Tanakh

1. Describe the historical and religious situations in which composition of the Pentateuch began and ended. In what ways could these contexts shape content and perspectives of the Pentateuch? The historical and religious situations that surrounded the creation of the Pentateuch centered around the Israelites. Before the composition of the Pentateuch began, Israelites thought they were the chosen people of God for hundreds of years. What they did not understand though is that they were chosen to…

In the book of Proverbs, there are multiple verses about having a respectable work ethic in order to live life skillfully. “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully” (Proverbs 10:4-5). This verse means that you have to work hard in order to be successful, and you cannot be lazy when the work needs to be done. “He who tills his land will have…

Reading Log – Exillic and Post-Exillic Literature Ezekiel 36-37 – These chapters were written by Ezekiel, a well-educated priest who was taken to Babylon to work as a slave for the royalty due to his superior talents and education. While in slavery, the priest becomes a prophet through spiritual experiences early in the book. The people have lost everything, which according to the Deuteronomic viewpoint was because of their sinful unfaithfulness to Yahweh. What is the message of chapters 36…

The Anglo-Saxon Era was one of transition from pagan beliefs to Christianity, which can be see interwoven in the literature of the period. By the time “Beowulf” was transcribed, pagan mythology and Christian truths were viewed as mutually exclusive ideals, but to many people these tales coexisted within their hearts and minds as is revealed by the story of “Beowulf” as the author transitions seamlessly between the two warring worldviews. The relationship of Christianity and pagan legends is…

Introduction The Tanak is one of the most common names used to describe the Jewish Bible. It is also known in Protestant circles as the beginning books of the Bible, which is also called the Old Testament. No matter what name this section is given, it is a complex set of books with multiple authors, written in diverse languages, and has a history all its own. Yet, with proper study, much about the text can be discovered because many try to translate the original Hebrew and Aramaic as accurately…

Ecclesiastes Revealing the Truth The book of Ecclesiastes has been said to have occurred between the fifth and third centuries BCE in Persia. Scholars have placed emphasis on the fifth century BCE period because it was a time where commercialization thrived and the standardization of currency occurred. Introducing the problem of unequal wealth distribution which is why it’s been considered the “dark age” in the history of Israel. However, it wasn’t the first time money was introduced and the…

Matthew Richard Schlimm, who wrote “This Strange and Sacred Scripture” raises a plethora of questions to sections of the Bible people have always thought to have had answers too. As someone who has always taken the Bible at face value and believed everything to be true; both the Old Testament class and Schlimm’s book make me question what I truly know as a fact from the Bible. Both the class and the book make me wonder why God did certain things in a particular way too. One of the first topics…

Agabus Okyere ENG Prof. Dianne Sept. 14, 2016 Formative Experience That Changed Me Everyone living on this planet goes through many experience in their lives. Every experience has an effect on a person in some ways. The outcome of the experience can be good, bad or combination of both. Many features of my life have impacted my nature. One experience that changed me is reading the bible and affects my inner self. I learned how to forgive one…

The Patience of Job? No Such Thing... Cox’s introduction talks about three stages of studying the bible. He gives insight on studying the bible through the narrative or literal stage during his younger years. He seemed to be fascinated with the stories of the bible as most children are. It was intriguing to not only learn of the characters in the the parables but he “also sometimes acted them out”. (Cox 2) The stories we hear as children are colorful, fun and full of life and love.…

The first few verses of the book of Obadiah identify him with YHWH through the title and role of prophet. The role of prophet here is one who speaks for God, but is a concept the bible borrows from other places. Originally God wanted to speak directly to his people (Exodus 1:19) but per Israel’s request he spoke to them through Moses. The people understood figures that spoke for the king in order to inform them of his word. There would have been figures like this in Egypt taking on a leadership…