Bible Course for the Laity - 2004, DVK, Bangalore

Full Reports on the Bible & Theology Course - 2004

Dr (Fr) Joseph Pathrapankal is a world-renowned theologian and the founder member and leader of several biblical committees and biblical research programmes world over. He has about 40 years' teaching experience at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (DVK), Bangalore.

3.1   Derivations & Difference in Contents

This section carries a brief outline of the derivations of the word "testament", and the difference in Catholic and Protestant Bibles:

3.1.1 Origins of the names

The Bible's major division is into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The origin of the word "testament" traces back to the Hebrew word "berith" meaning a "covenant" or an "agreement between two parties". The Greek translation of "berith" is "diatheke" that means a "testament" given by one person to another, like a "last will". (The word "testament" originates from the Latin word "testamentum".) As you can see, there is a difference between the meanings of the two translated words namely "covenant" and "testament". The Old Testament is an agreement between God and the people of Israel.

There is also an attempt to restore the meaning of the "Old" Testament by renaming it the "First" Testament. For the Jews, the first part of the Bible is not "old". The word "old" is based on 2 Corinthians 3:14, where Paul refers to the books of the Sinai covenant as "old". The expression the "new" covenant was first used by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and it is used several times in the New Testament in the institution of the Eucharist (Mathew 26:28) and in 2 Corinthians 3:3-6. In general, the two parts of the Bible deal with the two covenants, the Sinai covenant, and the covenant through Jesus Christ.

3.1.2 Catholic and Protestant selections

The Catholics selected the Alexandrian Canon and the Protestants selected the Jewish Canon. The Canon is an official list of the books of the Bible. The Alexandrain Canon has got a few more books than the Protestant one and these additional books are canonical for the Catholics and Apocrypha for the Protestants. These are: Judith, Tobith, 1&2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Ben Sirach, and Baruch. In the book of Daniel, Ch.3:24-90, Ch.13, and Ch.14 exist only in the Greek version. These are known as "Deutero-canonical" after their time of inclusion into the Catholic Canon. In the Greek version, 1&2 Samuel and 1&2 Kings are called "The Four Kings of the Kingdoms".

3.2   Divisions of the Old Testament

The Old Testament is divided into the following four sections: [This was briefly pointed out in Section 2.2.1 of Module 2.]

1. Torah (Hebrew word meaning the law or instructions) or The Pentateuch (Five Books) or The Five Books of Moses (supposing Moses is the author of these five books). These five books are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
2. Former Prophets (Include historical books of Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings)
3. Later Prophets (Books by the great preachers of Israel namely Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, who are known as the Major Prophets. Also include the works of the 12 Minor Prophets.)
4. The Writings (These include Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentation, Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth), Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1&2 Chronicles.)

3.2.1 Torah or The Pentateuch or The Five Books of Moses

A brief note on the each of the five books is given below:

1. Genesis: The early chapters of Genesis tell the story of the beginning of the world and humankind (Gen chs. 1-11). This is known as the primeval history. It also summarizes the theology of the period. Next is the story of Abraham and other forefathers of Israel, who are known as the Patriarchs (Issac, Jacob, and Joseph) (Gen chs. 12-50). Towards the end, we see the people of Israel, who were in Caanan, inside Egypt.
2. Exodus: (BC 1446) Exodus is the first story in which the "coming out" of the people of Israel from Egypt finds its place. It also deals with the climactic event of the covenant on Mount Sinai (Ex 19-24). The revelation of the divine name "YHWH" (Yahweh) in Ex 3:14 is the focus of the whole story, wherein Yahweh enters into a covenant with the people of Israel.
3. Leviticus: It features the law of the priests of the tribe of Levi. The Leviticus is full of legislation and laws about purity. Chapters 17m - 26 are called Holiness Code.
4. Numbers: The name "numbers" is after the census of the people, which was undertaken. The Numbers also covers the resumption of the desert journey. It records the failure of the first attempts to enter the Promised Land of Canaan from the South. The Israelis spend a long time in the desert and subsequently reach the plains of Moab on the Eastern side of the Promised Land.
5. Deuteronomy: Deuteronomy is a code of civil and religious laws (Ch 12 to Ch 26:15) framed within a long discourse of Moses (Chs 5 - 11, Chs 26:16 - 28, Chs 29 - 30, Chs 31 - 34). In other words: Chapters 1 to 4 give an introduction on civil and religious laws; Chapters 5 to 11 and Chapters 26:16 - 28 cover Moses' long speeches; Chapters 12:1 to 26:15 are a collection of laws; Chapters 29 to 30 feature a third discourse of Moses; and lastly, Chapters 31 to 34 outline the final days of Moses, commissioning of Joshua, blessings of Moses, and Moses' death.
   The name "Deuteronomy" is derived from a wrong translation of the Hebrew word for "copy of the Law" as wrongly translated into "a Second Law" (deuteros + nomos). The name has nothing to do with its specific theology. It is a meditative and reflective history narrating what God has done for Israel and how Israel has responded to it. This theme is taken up in the Deuteronomistic History in the Former Prophets.

3.2.2 Former Prophets

The Former Prophets or Early Prophets are the six books namely Joshua, Judges (except Ruth), 1&2 Samuel, and 1&2 Kings. This, despite their being historical books dealing with the history of Israel from the Conquest of Canaan (Joshua) to the Babylonian Captivity (2 Kings). The story of Ruth is said to have happened during the period of the Judges, hence its place here. The history in these books is not a secular one, but it is more of a theological history, or better, a prophetic understanding of history. Some prophets like Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha are active during this history. However, the whole history is a prophetic understanding.

A summary of each book of Former Prophets:

1. Joshua: (BC 1406 - 1381) In Joshua, we read about the conquest of Canaan through the collective action of the tribes under the leadership of Joshua, the successor of Moses. The book is divided into three parts: (a) The Conquest of Canaan (ch.1 - ch.12) (b) The partition of the territory between the tribes (ch.13 - ch.21) and (c) The last days of Joshua, especially his last discourse and the renewal of the covenant at Schechem (ch.22 - ch.24). The book is an idealized and simplified version of a complex history.
2. Judges: (BC 1380 - 1121) The book of Judges has two parts, which are: (a) An introduction (ch.1:1 - ch.2:5), which gives a very different picture of the post-conquest history. This is an alternative picture of the conquest and its results, closer to reality. (b) The second part is from ch.2:6 to ch.16:31.
   The term "Judges" (Hebrew "Shophthim") means "liberators" unlike its meaning today. The judges liberated Israel from perils. Six major judges are listed, namely Othniel, Ehud, Barak (and Deborah), Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. Then there are six minor judges. They were all specially called (or raised up) to meet specific situations. The core message of the book is: fidelity to God brings victory, whereas impiety leads to punishments. The Judges is the only source of knowledge between the periods of the conquest and the Kings.
3. Two Books of Samuel: (BC 1120 - 971) In the Hebrew Bible, these two books are just one work. There are five sections in these two books: (a) Samuel (ch.1 - ch.7) (b) Samuel and Saul (ch.8 - ch.15) (c) Saul and David (1 Sam 16 - 2 Sam 2) (d) David (2 Sam 2 - 2 Sam 20) (e) Appendices (ch.21 - ch.24). The Philistine expansion threatened the very existence of Israel and made monarchical government necessary. Saul was not an ideal King. David was the ideal king who unified Israel. David's reign was one of conquest and unification. After David, we see the revolt and the division of the kingdom into Northern and Southern parts. However, the hope of restoration is sustained in the Oracle of Nathan, the court prophet of David (2 sam 7:4-17).
4. Two Books of Kings: (BC 971 - 586) 1 Kings ch.1 - ch.2 are the concluding chapters of 2 Sam 9 - 2 Sam 20. Chapters 3 - 11 in 1 Kings are about the reign of Solomon. It was an age of splendour and exploitation, not conquest. This aggravated the existing hostility between the North and the South. When Solomon did in BC 931, the kingdom split into two. Religious schism crept into the political secession of the northern tribes (1 Kings 12 - 13). From 1 Kings 14 to 2 Kings 17, the history of the twin kingdoms of Israel and Judah is described in parallel. This part speaks of the strife between the two kingdoms, and attacks from Egypt, Arameans, and Assyrians. The Northern kingdom fell to Assyrians in BC 721. 2 Kings 18 - 25:21 is the story of the Southern kingdom until the destruction in BC 587. In this period, two kings namely Hezekiah (2 Kings 18 - 20) and Josiah (2 Kings 22 - 23) tried to revive and renew the people. In BC 597, Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and deported part of its population to Babylon. There was a second deportation in BC 587. The books of Kings conclude with the two Appendices (2 Kings 25 - 25:30).

The discovery of Deuteronomy during the reign of Josiah was a major event and the beginning of a religious reform in Judah. The history given in these six books of the Former Prophets is more a theological one, seen from a Deuteronomistic perspective. The summary of the books is simple: "The nations will be blessed if it respects God's covenant; it will be punished, if it does not." It is a story of God dealing with His people. Though the book ends with a sad note on the Babylonian captivity, there is hope at the end of the book, as Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, then in Babylon, is released by the Babylonian king and he is given a honourable seat in Babylon. This is seen as the dawn of a new era of redemption, which would take place during Cyrus, the Persian Empire. This story is taken up in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah, a continuation of 1&2 Chronicles.

Module-3 is to continue into Day 4 of the "Bible Course for the Laity - 2004".

Module 3, Part 1   Module 3, Part 2   Module 3, Part 3
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