Bible History Notes

Looking at the Bible in three perspectives Literal Literary Myth and Folk stories

Two Sections Old Testament – includes narratives, novellas, songbook, legal codes, national epics, and visions/prophesies. New Testament – includes Gospels (“good news”) of the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, letters that helped to shape Christianity, and more visions/prophesies.

Bible Symbolism Number One – Beginning, God Number Two - Witness, Division Number Three – Complete (Holy Trinity, Animal, Vegetable, Mineral) Number Four - Creation (elements, seasons, directions) Number Six – Man (created on the sixth day, 666) Number Seven - Spiritual Perfection and Revelation (cycles) Number Eight - New Beginnings, Resurrection (circumcision) Number Ten - Perfection of Divine Order (Ten Commandments, Decade) Number Twelve - Perfection of Government (apostles, patriarchs) Number Thirteen - Satan, Rebellion Serpent – evil men, Satan Fire – judgment Locust – destructive power of darkness

Biblical Allusions Cain and Abel – Cain commits the first murder in the Bible. He kills his brother Abel when is accepted by God over Cain. “Cast the first stone” Crucifixion of Jesus David and Goliath – David fights and kills the Philistine champion Goliath even though he is more powerful than he is. “Eye for an eye” Good Samaritan

Holy Grail – the cup that Jesus drank out of at the Last Supper Jonah – in a great storm that he caused he told the men that if he is thrown off the ship that the storm will stop. They try to reach shore, but cannot, so they throw him overboard. The storm calms. Luckily he is swallowed by a great fish. While in the great fish he prays and asks for forgiveness. God accepts and has the fish throw him up. Last Supper Mary Magdalene Mary the Virgin Noah and the flood

Sodom and Gomorrah – cities destroyed by God because of their wickedness. Tower of Babel – tower built to reach the heavens in unity, God observing the humanity of humans confuses everyone and they are unable to finish because they don’t understand anyone anymore. This is said to be the beginning of different languages.

“Genesis” (origin) Begins with the creation 7 days in length (not sure how long a day is at this time period) You can view this as the literal aspect of how God created the world, but most people look at it for the what and the why.

Adam and Eve / The Fall of Man They lived in the Garden of Eden God told them to not eat (forbidden fruit) of the Tree of Knowledge (another famous allusion), but Eve was tempted. The serpent tempted Eve to eat the apple and then she shared it with Adam. Their eyes were opened and they were punished by being kicked out of the Garden of Eden.

The Flood Noah was told by God to build an ark and carry animals two by two to safety from the flood. The evil people were flooded from the earth and then Noah replenished the earth. Compare this to several other flood stories and look at both the similarities and differences.

Literary Device Archetypal setting – a time, place or landscape feature that has similar significance for different people and connects to powerful, universal human experiences.

“The Book of Ruth” Background Naomi loses her husband and sons, so she decides to leave Moab and return to Bethlehem Ruth, her daughter-in-law, follows Naomi and accepts her Jewish ways. Boaz, Naomi’s kinsman, protects Ruth from discrimination since she is a Moabite and considered to be different.

Literary Devices Parallelism – a biblical style that involves stating an idea in the first have of a verse and then, using a similar grammatical structure, repeating, negating, completing, or elaborating on it in the second half. “The man is related to us; he is one of our redeeming kinsman” “what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him…” Theme – central idea of a piece of literature