The Writings
Kethuvim
Hebrew
Poetry, Wisdom Literature, Festival Scrolls, Sacred History, and an Apocalypse
After the Exile
A Reinterpretation of Judah’s Religious
Mission:
Torah: key theme is Yahweh’s covenantal relationship with
Israel
Prophets: key theme is the deuteronomistic perspective on
Israel’s history
Writings: unlike the thematically-grounded Torah &
Prophets, the Writings present a wide range of viewpoints and literary forms
After the Exile
Religious & Social Reality:
n
The covenant-community
is under foreign domination
n
The “kingdom” under
Davidic kings is replaced by a “theocracy” led by priests
n
Israel’s primary goal
is not political; it is religious
n
Worshiping Yahweh
according to the Torah requirements becomes the “worldview” of the chosen
people
Hebrew Devotional Poetry
The Book of Psalms
n
A collection of 150 poems
n
Composed over a span of 6 centuries
n
Expresses the full range of Israelite religious
experience
n
The Psalms explore the heights and depths of Israel’s
special relationship with Yahweh
Categories of Psalms: Israel’s Dialogue with God
n
Hymns or Songs of Praise (Ps. 8)
n
Psalms of Thanksgiving (Ps. 18)
n
Laments (Ps. 22)
n
Blessing or Cursing (Ps. 1, 137)
n
Royal Psalms (Ps. 2, 72, 110)
n
Enthronement Psalms (Ps. 95)
n
Worship and Instruction (Ps. 33-37)
Wisdom Literature
Three great callings or professions in ancient Israel:
• The
priest: instruction in Torah
• The
prophet: convey Yahweh’s word
• The
sage: provide wise advise
• Proverbs
• Job
• Ecclesiastes
Proverbs
n
Proverbs, in Hebrew, means “statement of truth” or “standard of
appropriate behavior” – the ethical dimension
n
Key theme: the wise
person makes his or her behavior accord with divine law
n
Proverbs are based on
observation and experience
n
Practical wisdom
guides readers towards their proper place in the social & religious order
Job: A Masterpiece of Speculative Wisdom
Presents a Theodicy
= an explanation for evil and suffering in God’s “good” world
n
Explores the issue of
God’s responsibility for evil
n
Job asks, “To what
extent is God morally responsible to protect human beings from undeserved pain
and suffering?”
n
God’s answer: “I am
awesome. Deal with it!”
n
A very
“non-deuteronomistic” answer
Ecclesiastes
n
Skeptical wisdom
n
Struggles with the impossibility of finding meaning
and purpose in life
n
All human endeavor is vanity
n
Two possible solutions:
n Eat,
drink, and be merry
n Fear
God, and keep His commandments
The Festival Scrolls
n
The 5 Festival
Scrolls are used at the 5 principal festivals of the Jewish liturgical year.
n
Each book presents a
different life challenge and suggestions for handling it; in the end, “life is
good.”
n
Unlike the Torah
& Prophets, there are no legalistic absolutes or certainties about the
will of Yahweh.
The Festival Scrolls
n
Ruth = Pentecost =
the harvest festival
n
Song of Songs =
Passover = end of slavery in Egypt
n
Ecclesiastes = Feast
of Booths
n
Lamentations = Fast
of the Ninth of Ab = mourning for the destruction of the Temple in 587 b.e.c.
& 70 c.e.
n
Esther = Purim or
Festival of Lots = deliverance from Persian attack
Daniel: Apocalyptic Literature
n
Hebrew Bible’s only fully apocalyptic work
n
Apokalypsis = a prophetic unveiling of events
surrounding “the end time”
n
Written during the 2nd century b.c.e.
when the Jews were persecuted by Antiochus IV, a brutal Syrian-Greek ruler
Work of the Chronicler
n
Reinterpreting the Deuteronomistic perspective on
the nation’s past.
n
The Chronicler’s viewpoint:
n Israel’s
destiny is not to exercise political power on the world’s stage
n It
is to promote Judaism with ethical and ritual purity
n Key
question: “Is Israel necessary?”
1 & 2 Chronicles:
Sources & Themes
§
Sources: Samuel and
Kings, genealogies, passages from Psalms, & unknown documents (ex. “Annals
of Gad the seer”)
§
David & Solomon
are priest-kings not creators of powerful Israelite empires
§
Their main concern is
maintenance of the Jerusalem Temple
§
Israelite history is
centered on a religious mission that can be carried out regardless of
political fortunes
Ezra & Nehemiah
Ezra
• describes difficult conditions during the
early post-exilic period
• The
Torah is read to the community
Nehemiah
• Originally
combined with Ezra
• Nehemiah
oversees the rebuilding and reorganization of Judah
1 & 2 Chronicles: Last Books in the Hebrew Bible
n
1 Chronicles = retells the story of King David from
a priestly viewpoint
n
2 Chronicles = depicts Solomon’s reign as almost
exclusively focused on religious activity:
n Building
the Jerusalem Temple
n Ends
with King Cyrus’ decree returning all Jews to the Holy Land
The Apocrypha
n
The Hebrew Bible omits 14 books or parts of books
regarded by some Christian churches as part of the Old Testament
n
See Harris, Chapter 7, page 275, Table 7.1 for an
informative chart illustrating the canonical status of the Apocryphal
texts