ROUTE 66 WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY CHRIS WICKLAND THE OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION The Old Testament (OT) was originally written in Hebrew with the exception of three or four small portions in Aramaic. Hebrew is one of the earliest alphabetical languages. Ancient Hebrew was originaly a picture graph based system, but later developed into the Hebrew we are more familiar with today. Yet the pictograph system is still regarded important as it can give us futher revelation and insight into the meaning of certain passages. Aramaic is also known as the language of the Syrians (2 Kings 18:26). It was during the Babylonish captivity that the Jewish exiles picked up the Aramaic language for the simple reason that it was the common tongue with all the people they were mixed with. When the Jews returned to Israel they continued using the tongue and was used during the days of Jesus. There are 39 books in the OT and they are classified and divided in the following... The way the church has divided the books is thus.. The Law Genesis to Deuteronomy 5 books Historical Joshua to Esther 17 books Poetry Job to Song of Solomon 5 books Prophetic. Isaiah to Malachi 17 books The way the Hebrews subdivide their OT The Law The Torah 5 books The Prophets The Nevi'im 8 books The writings Kethuvim 11 books You will note that the math does not add up here..Why??? 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, the twelve minor prophets. Each of the following were considered as one book. THE PENTATEUCH / THE TORAH There are two major versions of our OT. The Hebrew version known as the Tanakh and the Greek version known as the Septuagint. Both versions are very important to us, because together we can draw out more meaning from the text. So for example there are places in the Hebrew where we really have little idea of how to translate yet the Greek version which was written 300 years BC has some really clear paraphrased wordings which are invaluable to help understand the Hebrew. Also nearly all of the New Testament (NT) quotes from the OT are all from the Greek version of the OT not the Hebrew. Because of these two versions of the OT you will find different names for the same thing. ie The Torah is the first 5 books of the Hebrew bible. Torah being the Hebrew word for teaching or instruction. However in the Greek version the first 5 books are known as the Pentateuch. 'Pent' meaning 5 and 'teuchos' meaning books. The first 5 books of the bible are also known as 'The Law of Moses,' or 'The Book of The Law of Moses.' There are some scholars who try to say that Moses did not write the first 5 books of the bible. However in the NT there is not one single verse which doubts the authenticity of the authorship of Moses. Infact there are over 250 quotations and references to the 5 books of Moses throughout the whole NT. KEYS TO UNLOCKING THE BIBLE... COVENANT Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic (Old Covenant), Davidic, The Messianic covenant (New Covenant). The NT only talks about being grafted into Israel via the Abrahamic Covenant not the Mosaic. The Most important Covenant is the Abrahamic. The other covenants/ administrations were built upon the former, some later dismantled and closed. The closing of Moses does not mean that God has done away with the Law. Rather that Jesus has fulfilled it's requirements and intentions. Now through His Holy Spirit we embody the law. For in the New Covenant God has written His law on our hearts. GENESIS PART ONE Introduction: The bible is not one book, but many. The word 'Bible' comes from the plural word biblia which means 'library' in Latin. It consists of 66 separate books and is different from any other book of history in that it starts sooner and finishes later. The first book of the bible is Genesis which is the start of space, time and prehistory and ends with future history and the world beyond. Also the bible is different from every other kind of book in that it is history from God's perspective. Most normal history books see through the lense of of pollitics and ideaology determined by human interest. But in the bible God selects what is important to Him. THEMES There are two themes in scripture. What has gone wrong with our world and how it can be put right. The book of Genesis tells us exactly why the world today is the way it is, and how God is going to put it right by rescuing sinful humanity from itself. The 66 books of the bible is one great drama, a drama of redemption and reconcilliation. Genesis is vital because it introduces us to the stage, the cast and the plot of this great drama. Moreover, without the first few chapters of Genesis the Bible would make little sense. BEGINNINGS The Hebrew title for this book is simply 'Bereshith' meaning beginnings. The Greek version of the Old Testament called the Septuagint was written in 250 BC. The translators gave the name of the first book 'Genesis' which literaly means origins or beginnings. This is a very apt title as this book explains the origins of our universe, man, sin, astronomy, sex, marriage, death, murder, war etc etc. The first 11 chapters of the bible is really a 'Prologue to the rest of the Bible.' THE NEED FOR REVELATION Genesis not only deals with origins, it also deals with the ultimate questions of life. Where did our universe come from? Why are we here? Why do we have to die? 2 types of revelation. General and Special THE PLACE OF GENESIS Genesis is not just the first book of the Bible, it is the FOUNDATIONAL book for the whole Bible. Most, if not all, biblical truths are included here, at least in an embryonic form. This book is the key which unlocks all the other books in the Bible. Without Genesis the Bible actually makes no sense. The book of Genesis teaches us about how the universe starts with God, not man or a big bang. It tells us our origins, the fall of humanity and the process God uses to bring salvation to humanity by selecting a people group who became the Jewish race known as Israel. From whome would come the Messiah who would bring salvation to all nations so that the paradise in the garden could be restored again. Some have great difficulty in the book of Genesis, because some of it flies in opposition to modern day thinking. ie Evolution vs Creationism. But if you see Genesis as a fairy tale then the rest of the Bible is an irrelevant lie. Genesis is a literal historical account of mankind and his origins. The book was written by Moses who was a Hebrew and Hebrew thinking did not allow our Greek mindset of spiritualising and moralising the text. It is true to say that sometimes to understand the bible, one needs to step into the time, culture and shoes of whom you are reading about. THE SHAPE OF GENESIS It is important to note that there is an overall shape to Genesis. The first quarter (Chapters 1-11) forms a distinct unit, covering many centuries and the growth and spread of nations throughout the 'Fertile Crescent' (the land stretching from Eqypt to the Persian Gulf in the Middle East). The next critical chapter in Gesesis begins with God calling Abraham in chapter 12. The next 3 quarters of this book then has a narrower focus, chronicling God's dealings with Abraham and his descendants, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. There are other divisions to note. Chapters 1 and 2 is described as good by God. Chapters 3-11 show the effects of sin and the fall of humanity as man drifts physically and spiritually away from Eden. We see God's character, His justice in punishing man, the flood, and His merciful provision even within this punishment. In Chapters 12-36 we see 6 men are contrasted. Abraham with Lot, Isaac (The child of promise) with Ishmael (The child of the flesh) and Jacob and Esau. Finally Genesis focuses upon Joseph and sets the scene for the next book of the bible...Exodus. KEY OVERVIEW TO MEMORISE Key Word 'Beginning' Key Text 1:1 Key Chapter 12 Outstanding Events Creation, Fall, Flood, Babel, Call of Abraham Outstanding Characters Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. Outstanding Prophecy 3:15 This is the first prophecy in scripture. OUTSTANDING PROPHECIES AND TYPES The outstanding reference to the Lord Jesus Christ is to be found in 3:15, where He is referred to as 'the seed of the woman.' This verse speaks of the virgin birth of Christ. His death upon the cross and His triumph over the devil and the powers of darkness. See Colossians 2:13-15 A type of Christ is a person or event which reveals or foreshadows certain aspects of the Person, character and ministry of Jesus. Adam is spoken of as a 'type of Christ' See Romans 5:12-14 As the first man he was the head of the race and his descendants inherit his nature, they are bound by his actions and share in the fruit of his actions. See Genesis 5:1-3, Romans 5:12-19, 1 Corinthians 15:48 and 49. So for example.