Engaging the Old Testament
1
What Is the Old Testament
and Why Study It?
• Canon: What is the Bible? • Inspiration: How Was the Bible
Written? • Textual Transmission: How Did We
Get the Bible? • Hermeneutics: How Do We
Interpret the Bible?
The Yorck Project / Wikimedia Commons
Old Testament Classification: ENGLISH
• Law • History • Poetry and Wisdom • Major Prophets • Minor Prophets
Old Testament Classification: HEBREW
• Torah • Former Prophets • Latter Prophets • The Writings
1. Canon: What is the Bible?
• Hebrew — qaneh; Greek — kanon — a reed or measuring stick
• It’s the “standard” for faith and practice.
Tests for Canon
1. Written by a prophet or other Spirit-led person
2. Written to all generations — (relevant to all people throughout all time) — written for vs. written to
3. Written in accord with previous revelation
The Council of Jamnia (ca. AD 90)
2. Inspiration: How Was the Bible Written?
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
See also — 2 Peter 1:20-21
Inspiration
• Divine inspiration allowed for human personality to play a role.
• Implications — First — It means that the Bible is trustworthy.
• Second — It means the Bible is authoritative
3. Transmission: How Did We Get the Bible?
Old Testament Texts
• Masoretic Text • Samaritan Pentateuch • Dead Sea Scrolls • Septuagint • Targums
“Scribes”
• Scribe — “counter” • Torah — 400,945 letters. • Torah — Middle word “inquired” (Leviticus
10:16) • Torah — Middle letter in the Hebrew word
for “belly” in Leviticus 11:42
“Scribes”
• Hebrew • Aramaic — Genesis 31:47b; Ezra 4:8-6:18;
7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11b; Daniel 2:4b-7:28
Semitic Languages
• Ammonite • Ugaritic • Amorite • Aramaic • Hebrew • Phoenician • Akkadian • Moabite • Arabic
4. Hermeneutics: How Do We Interpret the Bible?
Hermeneutics Guidelines
• Use the grammatical-historical method • Understand the context • Determine the type of literature • Interpret figurative language • Let Scripture interpret Scripture • Discover the application to modern life