10 come back w/ bad report; 2 w/ good People want to stone the 2 Yahweh says no Israelite over age 20 will enter Canaan o B/c they did not believe the 2 spies For every day spies were in Canaan=1 year wandering Gives them chance to know God 2 spies: Joshua & Calebhad faith God would defeat Canaanites Israelites defeated by Canaanites and Amalekites Canaan-see notes for picture o Fortified from thieves and outlaws ,,vr=Hebrews "cross over" Israelites went through Jordan to attack from east Could not go through Edom, Moab Defeat Sihon, go through
Num 25-camped @ Jordan, can see Jericho o Men worshipped Moabite gods o o Num o o o o o o 24,000 died Midians=instigators 31-war w/ Midianites Killed all Midianite men Captured women and children Moses not happy they saved women Killed boys and women who were not virgins Virgins=innocence Loot split between Yahweh and Israel
o Holy War-war commanded by God o Yahweh gave war into their hands o Number of humans in war does not matter; faith is only precondition in holy war o Victory is not last act of holy war o Herem (curse/ban of destruction) Carried out on enemy to make "separate" o All loot should be given to God o Herem carried out on humans, not livestock Joshua 2 things besides Yahweh helped Israel o Geographical area-sparsely populated, good for shepherds o Historical period-Egypt growing weak, w/draws from Canaan area Philistines (sea peoples) control coastal plain Joshua 3-8 o 1st campaign Joshua and all Israel take over Palestine o 2nd campaign Destroy S Palestine except Jerusalem rd o 3 campaign Destroy N Palestine o Archaeology and text do not support campaigns Judges-more land that needs to be o Conquered fertile lands, then not so fertile lands
o Attacked Canaanite and Philistine tribes, not coalition tribes o Took over all of Palestine Variation of conquest o Mendenhall & Gottwald Disenfranchised peasants escaped to central hill country Met up w/ Hebrews United peasants under covenant Joshua led o o o o More diverse Nucleus that actually went into Canaan Problem: Israel not united Israelites
Took them to Shechem Baal Bert-lord of the covenant Some Israelites had kinship in Shechem Joshua recalls all of Gods blessings to the people To serve God alone OR serve gods ancestors served
o Israel needs to reaffirm faith in God and allies need to affirm faith o Allies make covenant to serve Yahweh alone o Suzerainty covenant 1. 2. 3. 4. Historic prologue Stipulations-serve God only Written down Repeated
5. Witness to themselves o Israelites had trouble w/ faith only in Yahweh Baal-god of fertility In Canaan-lord, master, owner Israelites and Canaanites became farmers Baal and Anat must have sex for fertility Devotees felt their own sexual relations would stimulate gods for fertility Participatory religion Only worshipped Yahweh for protection, legal matters Served Baal & Yahweh side by side Asherah-goddess (Hebrew)
Judges 12 men & women
Creatress Wooden pole that could be burned Used for worship Asherah=female, Massebah=male (stone pillar) Asherah + Massebah=fertility
1200-1020 BCE 2 more in Samuel D editorial framework + individual stories o Framework has cyclic story that is only from Israel perspective 1. All Israel commits apostasy (turns away) 2. Israel is oppressed by enemies from Yahweh 3. All Israel repents 4. Yahweh raises up a leader to deliver Israel o Individual stories Judges were local leaders and led only their local people Shofet-to rule/lead Possessors of Ruah Yahweh (spirit of God) Jephthah I Samuel Eli & Samuel Led holy wars
Priest rulers o Transition figures o More powerful than judges, less powerful than kings Fighting against Philistines, threatened all Israels life Philistine strengths: o o o o Eli o Priest of Shiloh 1. 2. 3. 4. Disciplined soldiers Superior weapons, monopoly on iron Chariots-live on coastal plain Philistine city-state kings could come together when
threatened
Ark was housed there Visible symbol of Yahwehs invisible presence
Had cherubim Portable Held 10 commandments Elkanah would go to Shiloh to worship o Penina (pearl)-many kids o Hannah (grace)-childless o 5 children-ideal # o Hannah prayed to Yahweh to give her a child, made promise to give child back to YahwehSamuel Elis 2 sons are scoundrels o Sleep w/ women in sanctuary o Keep best sacrifices o Yahweh ends Elis line, sons die on same day Samuel hears God-I Sam. 3 o Hears Yahweh 3 times, wakes Eli 3 times o 4th time-says, "Yes, Lord. Your servant hears you." o Yahweh tells Samuel about ending Elis line Philistines continue to pressure Israel (I Sam. 4) o Aphek-Israelites lose o Israelites bring Ark to battlefield-still lose NOT holy war Philistines capture Ark, put in shrine w/ Dagan o Find Dagan face down every morning o Yahweh plagues w/ rats and hemorrhoids o Send Ark back w/ golden rats and hemmorhoids Eli judged people 40 years Samuel takes over o No Philistine threat from west o Ammoniteseast o Amalekitessouth o People ask Samuel to appoint king to provide unity (I Sam. 8) Samuel thinks if they have king, that replaces Yahweh Cons of king: Taxes
Ownership of land Samuel anoints Saul Did not cause strife between tribes because he was from obscure tribe (Benjamin)
Saul Saul leads war effort against Ammonites (I Sam 11) o Victoriouspeople say, "Long live the king." Qualifications for king: o 1. Yahweh must choose king o 2. Acclamation by the people Mashiah-Messiah-anointed oneChristosChrist Reigning king stood in center of God and people Sauls early reign o Good-beats Philistines o Samuel does not approve Saul makes sacrifice w/o Samuel Samuel excommunicates Saul (I Sam 15) o Yahweh chooses another ruler ("after His own heart") o Sauls line ends so that David can become king David 2 versions (I Sam 16) o 1. Comes to Sauls court to play harp for Saul o 2. Takes challenge of killing Goliath Cuts Goliaths head off w/ his own sword Common for battle to be preceded by single battle (hand to hand) sh habbenaym-the man in between the 2 (lines of battle) 2 Sam 21:19-Elhanan is credited w/ killing Goliath
I Chronicles-Elhanan kills Lahmi (Goliaths brother) Arouses Sauls envy o "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." o Jealousy wants to eliminate David o David avoids Sauls attempts through Jonathan & Michal (Davids wife)
o Marries Michal by retrieving 200 Philistine foreskins, no children When Saul died, David became king of Judah; later became kind of Israel as well o Israel and Judah were separated o David brought Israel and Judah together in personal union o All Israellegitimate term David seizes city of Jerusalem and moves there o Does 3 great things: 1. Eliminates Canaanite stronghold, opens corridor for constant communication between N & S, gains capital city b/c neutral 2. Brought Ark to Jerusalem, link past to present portable shrine, accessibility to Yahweh 3. Created an empire by taking over Edom, Moab, Ammon--also defeats Philistines once and for all
Yahweh now seen as most powerful god (baal) Syncretism-mixing o Assigns 2 priests Representing two dominant religion and populations in the land Abiathar-northern Yahweh Zadok-Jerusalem Canaanite covenant-II Sam 7 o David wants to build bayt (house/temple) o Yahweh promises David his son will build one o The special relationship that presently exists between Yahweh and David is extended to Davids line o Yahweh will build David a bayt (dynasty) o Establish sonship-formalized through bert olam (eternal covenant) o Psalm 89-biblical poetry-no rhyme, no meter, parallelism o Psalm 132, I Kings 9-conditional on obedience o Led to belief that there will always be Jerusalem o 587 BCE-Babylonians destroy Jerusalem o reinterpreted to apply to Messiah
4th
David and Bathsheba-his adultery o Impregnates Bathsheba o Bathshebas husband-Uriah the Hittite (foreigner) o Tries to bring Uriah back to have sex w/ Bathsheba so no one will know o Uriah does not do it b/c of uncleanliness o David gets Uriah drunk--does not work o Uriah killed in battle o Nathan-prophet Story of rich man w/ flocks, poor man w/ ewe lamb Tells David he is rich man Yahwehs judgment-Bathsheba and Davids child dies, strife w/in his line o Child gets sick, David sacrifices and prays o Child dies, David goes home o David mourns before child dies Absalom o Davids son who tries to usurp throne o David runs away until Absalom is killed Solomon (Bathshebas son) reigns after David Davids reign 1012-972 BCE Kings Solomon Solomons wisdom o o o o I Kings 13-two women and baby Queen of Sheba (Yemen) I Kings 4-thousands of proverbs and songs Credited w/ Proverbs, Song of Songs Did not write Song of Songs
Solomons name in Ch. 1, 3, 8 in reference Solomon had large harem-1000 women Solomon had affair w/ Queen of Sheba Strengthened Israels army through chariotry o Able to do this b/c flat land, conquer of the Philistines, military aristocracy
o Saul established standing army (controlled by Jonathan [son], Abner [cousin]-servants of Saul [paid by raiding enemy])personal army o David followed Sauls example Personal army DavidRobin Hood figure David becomes Philistine vassel David did not fight in battle when Saul died Solomons trade o Trade was royal monopoly o Solomon acquired great wealth through trade o W/ this wealth he built temple-palace Temple=7 years Palace=13 years Solomons temple o Tyre o See diagram in notes o 2 freestanding pillars-light? Dynasty? o Ulam-in front of Vestibule Separates sacred from profane o Hekhal-lights would be seen outside but outside light not seen inside Bread table-shewbread-12 loaves Menorah-light stand Priests o Devr-speak-where God speaks Holy of holies-cherubim + ark=presence of Yahweh One person would enter once a yearhigh priest on Ym Kippur (Day of Atonement) o Yasa-storage/priest living space o Brazen Sea-big bowl of water resting on 12 oxen-for cleansing o Temple in inner court; palace and temple in great courtyard o Palace N courtyard border=inner court of temple o King=son of God (I Sam 7/Ez 43:7-8)
o Purposes 1. Royal Chapel Chief Priest-Zadokite (Canaanite) Associated w/ Aaron (original chief priest) Other priests-Levites 2. National place of worship Place for sacrifices
Unite country o 1 temple not enoughBamt (bamah)-high places (Canaanite shrines) 1 symbols always found: massebah and asherah carried over Canaanite rituals o People communicated w/ Yahweh via sacrifice Sacrifices Any offering totally/partially destroyed on altar as token of homage to God Sacrifice=thank you, gift o To keep channels of communication open between God and people o Minhah-gift o Korban-to draw near Purposes o Becomes and irreplaceable gift o Way to get sacrifice to God Types of sacrifice: o 1. ,,olah (to go up)totally burned, thank you, holocaust, fat only o 2. Zebah Shelammpartially burned, fat only, peace, solidify relationship w/ God o 3. Hattatsin offering Reestablish covenant Blood spread on altar God receives fat, priests receive meat Priests like this more b/c no time/place to grow food Sin can be not doing enough or doing too much to follow the laws
Sacrifice was viewed as outward manifestation of inward feelings Sacrifice was also a form of taxation o 3 festivals, 3 harvests 1. Passover (Pesah)-early spring 2. Weeks (Shavut)-7 weeks after, late spring/early summer 3. Booths (Sukkt)-fall o During time of monarchy, sacrifices helped strengthen kingdom o Tithing-10% of all agricultural produce o Religious and civic responsibility Criticizes Solomon for marrying foreign women o Led him to idolatry o Solomon wanted peace w/ neighboring countries I Kings 2-Solomon died in peace, stripped line of peace o Spending on building exceeded income o Enforced taxes Redivided Israel into 12 administrative districts w/ governor each Had to form provisions for court once a year, burden fell on Northern Corve-forced or compulsory labor o Solomons reign-972-922 BCE Rehoboam Solomons son Anointed and acclaimed (in Judah) Had to go to Shechem to get support from Israel o Refused to relieve them of labor o Israel got new king-anointed and acclaimed-Jeroboam I Judah=poorer, weaker, always under rule of Davids line Jeroboam I Told by Anijah to take 10 pieces to prepare secession from Judah Solomon finds out, Jeroboam flees, comes back after Solomons death Must create state religion o 1. Jeroboam heeds Yahwehs approval
o 2. Many Israelites still considered Jerusalem center of worship o 3. 7th month religious festival-celebrates legitimacy of Davids line in Jerusalem o Religious centers: Dan (N) & Bethel (S) o Introduces 8th month festival o Put bull statues (idols) in religious centers Could be like cherubm Bull is a sign of fertility Attracted Israelites and Canaanites South vs. North o S likes stability of line of kings o N is told from S perspective o N had Omri (great leader)Ahab (869-850 BCE)-Omris son Ahab-Jezebel (Tyre) Jezebel tried to replace Yahweh w/ Baal Ahab built temple for Baal in Samaria Confrontation w/ Elijah Elijah stages contest on Mt. Carmel between Baal and Yahweh o Both make sacrifices o True god is one who responds w/ fire o Elijah makes "moat" around altar o Yahweh responds immediately to Elijah o Baal priests are slaughtered Jezebel threatens Elijah; Elijah flees to Mt. Sinai o God tells Elijah to go back o Make 3 anointings (agents Yahweh will use to punish Baal worshipers) 1. Elisha-his own successor 2. Jehu-a king of Israel 3. Hazael-next king of Damascus Naboths vineyard o Ahab wanted his vineyard; Naboth says no Individuals have no property rights-land belongs to Yahweh Sulks in palace o Jezebel has Naboth wrongfully accused of blasphemy
o Naboth stoned to death o Ahab takes vineyard o Canaanites allowed to free land dealing; Israelites did not o Elijah prophesies Ahabs and descendants extermination o Elijah does not die-goes to heaven in chariot Allows him to return Passes prophetic cloak to Elisha o Elisha performs miracles Foretells famines, deaths Raises child from dead Heals lepers o Elisha secretly anoints Jehu to be king of Israel 2 Kings 9-10: leads army to blood bath Jehu kills Ahabs sons, grandsons, etc.-annihilates dynasty Also kills king of Judah-Ahaziah-and family o Jezebel run over then eaten by dogs Samaria-Jehu kills priests and sets up trade place Jehu D says did not serve Yahweh wholeheartedly 28 years-843-815 BCE Not efficient leader o Politically weak o Smaller in stature o No allies Jeroboam II 750 BCE Prophets Prophetes-predictor of divine will, future o Wellhausen-major rethinking of prophets High point of Israelite religion Responded to historical times who criticized social times Foretellingfortune telling Religious track=central track Prophetic critque: 1. Social
2. Religious-central, most imp. 3. Political
Nab-common word for prophet from nabu (to call/announce) Active-one who calls Passive-one who has been called Ex 7:1 Prophet called by Yahweh to announce Yahwehs words Prophecy involves God, intermediary (prophet), audience Prophets feedback to God is essential to communication between God and people Women prophets: Miriam (Moses sister), Deborah (judge), and Huldah Tried to clarify Gods intention for presence Crucial effort: bring kingdom back under Yahwehs law Main message: "repent or be destroyed" Types of prophets: Ecstatic prophets-possessed by Ruah Yahweh (spirit of God), Canaanite
Prophetic guilds-"sons of prophets" Cult prophets-told Yahwehs will at high places o Major prophets: Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel o Minor prophets: (length) (300 year continuum-750-450 BCE) Hosea-Malachi o True prophet: what he says comes true o Would not preserve prophecies if they were not true o Prophesy for their own time Two prophets: Amos and Hosea o Amos 752 BCE-S o Hosea 750 BCE-N o Focuses:
1. Social injustices-social justices and love of God are linked
2. Wrongs in religious sphere, Yahweh would rather have no following than a sacrifice from an unfaithful people o Hosea Message: o Amos Amos 3 Expose peoples failures and work toward reconciliation Ym Yahweh-"Day of Yahweh"-judgment day All nations besides Israel would be destroyed Israel will also be dark (Amos 8) Gave people opportunity to reform lives Yahweh was hesed (loving kindness)-will always outweigh vengeance So entrenched in Baal, dont recognize Yahweh anymore Belief in chosenness was stumbling block
The Kingdom Falls
Israels downfall was the result of: o Theological view Apostasy-turning away from Yahweh o Internal conflict o Coming attack of Assyrians o King Menachem Thinks Assyrians will have mercy if they submit What happens when one country takes over another: 1. Taxes 2. Conform to worship 3 things against alliances-prophets 1. Reliance on world power suggests humans have power rather than God 2. Worship their gods 3. Participation in military operations (not holy wars)
Kings following him tried to throw off Assyrians o 722-721 BCE-North is conquered by Assyrians Assyrian leader: Tiglath Pileser III-TP3 Deport and repopulate-clergy, army officials, bureaucracy Isaiahs words to Judah o Sacrifices, external actions are good; internal spirit is bad o Religious service w/o social justice is meaningless Micah 6:8 o 1. Do justice o 2. Love mercy o 3. Walk humbly w/ God Jeremiah and Ezekiel o Child sacrifice-"pass through fire" Desperation for Yahwehs help Judah o King Hezekiah (715-687 BCE); King Josiah (640-609 BC) Actions of both: Destroyed Bamt Male and female fertility symbols destroyed Kicked idolatrous priests out Hezekiah: not as effective; Josiah: very effective o 622 BCE-Temple being rebuilt, find lawbookDeuteronomy Read to Josiah Josiah makes sweeping reform Jerusalem=only legitimate worship place Clergy of Bamt invited to serve at Jerusalem 2 benefits: 1. Economic-taxessource 2. Focus on religious things Levites not eager to move Zadokites did not want Levites Secularized those outside Jerusalem
o Became Assyrian vassel Had to worship other gods Wanted to free itselfall the way to Babylonian rule
o Why did they think they could defeat Assyria? 2 Sam 7-Judahs national theology-Gods promise to David and his dynasty Jerusalem was indestructible Lost sight of Sinai covenant-obedience to law Isaiah reinterprets national theology-makes it conditional
Isaiah viewed Judahs defeat as Gods punishment o 597 BC-Babylonians attack People question Yahwehs faithfulness to covenant Turn to other gods o 587 BC-Babylonians conquer Judah temple destroyednowhere else to worship 5-6 month long siege Deport and repopulate
Religion notes 2
Names/Groups Dates Places Events Hebrew words/vocab Post-exilic Jerusalem Subject to Babylonian god-Marduk Theological crisis o Land was Yahwehs gift o Israel was Yahwehs chosen people o "Why doesnt Yahweh save us?"
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o Jer. 45-the survivors of destruction have nothing but life o Yahweh was either: Impotent Powerless Uncaring Dead Teamed w/ Marduk o When Babylon defeated Judah, Marduk defeated Yahweh? Those exiled to Babylon started worshipping Marduk o o o o Marduk was more powerful Babylonians more culturally sophisticated Babylonia-fertile Temples of Marduk much more beautiful
Others exiled to Babylon-stay true to past and community o Faith survived exile o Faith enriched by exile Jeremiah Gave them reason to why Jerusalem was destroyed Preached prior to destruction o Broke laws of Sinai o Nobody paid attention After Fall, words recalled and edited b/c he made sense of it o Allowed those who were exiled to take responsibility Redemption to come from destruction Jeremiah 30-31-book of consolation
o New covenant-Jeremiah 31:31end References Yahweh frequently Sinai: Law-"I will be their God, you will be my people" Law can be broken easily Sets Gods laws @ core of every person Israels history restarts
Ezekiel
o Provided hope Yahweh is not bound to Jerusalem temple Even outside of temple, people have access to Yahweh through prayer Yahweh is mobile again Deuteronomy 4:27-29-search for Yahweh with all heart and soul Sense of belonging to covenant intensified faith State of Israel Common history Shared culture Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings and Prophets were edited during this time o History of what Israel was o History of Israels relationship with Yahweh o When Israel begantheocracy o Israel was worshipping community 587 BCE o Exilic o Babylonian Period o Marks beginning of new chapter 539 BCE o Post-exilic o Persian period Judaism is what Israel became as result of exile 556 BCE-King Nabonidus-Babylon o Did not like Marduk o Tried to make Sin chief deity of Babylon o Mt. SinaiMt. Horeb
Did not want to be associated w/ Sin o Went on 17 year journey of Arabia For spice trade route Left son to rule, alienated from priests and people o Cyrus-Persia-553 BCE Eliminated Medes for Iran Took over Babylon 539 BCE Victory of Babylon on Cyrus Cylinder Begins with condemning Nabonidus for ignoring Marduk and enslaving people Nabonidus allowed Cyrus to take over Abolished forced labor, improved housing Returned all sacred images to peoples who had been taken from homeland Rebuilt sanctuaries that were destroyed Returned exiles to home Extraordinarily benevolent Protects treasures Respected traditional forms of religious life Stopped exile One of the most enlightened rulers 200 year empire If you permit people to retain some kind of semblance of their identity, they will be happy Religious National Persians had many taxes; did not return to countries they conquered
Second Isaiah
Prophet 550-540 BCE Isaiah 40-55 Rise of Cyrus sparked words No evidence that he saw Cyrus come to power Views Cyrus as Yahwehs instrument Isaiah 44 & 45 o Yahweh calls Cyrus His shepherd who will fulfill His purpose
o Promises o Yahwehs immediate task is to bring comfort In the eyes of 2nd Isaiah, Yahweh is the only God1st evidence of monotheism Isaiah 44:6-8 o Monotheism is not just belief in one god, it is also systematic denial of all other gods Ironic that among exiles, the idea of monotheism emerges o Other gods can do nothingare nothing o Scholars try to trace polytheismmonotheism Gods existence is a given What is Gods purpose? How do we discern Gods will? o Prophets condemned worship of foreign gods Not b/c of God being only god, but b/c of breach of covenant Following strange gods is rebellion against only God Idols are powerless in history, therefore nothing Carried by humans Yahweh carries people and shoulders their
burdens Perceived whole course of history is controlled by Yahweh Yahweh is Israels redeemer o Closely allied w/ Israels redemption is redemption of the world ,,ebed Yahweh-servant of Yahweh o Described but not identified o Servant poems 42:1-4 49:1-6 50:4-9 52:13-53:12 o In 49:3, servant is explicitly described as Israel Task is to bring justice into world Ruah Yahweh-spirit of God o Chapter 49-described as individual
Yahweh has called him (individual) in womb o Who is the servant? Individual or community Ideal Israel, covenant faithful Israel Restore Israel and nations to wholeness w/ Yahweh In future or present? New age is beginning, not far in future Interpret his time With coming of Yahweh, the servant would also appear on world stage
Had been born out of hardships of Israels history Yahweh called servant through suffering As Cyrus is preparing to take Babylon, servant is preparing to be on world stage o Passage 52:13-53:12 Israels reversal from distress and humiliationexaltation Servant introduced Israel thought she was suffering for her own wrongs, but actually suffering for othersrestore to wholeness with God Vicarious-suffering for the sake of others Servant reacted to suffering
Lamb led to slaughter Divinely willed event o Not just a servantsuffering servant o Theology of sacrifice @ pinnacle More powerful than animal sacrificewilling to sacrifice self o Not scapegoat for sin o Sacrifice only powerful when nation reorients itself o 53:10-guilt offering brings acquittal o Do these prophecies lead to Jesus as servant? No AND yes Timing off, prophecies fulfilled
When you take prophecy out of historical locus, make fresh meaning
In process of reinterpreting, keep in mind original hearers 539 BCE-exiles return Took place over generations o Assimilated to culture o Fertile land not in Israel Group of Jews led by Zerubbabel still in Jerusalem o Descendants of David (I Chron. 3) o High priest o Did 3 Exiles: things 1. Built altar at site 2. Installing Levites 3. Lay foundations for temple
o Royal family o Upper class o Religious leaders Benefit most by returning Levites become more powerful o Military leaders o Had trouble from : ,,am ha ,,aretz-people of the land-lower class Agitators against returners Samaritans-settled in former N Israel-from Samaria Worshipped in Mt. Gerzm near Shechem Felt they were good Jews Offered to help rebuild temple Prophets Haggai and Zechariah Jews did not consider Samaritans real Jews for mixing w/ foreigners Samaritans wrote letter to Persian king that caused halt in rebuilding of temple18 years 520 BCE-Darius I restarts temple building
o Strongly encouraged rebuilding of temple o Once temple rebuilt, God would shower w/ blessings and dwell w/in midst and renew lives Kingdom of God Radical opposite of present state of Israel o 515 BCE-complete rebuilding of 2nd Temple Not as ornate as Solomons Temple o People began to wonder why if they sacrificed regularlyno blessings o Intermarriages increased Joel and Malachi o Joel-500 BCE o Malachi-450 BCE o Experienced community threatened from outside o Internal trouble from poverty, disenchantment, Nehemiah apathy and Ezra o Nehemiah Cupbearer of Artaxerxes I-445 BCE Got king to send him to Jerusalem to act as governor Rebuilt walls of Jerusalem in 52 days Introduced reforms to bring together Jewish community Introduced separatism Determined Jewish community Birth, genealogy No intermarriage Does not like that children dont know Hebrew Jewish man + foreign woman was worse than the other way around Loyalty to Torah Encouraged tithe Remembered Sabbath o Ezra-priest-398 BCE Conducts caravan of exiles from Babylon to Palestine Had Persian authorization to instruct people in laws of Yahweh
Scribe? Carried copy of book of the law of Moses During Sukkt/Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), climbed up bimah (bamot=high place; pulpit) and read book of the law w/ the Levitescovenant renewal Priests vs. Levites Priests Aaron as ancestor Original ancestor Levi Levites Moses as ancestor
Original ancestor Levi The Book of Law Ezra brought w/ him to Palestine=Torah Canon-standard of tradition Legitimacy underscored by association w/ Moses Ezra called Father of Judaism; also gave impetus to legalism (strict conformity to law) Legalism=characteristic to Post-Exilic Jews Also stumbling block between Judaism and
Christianity No more prophets after Ezra Literature of Persian Period Ruth and Jonah o Openness to outside world Ruth Set in 1200 BCE-written in exilic period Naomis husband and sons dieRuth and other daughter-in-law left in her family Naomi returns to Bethlehem with Ruth Ruth marries Boaz Becomes great-grandmother of David May have been propaganda for mixed marriages Real motive: preserve identity of Israel Did not rest on nationalism Encouraged remembrance of heritage-survival of Judaism
Israel not called to be like everyone else Jonah Commissioned to go to Nineveh o Repent or be destroyed Jonah refuses, runs away to Tarshish Encounters storm o Anger of God o Begin to cast lots o Jonah loses o Thrown overboard Spends 3 days in large fish Spit back out to place where he starts Goes to Nineveh, preaches, saves people Jonah leaves angry at God for saving Nineveh God teaches Jonah lesson in compassion thru tree Reveals openness to outsiders Jonah is less devoted to God than to how he wants God to behave o God is not restricted to what prophets see Him as o God can change His mind o Gods word contingent on human response o God not limited to caring about who He chose o Small people have small gods Wisdom Literature 2600 BCE characteristics o 1. Timeless o 2. International o 3. Focus on individual Sages=writers o Not concerned with one time events o Concerned w/ recurring events and moral order Roots in Post-Exilic Period Clear connection between persons actions and persons way of life o Doing evilevil o 10 Commandments-Yahweh is a jealous God
o Collective responsibility-family/clan, each individual is responsible for actions of others; not just clancommunity, nation o People did good deeds to get Gods reward o Good sense of justice Proverbs-achieve good life w/ God 4 steps to wisdom o o o o 1. 2. 3. 4. Yir at Yahweh-fear of God-respect, awe Pursue a middle course-not too far left or right Diligent, prudent, sober Keep away from women
Marks of Gods blessing-success, longevity, prosperity Unjust suffering is OK Collective principle died during Exile o Individual directly confronts God Righteous begin to wonder about relationship w/ God Job Most difficult book in Hebrew bible Job is model of piety, patience Only prologue (1 & 2) and epilogue (42) in prose o Prose-common folktale from ancient near east which forms parenthesis around Israelite authors musings 3-41 in poetry Job protests, angry Job renowned around world, piety THE Satan (adversary) questioned Job o Trusted in Gods council Yahweh praises Job o Satan suggests all Jobs piety is for selfish reasons o Makes wager w/ God that if He takes away His blessings, Job will curse Him Everything taken away from Job o "The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away" o Satan tells God to curse Job himself Job has oozing sores Wife and 3 friends tell him to curse God
God blesses him twofold Purposes: o 1. Suffering of innocent o 2. How absolute goodness and absolute power are reconciled in the nature of God Theodicy-justice of God Character of persons relationship to God Portrait of deity? 3-41-Job on one side, friends on other o Friends understand God only w/ common principle Prologue: Job laments not knowing Gods plan Jobs suffering=past sin? Friends argument is past sin o Encourage him to confess o Author makes reader sympathize friends o Jobs friends less devoted to God than to what God ought to be; certain of knowing God Job insists he is righteous, righteousness outweighs sin Job wishes he could escape God "Without God, life is meaningless. I cannot live w/ God at least as God appears to me now." Job asserts his integrity to the end Job 31-let the Almighty answer me o Yahweh answers Job out of whirlwind o Effect of Gods speech is to remind him that he is a creature God ought to have treated him better o 1st obligation of the creature is Yir at Yahweh (fear of God) Key to book of Job=his repentance o Egocentric attitudehumility Climax comes when false relationship of selfishness moves to relationship of humility Epilogue o Job receives approval from God o Job offers intercession for friends o Faith was once again possible for Job
o God does not try to justify own actions; makes it possible for Job to see o Author does not offer Jobs experience as sufferings of the innocent, but how to live with them o Only faith makes evil and suffering tolerable o Relationships cant be sustained when one party is closed o Faith in dialogue w/ God o Jobs Esther Nationalistic Association w/ Festival of Purm=lots o Explains why purpose of festival o Triumph over Persian Empire Nationalistic thrust-Ch. 8 and 9 Rivalry between courtiers, acquisition, use, abuse of power Takes place in Susa King Ahashuerus/Xerxes-475 BCE Has large dinner party Calls Vashti to show beauty o Vashti refuses o Vashti serves as example to Persian women o Royal council kicks Vashti out Esther is picked by winning beauty contest o Does not have to be treated w/ beauty treatments Puts Esther in position to avert liquidation of Jews Rivalry between Israelites and Amalekites o Starts when Saul was king-put Amalekites in Herem o Amalekite king-Agog o Two represented in story Mordecai-Israelite (Benjamin) Haman-Amalekite (Agogite) Haman tells Xerxes to sign edict to terminate Jews 3 daughters are singled out Named Beauty is stressed Said to inherit from their father as much as their brothers
Mordecai convinces Esther to prevent this Esther has two luncheons w/ Xerxes and Haman o Tells Xerxes o Haman killed Xerxes issues 2nd edict allowing Jews to take up arms No mention of God Purm only allowable time to be drunk Conviction that God called Gods people to be separate from the world Greek Period Alexander the Great comes to power o Conquered Mesopotamia, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc by 326 BCE o Brought Greek scholarship, politics, manners to conquered lands o Died before age 33 o Set 2 things: 1. Greek becomes lingua franca (common language) 2. Movement of provincialismuniversalism o Built roads and ensured safety on the roads o o o o 333 BCE-world went Greek Roads and common language helped spread Christianity Died 323 BCE Kingdom divided to generals Seleucus Mesopotamia and Syria Seleucid Dynasty Ptolemy Egypt
Ptolemaic Dynasty Palestine not included S & P both wanted Palestine Hellenism-Greek like culture fostered by Alexanders successors o Helas=Greece o People abandoned native tradition o Hybrid culture=Hellenism
External ArchitectureGreek PoliticsGreek Language/namesGreek
Internal Worldview/religious customsnot Greek Extreme opposition to HellenismJudah To what extent does cultural change endanger the values of traditional religion? Hellenistic Period o Pushing Jews to lose old tradition Ptolomies take over Palestine o No attempt to force Hellenism o Some welcomed itupper class To keep status, must assimilate Included clergy
Some took Greek names Surgical procedure to hide circumcision o Had a lot to offer Jews o Then Hellenism began to be imposed (by Seleucids) o Resisted Hellenization=Hasdm (loyal/pious) Torah=gift/command of God Must NOT reject Torah Would rather die Reflected split between Jewish community and Hellenistic community Reflected split within Judaism Individuals Jewish by birth Total commitment to Judaism
Antiochus the Great came to Seleucid throne (223 BCE) o After 2 decades of fighting, win against Ptolemies o Fervent for Hellenism Antiochus the Second o Claimed to be God manifest (Zeus) o Aka Antiochus Epiphanes (insane) o Ruled w/ absolute authority
o Policy of Hellenism o Raffled High Priest position to highest bidder o Jason and Menelaus (High Priest) Appalled Jason banished Menelaus Antiochus reinstates Menelaus o Judaism outlawed circumcision punishable by death Torah burned Observation of Sabbath o Desecrates temple o Abomination of desolation-altar to Zeus set up over altar for burnt offerings in temple courtyard o Jews forced to offer sacrifices to Zeus o Jews yielded to decreeto save life o Revolution in Modein Mattithias No dice; no sacrifice Found in Apocrypha Killed Syrian officer Fled What they lacked in weapons, made up for in guerilla tactic Attack at night Commissioned eldest son to continue-Judah (Maccabee=hammer) Hasmoneans=Maccabees (who is like Yahweh) Won over Antiochus First war over freedom On 25 Kislev (December) Rebuilt temple, kicked out Seleucids Judah killed by brother, killed by Jonathan Century of freedom 160-63 BCE
Pompey-63 BCE o Hanukah (dedication) celebrates spirit felt during Judahs victory over the Greeks
Menorah-aka Hanukiyya 7 directions North South East West Above Below Across humanity Transformed weapons to peace Had one jar of oil that burned 8 days until new supply could be made OK to gamble Hanukah Menorah has 9 branches Original one had 7 branches Shamash-serving light-higher branch
Hanukah-Festival of Light Zechariah 4:6 Gamble w/ dreidle Menorah must burn long enough to eat and gamble Dreidle Nes-nothing-miracle Gadol-everything-big Hayah-half-happened
Sham-put-there Poh-here Only in Israel Food cooked in oil o Lose independence under Pompeys rule o Maccabees became religious leaders as well-165 BCE Sadducees-supported Maccabees Pharisees-didnt mind Maccabees political power, but did not want them as religious leaders Essenes o These 3 groups 150-135 BCE
parties in Palestine Hasdm-pious, loyal resistors of Hellenism Things in common: One God who created all things Chose Jews In covenant relationship w/ Israel God protects them if they follow His laws Differences: Understanding of what was Gods law and obedience to it Response to rule of foreign power Response to high priest line other than Zadok
Sadducees o Conservative o Advocated policy of tolerance and compromise o From families of wealth o o o o As long as status quo maintained, maintain class status Claimed to be strict devotees of Torah ONLY in Torah you could find Gods law to be obeyed Rejected resurrection of dead, angels, demons
Resurrection of dead-Daniel 165 BCE Angels/demons-Genesis-angel who guarded gate o Zadduk-Zadokites o Closely connected to temple and worship of God o Proper sacrificial practice maintained o Real power players Pharisees o Pious, legalistic in NT o Paras-to separate (those who are separated) o o o o Separation from uncleanliness Did not call themselves Pharisees Membership from various strata of society Haberm-friends
Those who strictly observe the law esp. laws dealing w/ purity o Habrt-table fellowship
o Practiced Habrt to emphasize individual ability to be priest o Believed in angels and demons, Messiah, resurrection, final judgment, future life o Fasted oftencleanse inside o Ritual cleansingcleanse outside o Attended temple/synagogue rituals o Avoided contact w/ Gentiles o Josephus-Jewish historian Pharisees were party of the people o More progressive than Sadducees o Extended Bible to include Prophets and Writings and oral law/traditions of elders o Urged baptism of converts o **Main difference-authority of interpretations of law not written in Torah Accept dual Torah Written Torah Torah she beal peh-by word of mouth o No law is self explanatory; every law requires explanation o Provision made in Deut. 17 for difficulty in interpretation Interpretation provided by priests and judge Issue was amount of authority such interpretations carry Under certain conditions, it is made by divine interpretation Every interpretation requires precedent Scribes decide authority Criteria by which interpretations could be binding Ruling=scripture Ruling accepted as custom for a long time Associated w/ recognized authority Accepted by majority of teachers Oral tradition accepted b/c it cannot add to written
tradition Keep Torah w/ reinterpretation o Oral tradition
Just as important as written tradition Types: 1. Halakhah Way of life pleasing to God Makes explicit what is general Sets up fence around law Secondary set of laws to regulate from breaking primary laws 2. Haggadah Interpretation of scripture, what it announces, and theology Could be produced by any teacher Narrative form As entertaining as enlightening Hallmark of a parable (comparison story)sheds light on unknown from known
Pharisees utilized Halakhah most Pharisees showed how written scriptures could be reinterpreted to apply to contemporary times, keeping Judaism alive Mishnah-oral laws-"repitition" Early 200s CE Tractates-topics Agriculture Holidays o Festivals o Traditions Women o Rights of women o Sets boundaries on mens freedom Damages o Regulations of society o Outside of family o Criminal law Holy things o Dietary laws
o Sacrificial laws Cleanness Gemara-additions to Mishnah-"completion" Talmud ("learning")=Gemara + Mishnah 5th century CE o Responsa Deals w/ problems not dealt with yet Rabbis decision-responsum Anything that changes nature is considered work on Sabbath o Pharisaic leaders Rabbi Hillel Rabbi Shammai Right before Jesus time Summarized Torah as "Do not do to others what is hateful to yourself"
o Jesus and Pharisees disagreed on many things Pursued religious commitment and righteousness admired by ancient world Enabled Gods law to keep up with life on Earth Pharisees had popular appeal, no political clout Christians thought that Pharisaic legalism was religion concerned with only external actions Oral law=gift of God 2 advantages of legal system Eliminates having to make difficult ethical decisions Gives importance to every aspect of life
Essenes o Name has to do with purity o Deeply resented Maccabees claim to priesthood o Believed they could not worship at temple anymore b/c of Maccabees o May have been like Sadducees, just not willing to compromise o Under teacher of righteousness-the good priest Left Jerusalem to Qumran
o 1st sectarians Individuals who belong to sect Withdrew from common Jewish experience (e.g. sacrifice) Limited contact from others in community Couldnt sacrifice anywhere o Their law was so strict it could only be fulfilled around those who were like-minded o 4,000 of them o Had 3 year probation period Had to learn and study intensively Baptism, cleansing of Holy Spirit o Left portions of every book of Hebrew bible besides Esther o Essene manuscripts Isaiah did not differ much from Massoretic text (MT) Their version is the standard Other scripture differs greatly Hadnt recognized a universal canon of Scripture Contains books from Apocrypha Also contains Enoch Manual of Discipline Humankind split into two categories 1. Children of light-guided by Spirit of Truth 2. Children of falsehood-walk in darkness, led by angel of darkness Hodayot-praises Dichotomy like John
o Essene life Avoided strangersunclean
No permanent dwellings Ritual baths-mikvat Avoided marriage Tried to avoid normal bodily needs on Sabbath day Awaited 2 Messiahs-priestly and royal Only ones who thought this Thought to have influenced author of Hebrews
Thought they were living in the last days as they knew it Practiced battle formations Lived in tents Did not marry Gave loyalty to wife and kids rather than God Messianic Age will begin 40 years after teacher of
righteousness Good and evil battle 40 years Good wins in the end o 68 CE-war w/ Rome Devastated Go back to Judaism or be Christians o Similarities w/ Christians Communal o Essenes gone in NT Earliest NT text-Mark o John the Baptist-Essene-like o Describe solemn Messianic meal of bread and wine Like the Last Supper 3 points of Judaism in Post-Exilic Period o Faith in God o Obedience to Torah o Loyalty to torah provided cohesiveness Gives sense of identity Exclusive of outsiders Glossolalia-tongue talk-gift of Spirit o Unintelligible o People afraid they didnt have gift o Builds up speakerno one else Greco-Roman Period Difficult God would send them someone to deliver from suffering God would unite them again The more difficult things are on earth, the more ardently people look for divine relief (Kingdom of God)
o Conditions in kingdom are polar opposite of conditions on earth o How Israelites saw kingdom People looked for God to restore kingdom w/ Davidic line Restorer of Davids line Set up throne in Jerusalem Warrior hero-destroy Israels enemies All Israelites holy Restore Israels independence and prominence in the world
o Realms: good, evil, earth o God himself would destroy evil o Struggle between good and evil erupts to violent battle w/in humankind o Specific signs of kingdom coming: Unnatural births Fountains gush blood Stones will cry out Resurrection of dead
Final judgment o Signs found in Daniel 7 o God surrounded by humankind God reads books Book of deeds of every human Kingdom of God=Jerusalem o Revelation 20 or 21-God dwells w/ us In New Jerusalem o Fate of ungodly=destruction o Post-judgment-divine Messiah would deliver chosen ones o Coming of Messiah would signify Gods victory Mashiah-Messiah Restoring king Supernatural redemptive Messiah Eschatology-"end"-the End Times o Also apocalyptic-"uncover, reveal"
o Literature of end times OT: Daniel NT: Revelation Strange Written during times of persecution Encourage resistance, keeps resistance secret from persecutors Spiritual code-only for those who could understand symbols Gods revelation concerning end times Deals w/ kingdom of God and how it will come about Yom Yahweh-day of the Lord Differences between prophets (OT) and apocalyptic (NT) writers Prophets Did not describe kingdom of God Israels suffering is b/c of breaking covenant Apocalyptic Described kingdom of God in great detail Sway in powers of evil Present age is separated from end timesdiscontinuity Apocalyptic writers think that the world is so bad it cannot ask forgivenessradical change Show little sympathy No compassion for non-believers God is portrayed as enthroned, absolute monarch Demonstrates sovereignty Gets back at enemies Knows real followers Assume God gains control over heaven and earth via cataclysmic battle NT: Satan God sends plagues (like Ten Plagues) to punish humankind God the creatorGod the destroyer
Pioneered beliefs about compensatory blessings in new age When Gods kingdom comes... 1 to discuss afterlife Everyone is resurrected Everyone has judgment Sheol-place to go after death
st
No communication w/ God Tossed out for heaven/hell
War with Rome Aka War of 66-70 CE, Jewish war Future hopes of Gods kingdom rallied Jews to fight vs. Rome o All Jews saw hopes of Gods coming o Different ways of how it would come about Political Military o Pivotal on Jesus preaching 63 BCE-Roman Period o Pompey took over Palestine o For awhile Palestine ruled by native deputies appointed by Caesar Herod the Great (37-4 BCE) Mentioned in NT-Matthew 2 When he heard of Jesus birth, he had all male babies under age 2 in Bethlehem area killed Jesus birth=6-4 BCE Separated kingdom to sons Herod-Antipas (4 BCE-39 CE) Jesus and John the Baptist
o 6-66 CE-southern, more volatile part of Palestine ruled by prefects Directly responsible to Caesar Jews had to endure worst rule Romans could provide Appoint High Priest Pontius Pilate-26-36 CE Continual trouble
Ordered troops to set up standards in Jerusalem Jews wanted to remove standards b/c of images of Caesar Jews would rather die than look at images, so standards removed Taxes and treasures from Temple to build aqueduct Pilates treatment of Jesus isnt surprising Not sent to Judea to uphold Jewish law Sent to keep peace Ruled w/ disdain and disregard of human beings
o Roman policy toward Jews Protected Temple and synagogues Special provisions made for Sabbath Writings preserved Coins in Palestine had no images Money changers in Temple Emperor worship not required of Jews Generous toward Jews o Policy different from practice Ignorant of what was offensive to Jews When pagans rule, cannot escape persecution o Needed one spark for violence Gessius Florus Last prefect of Judea Stole from temple War described in great detail by Josephus o Noted historian o Took part in Jewish War o Wrote book about Jewish War in 76 CE o Became Roman, Jew in Roman court o Jews as a whole should not be blamed for war Only Jewish zealots and Roman prefects Zealots (6 CE) Type had been around a long time Pious cutthroats
Slaughter Romans instantly "The sword not sparingly, no king but the Lord" o By 69 CE most of Palestine reconquered except Jerusalem B/c it was walled o 5 month siege on Jerusalem Ended with burning temple-70 CE Leveled Defenders killed Others captive o Aftermath Land was stripped of trees Some people fled 1000s died from starvation Others taken into slavery Judaism still remained a legitimate practice Advantage for Christians as well No more sacrifce, no temple No Zadokites Led to prominence of PhariseesRabbis Synagogue survived war w/ Rome Provides natural center for work of rabbis/Pharisees Provides center to keep religion alive
2nd War with Rome B/c of Hadrian (117-138 BCE) o Prohibited circumcision o Proposed to have founded a city on top of Jerusalem Dedicated city to Jupiter Wanted to place altar to Jupiter over remains of Temple Simon Bar Kokhbah-son of a star o Said to be military Messiah o Minted coins w/ his image Prince of Israel Year 1 liberation of Israel Year 2 freedom of Israel
Guerrilla warfare Lasted 3 years Ended when the last rebel was taken captive Jews forbidden to enter Jerusalem Judea (land of Jews)Palastina (land of Philistines) Altars to Jupiter, other gods set up in Jerusalem End of an Era 4th century (300s CE)-Jews allowed to return to Jerusalem Present-day religious meeting house came from Jews o Proseuche (Greek)=place of prayer o Synagogue=gathering Its the gathering of people inside that give a building meaning Had stadium seating-tiered benches on 3 sides of the building Primary purpose: read and interpret scripture Aron-ark, closet-where scrolls were placed Bima-platform Chairs for leaders Usually near body of water Quorum:10 adult men-minyan (#) Could have 9 menElijah counted as 10th Men and women seated separately Uncleanness Service began like Temple service began Shemah !-hear Deut. 6:4 Very important to Jewish tradition Followed by prayer Deut. 6 Said standing facing Jerusalem Said by leader (adult male) ,,Amidah=standing 18 prayers-shemoneh (8) esray (10) Scripture reading
Translated orally and w/o notes into common language Sermon Anyone w/ ability to interpret scripture Blessing by priest Num. 6 One did not have to be rabbi to lead service
Could be adult male w/ requisite knowledge Service on Saturday (Sabbath) morning, afternoon, Mondays, Thursdays Mondays and Thursdays=market days Enabled worshipping community to survive Pharisees helped synagogue become prominent Center of Jewish life Educational Community Worship
Religion Final Notes
Names/Groups Dates Places Events Hebrew words/vocab/terms Greco-Roman World No middle class No social mobility Slaves made up 1/3 of population in large cities Life expectancy low 5 children in family to keep family stable
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90% of population was illiterate Could not travel far-this is how to understand Jesus story Apollonius of Tyana o Life and teachings=The Life of Apollonius o 1st cent. CE o Story similar to Jesus o Jesus followers thought Apollonius was a fraudvice versa for Apollonius followers o Other people were around who were said to be miracle workers Jesus of History vs. the Christ of Faith No Jesus o In the Biblical narratives, Jesus is depicted in view of the Resurrection o Virtually impossible to find evidence of historical Jesus o What Jesus said is a matter of conjecture Jesus did exist-outside sources o Tacitus Christus was executed when Tiberius was Caesar and Pontius Pilate was prefect o Suetonius Claudius (41-54 CE)-Caesar Claudius expelled Jews from Rome b/c of trouble from Christos o Josephus
Mentions twice o Talmud Negative view Ministry of Jesus is presupposition of the New Testament (NT) o No Jesus o No church o No NT NT was created by Christians for Christians Perrin o Jesus was preacher, exorcist, etc. o Jesus mission was to unify His followers Eating togethertable fellowship o o o o Enough to create community of faith? No miracles No resurrection No virgin birth
o Not proclaimed as Messiah o No interpretation by Jesus about His death Proclaimer became proclaimed o Detailed movement is lost New Testament Less memorable than Hebrew Bible 1000 years-Heb. Bible; 100 years-NT Israels history-Heb. Bible; history of a few people-NT 1st 4 o o o o books of NT-gospels Evangelion-good news Gospel-proclaims good news of Jesus Christ Did not come from unbiased authors Jesus is Messiah; followers will be blessed
Gospels written to propagate this o By Christians, for Christians Acts o Interpretive history of the early church Revelation o Apocalyptic literature 21 letters from Paul and other Christians
Matthew, Mark, Luke Synoptic gospels-"look together at" life and ministry of Jesus Synoptic problem o Chronological order o Sources? o None were eyewitnesses o When they were written 4 propositions o 1. Mark was the 1st gospel to be written-70 CE Shortest Crudest Simplest o 2. Matthew and Luke both used Mark as principle source for their gospels incorporate 610 of Marks 660 verses o 3. Matthew and Luke drew from lost Greek source documentQ (no need to preserve) supplies teachings and parables not found in Mark Mark Q-Quelle
M Matthew Luke
L
Luke only one to mention Prodigal Son and Good Samaritan Matthew only one to mention Peter walking on water o 4. 2 primary sources A material peculiar to Matthews gospel (M) A material peculiar to Lukes gospel (L) The Q source inspired the source that also inspired the Gospel of Matthew and Luke Griesbach hypothesis Matthew 1st Mark Luke
Criteria that Jesus sayings are true o 1. Multiple, independent attestation If a saying of Jesus is in more than one independent source, it has a greater claim to authenticity Ex. Jesus and John the Baptist-Mark, Q, John Ex. Parables where seeds=kingdom of God-Mark, Thomas, John
Shows which traditions are more authentic, but not which ones arent authentic Multiple attestation does not mean it is truly authentic o 2. Various, dissimilar, embarrassing reports Sometimes a tradition about Jews that is embarrassing for the church to pass on is more likely to be authentic Dissimilar traditions must be true Ex. Judas betrayal of Jesus Ex. Jesus crucifixion-chief stumbling block for Jews
Ex. against this-Jesus said he and the father are one o 3. Contextual credibility In ancient documents, reliable traditions must conform to the contextual history they relate to Must be plausibly situated in historical context of 1 st century Palestine Ex. Nicodemus Jesus says he must be born "from above" Nicodemus thought he said born "again" Problem: not spoken in Greek Ex. John 9:22-anyone who says Jesus is the Messiah is kicked out of the synagogue Used to argue against tradition
When scholars look @ Jesus, they rely on the experiences of Jesus that fulfill all of these criteria 6 hypothetical developments behind the writing of the synoptics o 1. For 20 years after Jesus crucifixion, His stories were oral Different geographical locations, different oral traditions o 2. Sufficiency of oral tradition decreased when eyewitnesses began to die
Q-50 CE-preserves 250 verses of Jesus sayings Sayings source Took so long to write down b/c Jews were living for the end times Expected 2nd coming of Jesus did not come As Christians moved from JewsGentiles, needed something written to remind them
o 3. Around 70 CE, Mark was written Eusebius-theologian-said Mark was scribe to Peter Papias 140 CE-said Peters sayings to Mark were not chronological Written in Rome, Matthew and Luke werent o 4. Marks gospel is concerned w/ Jesus actions, not teachings; Matthews gospel (80 CE) is more complete Incorporates 90% of Marks account From Q Incorporates birth story Follows heroic tradition-great birth story, great exit Scrutinizes Hebrew Bible for prophecies Jesus fulfills Paraphrases HB more than 130 times Regards Jesus as a greater Moses Arranges Jesus teachings in 5 public sermons (parallel Torah)
Directed to the Jews Became most popular of the gospels o 5. Late 80s-early 90s CE-Lukes gospel written By Gentile Christian-only one in NT Reproduces of Mark Some from Q; some from L Same author of Acts o 6. John-4th gospel 90-110 CE Different from synoptics Most theologically complicated gospel 26 other gospels other than the 4 we know
o Thomas o James-about Mary o Peter-about Jesus resurrection 70 CE-SadduceesPharisees o Define Judaism w/o Temple and sacrifice o Where does gospel animosity for Pharisees come from? Matthew 23 1st century Palestine? Or time of gospel writers? Life and Teaching of Jesus Matt. 2:1-days of Herod the Great-born between 4 and 6 BCE No scriptural data for month and day During 2nd-3rd cent.-Mithraismmystery o Only for men o Worshipped by Aryans-lived in the highlands of Iran o Pompey 67 CE Conquered the coast Mithra prisonersRoman soldiers o Associated with sun god-"guardian of covenants" o Celebrated returning of brightness of sun on Dec. 25 o When Christians took over, adopted Dec. 25 as Jesus birth o Mithra-hero deity of earth Devotes life to service of humanity Last Supper Goes to heaven Brought salvation-triumph over death o Candidates passed through 7 grades reenacting soul from low level to God Consisted of meals and cleansings o Taurobolium-blood baptismal Signifies birth of new life Other mysteries were open to everyone-just like Christianity o Provided members with camaraderie and stability Christianity wins out over these mysteries because of these advantages o 1. Novelty o 2. Antiquity
o 3. Simplicity o 4. Historicity Jesus birth o Matthew and LukeBethlehem Some scholars say that some of the early church assigned Jesus w/ Messianic credentialsbirth in Bethlehem o Jesus calls Nazareth his patris (birthplace) There is not much information between his birth and baptism o Luke (L)-Jesus in the temple @ 12 years old o Ministry had not begun o Leads to conclusion that for evangelists Jesus ministry begins @ baptism John the Baptist o Urgent message 1. Repent b/c kingdom of heaven is coming 2. Be baptized 3. Live ethically o Wore clothing made out of camel hair cloth and leather belt o Ate locusts and wild honey LocustsGods vengeance HoneyGods love o "The end is coming" o Everything is at the ready for the coming o Essene-like thinking Did not live like them o Made career out of preaching o Baptized (immersed) people Die to old waysunder water Reborn to new lifeout of water Way to get clean right now o Interim baptism and Gods kingdom Rules to follow to not go back to old ways Ex. those who had more than they needed share w/ unfortunate Very difficult
Ex. tax collectors-do not take more than authorized Ex. soldiers do not extort money, be satisfied w/ pay
o Does John recognize Jesus? o Why did Jesus get baptized? o Narrative of baptism fulfills criterion #2 Jesus baptism o Matthew 3 God speaks, dove comes down (Spirit) Public event o Mark Private event Jesus becomes Son of God o You are my beloved Son... Psalm 2:7-"You are my son, today I have begotten You" o ...with whom I am well pleased Isaiah 42:1 o Endowed w/ Ruah Yahweh and called to ministry o Receives divine call to herald kingdom of God o What do other gospels say about Jesus becoming Son of God? Birth/conception-Matthew and Luke Baptism-Mark Romans 3:4-designated Son of God from Resurrection Jesus temptations o 1. To turn stones to bread To turn infertility to fertility o 2. Take giant leap from highest point of Temple and land safely o 3. Worship Satan to have world empire o Should Jesus get followers through miracles? Spectacular methods? Political power? o In the wilderness Moses, Elijah, Paul Where to meet God o Faith should come from free decision, not from forced coercion
o Jesus wants people to decide for themselves what they see in Him Jesus message o Time is fulfilled, kingdom of God is @ hand, repent and believe in the gospel o Town to town In synagogues Open fields Sea of Galilee o Imminent coming of God o Jesus wins love of the people o Jesus incurs enmity of leaders o Mark 1 Capernaum Jesus base in Galilee Went to synagogue and taught Exorcism Possessed man begins to speak to Jesus Calls Jesus a Nazarenenot Bethlehem Jesus tells spirit/demon to leave, it leavesnew
teaching o Synagogues were always open Informed of news through travelers Jesus fame spread Visited Simon Peters mother-in-law Healed her so she could wait on them In the evening, brought all sick and possessed, Jesus healed many "Go in peace, sin no more, your faith has healed you"
Jesus goes somewhere to pray, disciples find Him, go to other towns o Tension between what Jesus wants ministry to be and what people expect o Why did people follow Him? 1. Jesus brought exciting message about the kingdom of God
2. Do Gods will now to get ready for Gods kingdom 3. Spoke in simple, untechnical languageparables
Parables-comparison stories-compare known to unknown Usually described kingdom of God (unknown) o Some of you who are standing will witness the kingdom of Godimminent o Matt. 8:11-I tell you (amen-verily) members of kingdom of God will be from everywhere with a feast Original view of Goduniversal kingdom vision This vision narrowed when Israel was continually trampled o Although Jesus kingdom message was not original, it was audacious Keep in mind kingdom of God=opposite Israel Audacity: when you think you know about kingdom, you can never be further from truth Be prepared to abandon presuppositions Only requirement: open to reality of God and repent The kingdom was already present Kingdom Kingly rule or reign State of relationship Reign of God Personal relationship between God and individual Present reality that is available through activity of Jesus Central aspect of Jesus message, also in future (through proclamation)
o Jesus role is to proclaim kingdom, signifies decision for kingdom now, prepare people for judgment before coming of kingdom Peoples reactions will reflect the way they will stand or fall @ judgment Jesus was proclaimer o The way Jesus saw himself
Prophet Not w/o honor Mark 6:4, Mark 1, 3, 8 Everyone sees Him as prophet except those close to Him Pharisees, crowds, public opinion, travelers to Emmaus see Jesus as prophet Rebuked those who recognized Him Spoke of Yom Yahweh (day of the Lord) Communicated Word of God and tried to get people to change
Messiah "anointed one"-Mashiah-Hebrew "anointed one"-Christus-Greek Leviticus 4-High Priest=Mashiah Mashiah could apply to anyone Chrsitos appears 54 times in gospels; 474 times outside gospels Limited use by Christ Himself Jesus does not refer to Himself as Christos in Q Members of early church referred to Him as Christ At His trial when asked if He was Christ, said yesMark 16:41 Matthews version same as Marks-Matt. 26:64 Luke-"You say I am..." May have been reluctant b/c could not fulfill expectation of savior from Romans Experts cannot agree on whether or not Jesus was Messiah
o 1. Theme of Jesus message was the kingdom rather than Himself being king; churchs message was about Jesus o 2. Acted w/ unique sense of authority; healed, forgave sins in Gods name, freely interpreted Jewish law, then articulated His interpretation
o 3. Jesus journeyed south to Jerusalem to confront eminence of kingdom and to force people to make decision about kingdom Jesus parables o Primary purpose: force hearers to make comparison o A story from normal life that challenges established and conventional perceptions of reality o Have potential to turn ones world upside-down o The kingly activity of God is known in forgiveness of sin o The Prodigal Son Luke 15-L source Younger son asks father for his inheritance Wastes inheritance Famine comes Becomes pigkeeper Asks father to treat him as hired servant Father tells servants to give son robe, ring Brother gets jealous Father tells him that they need to celebrate his brothers return Becoming swinekeeper makes son dead to father in Jewish tradition Shoes put on sons feet=free man Attitude of older son was correctlaw is necessary to
community Fathers reply is significantly extraordinary God responds to human needs through forgiveness o Parable of Unjust steward Luke 16 Kingdom decision now o The Good Samaritan Luke 10 How kingdom is to be appropriated Parable ends w/ Jesus telling people to act like Samaritan Exemplary story
Example of true neighborliness Crucial aspect of human needs is being a neighbor just how God responds to human needs 3 segments of Jews: Priests, Levites, Israelites Hard for us to imagine hatred between Jews and Samaritans Samaritan takes every possible step to care for victim Be prepared to abandon presuppositions No such thing as good Samaritan at this time Begin to question beliefs and being Comparative: God says overturn beliefs, hearer breaks
through to kingdom Important events of Gospels o Caesarea Philippi-confession of Peter Jesus asks disciples who people think He is Then asks who they think He is Peter says, "You are the Christ (Messiah)" Jews expected Messiah to overthrow Romans Jesus did not proclaim being Messiah b/c of what Jews expected
Matt 16:17 Mark 8-Jesus replies to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan" o Messiahship Messianic secrecy Characteristic of synoptics Proclamation of Jesus being Messiah would make false hopes for a political Messiah Creation of church to explain failure of crowds to understand Messiahship Passion predictions-PDR-Jesus messiahship P-Son of Man must undergo suffering ("pathos") D-death R-resurrection Character of Jesus messiahship determines discipleship (fellowship in service and suffering) Implications of Jesus recognized after Resurrection
Early church recognized Jesus as Messiah End of Jesus life o Jesus goes to Jerusalem during Passover o Rides in on borrowed colt o After entrance, goes into Temple and overturns tables of money changers-Cleansing of the Temple Temple cleansing precedes religious reform Mark 11 Jesus goes to Bethany 1st, cleanses temple next day Matthew and Luke Jesus cleanses temple after entrance John Jesus cleanses Temple at beginning of ministry Money changers would not be there-Passover=14 Nisan Scholars call this Temple occupation Jesus occupied Temple Caiaphas (High Priest)-30 CE-allowed on-site sacrifice Failed b/c of commerce in Temple area, broke link
between worshiper and what worshipper was offering Jesus authority questioned John the Baptists baptism from heaven or man?
Mark 12, Luke 20, Matt. 21-parable of wicked tenants To reject Gods messengers and Gods son will result in rejection from God o Jesus Last supper Name comes from eucharist Account in Mark 14:22-25 Jewish meal to welcome Sabbath Leader blesses bread, wineJewish tradition Matthew 26 Jesus instructs disciples to eat bread and drink wine
Luke 22 Places words about kingdom before eating and drinking Drink before eating Paul-I Corinthians 11 Institutes Lords Supper (not Last) into church tradition Symbol Not Lords Supper of Christian church b/c church did not exist yet Provides foretaste of kingdom of God and rewards in it Eschatological-would not drink of the vine again until coming of kingdom of God Those who believe Jesus occupied temple gives meal interpretive twist Wine=blood
Bread=body Wine and bread better than old sacrifices o Jesus betrayal Why does He need a betrayer? To lead authorities to Jesus To avoid fuss from followers Judas Iscariot Ish kerit Why "man of Kerit" Judas? Got paid South vs. Galilee (North) Mistaken (thought Jesus to be military Messiah)
o Jesus trial Brought before Jewish court Turned over to Pilate Turned over to Herod Antipas Sent back to Pilate Tries to let Jesus be released
Tells people to choose between Jesus and Barabbas
Barabbas= "son of the father" People choose Barabbas o Jesus death Crucifixion Not described in detail b/c crucifixion was common back then o Problems Trials of Jesus Held during holy festival Undue haste against procedure Jewish could not charge with political crime Radical shift in crowd sentiment When Pilate washed hands, Jews took guilt for Jesus death
Gospels present Jesus problems w/ Jews not Romans Pharisees absent in passion narrative Mark 15:27-Jesus between robbers (lesti); most likely around rebels (zealots) against Romans Barabbas (Mark 15:7)-man in prison alongside revolutionaries in the revolution against Rome Crucifixion result of Pontius Pilates decision to eliminate "troublemaker"
Responsibility shift when Pilate recognizes Jesus as innocent If responsibility is on Romans, less likely to convert o Jesus Resurrection The resurrection turned cross from ? to ! No resurrection, no memory of cross Focal point of Christianity At Jesus death, disciples dispersed Women discovered empty tomb Jesus appeared to Peter Jesus appearances significant
I Corinthians-Jesus died, was buried, raised from the dead Kerygma=proclamation of early church Leaves out virgin birth Seen by the 12, 500 others, James, and finally Paul Paul implies Jesus rose in spiritual body rather than physical one Spiritual-new life is non-physical Body-individual raised in his/her wholeness Given to dead, for living spiritual body=metamorphosis
Ideally suited to age to come Road to Emmaus Not until end, Cleopas recognizes Jesus
Before Early Church Shavut-late spring festival=Acts 2-Pentecost (50) o Holy Spirit came upon Jesus followers w/ glossolalia (tongue talk), fire, and wind o Commemorates giving of Torah on Sinai o 7 weeks (50 days) after Passover o When Torah given, given in 70 languages o Parallel to Shavut o Paul says glossolalia is "unintelligible language"; at first, "intelligible" o o o o o Scholars prefer Pauls definition of glossolalia Rest of the world spoke Greek Central truth not newness of spirit, but power of spirit Empowered Christian community to spread Gospel Discipleapostle ("to send out")-official emissary sent out to proclaim gospel 1. Shared Jesus ministry from beginning 2. Witnessed resurrection Met with startling success Apostles work o Christianity spread throughout Palestine
o Because of persecution, Christians left Palestine promoting spread o Acts 15-1st recorded Church Council-48-51 CE Met together-Paul and Apostles Should new converts become Jews 1st? Early Church Judaizers o Peter o o All converts should become Jews before becoming Christian and James-against Judaizers 1. Gentiles should abstain from meat 2. No blood
o 3. No sexual immorality o These commandments catered to Jews o Pauls view-Galatians Free of these commandments for conversion of Gentiles o At this council:freedom for Gentiles Paul o Called second founder of Christianity o Developed crucial theological concepts vital to spread of Christianity to Gentiles o Persecutorproclaimer of Gospel o Conversion-3 accounts in Acts o Did work in Antioch and Damascus "Christian" coined in Antioch o Confined himself to Syria o 46 CE-mission from the church in Antioch to go beyond Syria Traveled to Asia Minor, Europe, Rome Estd churches wherever he went Followed up w/ visits to same churches if he could Why? To make sure religions didnt mix If Paul could not visit churches, would write letters Earliest: Thessalonians, Colossians, Philippians 12 year span
o Suffered from ailment-"thorn in the flesh" Eye ailment or Epilepsy
o 2 great spiritual beliefs 1. Believed Jesus was alive Faith in living Christ Qualified him for being apostle 2. Recognition of Gods overwhelming Hesed Key: Gods grace, not obedience to laws o Romans Most influential letter Justification by faith Sin=separation from God When an individual sins, individual defiles himself Sin is universal, cure for sin is universal Cure: human beings justified by faith Justified-brought back to right relationship w/ God 1. People desire this relationship w/ God, but cannot do this by themselves 2. God also desires this reconciliation and his Hesed makes it possible Cross=ground zero where sin is met w/ forgiveness In order to receive reconciliation, individual must have faith that God can do it Triumph over sin Everyone sins
Triumph brought about by God through Christ Belief in cross One must have faith in God Christianity was urban middle class phenomenon o Why? o Growing in west, east Church structure o 2 sorts of services 1. Open meetings much like synagogue service Singing, sermon, scripture Jewish scriptures read
2nd cent.-Jewish scriptures supplemented 2. Agape Lords Supper Believers only Common potluck Potluck eventually taken out b/c crowd got too large
Open meetings followed by Lords Supper o Entrance to Christianity Instruction Baptism/ sprinkling-determined by proximity to waterdone on Easter Confirmation-laying on of hands for Holy Spirit Unction-anointing of oil-shows dedication o Church leadership Stability and uniformity Traveling evangelist Christian literature o Reasons 1. Jesus was not coming soon 2. Eyewitnesses dying off o Mark-70 CE o Matthew o Luke o John-90-110 CE Leaves out 90% of synoptic story No genealogy, temptation, parables, birth Structured around 6 signs Incomplete Point to 7th signJesus resurrection Meaning mediated by 7th Jesus ministry-according to John 3-4 years Between Galilee and Jerusalem Temple cleansing at beginning Teaches about himself
More than Son of God Jesus ministry-according to synoptics 1 year Only Galilee region Temple cleansing at end Teaches kingdom of God Son of God only
Divine character of Jesus is highlighted Personally come from God Connects Jesus beginning to end Jesus has knowledge of life pre-existent to Earth Jesus is the Word Actualizes Gods word and love John 20-Thomas believes-says creed of Christianity Communities of faith have become locus of Christ