Introduction To The Old Testament Presentation 1

The lesson of truth is not held in one consciousness. It explodes towa the other. To study well, to read well, to listen well, is already to speak: whether by asking questions and, in so doing, touching the master who teaches you, or by teaching a third party. --Emmanuel Levinas “Beyond the Verse: Talmudic Readings, 2004”

NBTS, Fall 2009 Professor Charles Rix

 Why

is this text here?  To what is the text responding?  What

is the text saying? (content)  What is the text doing? (performance)  Whose interests are being served?  What is at stake?  Are lives at risk?

Patriarchs

Counter-point… Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Job? Ecclesiastes? Theological Crisis: How do we start again? How did we get here? Origins Post-Exile Creation First Family Exodus Genealogies Moses / Sinai Flood Tower of Babel Giving of the Law

Judges 1250-1000 United Kingdom 1000-922 Divided Kingdom 922-722

Exiles Assyria Northern Kingdom 722

Persian Period Babylon Southern Kingdom 586/7

Deuteronomic Response: We did not obey God, worshipped other gods, is there hope?

Deuteronomic History Deuteronomy – 2 Kings Conquest United Divided Settlement Monarchy Monarchy ~1250 1000-922 North / South

Beyond Periphery

Home

Mountain: Periphery: Foreign monsters

justice theodicy shalom righteousness

 Source

criticism  Form criticism  Redaction criticism  Tradition/history criticism  Narrative criticism  Ideological criticism

 Genesis

4:1-16  Genesis 22:1-19  Exodus 33:12-23  Leviticus 10:1-17  Isaiah 58  Amos 5:18-24  Psalm 1



Why are these texts here?



What questions might these text have been answering?

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Are differences in terminology, style, and content between  Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a  Genesis 2:4b – 2:25?

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If so, what are the theological consequences?

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What are responsible or irresponsible uses of Genesis 1-2?

Who was Baal (in Ugarit)?  Struggled

for kingship over the universe  Was the “warrior storm god” whose name means Lord.  Rivals:  Yamm: god of the

Sea  Mot: god of death /

Who was Baal (in Ugarit)? Receives a limited kingship, not one who vanquishes all enemies for all times  Was a relatively weak deity aided in his victories by other deities.  Baal’s rule is in three areas: Cosmic, Human, Nature  Baal’s struggles mirror humanities struggle against an uncertain 

Psalm 104: a wise design w/out enemies Genesis 1: No conflict-creation but “goodness” What “lies beyond”, the Tanninim is transformed Into part of creation Sun, moon, etc. are not Presented as deities, but Rather as part of creation— Genesis 1 shows a displacement Of the traditional conflict Between monsters and the Divine Being

Transformations in The Biblical Text

GENESIS 1      

   

God created, God spoke, God named Orderliness to what was going to happen Creation happened over a period of time “Us” and “our” He created “them” male and female, so God reflects male and female God had forethought because there was a specificity to the creation. He planned for the earth to be self perpetuating He had a preference….and it was good God is relational “us” and “them” and wanting to perpetuate himself Ego-centric: create in his own image Stamps with an imprint of himself, things are regenerative and has the power to produce

GENESIS 2               

Variety, Planted, used his hands, He made, created out of the dirt Creativity Breathed into Adam and he became a living being People were naked and not ashamed Provider Landscaper, gardener, doctor, orchestrator God set boundaries God gave laws and set consequences Social worker / psychologist It is NOT GOOD Self-reflective, Hydraulic engineer Gift giver, master surgeon, administrator, artist