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Historical BooksThe sixteen historical books of the bible tell the story of God
at work in the history of ancient Israel from the settlement of Canaan to the Kingdom of the Maccabees.
• Divine Warfare– The Idea, unique to the Israelites,
that God will fight not just with them but for them against their enemies
• Cycle of Sin– A series of events that marks the
course of Israel’s response to God and the covenant.
Events in Historical Books
• Return, Restoration & Rededication– Ezra– Nehemiah
• Foreign control and a short period of Independence– 1 Maccabees– 2 Maccabees
• Conquest of Canaan under Joshua, and the leadership of the Joshua and the Judges– Judges as military, conciliatory, and
spiritual leaders– Formation of a tribal confederation.– Miracle of Divine warfare
• Rise of the United Kingdom under King David– King Saul– King David– King Solomon
• Division of the kingdom into Judah (south) and Israel (north). Solomon begins to oppress the people; His son continues the tyranny– A procession of kings both south and
north• Fall of the kingdoms (722 BC & 587
BC)– Destruction of Israel by the Assyrian
Empire– Conquest by and Exile of Judah to
Babylonia
Historical Novels Book of Tobit
God saves the righteous Book of Esther
Divine providence Book of Judith
Courage is rewarded
Archeology
• Conquest & Settlement– Major Upheaval in Middle East about
1200 BC– Dark Age followed
• Exile– Signs of absence of activity in
Jerusalem
Prophetic Books• 18 books of the Old Testament that contain the sermons, dreams and visions of
the prophets of God. Prophets were messengers of God that worked to keep the people (king) faithful to the covenant.
• These writing prophets are known as latter prophets; The accounts of the former prophets are recorded in the historical books. Former prophets include Samuel, Elijah & Elisha
• The terms major and minor refer to the length of the writings of the latter prophets, not the importance of the prophet or his message.
• Major prophets: The major prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah ,Ezekiel and Daniel The book of the prophet Isaiah is the longest prophetic book and was probably written by three different writers, Isaiah, Deutero-Isaiah and third Isaiah. The book of Lamentations is included in this section.
• Minor prophets: Include Micah, Amos, Hosea, Habakkuk, Haggai, Zechariah, Jonah, Obadiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, Joel & Nahum
• Baruch and Lamentations are prophet related writings
The Marks & Roles of the Prophets• Keep the people and the king
faithful to the covenant– Spiritual Warrior: make sure
the king and people were obeying the Law of Moses
– Messenger of God: Spoke the words of God
– Social Revolutionary: Spoke out against social injustices
• Call Narrative: – Mysterious setting– God initiates– Resistance to the call– God reassures– Mission is given & accepted
• Popularity– Most of the prophets were
not popular with the officials of the state or the people because they told the truth about their sinful actions
• Jeremiah
Message of the Prophets• Form:
– An Oracle• A message given in the words of God; Prefaced with “Thus
says the Lord”, Uses the pronoun “I”
– Paraphrase by the prophet• Expression:
– Prophecy of Doom
This message was a warning of the disaster that would follow if the King and the people did not change their evil ways– Prophecy of Encouragement
This message offered hope for the future if the King and the people changed their evil ways.
How?
Message of the Prophets
– Idolatry• Worshipping false gods• Putting faith in others rather than Yahweh
– Social Injustice• Oppressing the poor• Adultery• Lying• Cheating• Stealing• Murder• Any practice that took away the human rights of another
Why?
• Unfaithfulness to God’s Covenant
Why do we read about the prophets?Something to think about!
• What do the accounts of the Old Testament prophets tells us about God’s relationship with humankind?
• Do the messages of the prophets still speak to us today?
• If God sent a prophet to speak to us today what would he say to us?
Types & Focus
• Types of Literature
– Wisdom Literature
– Apocalyptic* Literature
*revelatory- reveals a hidden message.
Ex. “Book of Daniel”
• Focus– God’s Creation
– Natural Laws
– Meaning of Life
– The Future
Wisdom Literature• What is it?
– Collections of wise sayings, proverbs, and short stories that offer insights into the proper way to live. Prayers & songs for worship
• When was it written?– During and after the Exile
• What is the core, or central idea of wisdom?– “Fear of the Lord”– God as Creator deserves respect and love
Themes & Styles• 2 Main themes
– God is Creator/ We are creation– Faith comes from rational thinking in addition to
revelation• Styles
– Wise sayings– Teachings of sages (wise men) – Poetry– Moral play
• Technique– Contrast between wise and foolish man
Wisdom Books
Affirmation of the beauty of love and the goodness of human sexuality
God is beyond human knowledge and that some
things will never be understood, including
suffering.
Psalms
Book OfJob
Sirach
Wisdom
Song of
Songs
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Used for praying in ancient times and today
Reflects the love between God and Israel AND later, Jesus and the church
Short, wise sayings