THE TORAH
Divine Instruction
Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers,
Deuteronomy
THE TORAH
n
Forms the core of biblical religion
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Comprises the divine teaching Yahweh (God) gave to
Israel through Moses
n
Exodus = the heart of the Torah
n
Yahweh binds Israel to Himself through the Covenant
made on Mt. Sinai
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In return, the people are to worship God alone and
obey His commandments
DIVINE PROMISES
n
A son and descendants
n
Divine presence
n
Land
n
Blessing
n
Covenant
… the Torah represents Israelite history as a progressive revelation
of divine will.
The Documentary Hypothesis
n
A scholarly attempt to explain the many repetitions,
contradictions, and abrupt shifts in tone, style, and theological viewpoint
(majority opinion)
n
Other explanations (minority opinions):
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Moses wrote the Pentateuch
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A single priest edits the ancient oral tradition in
the 5th-4th centuries, b.c.e.
The Yahwist Source (J)
n
950 – 850 b.c.e. – written in Judah
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Incorporates ancient oral traditions about human
prehistory and tales of ancestral fathers and mothers
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Uses earthy, anthropomorphic imagery for the divine
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Begins with creation, Gen. 2:4b; uses “Mt. Sinai”
for the covenant mountain
“J” – Some Examples
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Genesis 3:8 = God walks in the garden at the time of
the “evening breeze”
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Genesis 18:23-33 = Abraham barters with God to save
Sodom
n
Genesis 9:18-27 = Noah’s drunkenness
… many scholars believe that the “J” source was written by a woman
The Elohist Source (E)
n
850-800 b.c.e. – written in Israel, the northern
kingdom; Ephraim = key tribe
n
Elohim (God) deals less directly with humans,
through angels and dreams.
n
Concern with moral & ethical issues
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Great heroes of the faith are portrayed as prophets
n
Uses Mt. Horeb instead of Mt. Sinai
“E” – Some Examples
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Genesis 22:1-14 = Abraham’s “almost” sacrifice of
Isaac
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Genesis 28:10-17 = Jacob’s ladder
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Exodus 3:1-6 = Moses and the “burning bush” – angels
are in all 3 stories.
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“JE” editor = the two traditions may have been
“interwoven” after the fall of Northern Kingdom (Israel) in 721 b.c.e.
The Deuteronomist Source (D)
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650-621 b.c.e. –
revised after 587 b.c.e.
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Reflects the literary
style and religious/historical attitudes of King Josiah’s reform (621 b.c.e.)
n
Includes Deuteronomy,
“The Book of the Law” (especially Chs. 12-28) discovered during repairs of the
Jerusalem Temple (621)
n
Includes the
histories from Joshua-2 Kings – Part 1 of The Prophets (2nd
section of the HB)
Deuteronomistic History
n
Obedience to God’s
commandments brings military victory and economic abundance
n
Disobedience to God’s
law triggers national disaster
n
This theory of
history influences all subsequent biblical writers as well as the national
self-understanding of many Bible-believing American citizens, today.
The Priestly Source (P)
n
550–400 b.c.e.
n
Priestly writers and editors are responsible for the
final shape and structure of the Torah
n
They collect and preserve Israel’s religious
tradition during a time when the community very existence was threatened
(Babylonian exile, 587 b.c.e.)
Priestly Concerns
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Maintenance of religious purity
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Laws governing ritual sacrifice and worship;
covenant theology
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Preservation of the Torah heritage
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Genealogies & legal practices
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Overall, providing doctrinal, theological, and
ritual cohesion to the Torah traditions
“P” – Some Examples
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Genesis 1-2:4 = the
opening creation story
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Genesis 6:13-8:19 =
the priestly account of Noah and the Great Flood
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Exodus 14 = the
parting of the “Red” sea
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From Exodus 35, all
of Leviticus, to Numbers 10 = vast body of legal material governing daily life
in Israel, maintenance of the Covenant (sin and redemption), building the
Tabernacle for worship, what and when to sacrifice, census taking, etc.
GENESIS: 2 Parts = Primeval History; Ancestral History
Part 1 – The Primeval History
•
God creates the world
and humankind
•
God is profoundly
dissatisfied with his flawed human creation
•
God expels humans
from their home in paradise
•
God almost
exterminates them in a great flood
•
God permanently
divides humankind, erecting language barriers and scattering ethnic groups
Key Themes in the Torah
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Harmony of Creation: Gen.1:1
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Alienation: Gen.2 – Gen.11
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Promise: Gen.12:1-3 = land, progeny, blessings
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Journey: a spiritual archetype?
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Covenant: return to harmony (sort of!)
Reading the Bible for the First Time
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Set aside any “beliefs” about the Bible
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Try to read the story without bringing any
preconceived ideas to your reading
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Ask yourself:
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What does this story tell me about human beings,
their ideals, their behavior, etc.?
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What does this story tell me about the meaning and
purpose of life?
The Genesis Alienation Myths
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Myth = paradigm-laden narrative; religious
myths are profoundly true to believers
n
Types of myth:
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Creation myths
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Alienation myths
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End-time myths
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Salvation myths
Key Functions of MYTH
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Answer profound life
questions regarding life’s meaning and purpose
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Guide individual and
collective behavior
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Engender self-esteem
and empowerment
n
Define good and evil
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Provide reverence for
the past and hope for the future
… is history ever completely
detached from the power of myth?
….a key Bible-question!!
The Primeval History in Genesis; Chapter 1-11
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Two Creation Stories = 1:1-2:4, 2:5-25
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The Fall = 3:1-24
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Cain and Abel = 4:1-24
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The Nephilim = 6:1-4
n
The Flood = 6:5-9:17
n
The Tower of Babel = 11:1-9
…interspersed with lists of descendants.
Priestly (P) Covenants
Noahic Covenant (Gen. 9:1-17)
•
An unconditional covenant made with Noah after the
flood
•
God promises life for all living things
Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 17)
•
Abram becomes Abraham, the father of a multitude of
nations
•
Circumcision is the sign of the covenant
TheAncestral History in Genesis: Chapters 12-50
Part 2: Ancestral Cycles
Abraham and Sarah Cycle (12:1-25:11): the
Patriarch/Matriarch history begins
•
Yahweh promises
Abraham he will be the father of nations.
•
Sarah is old and
“barren” but Abraham fathers Ishmael by the slave woman, Hagar.
•
Later, Sarah
“miraculously” gives birth to Isaac.
Ancestral Cycles
The Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Rachel cycle
(Gen. 21:1-35:29
•
Isaac is almost
sacrificed (Gen. 22)
•
Rebekah ensures that
the covenant promises are transmitted through Yahweh’s chosen agent (Gen.
27:5-28:5)
•
Jacob steals the
birthright from Esau (Gen. 25: 29-34), tricks Isaac for the blessing (Gen. 27),
then tricks Laban into marrying Rachel (Gen. 28-37) …notice the “moral” irony.
Ancestral Cycles
The Joseph Cycle (Gen. 37, 39-45):
•
Sold into Egyptian slavery by jealous brothers
•
Accused of an affair with the Potiphar’s wife;
tossed in prison
•
Interprets Pharaoh’s dreams
•
Saves his father and brothers from famine; the
“chosen people” go to Egypt
Exodus: Heart of the Torah
Moses and the Mosaic Covenant:
•
In the events
surrounding the Exodus we have the outline of Mosaic theology that
informs the reminder of the history of Israel.
•
One God requiring
adherence to a universal moral law code
are two key concepts that define social relations in Western cultures to this
day
•
“Dollar Bill”
theology: “In God We Trust”
•
“Novus Ordo
Seclorum”- new order of things
The Story of Moses and the Exodus
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Preparation for the Exodus
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The Hebrews become slaves (Exod. 1:1-22)
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Moses introduced (2:1-22)
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The call of Moses (2:23-4:17)
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Moses’ return to Egypt (4:18-31)
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The first encounter with Pharaoh (5:1-5)
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The Ten plagues (7:8-10:29, 12:29-34)
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Passover (12:1-28, 43-51)
Moses and the Exodus
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The Exodus
a. leaving Egypt (Exod. 13:17-14:14)
b. crossing the “Red Sea” (14:15-31)
c. The desert
experience (15:22-18:27)
•
Miracles = any event, whether explainable or not,
which, when seen through the eyes of faith, strengthens the faith of the
believer.
Moses and the Exodus
n
The Ten Commandments and the Covenant Code
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The arrival at Sinai (Exod. 19:1-2)
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The Ten Commandments (20:1-7)
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The Book of the Covenant (20:22-23:19)
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The Covenant affirmed (24:1-18)
•
Seven distinct legal codes are embedded in the Torah
(see Harris, p. 126)
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue (Ten Words)
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…you shall have no other gods before me.
n
You shall not make for yourself and idol…you shall
not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord you God am a jealous God…
n
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the
Lord your God, …
The Ten Commandments
n
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy…
n
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days
may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
n
You shall not murder.
n
You shall not commit adultery.
n
You shall not steal.
The Ten Commandments
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You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.
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You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall
not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Moses and the Exodus
n
Religious
Instructions
a. Instructions for building
the Tabernacle, a “tent” to houses the Ark of the Covenant (Exod. 25-31, 35-40)
a. the Golden calf “sin” and
covenant renewal ritual (Exod. 32-34)
b. the relation of the
Covenant to the Law (34: 10-28)
God is now ready to
accompany His people to the Promised Land.
Leviticus
n
A vast collection of
legal and liturgical material governing all aspects of life
n
Israelite priests
assemble the book during and shortly after the Babylonian exile (587-538 b.c.e.)
n
Designed to insure
the ritual and ethical purity of the Israelite community and preserve Israel’s
unique legacy as a “holy” people apart from the Gentiles of the world.
Leviticus: Eight Sections
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Laws of sacrifice
(Chs. 1-7)
n
Ordination of the priesthood;
tabernacle consecration (Chs. 8-10)
n
Laws covering diet (kosher),
disease, definement, and ritual purification. Notice that sex, birth, menstruation, and other biological
functions are considered unclean by the priests, requiring purification
rituals (Chs. 11-15).
Leviticus: Eight Sections
n
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the scapegoat
sacrifice (Ch. 16)
n
Laws concerning blood sacrifice, sexual activity
(see Ch. 20), and priestly conduct (Chs. 17-21)
n
The religious calendar (Chs. 22-25)
n
Curses for disobedience (Ch. 26)
n
Religious vows (Ch. 27)
America’s Biblical Self-Understanding
n
Exodus = the
historical and political core of the Bible – and America
n
“…one nation,
under God, with liberty and justice for all.
n
Deuteronomy = the moral
core of the Bible – and America’s self understanding
n
Peace and prosperity
require obedience to God’s moral law = the covenant
Numbers
n
a transitional work
that links Yahweh’s revelation of the Torah at Mt. Sinai with Israel subsequent
long journey to the Promised Land (Canaan).
n
Intermixes a census,
narrative, and legal materials
n
Focuses on issues of
leadership and obedience as the people complain about their hardships; rebel
against Moses.
Numbers
n
Census (Chs. 1-10)
n
Spying out Canaan (13:1-33)
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Rebellion & the consequences (14:1-38)
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Unsanctioned invasion (14:39-45)
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King Balak and Balaam story (22-24)
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Second census (26)
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A more hopeful new generation (27-36)
Deuteronomy (D source)
n
Form = Moses’ three farewell speeches to a new
generation of Israelites poised to enter the Promised Land.
n
Tone = deuternomistic history = obedience to
the Mosaic covenant ensures prosperity and divine protection; disobedience
brings national defeat and death.
Deuteronomy 28:1, 15, 25
“If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all
his commandments…the Lord your Goed will set you high above the nations of the
earth; But if you will not obey the Lord…then all of these curses shall come
upon you and overtake you…”
The Deuteronomistic Perspective
n
Deuteronomy represents the moral center and thematic
source of the entire Bible.
n
Genesis – Numbers is written from and sets up the deuteronomistic
perspective.
n
The Prophets, the Writings, and even the New
Testament are thematically grounded in deuteronomistic morality.
Deuteronomy:
Moses’ Three Addresses
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First address
(1:1-4:43) = the mighty acts of God are recited; loyalty to God is stressed
n
Second address
(4:44-28:68) = meaning and obligations of the covenant relationship (Shema =
6:4-9)
n
Third address
(29:1-30:20) = covenant renewal for the new generation
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Narrative (31-34) =
Moses dies without entering Canaan; leadership goes to Joshua