1. THE OLD TESTAMENT IN REVIEW

2. THE TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
24 books in the Hebrew Bible; 39 books in the Protestant OT.
The Protestant OT doesn’t include the books called the “Apocrypha” because the Hebrew Bible doesn’t include them.
Written primarily in Hebrew with some passages in Aramaic
Some writers are known (Moses, David, Solomon) but others are not
While there is no one “theme”, there is a “forward- looking” aspect to many of the books.

3. THE TRANSMISSION OF THE OT
REVELATION RECORDING THE REVELATION
TORAH (PENTATEUCH)
PROPHETS
WRITINGS
TRANSMITTING THE REVELATION
SEPTUAGINT DEAD SEA MASORETIC
(OT IN GREEK) SCROLLS (HEBREW) TEXT (HEBREW)
(+/- 250 BCE) (+/- 200 BCE) (+/- 500 CE)

4. THE CANON OF THE OT: THE HEBREW CANON
TORAH: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
THE PROPHETS
Early: Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings
Latter: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the “12” (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)
THE WRITINGS: Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Songs (Solomon), Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1&2 Chronicles

5. THE CANON OF THE OT: PROTESTANT (Same books; different order)
THE PENTATEUCH: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
HISTORY: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
POETRY AND WISDOM: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
THE PROPHETS:
Major: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

6. THE OLD TESTAMENT AS HISTORY
Deals with the time from creation to the beginning of the period called the Restoration of Israel (about 400 BCE)
The OT contains history told from a religious point of view that deals with God’s dealings with Hebrews and with the nation of ancient Israel.
Dating of the earliest events is problematic; there is more certainty starting with the history of Abraham (about 2000BCE).
Much of OT history can be corroborated by archeology, but much cannot.

7. OT CHRONOLOGY
The period of beginnings (Creation to ca BCE): Genesis 1-11
Creation
The flood
The tower of Babel
The patriarchal period (ca BCE)
Genesis 12-50
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
The period of the exodus (ca – 1250? BCE)
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Moses
The Red Sea, Sinai and the Covenant
The journey to Canaan
The period of the conquest (ca ? BCE)
Joshua

8. The period of the return and restoration (538-ca. 400 BCE)
The period of the judges (ca BCE)
Period of transition from tribal rule to monarchy
The United Kingdom (ca BCE)
Saul
David
Solomon
The Divided Kingdom ( BCE)
Two separate kingdoms divided by civil war
The Northern Kingdom (Israel) ( BCE)
The Southern Kingdom (Judah) ( BCE)
The period of the Babylonia Exile (605?-539 BCE)
Hebrew leaders taken to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians
The period of the return and restoration (538-ca BCE)
Jews allowed to return to Israel after the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians
Zerubabel
Ezra
Nehemiah

9. THE OLD TESTAMENT AS PROMISE
Part of the OT is prophecy and promise
Some prophecies spoke of the coming of a messiah
The promises began in the garden of Eden:
Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
The coming king
Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,

10. PRINCIPLE RELIGIOUS THEMES
The sovereignty of God over all of creation and history
The power of God to intervene in history
The revelation of God for the purpose of redemption
The love and justice of God
The covenants of God
The promises of God