What does the Pentateuch record?
the birth of God's people
Why are the historical books important?
1. historical content they cover 800 years 2. for what they teach theologically they describe Israel's history they are God's word today for all Christian believers
How do the historical books begin?
by describing Israel's conquest of the promised land
What is the beginning of the historical books?
Joshua
After describing Israel's conquest of the promised land, what happens next according to the historical books?
it talks about the time before Israel had kings judges ruled the people Judges, Ruth it talks about the monarchy
The united kingdom of Saul, David and Solomon divided into what?
Israel to the north Judah in the south
How is history retold from a later theological perspective?
through Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah
Esther illustrates the role of God's people under what?
Persian rule
Why does the church affirm the value of the historical books?
for teaching rebuking correcting training in righteousness
What history do the historical books trace?
God's relationship with his people
What do the historical boooks reveal about God?
it reveals His faithfulness and steadfast love for his people
Why was the historical book of Joshua written?
to show the surpassing value of obedience it paints the picture of Israels; conquest of the promised land it shows the importance of absolute commitment to God's word & dependence on His power
What does the book of Joshua portray?
the times Israel was faithful and obedient to God's call
What does Judges relate to us?
the almost hopeless state of Israel after the conquest
Israel seemed incapable of what?
sustained periods of obedience to God's will
Why was Judges written?
to vindicate Israel's need for a king
Why is Ruth inserted after the book of Judges?
because it details events that took place during the judges period
What does Ruth illustrate?
God's sovereign care for faithful individuals
What did God use the faithfulness of 1 family for?
1. to work a miracle 2. to provide Israel's greatest king, David
What do the books of Samuel trace?
the early history of Israel's monarchy
Who was Samuel?
he was a prophet and judge he led Israel thru the transition from judges to kings
What story do the books of Samuel tell us?
it tells the stories of Israel's first two kings Saul & David
What book describes the major events of David's kingship?
Second Samuel
What does the book of Kings detail?
the history of the monarchy from Solomon to the fall of Jerusalem
What does the book of Kings contrast, and why?
obedience and disobedience to illustrate the results of both
How did the kingdom become divided , Israel to the north, and Judah to the south?
Solomon failed to remain faithful to God
What books form the first commentary about the Scriptures?
the Books of Chronicles
What do the Books of Chronicles retell?
the stories of David, Solomon, & the kingdom of Judah
What events do the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah present?
the restoration in the middle of fifth century b.c. the Jews living in Babylonia were allowed to return to their homeland to rebuild
Who helped the Jewish people rebuilt the temple & walls of Jerusalem?
Ezra, Nehemiah and certain prophets
What else do the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah relate?
the social and religious foundations of God's people
What does the Book of Esther demonstrate?
how God's sovereign care and protection extend to His people even while they are in Persian exile
What is the Book of Esther about?
it is a historical short story about Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai
Why is the Book of Esther unlike any other book?
it shows that even when God is silent, He is at work fulfilling His promises to his people
Why is God sovereign over human history?
because God created time and space
Most religious expression in the ancient Near East was what?
mythological
How did ancient peoples express their theological convictions and worldviews?
through elaborate myths important events took place outside of history
Most holy books of world religions are collections of what?
wisdom religions & religious aphorisms
How did Israel see its national history?
as an arena for divine revelation
God's word for the world is largely a narrative for what?
His relationship with one nation His plan for establishing a relationship with all mankind
What was the primary means of God's revelation?
history
What was the first nation to give great attention to the recording of history?
Israel
Who was deemed "the Father of History" for his history of the Greek and Persian wars?
Heroditus
What features does he Bible have that we know relate to history?
cause-and-effect connections, continuous narration, fully developed characterization
For who was history important?
for Jewish and Christian canons
the Christian canon separates and groups together what?
all the historical books
these historical books narrate what?
Israel's history from a religious viewpoint
According to the Jewish canon, what are the "Former Prophets?"
Joshua Judges Samuel Kings
What is prophecy concerned with?
obedience in time and space, in the here and now
Why does prophecy look to the covenants of the past?
to interpret their significance for the present & future
What uses history to tie the past & the present
the prophecy
Why are the historical books of the Jewish canon called the "Former Prophets?"
they narrate the nation's reaction to the covenant thru its history they relate the early history of prophecy they write the national history in light of theological and prophetic interests
The historical books present Israel's history from what point of view?
prophetic point of view
Who does Jewish tradition credit with writing some of the historical books?
Samuel for Judges Jeremiah for I Kings
What historical books are "Former Prophets" & historical books in the Christian canon?
Joshua Judges Samuel Kings
The Bible writes history from what perspective?
religious perspective
What is Heilsgeschichte, or salvation history?
these are supernatural divine revelations in time and space they are recorded in scripture to promote faith
Biblical faith assumes the historocity of what events?
the events that reveal the history of salvation
What does the Bible accept as true?
the events on which the revelation is based the truthfulness of the interpretation of those events
As far as the Bible is concerned , what is an important piece of historical evidence?
the written form itself
What makes it possible to accept the theological assertions in the Bible as true?
the factuality of those events
What is necessary for theological assertions to be true?
historical trustworthiness
If history is not true, then the theology based on that history is what?
human speculation
What type of faith does the Bible express?
a historical` faith
What is the Bible rooted and grounded in?
the historicity of certain past events
What is a necessary ingredient of biblical faith?
historicity
Faith in the Old Testament and New Testament based on?
in terms of past events & the resurection
What are anonymous?
all the historical books
What was used to compile the historical books?
the personal memoirs of Ezra & Nehemiah
Why are the books of Samuel named in his honor?
because he is a central figure in the early sections & his important role in anointing Saul & David
The Book of Joshua is the fulfillment of what?
the promises to the patriarchs
hexateuch prefers to view what as a literary unit?
Genesis and Joshua
Tetrateuch
contains Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers
Deuteronomistic history
comprises Deuteronomy, 2Kings (excluding Ruth)
Who hypothesized the Deuteronomistic History?
Martin Noth in 1943 he tried to answer the question of "What went wrong?"
the Deuteronomist combined several sources into one long document detailing what?
Israel's historical theology
What did the Deuteronomist attempt to interpret and explain?
interpret Isreal's fall in 587 b.c. explain the fall of northern Israel in 722 b.c.
What did the Deuteronomist trace?
the divine punishment of the Israelite kingdom their persistent sin and experiments with idolatry
What question did the Deuteronomist attempt to answer?
What went wrong?
What has won wide scholarly approval?
the Deuteronomistic theology
What was the most significant modification to the Deuteronomistic history?
that there were 2 editors the first editor composed the initial work during the time of Joshua it emphasized the sins of Jeroboam 1 in the northern kingdom & God's choice of David and city of Jerusalem in the south the second Deuteronomist finished work during the exile
Who did the 2nd Deuteronomist blame for Judah's collapse, and how the royal line of David could be dethroned?
Manassah
What is Manassah's role parallel to?
Jeroboam 1 in Israel
according to Noth, what was one of the major themes of the Deuteronomistic History?
its emphasis on the doctrine of blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28
What is Deuteronomy 28 seen as?
the "Bible" for the authors of the historical books
What is foundational for the historical books?
reward for obedience to the covenant punishment for disobedience
What is the "Bible" or phrase book for the Old Testament prophets?
Deuteronomy 32
Why is the Noth-Cross theory of a Deuteronomistic History helpful?
1. the historical books share a theology of retribution based on the Book of Deuteronomy the 4 historical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel & Kings 2. it accentuates the continuity b/w Deuteronomy and the historical books
In the historical books, what illustrates the irreversible loss of disobedience?
the Achan episode in Joshua
What is the recurring cycle of sin and punishment in Judges based on?
deuteronomic theology
What do the Books of Samuel demonstrate?
Saul & David under the blessing, then under the curse
What is the theological explanation for the fall of both kingdoms?
the retribution theory in the Books of Kings
What important laws stand at the center of Deuteronomy and are primary sources for political leadership told in the historical books?
law of the king law of the prophet
What are the difficulties with the theory of the Deuteronomical History?
1. it ignores Deuteronomy's self-claims 2. it ignores the parallels with ancient Near Eastern suzerian treaties 3. many scholars dissect Deuteronomy from the Pentateuch, making it a Tetrateuch, leaving the first 4 books of the Bible in an awkward literary relationship 4. it fails to account for the enormous amount of variety in the historical books 5. The theory of the Deuteronomic History forces an artificial break between Genesis-Numbers and Joshua 6. Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings are different from one another, and require no common author the 4 books have different styles and overall purpose
The theory of the Deuteronomic History forces an artificial break between what books?
between Genesis=Numbers and Joshua
the division between Genesis-Numbers & Joshua denies what?
denies the canonical function of Deuteronomy's authoritative reinterpretation of the first 4 books
the historical books also have what type of importance?
theological
in the oldest Hebrew manuscripts, what are treated as one book?
Ezra and Nehemiah
Joshua shows the value of what?
obedience
Judges tells us what after the conquest?
the near hopelessness of Israel
What does Ruth illustrate?
God's sovereign care for people who are faithful
What does Samuel trace?
the early history of Israel's monarchy
What does Kings tell us?
the history of the monarchy from Solomon to the fall of Jerusalem
What is the first commentary on the Scriptures?
Chronicles
Ezra and Nehemiah present the history of what?
of the restoration in the 5th century b.c.
What book demonstrates how God's sovereign care and protection extend to his people?
Esther
The history of Israel contrasts with what?
the mythological approach found in the rest of the ancient Near East
Who is the author of all the historical books?
it is anonymous
What is a popular theory that the authorship of the historical books?
an anonymous editor combined several sections into one lengthy document of Israel's history
a new consensus sees Chronicles as what?
as the work of a different anonymous author
What supports Chronicles having a different author?
Chronicles follows Ezra-Nehemiah in the Hebrew canon rather than preceding these books as chronological order would dictate
Who most likely wrote Ezra?
because of the first-person accounts, Ezra most likely wrote it compiling it with the memoirs of Nehemiah
Why is Samuel credited with writing Ruth?
because of the similarity of language and content in Ruth, Judges, and Samuel
Who wrote the Book of Esther?
either by: 1. men of the Great Synagogue 2. Mordecai 3. a Persian Jew no later than the middle of the 4th century b.c.
How much time is covered by the historical books?
What is the theological value of the historical books?
Briefly summarize the major theme of each of the historical books
What is the main concern of biblical prophecy as portrayed in the historical books?
How did the Israelites view the concept of history?
Why are the historical books referred to as the "Former Prophets" in the Jewish canon?
From what perspective are historical events recorded in this section of the Bible?
How are historical facts important to the theology of the historical books?
Discus the authorship of the historical books
Explain the Deuteronomistic History and its ramifications for the historical books