Exam 1 OT2 Notes

Week 1

Documentary Hypothesis

JEDP

Julius Velhausen

1883

English 1885

This work said, when we consider Genesis through Deut, this is composed of multiple sources that have been stitched together like a quilt. He wasn’t the first to make up this theory.

They were using all the modern studies of the day to consider the text. Lots of influences.

Oversimplification:

3 villages of 2 people. As they grow, they bump into other villages. No room. Are they going to go to war for the space or team up to make a larger urban center. If they merge, they have to work out all their beliefs system.

J - One group worships Yahweh. This is spelled JHVH in German.

E – One group worships Elohim. Now they have to marry these two gods.

Genesis 1 – E

Genesis 2 – Y (J)

So Pentateuch, is made up of various tiny sources that are E sources, J sources.

Then they noticed there is a lot of legal code. Also notice there is worship and priestly sources

D – legal sources

P – priestly source

It evolves over time. J and E sources are earliest

D comes on scene around 1500s BC. P around 500s BC

After the people group work through their God, there comes along a law group, and then a priestly group comes along and influences the people group.

A correction comes along in the 1970s, scholars begin to look at it and say its not made up of individual pieces like the model. It’s a unified story. Or the books at least are. They aren’t a mess of pieces. It’s a book.

So the theory changes to say at least read each book as a book.

The theory is not as chaotic but the influence is still there.

In scholarly critical sources, any sources they reference will be this theory.

How to use:

There are at least two pieces in the pentetuech.

A lot of parts that are not worship, but a lot that are concerned with worship.

A lot of scholars will argue that P definitely had influence, but it’s a lot earlier than 500 bc.

The question needs to be asked who early on would be concerned with Worship? Moses.

Secular scholar named Bartum, he warns his collegues to be careful how much they argue for unity across the books. If you argue for unity, you play into the hands of conservatives that have always said its one author.

He basically says, even if the evidence is there, don’t talk about the one author.

Velhousen expresses:

1. 2 sources are based on divine names Y and E. So any time you see those, its from that particular sources.

2. Also, there are doublets. When there are stories that are mentioned twice, yet its two events, its two sources marrying their stories.

3. There are differences in style and even names. When one place had two names, its possible that one place has two names. They believe this is two stories or two sources.

4. There was different theology. Deuteromists concerned with law. Priestly concerned with worship. Means different sources.

Gleason Archer wrote book against this from evangelical worldview.

Dillard and Longlin are good example of conservative scholars that admit there are some sources being used here by Moses to write the penteteuch. Problem isn’t that he used a source or sources, but the assumptions that have been concluded here.

GENESIS

Most classify it by this:

Pre-history Genesis 1-11

Narratives: Genesis 12-50

Dillard and Longman’s classification:

Genesis 1-11: Creation to Tower of Babel

God is first cause and he creates out of nothing. Emphasis on what God created, not how.

Creation is good.

Reoccuring pattern of sin, judgement and grace. (it’s a grace for them to be banned from the garden where can stay in a fallen state forever.)

Grace in Cains life is the mark to keep people from killing him.

Genesis 12-36, 38: Patriarchs

Overlap in transitions that stitched them together. The stich is ch. 38. Common in scripture.

God choosing Abram and his story. Not a man of faith, but has an encounter with the lord where he now trusts the Lord.

Trust in the encounters with God.

But Lot does not.

Comparison between Abraham and Moses, who trust God, but Moses doesn’t. Although there is overlap, Abraham is faithful and Moses gets banned from holy land.

Neither is perfect, only Jesus is. But the faith makes the difference.

Genesis 37, 39-50: Joseph Story

There is a shift in theme. Less about encounters of faith, but more how God is a director of all things to their end.

Genesis emphasizes God is in control, all the way across the book.

In OT, we are trying to be biblical, not systematic, so we don’t want to allow our theological beliefs effect the story in the bible, in sovereignty and free will.

God intereprets dreams, causes herds to grow, hardened and opens hearts. God choose people.

Hill and Walton

Heaven and Earth – 2:4-4:26

Adam – 5:1-6:8

Noah – 6:9-9:29

Noahs Sons – 10:1-11:9

Shem – 11:10-26

Terah – 1:27-25:11

Ishmael – 25:12-18

Isaac – 25:19 – 35:29

Esau – 36:1-8

Esau/Edomites – 36:9-37:1

Jacob – 37:1-50:26

Relates to the Toledote formula – The generations or accounts of

2:4 is not a summary statement but a introductory statement as the others in Genesis.

Toledote is the formula that Moses used to introduce things.

This is a transitionary pattern used by Moses.

Their formula is based on these transitions.

Other OT Introductions:

Divisions according to the Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Esau, and Judah/Joseph

These are based on covenants and most important people covered.

Genesis in the Ancient Near East:

Similar texts:

Mesopotamian Texts

Old Babylonian

Sumerian

These are the ones that “scholars” say are similar and help us to relate, but they are not all that similar.

Enki and Ninhursag myths

Sumerian myth about the loss of paradise. Gets compared to Genesis 1-3.

Differences:

Enki “watered” the dams and the reeds, thereupon he said let no one walk in the marshlands. The god urinates to water this.

Ninhursag took semen into her womb, one day was one month, two days was two months, like good princly fat and she gave birth.

Observations:

Notice how human-like the gods are

How do gods make water? Urine

How do gods make gods? Sex

How long is a day? Explicit time reference. Very exacty on time lengths.

Enuma Elish

Most often compared to OT creation story

Babylonian

Marduk and Tiamt are fighting

Having thus subdued her, he extinguished her life. He cast down her carcase to stand upon it. – creation of dry land.

Very symbolic and figurative. Things must be explained or inferred.

Not creation out of nothing.

I will establish a savage, man shall be his name. Truly, a savage, I will create. He shall be charged the service of the gods.

Mankind is created to do work so that the gods do not have to.

Very common in near eastern stories.

Bible God doesn’t demand service to him like these gods. Adam and eve don’t labor so that God can exist.

Man is privileged to know and fellowship with God.

Enki, Ninmakh, and the creation of Man

Man created because the gods had to do their own farming.

How much we owe God for thinking of a way to create us.

It is interesting that ancient near east religions all have a similar outlook that we owe God because he made us and we are slaves because we owe him for making us.

When we examine these, there are a lot of differences. We don’t always talk about these.

Our God speaks things into existence, no pee them out from prior matter.

Theological Themes in Genesis

Sin, Judgement and Grace

Themes:

Covenant is central

Transmission of the Covenant

God affirms the covenant to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:15; 17:1-8; 18:18; 22:17-19)

Isaac (26:2-5)

Jacob (32:12; 35:11-12)

Nation of Israel (49:1-28)

God establishes the covenant and also transmits it to the next generation.

Creation

In the beginning, God

God made known through his creative works

Creative of God reflected in the story of creation.

Effortless and from nothing

No thing. God just speaks and it comes out.

Humans are to “imitate” God

Just as God created everything, he tells Adam to take care of it.

We are created as builders and fruitful to multiply.

There isnt a mandate for every human couple to have children, it’s a principle and part of being made in image of God to create and multiply. The hard command was for Adam and Eve.

Differences from other ANE sources

The gods are very superficial. The pettiness of humans comes out in the stories of the gods.

Genesis Hermeneutics

Narrative versus History

Some OT intros refer to Genssis as history. They mean Genesis tells the reader how we got here.

History includes:

How did we get here?

Who made us?

What are we to do?

Narrative – How does the book of Genesis come to us?

Use it because we need to ask hwo the book comes to us. It comes as a written work of stories. Those are narraitves

Narrative Genre –

Brown says there is both story and discource

Story is what happened.

Such as Jacob and Esau

Joseph and his brothers

What is discourse?

How is Moses telling this story to me

How its communicated.

Story is what happened.

We don’t want to miss who told us and how he told it.

Discouse level

Themes – how many times do we see God in control of Joseph’s life

Sequence – Moses starts with Joseph’s dream, the imprisonment, and then rise as counselor

The sequence he picks is important.

Others –

an outline formula like toledoth (these are the generations or stories of)

Multiple wives?

Story of Rachael and Leah

Leah longs for her husband to love her and makes a deal with Rachael.

Story of Abraham and Hagar

Desperate for a child.

Discourse – does Moses present the reader with a good picture in these narratives?

No. none turn out well. We learn multiple spouses does not work. Even if the culture allows for it. We think law is the only place to get ethic, but narrative teaches ethic too.

What do we learn? Multiple spouses does not work out even if the culture allowed for it.

Narrative teaches ethic too!

What about the kinsman redeemer. Jesus says Moses made a contestment for the hardness of your heart. Things are in scripture that are side turns, but its not the norm. There must be a significant reason for it if its used.

Narrative

Osborne – Grant Osborne wrote the book on hermenuteutics in OT

He has a bunch of pages explaining how to read genres in OT.

He encourages a few things when reading narrative in OT.

Ex. – Joshua, Samuel, ruth, etc

Always pay attention to the Author/Narrative

Look for the Point of View or Ideology

Are events given out of Order of Events

What is significant about the ordering?

Characterization (Jacob is scoundrel)

Read the characters and understand who they are.

Implicit Commentary (what is Moses saying)

Also explicit commentary

For this reason a man shall leave his mother and father, Adam had no mother and father, but moses is providing explicit commentary. He is saying the standard is now to leave and cleave.

Look for Conclusions- things that say what you should get out of the story in the conclusion.

Cautions from Osborne

Do not dehistoricize. Always know that these are real stories from real characters, not fiction.

Do not ignore the author/narrator.

We will take stories out of context if we ignore the author and their purpose.

Do not deny references and meaning. There are things said that could be missed because the text is so old.

Do not be reductionistic. Simplify everything to a simple lesson.

Do not Ignore the early church. Theres a long tradition of men and women that have tested and compared this text. God has granted us with a long tradition.

Genesis – How Long is a Day?

Genesis

Would a “day” by any other name be as long…?

Presuppositions:

-day is not the primary argument for young earth/old earth

-lists of names is not the primary argument. For young/old earth

-evolution requires an old earth

-old earth does not mean evolution

Theories of days (WILL BE ON MID-TERM)

Gap Theory – a gap of time between genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

This is not implicit in text. Could it hold up? Maybe. Is there a good reason? Not really. The gap theory does not answer any questions, it only allows for extra time.

Gives time for things like the trees to grow up before Adam and eve get in garden.

Professor does not hold to this view.

Day-Age Theory

Days are a set of time. Day is a thousand years in Psalms.

This makes creation a longer period. This was the predominant view of the early church. They are trying to biblical since the psalms says this. Not a fight against evolution.

Professor does not hold to this view.

Mythopoeic Day theory – does myth always imply fictional story? No it doesn talways mean that. It is an explanation of the beginnings before historic and science. This means genesis is mythopoeic. Its not about the facts, as much as the story.

Professor says there are marks of time in there so this not the best theory.

Revelational Day theory – reformed theology theory

In the OT, God will say things in a very human way and in terms we can understand. So God communicates the genesis story in a way we can understand because we cannot understand his ways.

God uses days and a week to convey an idea to us, not a time track. Does this mean it’s an actual day? Some say yes, some say no, its just human language.

Professor says this theory may or may not be true. He doesn’t have problem with it and the heart of its message.

Intermittent Day theory – says there is an intermittent amount of time between the days. A day is a day, but there is a gap of time in between days. Is there any reason in the text to believe this? No. Even within the language, the transitions are conjuctions within sentences, so that each day flows to each other (even grammatically.)

Promise Land Theory – that all of the creative work was not creative world. Genesis 1:1 everything is done. The remaining work was on the promised land area where adam and eve dwell and the rest of the story would take place.

Good – it takes the text serious and especially genesis 1:1

Bad – although Scholars argue the word land in gensis is same word in Deuteronomy for the land of promised land so must be same thing. When we look at day, the word land is used differently in context.

Framework or literary-framework theory

Professor thinks this theory describes the outline that Moses uses, but that it doesn’t tell anything about the time lengths.

Calls these segments as kingdoms or realms. Each with rulers (adam and eve).

This describes the order of creation, but not time frames of days.

But also, on day 1-3, God is making a space. Then the other days are putting things in that space.

God is laying out this outline in Genesis 1. It shows that he hands off his same creative rule to humans. Humans get handed a god sized tasks.

In Genesus

Literal – literal 24 hour day

Professors favorite

Defining a “day”

Genesis 1:5 – he calls light day and darkness night

Daylight and darkness

In Genesis 2:1 – there is evening and then morning, day 1. Expressing a 24 hour period-whole thing.

God is clearly referring to an actual scientific day that has time and light changes.

Genesis 2:4 – indeterminate period of time. At some point and time,

The word day is used differently in different contexts within the texts.

What does it mean, context matters.

So how long is day?

24 hour day because of the summary statement on every single day. This scientific description of a day period exactly as we experience a day.

Professor is a literal day person, but doesn’t mean he is old or young earth. He is young earth, but the day doesn’t define this.

The text defines the day for him.

Genesis covenants

Noahic and Abrahamic Covenant

ANE Covenant Elements

Pieces or items of covenants in Ancient near eastern covenants

-Parties - who is this covenant between.

-Prologue - there is often a prologue or a historical prologue. it defines how the parties have acted towards each other in the past.

-stipulations - the rules or laws regarding the covenant

-ratification - ceremony that usually involves a sacrifice. This symbolizes if i dont hold up my end of the covenant, may this happen to me. The death of the animal is the promise of how serious we will take this covenant

-blessings/cursings - what happens if everyone abides or if doesnt abide by the covenant

-sign - some scholars make it more like a stipulations. the sign is something that needs to be kept. oThers will say its merely a sign. Professor is the second. He thinks we see that in scripture. Example is the rainbow with noah. Will come up with Abraham. A sign of the covenant is circumcision. It is also a stipulation. Those not circumscised are outside the covenant.

Two examples:

God is going to take Moses life because his sons are not circumcised. Wife is mad about it. The impression is Moses isnt doing what he is supposed to do, and its going to mean death and so the wife takes matters in her own hand. Doesnt this mean its a stipulation? Prof says no because of second example.

Joshua is about to leave israelites in promise land. They circumcise all males that havent been. Are these people not Israel then? Yes they are. Joshua just says hold on, we are out of step with the covenant. It seems in that story, its a sign, not a stipulation, and Joshua wants the sign there.

Professor compares it to a wedding ring and its significance, yet it doesnt mean not married if dont wear it.

-succession - if the two kings die, how will the covenant continue? It has to be built into the covenant. We see this in the Patriarchs

Types of Covenants (know for exam)

Unilateral - one sided covenant

Story of Abraham

Bilateral - two party covenant

Book of Exodus

Noahic Covenant

Genesis 6:18 ESV

18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

Genesis 9:9–11 ESV

9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

This is the first use of this word so looking at it first.

First use of the word covenant

God is fulfiller and initator of it

God gives the sign of covenant

No stipulations for man

Nothing man can do to ratify it

This is a unilateral covenant. God does everything.

Abrahamic Covenant

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 15 ESV

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Genesis 17:1–8 ESV

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

What is Abraham promised? the blessings of the covenant

Not only for him but to all nations.

Promised land, seed and blessing

Covenant is unconditional

Some say, circumsion is a condition. Prof says its not because of the ratification ceremony. God is the one that walks through the pieces. The ratification is one sided.

Circumcision is a sign only

The covenant is unilateral.

NT Fulfillment

Hebrews shows that even though they entered the land, they still didnt get rest (eternal rest). Geo land takes on a spiritual element in the Old Testament. We are looking forward to that city.

Galatians - He was promised a seed. Paul is saying that one seed is Jesus. Blessing, he would be to all the nations through the messiah. New covenant will be through Jesus blood and body.

Creation Covenant

The word is not used in Genesis (1,2,3). Is there a creation covenant? When we look at the elements of a covenant and then look at the story, the elements are there, even though the word is not. So through the lenses of theology, then people see a covenant and say there must be one there.

Prof says as long as we say that we are getting it through systematic theology, he is ok with saying its there. But do not say that the bible says there is a covenant there. There is room to debate.

Ancient Israels History-the book

The whole scope and design of the book is to describe this.

The authors asked for every view to be treated fairly, even if they do not agree with.

In the intro, there are a lot of names. Those names are not the most important thing. Will not need to know that. He will warn ahead of time because they are necessary to describe the field.

Need to know the documentary hypothesis. JEDP but dont need to know Julius Velhouzen

Hightlighting bottom of page 8 - Eugene Merrel and Kingdom of Priest-recommends getting it.

Major work of anthropology and archeology from a conservative evangelical view.

When we get to chapter on Genesis - page 29

The author says that Genesis is pulled from two sources, one priestly and one non-priestly (J and E). This will be assumption the rest of the chapter.

In some other reading, it points to the fact that P (the last one that puts shape on anything from OT) suggests it could be Moses. Who else would be better to this.

Not totally wrong, obviously Moses was not there for much of the book of Genesis, so had to be some source.

AIOT: GENESIS

An intro to O.T.

Early pages of Genesis (41 and 42) there is a lot of discussion on sources. They say there must be sources even though they are rarely sited.

These sources do not contradict the text.

There is a scale here. Some conservtives will say its only God speaking directly to Moses, no sources. Other scholars will say that there are lots of sources. They have different theologies and anthropologies, Geensis is a mess without a theology. This is the far left side.

The authors are a middle way in the view. There are sources named, and might have been others. They are ok with Moses using sources, just that it is the word of God that is inspired.

They also note alternative views to JEDP, one is form criticism p46.

Form Criticism actually gets more traction in psalms than the Torah.

It says that if we can find oral tradition before it was written down, than that effects our view of scripture we have today.

They talk about problems with a source view.

They say once we begin to look at the final product and those books as a whole, it all fades in the background, because it all worked out, no matter if sources or not. Main concern is with the final product that moses produced, not with the process of how it came about.

P53 - Genesis is a pie that can be cut in more than one way. More than one way to outline the book. We agree

Toladot formula - hebrew for these are the generations. Seems to be the way Moses outlines.

Genesis is not just history, it is narrative.

Week 2

Exodus Outline

Introduction to Exodus

Exodus 1:7 ESV

7 But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Some of these verbs sound familiar. Its the language of the Abrahamic covenant. This is to let us know the covenant is still taking place.

Exodus 6:3 ESV

3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.

Moses is letting us know that Patriarchs knew God as provider, but not his covenant name. God had not revealed it yet. God is further revealing himself to his covenant people.

Purposes of Exodus

Deliverance by God

The exodus event. We are going to argue that the establishing the relationship happens at the deliverance. Then comes the formal covenant later.

Relationship with God

Outline -

Some will group it Geographically. Why? Because Numbers and Deuteronomy does this as they move around.

Surely where they are located is important.

Israel in Egypt (1:1-13:16)

Israel in the wilderness (13:17-18:27)

Israel at Sinai (19:1-40:38)

Why? Numbers is geographically divided, so Exodus too (or vice versa).

True, But says little of content. The content matters though.

Hill and Walton - History

-israel in Egypt (

-Journey from Egypt to Sinai (

-Covenant and law (Exodus 19-24)

-Emphasis is to answer the question, how did we get here?

-This is very focused on Israel as the people of God

Other outlines:

Major points outline

-Moses and Exodus (1-18)

-Covenant and Ratification at Sinai (19-24)

-Instructions for Tabernacle (25-40)

Dillard and Longman spell it out.

Notice the instructions for tabernacle. Isnt the covenant the main event of Exodus? Sort of.

The Tabernacle closely associated with God’s presence. The Tabernacle is the presence of God.

In NT, Jesus establishes a new covenant. He says tear down this temple and ill rebuild it in three days. He wasnt talking about just himself, but about the human body and God dwelling among his people. God with us is the goal of the Bible.

Large outline

Not major points, but all the points

-Oppression (1:1-15)

-Journey to Sinai (15-19)

-Sinai Covenant (19-24)

-Tabernacle Instructions (25-31)

-Apostasty already (32-33)

-New Tablets, recommitment (34-35)

-Executing the Instructions (35-40)

Church bible studies are to show this book about God rescueing people then relationship.

Those outlines helps get big picture. This last outline is helpful to look at all of it.

Even Moses journey prefigures the exodus story. Moses story echoes Israels story.

Exodus Major Themes