Introduction to the Bible

Module 1: Lecture 3 History of Bible events © Rosebank Bible College Previous lecture

n We looked at the canon of the Bible and affirmed that the 66 books of the Bible are the authentic Word of God n We gained some insight into the process that was followed by both the Jews and the Early Christian Church to determine the content of the authoritative and inspired Scriptures In this lecture n We now move on to give attention to the history and background described in the Bible n Did the Bible characters exist and did the Bible events really take place? n If so, how can we check this information? n Is it possible to date the Bible events with some accuracy? Let’s check in first… n Take a piece of paper and write down the names of the first 22 books of the Bible, without looking at your notes or Bible! n Get someone next to you to mark it n How did you fare? If you have 90-100% correct, you have done well! Keep working at it… n We are now ready to proceed to a study of the history as we find it in the Bible Questions to make you think n When did Abraham live? n What happened before Abraham? n What did the world look like back then? n What do we know about Israel in Egypt, during the Exodus and beyond? n Where do the Bible books fit into the historical picture? n How do we know the history is accurate? These and other questions are the topic of this lecture In this lecture… n In this lecture we cover the whole from the calling of Abraham to the spread of the Early Church at the end of the 1st Century AD n The lecture falls into two main sections: 1. We look at the sources of information for the history described in the Bible 2. We then proceed with an overview of the major events described in the Old and New Testament Required reading n Johnston 2006:19-33 (Introducing the OT) and 151-166 (Introducing the NT) n Harrison 2001:87-92 (Archaeology and the OT) n Scan the Holman Bible Atlas for a complete picture of Bible history n Topics in the New Bible Dictionary: Israel; Church; Book of Acts; Chronology of the OT; Chronology of the NT; Archaeology Limitations of this study n The Bible provides us with much information about VERY ancient events that are difficult (if not impossible) to verify in a “scientific” way n The events described date back as far as Abraham (approximately 4000 years ago!) n Many years have passed since then and much of the detailed information is lost to us n However, there is enough that we DO know to give us confidence that the Bible is true n No science can verify theological statements (such as “The Lord is my Shepherd”), but it can support historical and geographical information Sources of information for Bible history

How we get to know what happened in the past Main sources of information n For Bible background and history we rely on the following resources to provide and verify the events: 1. The Bible itself is our main source of information 2. Archaeological discoveries provide us with secondary support of the information found in the Bible 3. Extra-biblical literature (most often also discovered by archaeologists) sheds more light on ancient events, names and places Example: Babylonian Chronicles n “The Babylonian Chronicles are series of tablets recording major events in Babylonian history. They are thus one of the first steps in the development of ancient historiography. The Babylonian Chronicles were written over a very long period of time, from the reign of up to the Parthian Period, by Babylonian astronomers ("Chaldaeans"), who probably used the Astronomical Diaries as their source. Almost all of the tablets are currently in the possession of the .” n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_Chronicles tablet mentioning the capture of Jerusalem in 597 (text; British Museum): www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html The Bible as history n The Bible is not intended in the first place to be a book of history, but rather as a book of faith, ie giving an expression of belief in God n Bible authors described the acts of God as he revealed himself to mankind n The Bible looks at history through the eyes of God and Israel, ie the eyes of faith n However, we believe the events described in the Bible actually did take place n Bible history is an “open” science since more information continues to be added The science of archaeology n The word archaeology (also spelled “archeology”) comes from two Greek words: archaīos (origin, beginning, ancient) and logos (word or study) n According to wikipedia it is “the science that studies human cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of material remains and environmental data…” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology n It is therefore the science of digging (literally and figuratively!) into the past; the study of ancient things, cultures and humans

Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Archaeology.rome.arp.jpg Archaeological evidence n There was a time when archeologists (and others) did more damage than good because of their lack of insight into the science and care needed to preserve items dug up n As a science it has made major strides in the past 100 years and is used all over the world and in many academic disciplines n Biblical archaeology concerns itself mainly with the Middle East, and more specifically with Palestine and surrounding areas What archaeology does for the Bible n It provides information to help construct the historical framework of Bible events n It helps to explain some of the “strange” cultural practices we find in the Bible n It provides a political framework to better understand Israel in the context of the wider ancient world n It confirms some biblical information, names or places previously unknown apart from the Bible What archaeology cannot do… n We must be realistic as to what archaeology can and cannot do for the Bible and our faith, since it is limited in what it can provide in terms of “evidence” of Bible information n In some cases archaeological discoveries have created more questions than they have answered! n Archaeology cannot “prove” our faith and cannot provide all the information we need in order to understand the whole history of Bible events Archaeology’s “fraction reality” n Edwin Yamauchi (quoted in Hill & Watson 2000:291) explains the “fraction reality” n He says that, when it comes to archaeology, only a fraction... ¨ of the evidence survives in the ground ¨ of possible sites has been detected (discovered) ¨ of possible sites has been excavated ¨ of any site has been excavated ¨ of excavated information has been examined ¨ of examined and published information applies to the Bible Archaeological sites n Some ancient ruins are above ground and can be accessed by anyone (if legally allowed!) n Others are partially covered and need to be cleaned to get to the ancient information n Most ruins are below ground level and only careful excavations can uncover their story n Many sites are underneath modern buildings! n Ruins include cities, buildings, graves and dumps n The interpretation and identification of any find is a complicated and a highly technical and sophisticated

science Photo: http://news.thomasnet.com Digging in a tell n Many ancient cities have been rebuilt multiple times on old debris, creating a “tell”, ie a mound built up by the accumulation of habitation debris over centuries n As many as 20+ layers of civilizations have been found in a single tell, such as the site of Megiddo (Tell-el-Mutesellim) in northern Israel n Archeologists dig very carefully through each layer (normally by “tunnelling” from top to bottom) to see what can be found Sample of finds for Bible history n Archeological finds have confirmed: ¨ Shishak’s war against Rehoboam (1 Kings 14) ¨ Kingship of Omri and power of Ahab (1 Kings 16) ¨ Fall of Samaria () ¨ A seal discovered in Jerusalem has the inscription “Belonging to Baruch, son of Neriah, the Scribe” – see Jeremiah 32 n The list of relevant discoveries is interesting, but long; read more about it in published books, scientific journals and on the internet Most important finds n Archives: more than a dozen major archives (mostly royal archives) have been discovered in the ancient Near East, such as: ¨ Ebla: 3rd Millennium Northern Syria – 1000’s of clay tablets, providing some historical information ¨ Nuzi: Personal archives from 1500-1350BC; it sheds light on family structures in the patriarchal era (eg having children with a handmaid) n Monuments and Inscriptions, eg Mesha (Moabite king), ’s Prism (Isaiah’s time), (538BC) Non-biblical literature Examples of this kind of literature include: 1. The Apocrypha ¨ The Book of 1 Maccabees describes Jewish history from 175-135 BC and other background information (also from other apocrypha) 2. The Works of Josephus n “Josephus (37 – sometime after 100 AD), also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu, who became known, in his capacity as a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a 1st-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70. His works give an important insight into first-century Judaism. Josephus's two most important works are Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94).” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus Conclusion n We have enough evidence from the Bible itself that we can do the following: ¨ We can put together a reliable overview of the history of Bible events ¨ We can say with confidence that the Bible is trustworthy in its description of God and His dealings with Israel and the Christian Church n Much of what is found in the Bible can be proved from both archaeological discoveries and extra-biblical literature The main events of Bible history

A discussion of the timeline or chronology of Bible events Understanding the time line n The year count starts with the year “0” and works backward (BC) and forward (AD) n BC is short for “Before Christ” and AD for “Anno Domini” (Latin for “year of our Lord”) n In modern usage this is often referred to as BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) n Reference is often made to a Century or millennium BC or AD; make sure you understand how it works! The Christian year count n The “Christian” calendar (the most common used in the world today) is one of a few ways to express time n There are also the Chinese, Jewish and other calendars n The Christian dating system was devised in 525AD and only found widespread use from the 8th Century onwards (and as late as the 15th Century in some European countries) n Was there a year 0? Or only 1BC and 1AD? n What supposedly happened at the start of our year count? Describing history n Describing history is ALWAYS a matter of perspective; by nature it is selective in the events highlighted by a particular historian n The main purpose of the overview of history in this lecture is to put the whole of biblical history in some perspective n Only the main events and dates are listed in order to get a firm grip on the “flow of events” as we find them in the Bible n Biblical scholars differ in their interpretation of some events, but generally the dates are firm Before Abraham n The first 11 chapters of Genesis tell the story of Adam, creation, Noah and the Flood, etc n This period is often referred to as “prehistory” for the lack of information available to us n The purpose of the author of Genesis is to “set the scene” for introducing Abraham, the father of the Israelites n The length of time described in Gen 1-11 is a matter of great debate among both Christian and non-Christian scholars and not the topic for our discussion n Some archeological discoveries date as far back as approximatelyPhoto: 4500BC http://www.johnbakerphoto.com/image/Creation_630_Genesis_JBP.jpg A map of Mesopotamia

www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkf3/maps/ Mediterranean map with current names of countries

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/maps/map_images/turkey_mesopotamia.gif From Abraham to Moses n This era is most commonly referred to as the time of the Patriarchs (ie male heads) n The approximate date for Abraham is mostly agreed to be 2000BC, but this is difficult to “prove” or to be more precise n Joseph could have gone to Egypt between 1750 and 1700BC (or 100 years earlier), with Jacob following soon thereafter n The early Hebrews spent roughly 400 years in Egypt, taking the history to about 1400 or 1300BC (Moses and the Exodus) The Exodus n There are two possible dates for the Exodus, viz 1450 or 1250BC, depending on the interpretation of data available n We have detailed knowledge of the era 1550-1100BC from extensive Egyptian records n The Exodus is not mentioned in Egyptian sources, but the first reference to Israel is found in an Egyptian text dated ±1230BC (post-exodus) n The Pharaoh during the time of the Exodus could have been Thutmose II or III for the earlier date or Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great) for the later date (sometimes spelled “Ramses”) Joshua and Judges n The conquest of the land could have taken place as early as 1400, but no later than 1200BC; it took more than one generation to complete n The Book of Joshua describes the initial crossing of the Jordan and the invading of the land as a slow but sure process n The Book of Judges describes a period of some 200 years of uncertain settling in Canaan n During this same time (1175-1150BC) the Philistines (Sea People associated with Crete) established themselves in the south-eastern coastal area of the land of Canaan The united monarchy n Samuel, who lived ±1050BC, appointed Saul as the first king over Israel n After Saul died ±1000BC, David became king, initially over the southern tribes only, but consolidated (united) all the tribes of Israel after a few years n David reigned in Hebron for 7½ years before he conquered and made Jerusalem his capital city; through his military activity David successfully expanded the Israelite territory n Solomon inherited a fair-sized regional empire in 960BC and reigned until 922BC Divided monarchy n In 922BC Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, inherited a kingdom that was heavily taxed and burdened n When he took a hard line on the tax issue, the northern tribes of Israel decided to break away under the leadership of Jeroboam n The divided nation became known as: ¨ The Northern Kingdom, or Israel (Ephraim, Samaria) ¨ The Southern Kingdom, or Judah (Jerusalem) n From this time on (922BC) the history of Israel and Judah follows two concurrent time-lines n Most of the prophetic books in the OT date from 900-500BC and should be read against this background End of the Northern Kingdom n The Northern Kingdom came to an end in 722BC with the fall of Samaria when the Assyrian Empire, with their capital in Nineveh, swept across the region n They captured Samaria in 722BC (and also threatened Judah), taking the elite and important into exile; they “imported” some other nations (2 Kings 17) to live in Israel n Afterwards the Northern Kingdom became known as the “lost tribes of Israel”, causing much speculation as to their whereabouts Exile of Judah n In a series of battles the Babylonians successfully overthrew the Assyrian Empire n In 612BC they destroyed the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, and quickly consolidated their own empire n During a series of campaigns in the late 7th and early 6th Centuries BC the Babylonians attacked and subjected Jerusalem (Judah), taking many of the leaders into captivity n As a result of a (final) rebellion in Judah, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and destroyed the city and temple in 587/6BC; this is generally referred to as “The Fall of Jerusalem” and end of the “first temple era” n Only the poorest people were left in Judah (Judea) The Return from Exile n Once again the empire “exchanged hands” when the Babylonians were overthrown by the Persians in 538BC n , the first Persian ruler, allowed the exiles (captives) from all the nations to return to their home countries n The first of the Jewish exiles went back to Judea in 538BC under prince Zerubbabel n They rebuilt the altar and started rebuilding the Temple, but only completed it in 515BC n Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in 445BC to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem The silent years n What followed was a period of over 400 years not described in our biblical canon and with no recognized books being added to the Bible canon n No wonder this era, known as the “Inter- testamental period”, is often referred to as the “Silent Years” n This period, more than any other, served to prepare the way for the coming Messiah n More about that in the next lecture! Transition n The world of the Middle East saw several major changes in “ownership” and power during the inter-testamental era n The power shifted from Alexander the Great to Egypt, from Syria to Jewish independence, and finally to the Roman Empire n The Roman Empire provided the immediate context for the birth of Jesus Christ and the early years of Christianity

Pic:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Roman_army_in_nashville.jpg Jesus in Israel n Jesus was born when Herod the Great was in power in Judea, having been appointed by the Romans; Herod died in 4BC n This means that Jesus must have been born during the years 6 to 4BC n By this time the country was divided into 3 provinces, viz Judea, Samaria and Galilee n Jesus started his public ministry around the year 27AD and died about 3 or 4 years later Palestine in Jesus’ time

www.wall-maps.com/bible/232767-over.htm The Early Church n The early Church expanded rapidly throughout the Roman Empire under emperors Gaius Caligula (37-41), Claudius (41-54) and Nero (54-68) n Some Jews and half-Jews acted as co- regents (Herod Agrippa I and Agrippa II) n Paul and his companions played a major role in the spreading of the Gospel n By the end of the first Century AD there was a well established church network around the Middle East and Europe Israel in the First Century AD n Jewish political life was dominated by the Roman Empire and its influence on them n The Jews’ desire for independence led to two major Jewish revolts during 66-135AD n The first occurred from 66AD and ended in the (second) Fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, including the total destruction of the Temple under the Roman commander, Titus; this brought to an end the “Second Temple era” n This event had a major impact on the theological developments in the early church The last of the Jewish battles n Some Zealots (Jewish rebels) held out in the desert for a long time, organizing wars from Masada n Masada fell to the Romans in 74AD, with about 960 Jews committing mass suicide n Another revolt under Bar-Kochba, from 131-135AD, resulted in the Romans (emperor Hadrian) finally crushing the Jews and rebuilding Jerusalem as a Roman city, renaming it Aelia Capitolina n By this time the centre of Christianity was well established outside Palestine in Asia Minor And finally… n There is MUCH more that can be said about the history of Israel and the Early Church; much has been left out! n But the overall picture of the history is one of realizing that the Bible really is “His Story” – God in control! n It is important to read the Bible against the background of the history shared in this lecture as it unfolds and reveals God’s plans and purposes for the world To do… n Go over the notes again to ensure you have a firm grip on the history of Bible events n Memorize: ¨ The first 33 books of the Bible for next week (Gen – Micah) ¨ The most important dates in Bible history n Do some research and read further in the recommended literature Next week n We will look at the history of Israel and the known world during the 400 years before the coming of Jesus n We will draw some conclusions about the way God prepared the world to receive Jesus Christ as Messiah Bibliography and Reference works n Hill & Walton 2000. A Survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan n Brisco, TV 1998. Holman Bible Atlas. Nashville: Broadman & Holman n Thompson, JA 1982. The Bible and archaeology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans n www.bible-history.com n For more information search on Google, eg biblical archaeology, bible history, history of Israel, etc. See you next time!