Ancient Hebrew Literature Background 1

2 So…just who are The Hebrews?

3 “any of the Jewish nation” according to Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary a nation of a religious people originating in Israel

They were established by Abraham, a descendant of Adam… 4

Ok…so now what then is Hebrew Literature? 5

The Bible 6

Christians call it The Old Testament (Ms. Axford calls it The First Testament) 7

Why do we study Ancient Hebrew Literature - or The Bible – in World Literature? 8

It is the single most influential piece of literature in the history of the world. The most distributed and read literature in the history of the world. For many people over history, it was the only literature ever read. 9

What is the Bible? bible – from the Greek word: biblia = a collection of writings 10

3 main sections of The Bible: 1. - The Torah (or Tora) Torah = law The Torah consists of the first five books of The Bible: Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy The Torah includes: *The LAW for the Hebrews *The Story of Creation *Narratives 11

Genesis Comes from the Greek word gignesthai Meaning to be born 12

Literary Types in The Bible Origin myths – found in Genesis Short Stories – found in Ruth Historical accounts – found in Exodus and Samuel Poetry – found in the Psalms Dialogue is found in most of the books. 13

2 – Historical Accounts Including The Book of Samuel Includes: Writings of the prophets The path of justice & faith 14

3 – a variety of works: Poetry – Psalms Short Story – The Book of Ruth Religious Dialogues – The Book of Job 15

Who wrote the Bible? There are several beliefs and theories… 16

Moses some believed Moses wrote the first five books of The Bible The Ten Commandments from Exodus 17

King David some believed David wrote the Psalms 18

Divine Inspiration the belief that man heard the word of God and wrote it down per God’s instruction 19

during the 1800s… different writing styles and content suggest many “authors” wrote The Bible 20

main themes through The Bible The power of God The goodness of God The mercy of God 21

another theme… The covenant between God and Man A covenant which guarantees that God will do His part when the human requirements stipulated in that covenant are met. 22

another theme… *the sinfulness of man and *the forgiveness of God 23

The Bible’s influence… Judaism Islam Christian foundation 24

When was The Bible written? *some believe The Torah dates back to the 10 th Century BCE up to the 5 th Century BCE *written over a period of 500 years 25

We are studying the Jewish Publication Society and the King James versions of The Bible 26

Biblical Archetypes Apple = temptation and seduction Serpent = evil Rainbow = hope Ark = survival Trees = knowledge and life Staff & Rod=comfort&protection 27

Where is Noah’s ark today? Archeologists believe that it is located on Mt. Ararat, in modern-day Turkey 28

Biblical Allusion The liteary term used when a part of The Bible is referred to is called a biblical allusion “Let there be light” 29

a new belief system… monotheism the belief and worship of one God 30

The Bible = A Written Temple 31

a “written temple”… The Bible “housed”(kept safe) Jewish culture and beliefs through all of the attacks on Jews 32

Versions and Translations Translated into Greek, Latin, and every important Western language Christians believe it is the “pre-qual” to the New Testament Martin Luther translated it into German and began the Protestant sect of Christianity King James Version – translated in 1611 – during the time of Shakespeare King James Version has influenced prose and poetry for over 400 years. 33

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One Verse – Many Translations Psalms 23 35

Main Characters Plot sequence Theme(s) Significance of the Story 36

Patriarch 37 A male leader/father-figure in family country community world-wide

Patriarch Examples 38 Who is the male leader/father-figure in family School Chris Mr. Kelly, Shack ChurchFr. Pat CountryPresident Obama

Biblical Patriarch 39 Male Leaders in The Bible: Abraham Moses David