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The Bible as Literature

The Bible as Literature. The Bible in the West includes the Hebraic and Christian scriptures, respectively the Old and New Testaments. Jews accept the Old Testament as their foundational text. Christians broaden that outlook to include both the Old and New Testaments. .

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The Bible as Literature

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  1. The Bible as Literature

  2. The Bible in the West includes the Hebraic and Christian scriptures, respectively the Old and New Testaments. • Jews accept the Old Testament as their foundational text. • Christians broaden that outlook to include both the Old and New Testaments. What Makes Up The Bible?

  3. Accepting the scriptures as the revealed word of the Lord is a matter of faith, and systematic analysis of the scriptures is theological interpretation, which results in a code of beliefs called religion.

  4. Even if divinely inspired (“The Word of God) the Bible is still a product of human beings written for human audiences. The book is a collection of writings produced by real people who lived in actual historical times. 1.What does it mean to read the Bible “as literature”?

  5. Came from a variety of social positions and professions: Kings Shepherds Doctor A Tax Collector Fishermen The Authors

  6. CONTENTS OF THE BIBLE --The Bible is the common heritage of us all, whatever our religious beliefs. --The Bible contains various literary forms written for a variety of purposes: It contains genealogies, laws, letters, royal decrees, instructions for building, prayers, proverbial wisdom, prophetic messages, historical narratives, tribal lists, archival data, ritual regulations, and information about personal problems Poetry-Prayers-Short Stories- Novels- Gospels

  7. Each Bible story has CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE • Aeitiological • Charter • Instructional

  8. AEITIOLOGICAL • Explains how concrete ‘objects’ or abstract ‘concepts’ that exist in the world came to be. • Concrete (Physical) things: Sun, Rain, Bears • Abstract (Conceptual) things: Justice, Sin, Shame

  9. CHARTER • Explains how religious rites, rituals and ceremonies came into existence. • Marriage • Bar Mitzvah • Baptism • Sacrifice • Circumcision

  10. INSTRUCTIONAL • Teaches a community or individuals how to behave appropriately • Obey God • Obey your elders • Don’t sleep with your brother’s wife • Don’t drink water that has a dead moose in it

  11. The structure --The Bible as an anthology--a set of selections produced over a period of some one thousand years. *The Old Testament (39 books) *The New Testament (27 books) 2.What is the Bible about?

  12. *The Old Testament (39 books) timeline: creation of the universe and of mankind to the end of BC subject: history of Israel original language: Hebrew *The New Testament (27 books) timeline: AD to the end of the world subject: life of Jesus original language: Greek

  13. OLD TESTAMENT • Pentateuch • Historical Books • Wisdom Books • Prophetic Books An Overview of the Major Parts of the Bible--Each with its Distinctive Literary Features:

  14. NEW TESTAMENT • The Gospels (Historical and Wisdom) • Travel Literature (Historical) • Epistolary Literature (Historical) • Apocalyptic Literature (Prophetic)

  15. Called the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), also called the Torah by the Jews, contain numerous literary forms: • In Genesis, the story of Creation is a literary catalogue distinguished by classification and division and by incremental repetition. The Pentateuch

  16. The Pentateuch, continued:contain numerous literary forms: • In Genesis Continued: In the first stage or day of Creation, the narrator recounts that God created light, divided it from darkness, and classified the light as day and the darkness as night. • The narrator follows the same pattern in describing subsequent days of Creation. Accordingly, God separates the earth from the sea, then creates the respective creatures dwelling on land and in the water.

  17. Test Items/Characters - Old Testament “Creation” – numbers (next lecture) “In the Garden”- Adam and Eve “The First Murder” – Cain and Abel “The Great Flood” – Noah and symbols “Babel” – Theme “Abraham: A Promise and a Test”- Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, Holy Messenger

  18. Test Items Continued • “Jacob”- (also known as Israel), Isaac, Esau • “Joseph” – Dreams, Joseph, Coat of many colors • “Moses: The Calling” – Moses, Aaron, Burning bush, numbers • “Moses: Challenging Pharaoh” – the Plagues, Passover, Red Sea, Miracles in the Desert

  19. Test Items • “Samson”- Samson and Delilah • “David” – David, Goliath, Bathsheeba • “Jonah”- Numbers, Symbols, • “Job”- Theme, Theodicy, Comforters • “Daniel”- Daniel, Darius, Dreams, Symbols

  20. Story of Adam and Eve in the Garden • Remember to use images- • Do NOT use many words in your presentation

  21. Archetypal Message/Theme/Lesson Three Major Themes: Man can be easily tempted toward Sin. Man must know his place before God and show appropriate deference for authority. Disobedience is punished!

  22. The Hero, Temptress, The Outcast The Caretaker Archetypal characters

  23. Archetypal images/symbols/settings • Paradise • The Apple • Serpent

  24. Cultural significance • The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden is Aetiological helping to explain how sin and temptation came into the world. • This is also a charter story that helps to explain marriage. • Finally, the story is instructional in that it teaches human beings subservience to God.

  25. “The Great Flood” • Similar to the Gilgamesh narrative. • Differs in the motivation behind the cause. • Differs in the construction. • The pattern of God’s judgment and mercy.

  26. Noah tested in the flood. Abraham tested when God commands him to sacrifice Isaac. As protagonists in the stories of Genesis, the patriarchs by their trials, sufferings, and eventual triumph resemble heroes in literature. Genesiscontains the recurrent literary theme describing a trial or test during which the characters exercise the virtues of faith and obedience.

  27. Aetiological- And so Yahweh scattered them upon the face of the Earth, and confused their languages, and they left off building the city, which was called Babel "because Yahweh there confounded the language of all the Earth."(Genesis 11:5-8). The Tower of Babel

  28. When God speaks in this story, He uses the phrase, "let us go," referencing the trinity (3). • God says in Genesis 11:6, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." (NIV) • God realizes that when people are unified in purpose they can accomplish impossible feats, both noble and ignoble. This is why unity in the body of Christ is so important.

  29. Some scholars believe that this marks the point in history where God divided the earth into separate continents. • To build, the people used brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar. They used "man-made" materials, instead of more durable "God-made" materials. The people were building a monument to themselves, to call attention to their own abilities and achievements, instead of giving glory to God.

  30. The Child of Promise Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael

  31. Known  called the father of the Jews and is considered the founder of the Jewish religion. He was the first to believe in one all-powerful God instead of many gods. Christians and Muslims also honor Abraham and trace their belief in one God back to him. Progenitor of the three major Western Religions. Abraham

  32. (These came after Isaac and Ishmael)

  33. Ishmael Isaac • Son of Abraham and Hagar • Known as “the Outcast” • Muslims believed that he is the ‘sacrificial’ son as he was Abraham’s only child for 13 years. • Becomes the progenitor of Arabs and is an ancestor of Mohammad. • Son of Abraham and Sarah • His son is Jacob who will become known as Israel and whose 12 sons will become the 12 tribes of the Jews. • Because he was born to a sterile mother (Sarah) he is seen as an example of God’s providing for a savior. Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael

  34. Theodicy- The problem of evil. Why does evil exist in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people? Job’s ‘comforters’- Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar Schadenfreude- taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others. God as judge, and the adversary (satan) “Job”

  35. The Book of Job extols an exemplar of faith and fortitude who is beset by one misfortune after another. Urged by his wife to renounce the Lord, who is perceived as having unjustly punished one of his faithful servants, Job enhances his fortitude and affirms his faith despite intense suffering. The Book of Job

  36. Urged by friends to accept blame for the disasters of his life—thus allowing them to maintain a sense of order in the universe. Calls for a conference with God. Gets no answer, but is responded to by the Lord Himself. In the course of suffering, Job becomes humble, learns the limitations of human intelligence in probing the mystery of God, and marvels at the higher wisdom of the Lord that humankind can never fully comprehend.

  37. Numbers in the Bible have deep spiritual and symbolic significance. Although the books of the Bible have multiple authors, there seems to be a remarkable consistency with number symbolism throughout the Bible from “Genesis” to “Revelation” Numbers reference both Good and Evil. NUMBERS IN THE BIBLE

  38. Important recurring numbers and their meaings in the bible • 1-Beginning, First • 2- Witness, Separation • 3- The Godhead, Trinity • 4- Earth, Creation • 6- Man, Beast, Satan • 7- Perfection, Completeness • 10- Law, Government, Restoration • 12- Divine government, Apostles • 13- Rebellion, apostacy • 30- Consecration, maturity • 40- Trial, Test, Probation • 75- Separation, cleansing • 666- Antichrist, Satan, the damned triplicate

  39. Important recurring numbers • THREE-Trinity, “Let us go” in Babel, Noah had 3 sons, Jonah in Fish, 3 comforters, 3 wise men, Jesus in tomb Peter’s denial, 3 patriarchs of Judaism, • FOUR-Creation, (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water) Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Gospels

  40. Important recurring numbers • SEVEN- Perfection, Combination of God +creation including mankind. 7 days and nights in Genesis, in Noah, in Joseph,7 years of plenty, (Jesus-77th in line from Adam). • TEN- 10 commandments, 10 plagues, (10 generations between Adam and Noah; Noah and Abraham.)

  41. Important recurring numbers • TWELVE- 12 sons of Jacob (Israel) become the 12 Tribes of the Jews, 12 apostles; (12 days of Christmas). • FORTY-40 days and nights of rain, 40 years in the desert (Israel), 40 days and nights (Jesus), 40 days after the resurrection before the ascension.

  42. BIRTH and NATIVITY • “Where is he who has been born king?” MINISTRY and MIRACLES • “Is this not the Carpenter?” • “The Sermon on the Mount” • “Parables” DEATH AND RESURRECTION • “Last Days in Jerusalem” • “The Tomb is Empty” THE NEW TESTAMENT

  43. Jesus- as Man, as God Mary- Mother of God Joseph- Jesus’ human father Herod- tries to kill Jesus Peter- denies Jesus at his death Judas- betrays Jesus Thomas- doubts the resurrection Characters from the new testament

  44. Instructional stories meant to reveal a truth or teach a lesson. Sometimes confusing and ambiguous. “The Good Samaritan” “Prodigal Son” “The Great Supper” “The Lost Sheep” “The Lost Coin” Parables

  45. Among the historical books of the Bible, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles predominate. • They are part of the Jewish scripture called the Nebim (the prophets) • Officially in the Jewish tradition there are two subsections • The former prophets—from the entrance to Canaan to the Babylonian captivity. • The later prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the 12 minor prophets. • They describing the roles of kings and prophets among the Chosen People and the evolution of a nomadic community into a political and military kingdom in the land of Canaan. Historical Books

  46. Emphasized are the first monarchies of Saul and David, the histories of various kings, and the grandeur of their temporal realms. • More important is the role of the prophets as spokespersons of the Lord. • Inveighing against monarchs and the people for their periodic lapses in fidelity to the Lord, the prophets uphold the expectations of the Lord in the midst of a community whose majority, at times, becomes wayward. Historical Continued

  47. The histories of the kings are presented in accord with the literary form of the exemplum, an example or “case study.” The kings who are faithful to the Lord thrive, whereas the unfaithful sovereigns are punished, even to the extent of being defeated by their enemies in battle. When impelled by vainglory and by lusts (materialistic or carnal), the kings are self-indulgent. Literary Form of Narrative

  48. In line with the literature of didacticism, these books teach readers clear-cut lessons concerning one's relationship with the Lord, the virtues to be imitated and the vices to be shunned, the importance of fidelity to the Lord and his heavenly realm, and the dangers of inordinate attachment to worldly pleasures and possessions. Literary Form of Narrative

  49. Thus, the prophets, in contrast to the kings, are self-disciplined, abstemious, and humble. Such a state of purgation and purity readies them to accept and disseminate the word of the Lord.

  50. Among the so-called Wisdom Books, the most often cited are Job, Psalms, Proverbs (also known as a Book of Wisdom), and The Song of Songs. • In the Jewish tradition these are contained in the Kethubim (the Writings) • The collective wisdom of these books instructs people concerning the adversities of life and the means to withstand and overcome them. • In short, the Wisdom Books stress fortitude and faith in the Lord in the present life so that one may be rewarded. Wisdom Books

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