Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Chapter 1 Old Testament Chapter Summary

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary Sacred texts were written in times that are different from our own. To better understand sacred texts it is important to look at the world behind the text, which helps us to understand the historical background to the text. The world of the text helps us to understand the literary style of the text and the world in front of the text which helps us to see how the text engages with contemporary readers.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary Biblical texts can be studied and analysed. An important aspect of studying biblical texts is to find out the genre. Once a genre and its nuances are identified the text can be read effectively.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary In some religious traditions sacred texts are believed to have been inspired by God. The Christian Bible is a collection of books. The Bible is divided into two sections – the Hebrew Scriptures also known as the Old Testament and the Christian Scriptures also known as the New Testament.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary The Hebrew scriptures recount the history of the Hebrew people. For hundreds of years people assumed that Moses had been the author of the Torah or the Pentateuch. They came to this conclusion because there are many instances in the Hebrew scriptures of Moses being commanded by God to write down specific things.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary Scholars such as Richard Simon (1600s), Jean d’Astuc and Julius Wellhausen have suggested that the there were different authors responsible for the construction of the Torah or Pentateuch. Julius Wellhausen suggested that the five books of the Torah or Pentateuch were a combination of four earlier written sources. He labelled these four sources – The Yahwist source (J), the Deuteronomist source (D), the Elohist source (E) and the Priestly source (P). The Yahwist source or ‘Y’ is thought to be the earliest and is named for its use of the term YHWH. The source dates to approximately 950 BCE.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary The Deuteronomist source or ‘D’ is confined to the fifth book of the Pentateuch, the book of Deuteronomy. The source dates to approximately 722 BCE.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary The Elohist Source or ‘E’ is thought to be the second eldest and is named after the term ‘Elohim’ for God. The source dates to approximately 850 BCE. The Priestly source or ‘P’ is identified as priests struggling to live within the late exile or post exile time period. The source dates to approximately 550–450 BCE.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary Chapter 11 of Genesis tells the story of Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 15 records the agreement or covenant between Abraham and God. Abraham is promised a son and land.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary The Torah or Pentateuch also contains the book of Exodus. This book recalls the story of the Hebrews captivity in Egypt and their escape. Chapter 12 of Exodus begins with the Passover and continues through to Chapter 18 with the miraculous crossing of the Sea of Reeds.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Summary There are two version of the miraculous escape through the Sea of Reeds. One version is found in Exodus 15:1–19 where the Egyptian Pharaoh's army is hurled into the sea and they drown. The second version is found in Exodus 13:17–14:31. This version gives greater detail.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Activities 1.Click on the link below to access the cartoon by Baloo. The cartoon depicts the story of Moses and the Hebrews crossing through the Sea of Reeds. From your knowledge of the two stories of the Hebrews crossing the Sea of Reed explain how this cartoon can have both a literal and contextual interpretation. 2.In this chapter the Jewish calendar and festivals have been mentioned. Locate a Jewish calendar and then using a Gregorian Calendar plot when the Jewish festivals will be held in the following year. Do you notice that any of these festivals fall during other religions’ festivals?

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Revision Quiz 1. What is the origin of the word Bible and what does it mean? A Greek word ta biblia meaning ‘the books’. 2. Name the three lenses through which the Bible can be explored and investigated? World behind the text, World of the text, World in front of the text 3. Name the two sections of the Bible. Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament or Christian Scriptures

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Revision Quiz 4. How many books make up the Torah? Five 5. The land we know today as Israel has had many names throughout history. Name these and give the approximate time period. It was Canaan before the beginning of the Israelite State. In the time of the Monarchy it was known as Judah; during the time of the Assyrian invasion the northern kingdom was known as Samaria; and the Persian rulers called Judah the province of Judea. The Greek conquerors called the whole region Palestine.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Revision Quiz 7. Julius Wellhausen in 1883 made a significant finding about the construction of the Pentateuch. Explain his theory. There were at least four sources. This was known as the Documentary hypothesis or the Four Source Theory. 8. Name the four sources of the Four Source Theory. Yahwist source, Deuteronomist Source, Elohist Source, Priestly Source. 9. What are stories about the beginning of the world that have deep religious meaning and use symbols known as? Sacred myths

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Revision Quiz 10. Scholars believe that the story of Noah and the flood is based on an earlier poem. Name this poem and where it is from. The epic of Gilgamesh from Babylon. 11. The story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 15 notes God promising two things to Abraham in exchange for his faithfulness. Name these two things. A son and land. 12. What does the celebration of the Passover remember? The Hebrews escaping Egypt and being pursued by the Pharaoh's army.

Cambridge University Press © Peta Goldburg 2015 Assignment Throughout time artists have taken stories from the Old or New Testament and painted their interpretation of the passage. Select one of the following biblical passages and then locate a painting or sculpture that retells this passage. Passages: Genesis 1 Creation Story, Genesis 2 Creation Story, Noah and the Flood, Moses and the Hebrews crossing the Sea of Reeds. Using the behind the text, world of the text and world in front of the text model, critique the artwork and decide if it is an accurate representation of the biblical passage or an interpretation of the passage by the artist. If it is an interpretation, provide reasons for why the artist has done this.