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The Pentateuch

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The Pentateuch THE PENTATEUCH EXPLORING THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTATMENT PENTATEUCH Historical Background of the First Five Books of the Old Testament Historical Background to Pentateuch • What is the Pentateuch? • First five books of the Old Testament • Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy • Pentateuch: "pente" means five, "teuchos" means implement (scrolls) • Called the Torah • Written in Hebrew Historical Background to Pentateuch • What is the Pentateuch? • Torah is translated “law” in the OT, meaning to instruct, direct, or guide. • It probably has a wider meaning, by OT usage, which includes all directives that come from God. In the NT torah, Greek nomos, can refer to either the Mosaic legislation (Rom 7:14) or a broad behavioral principle (9:31) Historical Background to Pentateuch • Content of the Pentateuch • Creation - God • Flood - God with Noah • Babel - God separates people • God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - Chosen people through whom God will bless all nations • Joseph and Egyptian captivity • Exodus to the Promised Land • Law given to Moses • Wilderness wandering to Promised Land Historical Background to Pentateuch • Context of the Events of the Pentateuch • Record’s God’s relationship to humanity in their historical context • Describes God’s desire for humanity and various responses from humanity • Reveals the nature of God • Records God’s laws to the Israelites • Historical events in the Pentateuch occur in the ancient Near East Historical Background to Pentateuch • Manuscripts for the Pentateuch • Dead Sea Scroll are some of the oldest manuscripts of the Old Testament (2nd century B.C. to 1st century A.D.) • Old Testament was later translated in Greek called the Septuagint (LXX) – 3rd century B.C. Isaiah Dead Sea Scroll 100 B.C. 1QIsaa Historical Background to Pentateuch • In what language was the Pentateuch written? • Written in Hebrew and Aramaic • Nash Papyrus (2nd Century B.C.) • Records Ten Commandments 1 1 בְּרֵאשִִׁ֖ית בָּרָּ ָ֣ אאֱֹלהִ ִ֑ ים ת אֵֵ֥ הַשָּמַ ִׁ֖ יִםוְּאֵֵ֥ תהָּאָָּֽרֶ ץ׃ • Nash Papyrus Ten Commandments Historical Background to Pentateuch • Who wrote the Pentateuch? • Old Testament witness: • Moses was writing history of God's deliverance of Israel (Ex. 17:14; Num. 33:2) • Wrote down the commandments (Ex. 24:4, 34:27; Deut. 31:9, 24-26) Nash Papyrus Ten Commandments Historical Background to Pentateuch • Who wrote the Pentateuch? • New Testament witness: • Written by Moses (Jn. 7:19; Lk. 16:31; *Jn. 5:46) • Moses capable of writing it due to being educated in Egypt (Acts 7:22) • O.T. inspired as well as Moses (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21) • Jesus recognized Moses authorship (Matt. 8:4; Mk. 12:26; Lk. 24:24-27; Jn. 5:46) • New Testament writers recognized Moses as the author (Acts 3:22; 15:21; Rom. 9:15; 10:19; Heb. 9:19) Historical Background to Pentateuch • Who wrote the Pentateuch? • Early criticisms of the writing of the Old Testament thought that Moses could not have written it because writing had not been invented • We now know writing was present before Moses’ time (~1525 – 1405 B.C.) • Hammarabi Law Code 18th century B.C. Historical Background to Pentateuch • Who wrote the Pentateuch? • The Sumerian civilization went into decline after its conquest by the Akkadians (2300 b.c.). In the 21st century B.C., however, there occurred a revival of Sumerian culture that produced a number of important literary works, including the first known written codified system of law. Today a rich collection of Sumerian material exists. ~3200 B.C. Sumerian ~2000 B.C. Sumerian ~1500 B.C. Akkadian Historical Background to Pentateuch • Why study the Pentateuch? • Reveals earliest history of the ancient near eastern world • Reveals God’s creative work and mission to humanity • Describes God’s relationship to humanity and his desire for humanity’s reconciliation to Him • Indicates the historical background in which God initiated his mission • Begins tracing God’s promise to Abraham that is fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, the Christ • Provides the foundation for a Christian worldview Historical Background to Pentateuch • Beginning and ending points of the Pentateuch? • Begins with the creation of the world and ends with Moses' death (Deut. 34:7). • Joshua becomes the leader of the Israelites. Joshua is filled with the spirit of wisdom after Moses laid his hands on him. Timeline from Abraham to Promised Land 2166 Abraham (2166-1991) 2066 Isaac (2066-1886) 2006 Jacob (2006-1859) 1915 Joseph (1915-1806) 1876 Egyptian Bondage - 430 years Ex. 12:30 (1876-1446) Birth of Moses (1527) 1446 Exodus & Wilderness Wandering (1446-1406) Mt. Sinai – giving of the law (1446) Tabernacle erected (1445) Arrive at Kadesh-barnea - Num. 20:1 (1444) Wilderness wandering (1448-1406) Plains of Moab - Moses address - Deut. 1:3, 5 (1406) THE PENTATEUCH:Book-by- Book Summaries 1) Genesis 2) Exodus 3) Leviticus 4) Numbers 5) Deuteronome Document #: TX001068 The book of Genesis,GENESIS it is not a science book about the world's beginnings, but a book of faith: God is seen as the source of everything, and everything created by God is good. EXODUS The title “Exodus” means “way out,” for God is showing the people enslaved in Egypt a way out to freedom. In the book of Exodus, We will read about : - The burning bush and the call of Moses - The plagues in Egypt - The escape through the Red Sea - The trek to Mount Sinai, - The reception of the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai , - The ark of the Covenant, and - God's loving presence among a sinful people. LEVITICUS Leviticus gets its name from the priests who served the liturgical needs of God's people as they dwelt for a year in the shadow of Mount Sinai in the early 13th Century B.C. The Levites were descendants of the tribe of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. You will read in its 27 chapters how; - how priests were ordained (ch. 8) - how the term “scapegoat” came about (ch. 16); and - how the term “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is really a merciful expression (ch. 24). NUMBERS The Hebrew name for the book means “in the wilderness” and the main numbers or statistics you will encounter relate to the physical and spiritual challenges the people faced on their journey to the Promised Land. God orders a numbering of the people by census before they set out on this journey. Some of the people want to return to Egypt , and God assures that none of these will reach the Promised Land. You'll read about silver trumpets, water coming from a rock, sneaky snakes in the desert, and even a geographical place called the “Ascent of the Scorpions” Deuteronomy concludesDEUTERONOMY the 5-book section of the Old Testament known as the Pentateuch, which traces God's relationship with humanity from the story of creation all the way to their arrival at the Promised Land. As we arrive at this 5th book, we are right on the doorstep to the Promised Land, but the people are not yet spiritually prepared to enter it. Moses here reviews for them what it means to be God's people. The Hebrew title of the book means “the words,” an apt description as it consists mainly of the words of Moses telling them what they must do lest they lose the very land they are about to enter. DEUTERONOMY CONTINUES Moses reviews the Law for them; thus, the Greek title of the book, Deuteronomy , which means “the second law.” Moses will die at the end of the book at the age of 120, somewhere in the middle of the 13th century B.C. within these pages we will encounter not only a re- presentation of the Ten Commandments (this text in chapter 5 is the source of our Catholic numbering of these 10 laws), but also the 2nd of the 2 Great Commandments of Jesus (6:4-5) .
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