1.0 The Book and Those Who Study It

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(Last revised: 9/18/01)
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1.1 The Old Testament: What Is It?
1.1.1 Definition
1. Define the term 'Old Testament', and how did the term originated?
2. Define the abbreviations B.C.E. and B.C.
1.1.2 The Vehicles that carry the Story
1. Define the four types of literary forms (genre) used to tell the story of the Hebrew people.
1.1.2.1 Narrative
1. Identify what is unusual about the fact that the Old Testament has much narrative material.
1.1.2.2 Legal Materials
1. Describe the three major legal codes: the Covenant Code, the Deuteronomic Code, and the Levitical Code.
1.1.2.3 Poetry
1.1.2.4 Wisdom Literature
1.1.3 The Crucial Event
1. Describe why the Israelites began their story with the Exodus.
1.2 How It Began
1. Describe how the early traditions about Israel developed and passed on from generation to generation.
1.2.1 First the Event
1.2.2 Then the Story--the First Interpretation
1. Define etiologies.
1.2.3 Then the Reinterpretation
1.2.4 And Then the History--the Continuing Interpretation
1. Describe the early traditions about Israel's story beginning with the Exodus and ending with the Babylonian Exile.
1.3 How It Developed
1.3.1 The Process
1.3.2 The Written Story
1.3.2.1 The final Product: The Canon
1.3.2.2 The Hebrew Canon
1. Identify the three divisions of the Hebrew canon.
1.3.2.3 The Septuagint
1. Describe how the Septuagint affected the various Christian groups' view of the biblical canon today.
1.4 Work of Scholars
1.4.1 Textual Criticism
1. Describe the basic concern of textual criticism
1.4.2 Literary and Historical Studies
1. Describe the three things literary and historical studies of the biblical text are concerned with.
1.4.2.1 Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch
1. Describe the evidences cited to argue for Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy).
1.4.3 The Documentary Hypothesis
1. Describe the four stages of the writing of Israel's history according to Julius Wellhausen.
2. Describe the work of H.B. Witter and Jean Astruc.
1.4.4 Modifications of Wellhausen's Views
1. Define the terms 'critic' and 'criticism' as used in technical biblical studies.
1.4.4.1 Form Criticism
1. Describe the nature and development of Form Criticism in Old Testament studies.
1. Describe the work of Hermann Gunkel in Form Geschichte (Form Criticism).
1.4.4.2 Oral Tradition
1. Describe the nature and development of Oral Tradition in Old Testament studies.
2. Describe the work of Ivan Engnell as a challenge to Wellhausen.
1.4.5 Redaction Criticism
1. Describe the nature and development of Redaction Criticism in Old Testament studies.
1.4.6 Present Trends in Old Testament Studies
1. Describe the major shift in emphasis that has taken place in Old Testament studies in recent years.
2. Describe the three groups of redactors or editors who are believed to have been responsible for the final form of the Old Testament as we now know it.
1.4.6.1 The Bible as literature
1. Describe how Literary Criticism is applied to studying the Bible.
1.4.6.2 Canonical Criticism
1. Define Canonical Criticism in its application to the study of the Hebrew Bible.
1.4.6.3 The sociohistorical Approach
1. Define the sociohistorical approach in its application to the study of the Hebrew Bible.
1.4.6.4 Developers of the Finished Product
1. Summarize the basic emphases in Old Testament scholarship today.
1.5 Archaeology as a Tool for Understanding
1.5.1 Basic Matters
1.5.1.1 The Purpose of Archaeology
1. Define the purpose of archaeology.
2. Using Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias as sources, distinguish biblical archaeology from archaeology in general.
1.5.1.2 The Practice of Archaeology
1. Define the term 'tell' as an archaeological term.
2. Contrast how archaeological dig sites used to be determined and how they are today.
1.5.1.3 The Skills and Tools of Archaeology
1. Describe the various tools used in archaeological dig sites.
1.5.1.4 Dating What is Found
1. Describe how dating takes place of objects found in archaeological dig sites.
1.5.2 Important Discoveries
1. Briefly describe each of the discoveries listed below.
1.5.2.1 The Rosetta Stone
1. Briefly describe Rosetta Stone and its importance.
1.5.2.2 The Gilgamesh Epic

1. Briefly describe Gilgamesh Epic and its importance using the above web sources.
1.5.2.3 The Beni Hasan Mural
1.5.2.4 The Gezer High Place
1.5.2.5 An Ivory Knife Handle from Megiddo
1.5.2.6 The Dead Sea Scrolls
1.5.3 The Purpose and Value of Archaeology
1. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of using archaeology in biblical itnerpretation.
1.5.4 Why Study the Old Testament?
1. Describe some reasons for studying the Old Testament.