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CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5. THE TORAH: FIVE BOOKS OF DIVINE TEACHING. S. L. Harris, Understanding the Bible . Seventh Edition, pp. 86-143. Five Books of Divine Teaching/Torah/Pentateuch : - Contains the law or divine teaching that Yahweh gave to Israel through Moses: - Genesis ; - Exodus ;

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CHAPTER 5

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  1. CHAPTER 5 • THE TORAH: FIVE BOOKS OF DIVINE TEACHING

  2. S. L. Harris, Understanding the Bible. Seventh Edition, pp. 86-143.

  3. Five Books of Divine Teaching/Torah/Pentateuch: - Contains the law or divine teaching that Yahweh gave to Israel through Moses: - Genesis; - Exodus; - Leviticus; - Numbers; and - Deuteronomy.

  4. Exodus: - The heart of the Torah; - Tells the story of how Yahweh rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, led them to Mount Sinai, and bound Israel to himself in a sacred covenant; - In return, Israel promises to recognize Yahweh only as God and to do all that Yahweh commands (Exod 20.1- 6); - The Mosaic Covenant; - Yahweh is the hero of the Book of Exodus and, in fact, the rest of the Torah.

  5. I. Who Wrote the “Books of Moses”? (Textbook, pp. 87-103) Difficulties with positing Moses as the author of the Torah;

  6. DOCUMENTARY HYPOTHESIS (see pp. 89-95): - J (YAHWIST); - E (ELOHIST); - D (DEUTERONOMIST); and - P (PRIESTLY WRITER); - R. E. FRIEDMAN, WHO WROTE THE BIBLE? 1987.

  7. DOCUMENTARY HYPOTHESIS (contd.): • Four main sources for the Pentateuch/Torah: • - The YAHWIST (J); begins with Story of Creation, Gen 2.4b-25; • - ELOHIST (E); begins with the Story of Abraham; • - DEUTERONOMIST (D); especially the Book of Deuteronomy; and • PRIESTLY DOCUMENT (P); begins with a Story of Creation (Gen 1.1-2.3) in six days and rest on the seventh. • - The Books of the Torah/Pentateuch have multiple authorship and a long history of editorial revisions;

  8. The Pentateuch’s final redactor/editor skillfully integrated JE, D, and P into a rich narrative; (SEE J. H. HAYES, INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE, Chart 7, p. 245.)

  9. THE DEUTERONOMISTIC HISTORY: - The narrative books of JOSHUA to KINGS; - composed during the time of JOSIAH (640-609 B.C.E.)

  10. The PROPHETS, e.g., ISAIAH, JEREMIAH: - collections of saying not written down immediately but collected by literate disciples of the prophets at a later date;

  11. THE WRITINGS (KETHUVIM): - an anthology of post-exilic (after 538 B.C.E.) Hebrew literature;

  12. Binding Element in the Torah/Pentateuch: - Yahweh’s unsolicited promises to Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Rachel (and Leah); - The divine promises are grouped together in Genesis 12-50: - Six components: - Yahweh vows to give Abraham and/or his grandson Jacob: 1) a son; 2) descendants; 3) his presence; 4) land; 5) blessing; and 6) covenant. (See Textbook, pp. 96-98.)

  13. The divine promises shape not only the Pentateuch’s general structure but also the Deuteronomistic History that follows; (Deuteronomistic History: Joshua; Judges; 1 and 2 Samuel; and 1 and 2 Kings (The Former Prophets) - we will do this later.)

  14. Some Literary Forms/Genrein the Torah/Pentateuch (See Textbook, pp. 98-101): - Narrative; - Etiology; - Itinerary; - Genealogy; - Cult Legend; and - Legal Codes.

  15. Questions: • 1. Do the five “Questions for Review” on pp. 101-102 in the Textbook. • Do the two “Questions for Discussion and Reflection” on p. 102 of the Textbook. • Please pay attention to “Terms and Concepts to Remember on p. 102.

  16. II. Genesis (pp. 103-117): - The book is organized into three general parts: - 1) Chs. 1-11: primeval history; - 2) Chs. 12-36: Patriarchal and Matriarchal stories; - 3) Chs. 37-50: the story of Joseph and his brothers; - The book begins with the creation of the world and ends with the Israelites, few in number and settled in Egypt, far from their Promised Land.

  17. 1) The Primeval History (Genesis 1-11): - Read Gen 1.1-2.4a: Priestly account of creation; - Read Gen 2.4b-25: Yahwistic account of creation. - The Priestly account of creation and Enuma Elish (pp. 39, 60, 73, 78 in Textbook) - A comparison of the Priestly and Yahwistic accounts of creation. - See Figure 5.2 (p. 105 in Textbook): an artistic re-creation of the ancient biblical view of the universe.

  18. - Read Gen 6.5-8.22: The Composite J-P Flood Story; (See Box 3.1 “Excerpts from the Mesopotamian Flood Story In the Gilgamesh Epic,” pp. 52-53 in Textbook); The Flood Story, pp. 107-108 in Textbook.

  19. Genesis 9: - Presents the postdiluvian world as a new beginning for humanity (compare Gen 1.28 with 9.7); - God institutes the first of the Biblical Covenants (see “Covenant”, G-9); - The Covenant with Noah and his descendants is universal and it includes all humans Gen 9.8-17); Gen 10.1-32: the Table of Nations: - The genealogies of Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; - A background of world history for the call of Abraham (Genesis 12).

  20. 2) Stories of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs/Israel’s Ancestors (Genesis 12-36): - The cycle of disparate tales involving the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs is unified by the theme of God’s promises (see, Textbook, pp. 108-112; for promises see pp. 96-98). - Abraham and Sarah; - Isaac and Rebekah; - Jacob and Rachel (and Leah).

  21. The Ancient Near East.

  22. - Abraham’s Call and Migration (Gen 11.27-12.9) - Abraham and Hagar and their Son Ishmael (Genesis 16); - Abraham and Sarah and the birth of Isaac (Gen 18.1-15, 21.1-8); - Abraham’s debate with God: the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18.16-19.29); - Lot and his daughters and the birth of Moab and Ammon (Gen 19.30-38);

  23. Gen 18.16-19.29: Sodom and Gomorrah; Gen 19.30-38: Birth of Moab and Ammon.

  24. Church of St. George in Jordan in which the Madaba Mosaic Map is located

  25. Madaba Mosaic Map

  26. - Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24); - Birth of Esau and Jacob (Gen 25.19-26); - Jacob will become the father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel; - Esau is Edom (Gen 25.30).

  27. - Jacob and Rachel (and Leah): - Jacob and Leah (Gen 29.23-25); - Jacob and Rachel (Gen 29.28); - and the handmaids: - Bilhah (Gen 30.1-8); and - Zilpah (Gen 30.9-13); - Jacob’s 11 sons (Gen 29.31-30.24) and Benjamin (35.16-18); - The 12-Tribe Pattern of the Israelite Confederacy; - and God’s Promises (See Textbook, pp. 96-98)?

  28. 3) Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 37-50): - Joseph in Egypt. The Book of Genesis begins with the creation of the world and ends with the Israelites, few in number and settled in Egypt, far from their Promised Land.

  29. Do “Questions for Review”, pp. 115-116, and “Questions for Discussion and Reflection” on p. 116 of Textbook; Pay attention to “Terms and Concepts to Remember”, p. 116.

  30. III. Exodus: - The promises (see pp. 96-98 in Textbook) to Abraham begin to be fulfilled. - Outline: 1) Hebrews in Egypt (Ch. 1); 2) Story of Moses (Chs. 2-6); 3) Yahweh’s war against Pharaoh and the institution of the Passover (chs. 7-13); 4) The miraculous sea crossing and desert wanderings (Chs. 14-18); 5) The Sinai theophany and ratification of the Mosaic Covenant (Chs. 19-24, 32-34);

  31. 6) Instructions for the Tabernacle Cult (Chs. 25-31, 35-40). See map in Textbook, Fig. 5.6, p. 125.

  32. - The problem of historicity of the events described in Exodus (see Textbook, pp. 118-119). - Literary sources of Exodus (see Textbook, p. 119): - the Yahwist; - the Elohist; - the Priestly; and even - the Deuteronomist strands are interwoven.

  33. Read in the Book of Exodus: - The theophany of the bush (3.1-6); - Yahweh, the divine name (3.13-15; 6.2-4); - The divine commission (3.7-12); - The theophany at Sinai (19.1-25); - The Ten Commandments (20.1-17); - The Covenant Code (20.22-23.33); - See especially, 23.10-29: A Cultic Calendar; and - The conclusion of the Covenant (23.20-33).

  34. St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai.

  35. Saint Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai.

  36. Steps leading from St. Catherine’s Monastery to the top of Mount Sinai.

  37. Church of the Holy Trinity at the Peak of Mount Sinai.

  38. Cultic Calendar (23.10-19): • V. 12: The Observance of the Sabbath; • V. 14: Three Festivals: • V. 15: Feast of Unleavened Bread; • V. 16: The Festival of Harvest, that is, the Festival of Weeks or Pentecost; • V. 16: The Festival of Ingathering or the Festival of Booths. • (See Exodus 34.18-26; Lev 23.1-44; Deut 16.1-17).

  39. - See map in Textbook, Figure 5.6, p. 125: possible routes of the Hebrews across the Sinai Peninsula, from Egypt to the Promised Land.

  40. Questions on Exodus, pp. 128-129 in Textbook: • Do Questions 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8 plus:. • 2. What is the connection between the tenth plague, the angel of death, and the Passover meal? How does Yahweh rescue Israel at the Great Sea? • 4. Describe clearly the contents of the “Cultic Calendar” of Exodus 23.10-19. • Why does Exodus contain two distinct versions of the revelation of the Divine name to Moses (Exodus 3 and 6)? • “Questions for Discussion and Reflection”, p. 119, and • “Terms and Concepts To Remember”, p. 129.

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