the composition of the hebrew bible: the old testament

The Composition of the

Hebrew Bible:The Old Testament

TaNaKhThe TaNaKh is the Hebrew acronym which

refers to the Jewish Bible. The Jewish Bible consists of three parts:

Torah (sometimes called the Five Books of Moses)

Nevi’im (the books of the Prophets) Ketuvim (or "Writings")

Evolution of the Torah12th-5th c. bce

Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, DeuteronomyLay SourceJ Source (Jahwist)E Source (Elohist)JE SourceP Source (Priestly)

Lay Source ca.12th-10th C. bce

Earliest datable material: Song of Deborah (Judges 5), Blessing of Jacob (Genesis 49), Song of Miriam (Exodus 15), Prophecies of Balaam (Numbers 22-24)

Some Mosaic material: refers to Moses in 3rd person, the Book of the Covenant including the Ten Commandments

Oral traditions -- "Some of these Old Testament texts preserve living conditions that may be traced back to the historical situation of the tenth century bc.…” confrontation of the nomadic patriarchal society with the agricultural matriarchal society

J Source ca. 950 bce

Core of Genesis, Exodus and Numbers. God is called Jahweh -- "full of joy, confidence and faith”

First version of early Israelite history, probably written during the age of the United Monarchy

Reflects Jerusalem cult -- institutionalized priesthood

E Source: ca. 9th C. bce

Collected oral or written version circulated in Northern Israel.

God is called Elohim.Rejects central monarchy in Jerusalem

and its special priestly caste.

Collation of JE: oldest material in

Genesis, Exodus and Numbers

The Prehistoric Myths of Genesis:

Etiological Stories

stories of origins and causes

existence and knowledge and ethics

The Creation and Fall from Paradise

The Primacy of the Word:Creation by Command

Cain and AbelProhibition against murder

The Flood:cleansing of evil

The Rainbow:symbol of the covenant

between God and mankind

P Source 6th C. bce

Final fixed form of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.

Probably written by group of priests during exile in Babylon, the P source adds: detailed description of wilderness tabernacle in

Exodus all of Leviticus: worship and priesthood rules fragments in Numbers.

Historical Legends:The Patriarchs and

Matriarchs

Terah of Ur

Abram/Abraham

Keturah

Arabs

NahorMilcah Haran

Lot

Sarai/Sarah

Hagar

Ishmael

BedouinsIsaac Rebekah Laban

Esau/Edom

Jacob/Israel

Leah Rachel

Edomites Israelites

Covenant against human sacrifice

Ishmael and Isaac

Abraham and Isaac

Esau and JacobJacob receives the birthright

blessing

Ishmael is sent into exile

Jacob’s Ladder:Jacob

sees the vision of a ladder into

heaven and wrestles with the angel.

Jacob becomes Israel

Dore, Jacob Wrestlling with the Angel

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

Jacob/IsraelLeah RachelZilpah Bilbah

1) Reuben 2) Simeon 3) Levi 4) Judah

9) Issachar 10)Zebulon 11)Dinah

5) Dan 6) Naphtali

7) Gad 8) Asher

12) Joseph 13) Benjamin

Stories of Brothers in Genesis

Cain and Abel

Isaac and Ishmael

Jacob and Esau

Joseph and his Brothers

Abraham:Ur of the Chaldeans Egypt

Canaan

Canaan Egypt Canaan/Israel:The Israelites

EXODUS from Egypt

LEVITICUS: the law

The PentateuchThe Torah

GenesisExodus

LeviticusNumbers

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy: old book found in temple in 622 bce -- caused religious revival and

inspired writing of the history of Israel in Palestine:

Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings.

History finished c. 600-550 bce

D Source and Religious Revival7th-6th c. bce

Teleological Orientation

Teleology: being directed toward a definite end or having an ultimate purpose

Importance of historical consciousness – especially the history of the chosen people of God: the Hebrews and their ongoing relationship with God

Israel evolved from nation ruled by Judges to one ruled by Kings: Saul, David, Solomon

Prophets proclaimed God’s word and operated as voices of conscience to the kings

Lamentations: poetic laments

about the destruction of Jerusalem in 587

bce

Chronicler 4th c. bce

Worked from older sources about the history of Judah:

I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah Completed for small Jewish community

struggling to regroup after Babylonian exile

Song of Songs post-exilic collection of poems dating from the 9th c. bce

and earlier

Prophetic Books 4th C. bce

4 large scrolls Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the 12 lesser Prophets

Collections of sermons gathered by the prophets' disciples

Psalmsdevotional poetry and hymns composed 10th-5th c. bce,

collated in 4th c. bce

Wisdom Literature4th c. bce

Proverbs: Collated 4th c. bce Traditional wisdom sayings Sharp, epigrammatic Widespread throughout the region -- comparable to Egyptian

"Wisdom of Amenemope" Job:

4th C. bce text of older stories Prose introduction and conclusion framing poetic dialogue Prose and poetry by different authors

Ecclesiastes : c. 300 bce

THE CANON 1st c. ce

Many books written from the 4th-1st c. bce leading to much discussion about the "canon." Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs long debated.

Rabbinic Council of Jamnia 90 ad: Set the canonical text of the Hebrew Bible -- accepted as the Old Testament by Christian Churches.

Apocrypha Disputed books that remain part of the traditional literature, but not the

canonical sacred text.

Before ca. 2000 B.C.E. Beginnings ca. 2000-1550 B.C.E. Patriarchs ca. 1550-1300 B.C.E. Bondage in Egypt ca. 1300 B.C.E. Exodus and Covenant Making ca. 1300-1250 B.C.E. Wanderings in the Wilderness ca. 1250 B.C.E. Conquest / Settlement of Canaan ca. 1250-1020 B.C.E. Time of the Judges ca. 1020-922 B.C.E. United Monarchy J/E Source

922-587/586 B.C.E. Divided Monarchy D, history

Israel fell in 722 B.C.E.Judah fell in 587/586 B.C.E. Lamentations

587-539 B.C.E. Exile in Babylon P Source 539-333 B.C.E. Persian Period Chronicler, Prophets, Wisdom, Psalms

333-167 B.C.E. Hellenistic Period Esther, Daniel

167-63 B.C.E. Maccabean (Hasmonean) Period 63 B.C.E. - 135 C.E. Roman Period Canon established

Sources:Beltz, Walter. God and the Gods: Myths of the

Bible. 1975. Trans. Peter Heinegg.NY: Penguin, 1983.

Wright, G. Ernest and Reginald Fuller. The Book of the Acts of God: Contemporary Scholarship Interprets the Bible. 1957. Rpt. NY: Doubleday/ Anchor, 1960.