Historical, Wisdom & Prophetic Books

HISTORICAL BOOKS

Spans Israelite history from 1250 BC to 100 BC

Historical BooksThe sixteen historical books of the bible tell the story of God

at work in the history of ancient Israel from the settlement of Canaan to the Kingdom of the Maccabees.

• Divine Warfare– The Idea, unique to the Israelites,

that God will fight not just with them but for them against their enemies

• Cycle of Sin– A series of events that marks the

course of Israel’s response to God and the covenant.

Events in Historical Books

• Return, Restoration & Rededication– Ezra– Nehemiah

• Foreign control and a short period of Independence– 1 Maccabees– 2 Maccabees

• Conquest of Canaan under Joshua, and the leadership of the Joshua and the Judges– Judges as military, conciliatory, and

spiritual leaders– Formation of a tribal confederation.– Miracle of Divine warfare

• Rise of the United Kingdom under King David– King Saul– King David– King Solomon

• Division of the kingdom into Judah (south) and Israel (north). Solomon begins to oppress the people; His son continues the tyranny– A procession of kings both south and

north• Fall of the kingdoms (722 BC & 587

BC)– Destruction of Israel by the Assyrian

Empire– Conquest by and Exile of Judah to

Babylonia

Historical Novels Book of Tobit

God saves the righteous Book of Esther

Divine providence Book of Judith

Courage is rewarded

Archeology

• Conquest & Settlement– Major Upheaval in Middle East about

1200 BC– Dark Age followed

• Exile– Signs of absence of activity in

Jerusalem

THE PROPHETSMessengers of God

Prophetic Books• 18 books of the Old Testament that contain the sermons, dreams and visions of

the prophets of God. Prophets were messengers of God that worked to keep the people (king) faithful to the covenant.

• These writing prophets are known as latter prophets; The accounts of the former prophets are recorded in the historical books. Former prophets include Samuel, Elijah & Elisha

• The terms major and minor refer to the length of the writings of the latter prophets, not the importance of the prophet or his message.

• Major prophets: The major prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah ,Ezekiel and Daniel The book of the prophet Isaiah is the longest prophetic book and was probably written by three different writers, Isaiah, Deutero-Isaiah and third Isaiah. The book of Lamentations is included in this section.

• Minor prophets: Include Micah, Amos, Hosea, Habakkuk, Haggai, Zechariah, Jonah, Obadiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, Joel & Nahum

• Baruch and Lamentations are prophet related writings

The Marks & Roles of the Prophets• Keep the people and the king

faithful to the covenant– Spiritual Warrior: make sure

the king and people were obeying the Law of Moses

– Messenger of God: Spoke the words of God

– Social Revolutionary: Spoke out against social injustices

• Call Narrative: – Mysterious setting– God initiates– Resistance to the call– God reassures– Mission is given & accepted

• Popularity– Most of the prophets were

not popular with the officials of the state or the people because they told the truth about their sinful actions

• Jeremiah

Message of the Prophets• Form:

– An Oracle• A message given in the words of God; Prefaced with “Thus

says the Lord”, Uses the pronoun “I”

– Paraphrase by the prophet• Expression:

– Prophecy of Doom

This message was a warning of the disaster that would follow if the King and the people did not change their evil ways– Prophecy of Encouragement

This message offered hope for the future if the King and the people changed their evil ways.

How?

Message of the Prophets

– Idolatry• Worshipping false gods• Putting faith in others rather than Yahweh

– Social Injustice• Oppressing the poor• Adultery• Lying• Cheating• Stealing• Murder• Any practice that took away the human rights of another

Why?

• Unfaithfulness to God’s Covenant

Why do we read about the prophets?Something to think about!

• What do the accounts of the Old Testament prophets tells us about God’s relationship with humankind?

• Do the messages of the prophets still speak to us today?

• If God sent a prophet to speak to us today what would he say to us?

WISDOM BOOKSReflections during & post exile

Types & Focus

• Types of Literature

– Wisdom Literature

– Apocalyptic* Literature

*revelatory- reveals a hidden message.

Ex. “Book of Daniel”

• Focus– God’s Creation

– Natural Laws

– Meaning of Life

– The Future

Wisdom Literature• What is it?

– Collections of wise sayings, proverbs, and short stories that offer insights into the proper way to live. Prayers & songs for worship

• When was it written?– During and after the Exile

• What is the core, or central idea of wisdom?– “Fear of the Lord”– God as Creator deserves respect and love

Themes & Styles• 2 Main themes

– God is Creator/ We are creation– Faith comes from rational thinking in addition to

revelation• Styles

– Wise sayings– Teachings of sages (wise men) – Poetry– Moral play

• Technique– Contrast between wise and foolish man

Wisdom Books

Affirmation of the beauty of love and the goodness of human sexuality

God is beyond human knowledge and that some

things will never be understood, including

suffering.

Psalms

Book OfJob

Sirach

Wisdom

Song of

Songs

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Used for praying in ancient times and today

Reflects the love between God and Israel AND later, Jesus and the church

Short, wise sayings

Compare & Contrast

• Both apocalyptic and wisdom literature answer the same question, “How should we live to stay in the right relationship with God?

– Wisdom looks to the past and our relationship to God as creator. What has God done?

– Apocalyptic looks to the future. What is God about to do?