USING THE OLD TESTAMENT AS CHRISTIAN SCRIPTUREGordon Brubacher.docx

USING THE OLD TESTAMENT AS CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURE
Gordon Brubacher April 2013
(Need-to-know for the course is the main ideas, not details such
as the list of famous reformers.)
The 2000 year old question: “How might people of the Christian
faith read the Old Testament as Scripture for theology, that is,
for authority in their lives for what to believe and how to live?”
For Christians this is a serious question because we have an
apparent problem. On the one hand, the OT is part of our Bible,
like it or not. On the other hand, we have the New Testament
with the teaching of Jesus and the other early Christian
writings, so the NT feels like the REAL Bible, and feels like it
sort of replaces the OT. On the gripping hand, the two have
more continuity and consistency between them than they seem
to at first reading.
It seems to me we can think about the OT as Scripture in 3
aspects, which are actually 3 time periods. These are: [1] the
OT standalone, by itself on its own terms; [2] the OT in light of
the teaching of Jesus and the New Testament; [3] the OT SINCE
Jesus and the NT, right up until the present and into the future.
A. THE OLD TESTAMENT ON ITS OWN TERMS
Claims Divine Revelation. The OT contains explicit claims of
Divine revelation, so we take that seriously.
Speaks with Enduring Voice. The OT by itself teaches a major
list of what is expected of humanity, and sets the standards high
enough that we still haven’t met them in some things.

Consistent with the New Testament. Anything which is clear
and consistent and prominent in the OT, and is not changed by
any clear teaching in the NT, still applies to Christianity. A list
would include: Divine mercy, beyond human thinking; the
faithfulness of God no matter how badly people go wrong; the
relentless redemptive work of God with humans; the Divine will
for human well-being; the Divine requirement that humans work
for well-being; the principle of do no harm to others; the
requirement for social justice, with no exceptions or excuses;
the requirement to make sure needy people are looked after,
with no exceptions or excuses; a strong critique of and rejection
of violence, no matter how good the intentions, with no
exceptions and no excuses.
Things That Changed. Some things in the divine dealing with
humanity appear to have been altered. In fact, a large portion
of the OT witness presents a sustained show-and-tell lesson on
where not to go and what not to do, or at least on things that are
no longer the first choice, because they have not worked. [[see
the new comm in the mets]]
The New Community in Prophetic Thought. The OT goes on to
describe a newer way of life which is expected of the people of
God instead. A major stream of OT witness to the Divine will
contains prophetic calls for a new community, a new people of
God, and in fact a new order of things among the nations. [[see
the new comm in the mets]]
B. THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE TEACHING OF JESUS
Continuity. The New Testament presents itself pretty clearly as
in line with the Old Testament. It was the Bible used by Jesus
and the early Jesus movement, so it couldn’t have been all that
obsolete, right? In addition, we get passages on the subject
like: “Previously God spoke to our ancestors in many and
various ways by the prophets, but more recently He has spoken

to us by a Son. . .” (Hebrews 1:1-2). That’s a clear statement
of continuity, rather than of something consigned to the past.
Even more important, we get a remarkable statement by Jesus
about his core mission: "Do not think that I have come to
abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish them
but to finish what they started” (Matthew 5:17).
Priority: Teaching of Jesus. If there is a difference between the
teaching of Jesus and something else in the Old Testament on
the same subject, the teaching of Jesus takes priority. That is to
say, the teaching of Jesus has greater authority.
Jesus’ Mission: Proclaim the New Community. The Gospels
report that Jesus of Nazareth specifically points to the Old
Testament description of the new community as an important
part of his mission and teaching See the section this in the
online reading “Jesus Contiues the Story.”
Jesus and the Religion Leaders of his Day. Many of the
Jerusalem religion leaders in the time of Jesus followed Ezra
reform style legalism, often in a sincere effort to obey God.
Jesus’ frequent differences of opinion with them were often
over the choice between enforcing Torah legalistically, or living
by the principle and intentions of Torah. For example, this is
functionally the difference between attempts to enforce the
Sabbath as legalism on the one hand, or to treat it as a means
for human wellbeing on the other (Matt:12-14 Mk 2:24-28;
Mk 3:4; Luke 13:10-16; John 5:10-16). In this regard, Jesus is
continuing the message of Third Isaiah.
Like the great prophetic voices of the OT, Jesus emphasized the
spirit or intentions or principles of Torah, rather than the
legalistic letter of the law. As Saint Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians
3:6, he and his colleagues were to be “ministers of a new
covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the
Spirit gives life.”

Any good set of beliefs or way of life can go off track, as we
are reminded merely by going to church today. Many rabbis
(Jewish religious teachers) said the same things, and still do to
this day. In addition to Jesus of Nazareth, famous reformers
who took on these issues in the same era included the Rabbis
Hillel and Shammai (both approx. 60 B.C.E. - 20 C.E.),
Gamaliel I (approx. 10 B.C.E. 50 C.E., grandson of Hillel),
Gamaliel II (approx. 80 120 C.E., grandson of Gamaliel I); also
John the Baptist (approx. 4 B.C.E. - 28 C.E.), and Saul of
Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul (approx. 10-62 C.E.).
C. THE OLD TESTAMENT SINCE JESUS, UP TO THE
PRESENT
Changing Understanding. We, the community of faith, continue
to notice things, and their relevance, that we didn’t pay much
attention to before. Does the Spirit of God play a role in how
we read the OT? Maybe quietly draw things to our attention as
needed or when we are ready to act on them? Maybe prompt us
about things? Maybe plant new or revised interpretations in the
mind of the community?
Example: Slavery. The emancipation movement was faith-based
and happened rather suddenly, as history goes. Suddenly
Christians all over Europe and North America were reading
their Bibles in a new way. “My gosh,” they were saying, “look
at this! Slavery is wrong! If we are going to obey Scripture,
we need to end slavery!” Many of those passages were in the
OT.
The interesting thing is that nothing had changed in Scripture;
but the perception of what it meant had changed. It was as if
Christianity woke up one century and the scales fell off their
eyes. Could it be that the Spirit of God decided we were ready,
and decided to push a little? No way to prove it, but as a

statement of faith I think it entirely possible.
Example: social justice. We are living in a similar movement or
change like that for awareness of social justice, and moving to
act on it. A few generations ago we hardly heard the word.
True, there were forerunners, like the Jesuits, or Dorothy Day
and the Catholic Worker Movement, or the early days of what
became the Mennonite Central Committee. Now awareness is
the air we breathe. Sure there’s resistance and push-back. But
we wouldn’t have that if there were nothing to push back
against. Again, the primary Scripture passages are in the OT,
especially in the prophetic voices, even if no one has heard of
mishpat or sedeqah. And again: the perception of what they
meant has changed.
Example: Environmental Ethics [sim to above] look at
statements by
What else, or what next? Fill in the blanks here.
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
If we listen to the Spirit together, and act, we can expect a wild
ride. A life worth living, and maybe a death worth dying. But
meanwhile: Ad multos annos!
THE PROCESS OF FORMATION: HOW THE OLD
TESTAMENT CAME TO US
Gordon Brubacher Revised December 2015
Ancient writings and collections don't just appear out of the
blue. They result from a situation of some kind, and address a
target audience of people in their needs and circumstances.

This is entirely true of the Old Testament writings and we want
to be aware of this for our final, overall understanding of the
collection as a whole.
Canon of Scripture. “Canon” comes from a Greek word
meaning a measuring stick, so in modern English we could say
it means something that “measures up” or meets some kind of
standard. When talking about the Canon of Scripture, we mean
the books that met this standard and got included. For example,
the Book of Psalms which made it into the Hebrew Bible is
called “canonical” because it made it into the canon, but a short
collection of psalms called “The Psalms of Solomon,” from the
very late aftermath period, did not.
A key point: the process of the formation of the canon of the
Hebrew Scriptures was recognized in 3 main stages, plus a final
wrap-up.
Stage 1:Part I of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah. Finalized
already in the 400's, or possibly in the 300's. We think that
people like Ezra played a major role in this, maybe even Ezra
himself.
Stage 2: Part II of the Hebrew Bible, the Prophets. Final list
generally accepted by about the year 200.
Stage 3: Part III of the Hebrew Bible, the Writings. Final list
mainly recognized and accepted in the 100's before the Common
Era, with the very final list standardized between the First
Jewish Revolt of 66-70 and the Second Jewish Revolt of 130-
134 in the Common Era (i.e., AD 66-70 and AD 130-134, soon
after the time of Jesus).
Final Wrap-up (not a real stage in itself). It seems that a few of
of the Writings received the most debate in the final wrap-up,
after 134 of the Common Era. For example, the Book of Esther

was strongly contested because it never mentions God. But
some Jewish rabbis (teachers) argued that you can sense the
hand of God moving throughout the story, and they won the
day. The Song of Solomon, which was a collection of erotic
love poetry, had become a popular pub song in the taverns of
the day, so this seemed to some thinkers to disqualify it. But
one of the great rabbis argued that [a] it celebrated love in the
framework of commitment, such as marriage; [b] it culminates
in the belief that committed love is as strong as, or stronger
than, death itself; and [c] the prophets from Hosea onward had
used the imagery of marriage for the relationship between the
Lord and His people. He won the day, and Christianity soon
picked up on this imagery in the form of the Church as the
Bride of Christ.
SECOND ISAIAH SELECTED PASSAGES (NRSV)
40:1-11 Prepare to return, God is committed to this. Your sins
are paid for, end the guilt.
Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand forever.
9 Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good tidings;[a]
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,[b]
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.
-----------------------------------------
40:12-31 Looks impossible? The great Creator God [Not
Marduk] CAN pull this off.
A major poem to God’s power in creation.
-----------------------------------------

41:8-10 You are my servant, I have a job [mission] for you.
You are not washed up.
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
-----------------------------------------
41:1720 I will provide for you.
17 When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers on the bare heights,[a]
and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
20 so that all may see and know,
all may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.

-----------------------------------------
42:1-7 I will pour my Spirit on my servant, who will make
possible international justice.
Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,[a]
a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
-----------------------------------------
42:9-10; 43:18-19 I am doing something NEW. The old is past.
42:9-10

9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar[a] and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
43:18-19
18 Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
-----------------------------------------
43:1-5 Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. You are under
my protection.
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia[a] and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you,

I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
-----------------------------------------
44:24-28 I am going to use Cyrus of Persia as my shepherd.
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you in the womb:
I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who by myself spread out the earth;
25 who frustrates the omens of liars,
and makes fools of diviners;
who turns back the wise,
and makes their knowledge foolish;
26 who confirms the word of his servant,
and fulfills the prediction of his messengers;
who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be inhabited,”
and of the cities of Judah, “They shall be rebuilt,
and I will raise up their ruins”;
27 who says to the deep, “Be dry—
I will dry up your rivers”;
28 who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,
and he shall carry out all my purpose”;
and who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”
-----------------------------------------
45:1-4; 11-13 Cyrus of Persia is my Anointed One.
45:1-4
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,

whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
and the gates shall not be closed:
2 I will go before you
and level the mountains,[a]
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I surname you, though you do not know me.
45:11-13
11 Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
Will you question me[a] about my children,
or command me concerning the work of my hands?
12 I made the earth,
and created humankind upon it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.
13 I have aroused Cyrus[b] in righteousness,
and I will make all his paths straight;
he shall build my city
and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,
says the Lord of hosts.
-----------------------------------------

48:6-7 Watch this: starting now, I am starting something new.
6 You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forward I make you hear new things,
hidden things that you have not known.
7 They are created now, not long ago;
before today you have never heard of them,
so that you could not say, “I already knew them.”
-----------------------------------------
49:3-6 My servant Israel is to be a light to the nations.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.”
5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
----------------------------------------
55:1-13 I will make a covenant, so seek the Lord NOW, while
He is available. God is irrationally merciful and forgiving (by

human standards). His plans get accomplished. [There’s one
for Robby Burns.]
Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Psalm 23. A Psalm of David.
Scene I: My Good Leader
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul;
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Scene II: Danger and Trust
4 Even though I walk through the valley of Death-
Shadow [tsalmawet],
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your Rod and your Staff—they protect me.
Scene III: Safety through Reconciliation
5 You prepare a table [shulhan] before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Scene IV: Under Enduring Protection
6 Surely well-being and your commitment shall follow
me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Malachi Selected Passages (NRSV)
1:10-12 The Lord wishes they would close down the temple
instead of offering sacrifices which take His name in vain. The
rest of the nations are actually better in this regard!
10 Oh, that someone among you would shut the temple[c] doors,
so that you would not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no
pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an
offering from your hands. 11 For from the rising of the sun to
its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every
place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my
name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But
you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted,
and the food for it[d] may be despised.
1:13 The Lord rejects the sacrifices because they have been
taken by violence.
13 “What a weariness this is,” you say, and you sniff at me,[e]
says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by
violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering!
Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord.
2:1-9 The priests as religion leaders have perverted their
calling, which is to give instruction for well-being, speaking as
a messenger for the Lord.

1And now, O priests, this command is for you.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4 Know, then, that I have sent this command to you, that my
covenant with Levi may hold, says the Lord of hosts. 5 My
covenant with him was a covenant of life and well-being, which
I gave him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and
stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth,
and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in
integrity and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.
7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people
should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger
of the Lord of hosts. 8 But you have turned aside from the way;
you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have
corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, 9 and so
I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch
as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your
instruction.
2:10 The Lord created all peoples, so all the peoples of the
earth have one “Father,” that is, all are one family. So
discriminating against foreigners perverts the covenant.
10 Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us?
Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the
covenant of our ancestors?
2:13-16 The Lord is refusing to accept their sacrifices because
of those forced divorces of wives who do not have a “pure”
genealogy. They constitute infidelity to the wives and to God.
They are to be labeled specifically as hamas, that is, violence
(v. 16). (They certainly were, when we consider the
vulnerability of women and children on the street without
household protection in that time and place.)
13 And this you do as well: You cover the Lord’s altar with

tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards
the offering or accepts it with favor at your hand. 14 You ask,
“Why does he not?” Because the Lord was a witness between
you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been
faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by
covenant. 15 Did not one God make her?[d] Both flesh and
spirit are his.[e] And what does the one God[f] desire? Godly
offspring [that is, results]. So look to yourselves, and do not let
anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth. 16 For I hate/reject
these divorces, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and covering
one’s garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So take
heed to yourselves and do not be faithless.
EXILE AND RETURN: KEY DATES AND EVENTS
· 598 Exile Phase I
· 586 Exile Phase II
· Early in the Babylonian exile: the prophet Ezekiel
· Later in the Babylonian exile: the prophet Isaiah of the Exile
· 538 Phase I Return: Initial Struggles
· 518 Phase II: Building the Temple
· 515 Temple is done
· 458 Phase III: Ezra's Religion Reforms
· 445 Phase IV: Nehemiah the Governor and State Religion
Keeping Torah in a Changing and Hostile World: The
Hellenistic Period
Gordon Brubacher Revised December 2015
The following is based partly on Harris and Platzner, 63-64,
357-66 (see bibliography at bottom).

One empire after another! Changes, changes, changes!
After the return from Exile, the Jewish communities in various
lands found themselves facing one issue after another for
selfidentity and selfpreservation. A natural result of that
experience was to produce more thought, more writings, and
more reflection on that experience.
Under Persian empire rule, the Jewish people had freedom of
religion, so that was no problem for practicing their faith. But
of course some things in the legacy were not permitted. These
included Davidic kingship and Israel as an independent state.
Some or many of the Jewish people especially in the Jerusalem
region longed for the good old days, the glory days of David
and Solomon, and looked for a time when God would make that
happen, or for a time when they could make it happen
themselves.
In relation to the Old Testament, the Hellenistic period can be
described as an aftermath period for the Old Testament story
and literature as a whole. However, this does not apply to the
religion Judaism itself. The Hellenistic period was a time of
great ferment and development for the Jewish faith with lasting
consequences.
Alexander the Great and the Spread of Hellenism.
Major change and challenge came in the late 300’s. From 336-
323 BCE Alexander the Great of Macedonia swiftly conquered
and ruled the known world, from Greece to India, and including
Egypt. He actively promoted Hellenism, the word for the whole
package of Greek language, thought, culture, civilization, and
religion. He believed he was bringing this gift to a darkened
world. This culture was highly attractive—no need to jam it
down the throats of open-minded people. People across the map
were invited to become citizens of the cosmos—cosmopolitan.

Greek became the common language of the known world for
business, diplomacy, culture, everything that mattered.
People and groups who wanted to keep their own language had
to make some efforts. In particular, Jewish people across the
map were faced with the incompatible challenges of [a] getting
along in their surrounding culture on the one hand, yet [b]
keeping their Jewish ancestral faith on the other.
Jewish response to this was mixed, of course, and varied
somewhat by region. Over the past few hundred years Judaism
had been developing in 3 main regions as follows.
1. Jerusalem region and the area of the former S. Kingdom.
This was influenced heavily by the Ezra/Nehemiah reforms, was
the most traditional or conservative in matters of religion, and
had the most hopes for restoring a nation like that before the
Exile. (This is often called Palestinian Judaism in books
because the name of the region at that time was Palestine.) This
was viewed as the homeland, so Jews who lived anywhere else
were called Diaspora Jews (a Greek word which means
“dispersion”).
2. Babylonia. The exiles who had stayed and who had kept
their faith became a thriving Jewish community in Babylonia,
centered at the city of Babylon. This community became a
medium level, neither very conservative nor very progressive.
3. Egypt, especially Alexandria. A significant colony of
Jewish people in Egypt was started by refugees from Judea
when Babylon destroyed the S. Kingdom. More waves of
settlers followed. After Alexander the Great founded the city of
Alexandria in 332, a major Jewish community took off there and
became the great driving force of a more progressive form of
Judaism in this era and for a long time to come.

Division of Alexander’s Empire (323).
When Alexander died in 323, three powerful generals divided
up his empire, each getting a chunk big enough to be a fair-
sized empire in its own right. The 2 most important were
Ptolemy, who got the Ptolemaic empire centered in Egypt; and
Seleucus, who got the Seleucid empire centered in Syria.
Jerusalem was in the Ptolemaic, but near the border between the
two.
The Septuagint (LXX), c. 250.
Alexandrian Jews had become so Hellenized by the mid-200’s
that the majority could no longer read their Scriptures in the
original Hebrew. So the Jewish leaders sponsored a translation
into Greek, and it later acquired the name “the Septuagint,”
which means “the Seventy,” after a legend that 70 rabbis did the
translation. (The name is often abbreviated as “LXX” which is
the Roman numeral for 70.) The LXX editors included some
additional recent works, written in Greek, which were not in the
Hebrew Bible, and these later gained the name “the
Apocrypha.” The result of all this was far more than the
purpose at the time.
The Maccabean Revolt (c. 167-134).
Summary: a major and often traumatic series of events in the
Hellenistic period, which produced much thinking and many
writings by the Jewish people, was the persecution by
Antiochus, the Maccabean revolt, and the establishing of a
Jewish national independent state.
It all started in 199 when the Seleucid king captured Palestine
and Jerusalem got a new ruler. A generation later, a new
Seleucid king named Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163)
attempted to force his subjects, including the Judeans, to

worship Zeus and also himself as a god or semi-god.
(“Epiphanes” means “God [or the god] made visible.” Modest
name.)
When the Judeans refused, Antiochus made Judaism a capital
offense and persecuted the Judeans brutally, making the practice
of things like observing the Sabbath punishable by death.
The Jews of Judea responded to this persecution by rebelling
successfully with the Maccabean Revolt and establishing a
Jewish national independent state. It took awhile, and they paid
a high price in blood and courage, but they did it. We can well
imagine how it felt like a dream come true, and how it was
described: “We did it! We threw out foreign rulers to establish
an independent Jewish nation once more. At last!”
The Books of the Apocrypha, also called the Deuterocanonical
Books.
The books of the Apocrypha are a list of about 14 which were
produced late in the aftermath period and ended up getting
included in the Septuagint but not in the Hebrew Bible. All or
most were composed in Greek.
These books are about as miscellaneous as you can get. A
significant theme in many of them, perhaps the nearest thing to
a common theme, is the promotion of loyalty to the Law of
Moses, no matter what the cost, sometimes with belief in
finding reward in “the life to come” (after death). “Torah
loyalism” (not just “loyalty”) would be an apt description of
this belief. It is a natural development from the values
underlying the Ezra/Nehemiah reforms. Of special importance
for our purpose are Books of First and Second Maccabees.
· The Book of First Maccabees gives a largely historical
account of the Maccabean revolt. It’s an exciting story which

has inspired Jewish armed resistance to oppression in various
times and places ever since.
· The Book of Second Maccabees recounts inspiring stories of
Jewish faithfulness under torture and death during the
Maccabean Revolt, and it has been a major source of inspiration
to Jewish people in similar circumstances to the modern era,
such as persecution by the Third Reich.
Responses in the Aftermath.
Unfortunately, the Hasmonean dynasty, the Jewish rulers of the
newly refounded nation, turned out to be a mixed blessing at
best. Things went downhill. The dream did not come true in
the form that was hoped and expected. As a result, several
responses to the whole messy affair became important in Jewish
thought and literature, as follows:
Withdrawal: The Hasidim. One of several responses to the
Maccabean Revolt and its outcome was withdrawal from the
affairs of this world by pious Jews called Hasidim.
Apocalyptic Thought and Literature. Another response was
belief in a coming end time when God and the forces of good
would permanently defeat the forces of evil and establish a new
creation with a new Israel at its center. This cluster of ideas is
found in a genre of writing called apocalyptic literature.
The Book of Daniel. One remarkable piece of apocalyptic
literature from this period actually made it into the Hebrew
Bible, in the Writings. (Note: the editors correctly understood
that the Book of Daniel did not belong in the Prophets. Much
later, Christian misunderstanding moved it there, and this
became Christian tradition.)
[Need to know: Birch, 106-108, on the features and uses of

apocalyptic literature and the Book of Daniel.]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harris, Stephen L. The Old Testament: An Introduction to the
Hebrew Bible. McGraw-Hill. 2nd Edition. 2008. ISBN-13
9780072990515.
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Click here to
Introducing the Psalms
Dennis Bratcher
http://www.crivoice.org/psalmsintro.html).
The Psalms are some of the most widely read portions of the
Old Testament. They have a long history of popularity in the
Christian tradition, so much so that often the Book of Psalms
has been bound with the New Testament in pocket editions.

Such popularity reflects sensitivity to the fact that the psalms
are about people, the struggle and joy of living life under God.
While too often the psalms are seen as a sort of spiritual "pick-
me-up," a view reflecting the distorted "feel-good" mentality of
modern society, their message goes far deeper addressing the
entire range of human existence.
It is important to recognize that the psalms are not doctrinal
statements, creeds, or history but that they are both poetry and
prayer, poetry intended to be set to music and prayed in
worship. In ancient Israel, no less than in the modern world,
poetry and music were the means by which people expressed the
deepest of human feelings and emotions, the most profound of
insights, and the most tragic and joyous of human experiences.
It is no accident that after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt on
the banks of the Reed Sea the people sang (Exod. 15:1-18)! Or
that Hannah lapses into song at the dedication of Samuel (1
Sam. 2:1-10; note Lk. 1:46-55)! Or that David mourns Saul and
Jonathan in a beautiful poetic elegy (2 Sam. 2:19-27). Much of
the language of the Psalms is metaphorical and symbolic, the
language of the poet.
The Psalter, as the Book of Psalms is often called, is actually a
collection of different kinds of poetry spanning many centuries
of history (from c. 1100 BC, Pss. 29, 68, to c. 400 BC, Ps. 119)
and reaching essentially its present form around 300 BC.
Evidences of the collective nature of the Psalter are seen in its
division into five 'books' (for example, Ps. 72:20), the
references to various authors (for example, Psalm 89), as well
as the different time periods represented (Ps. 137 is clearly from
the period of Exile, c. 550 BC).
There are four basic collections within the Psalter: the Davidic
collections (3-41, 51-70, 108-110, 138-145), the Asaph Psalms
(73-83), the Korah Psalms (42, 44-49, 84-85, 87-88), and the
Songs of Ascent (120-134), to which might be added the Hallel,
or Praise (doxology), Psalms (113-118, 146-150). Although the

exact process of compilation is not known, a comparison can be
drawn between the Psalter and hymnbooks of today. Hymnals
contain many different types of songs written by different
people in different countries over a period of centuries,
preserved within a particular community because they
communicate a truth in a memorable way. In this way, songs
like Charles Wesley's And Can It Be have become important
confessions of faith. So the Psalter grew out of the life of a
community of faith as the people used their songs and poetry to
worship God.
David is traditionally seen as the author of most of the psalms.
Yet, it is better to understand the Psalter, not primarily in terms
of individual authorship, but as the product of this community
of faith who composed, collected, and passed on their prayers,
hymns, songs, and liturgy as a witness to their experience as the
people of God. While there were obviously authors of these
poems, someone who actually put the words on paper (or animal
hides), the significance of the psalms lies not in who wrote
them, but in what they communicate about God's revelation of
Himself to His people and the people's response to Him. Even
then, given what we know about ancient cultures, the writings
were likely rearranged, add to, edited, and expanded across the
centuries. This makes the modern notion of "author" not really
relevant to these writings.
Even though there is a wide diversity of material in individual
psalms, they can be grouped by style and content into three
basic categories (See Patterns for Life: Structure, Genre, and
Theology in Psalms and a chart of the Types of Psalms). Most
psalms within a certain category follow a similar pattern.
1. Lament psalms are the most numerous. These psalms are a
cry to God from distress, pain or sorrow, either from the
individual (13, 22) or the community (74). Often they begin
with the question "Why?" and end in an affirmation of faith in
God from the midst of the pain.

2. Thanksgiving psalms express thanks and praise to God in
response to some action or circumstance in which God's
faithfulness and love have been experienced (18, 138, 107).
3. Hymns offer praise to God simply for who He is, as Creator
of the Universe and Lord of History (8, 66, 113).
Other types of psalms are: Salvation History psalms celebrating
God's saving actions on behalf of His people (105-106), Songs
of trust affirming God's faithfulness (23, 131), Wisdom psalms
extolling the merits of the wise life (36, 73), and Liturgical
psalms used in public ceremonies or services of worship (2, 50,
122).
The psalms were used by the Israelites in the context of worship
to provide a structure in which they could bring their praises,
thanks, hurts and grief honestly and openly before God. The
Psalms were not thundered from Sinai or received in a vision.
They are the prayers and praises of God's people preserved by
the community of faith. As such, they have become
authoritative for us: a guide for worship, an example of honesty
before God, and a demonstration of the importance of prayer
and meditation.
-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2013, Dennis Bratcher - All
Rights Reserved
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Last modified: March 25, 2013
3
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MAKE-UP PAPER FOR A “D” OR
“F” ON THE UNIT 3 ONLINE EXAM
THL 217 Fall 2015
If your online exam is a D or an F, you may then do the
following paper as make-up work to try for a better grade.
(This is modeled on the Creighton policy that you may take a
course again for credit if you get a D or F, to pull up your
GPA.) If your best score is 10.34 or lower you qualify to do
this make-up paper if you choose.
Check with the instructor first. If you want to do this, check
with me first, to make sure you qualify. I prefer Creighton email
(Outlook) rather than Blueline for this.
LOGISTICS.
1. Worth 15 points = 15% of final grade.Length of 1200-2000
words. 1200 words is the basic level, and 2000 is the
maximum. For the very best grade, compress as much

knowledge and thought as possible into 2000 words. (The
standard measure for word length is to run the word count on
your word processor on the whole document--heading, works
cited, everything. Whatever it says, that's what we use. Then
we're all using the same form of measurement.)
1. At the top put (i) your name; (ii) the word count.
1. To submit it: click on “Assignments” (left side), then on
"Unit 3 Make-up Paper".
1. Due date: Tues Dec 15 (unless you qualify for extra time;
then see below).
1. (If you qualify for extra time, see “Accommodation” at the
bottom; your date is different.)
Grading. Because this paper will function as an exam for
knowledge and understanding, grading will be based much more
on the knowledge and understanding described above than on
your thoughts. The instructor will read it and give it a fair
grade, but there won't be time to respond in detail, or explain
what would improve it, etc., sorry. It belongs in the category of
make-up work for extra credit, so of course it's sheer grace.
THE ASSIGNMENT
The Main Topic. In plain English, in your own words, teach
Unit 3 of this course to someone who has not taken this class.
To do this, write a paper giving:
1. a summary of the most important course knowledge (subject
matter) of Unit 3; this will be most of your paper
1. your response to it or reflection on it, i.e., what you think of
it, or what thoughts it generates
In other words, you are telling: (i) what you are learning (most
of the paper), and (ii) what you think of it (maybe 5 or 10%, up
to 20% max). In the process, you are demonstrating a sound
knowledge and understanding of the OT, as learned in this
course specifically, for this unit of the course.

Your target readers. Write this for someone who has not taken
this class. Explain things clearly in plain English.
1. Your reader has an open Bible and has read the section of
Bible covered by Unit 3, so you don’t need to give a systematic
survey of the biblical story or content. For example, if you are
referring to the Solomon story, you can explain the meaning of
that story, or something in it, without actually repeating the
story itself, because your audience has already read it in the
Bible, or can look it up.
1. A good way is to picture someone you know, and write it for
that person.
1. One useful format (this is optional) is to write it as a letter to
that person. True, it would be a slightly unusual letter to have
citations and a bibliography, but a letter just the same.
Sources. Use the following required sources:
1. The relevant textbooks.
1. The textbook Bible or an equally good modern translation.
(Check with me if in doubt.)
1. The online readings as given in the Daily Schedule
1. Knowledge taught by the instructor in class.
Citation.
The purpose of accurate citation is not rules or red tape but
knowledge integrity. Knowledge is not credible if we do not
know or cannot show exactly where it came from. This is
especially important because biblical misinterpretation has
often been carried into action harmfully. One way to limit this
problem is to carefully maintain knowledge integrity through
accurate citation of our sources, including the Bible itself.
· System: choose MLA, Turabian, or Chicago (Humanities),
whichever one you are familiar with already.
· In general, use the standard method for in-text citation as
given in your chosen citation system, but also follow the other
instructions here if they are different

· Give in-text citation when you paraphrase a source, and also
for all information which is not common public knowledge (not
just for direct quotes)
· Cite the handouts which I have authored using the format for
unpublished papers
· Give the page numbers for print sources for in-text citation
· Include a Works Cited or Bibliography at the end
· You do not need to cite the instructor's lectures within the
body of the paper itself. (It is true that there is a formal way to
do this, but it would be a needless burden.) However, include
an entry in the Works Cited like this:
Brubacher, Gordon. Class lectures for Theology 217: "Reading
the Old Testament." Creighton University, Omaha, NE. Fall
2015.
A citation is always in a certain, specific, widely-used form
which readers instantly recognize as a citation, in the same way
that they instantly recognize a stop sign and know what it means
because stop signs are pretty much the same everywhere.
· That form tells readers that a specific source for the info in
question is listed in a specific, known, always-used form in a
works cited list at the end
· It is always in parentheses.
· The first word or words of the citation are always exactly the
same as the first word or words of the listing for it in the works
cited.
Using Works Cited Programs. I have no real problem with your
using websites like EasyBib.com or CitationMachine.net, but be
aware that you can't always trust them for details. For example,
both programs spelled the publisher wrong in several papers for
a course this past summer, and this made it look like students
were copying someone else's works cited complete with spelling
mistakes.

Therefore: I expect the results--i.e., the details--to be accurate
in your papers. That’s what I will hold you accountable for,
even if those stupid websites do it wrong.
Objective and result
· Readers can instantly recognize a citation when they see one.
· Readers can instantly find the source it refers to in the works
cited list.
· Readers can easily go and find the real thing for themselves.
How not to do it. Imagine someone writes: "As reported by the
Ignatian Solidarity Network, Jesuit leaders are actively engaged
seeking humane comprehensive immigration reform.”
This example never actually does a citation. Sure, readers can
see the words "As reported by the Ignatian Solidarity
Network...." but so what? Maybe the writer made it up.
Nothing clearly says to readers that they should look for a
source in the a works cited list. They might figure that out, and
go looking, and connect the dots. But this is making it too hard
for them. This is assuming they can read the mind of the writer,
or assuming that letting them figure it out is fine as long as
enough clues are strewn somewhere in the paper. But this is not
fine. Do it right.
If you are unsure how to do your citations and works cited list,
use MLA style as described by the Purdue U. Online Writing
Lab.
· Start with this web page, which has the basics for citation:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
· For the Works Cited list, start here:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/
· For anything else, click on the headings along the left side of
the Purdue web pages above.
Good tip: to find how to do something in citation, just google a

search string. For example, to find how to cite an unpublished
manuscript (such as the online readings authored by the
instructor), google a search string like "How to cite an
unpublished paper in MLA." Chances are that the exact place
on the Purdue website will be on your first screen of hits,
because the Purdue website is very widely used as a standard.
Using the Bible.
· When you mention something in the Bible, give support or
examples from the Bible to support what you write.
· Give the Bible "reference" (book, chapter and verse) every
time you MENTION anything in the Bible. Not just when you
quote from it. Use the same style as in Harris.
· Sometimes it is good to quote a key passage from the Bible
(rather than just giving a reference), as an example or basis for
an important point in your paper.
· When you quote word-for-word from the Bible, do it clearly,
with quotation marks around it, or as a block quote, so the
reader knows for sure that it is a quote.
· Use a modern Bible translation for Scripture quotes. Grade
penalty of up to 6% if not.
ACCOMMODATION
If you qualify for more time, you will receive extra days, with a
due date of Fri Dec 18. Get in touch by email and I will arrange
it. I prefer Creighton email (Outlook) rather than Blueline for
this.
This would normally be, for example, if:
· You have a documented learning disability.
· English is not your first language.
KEY PASSAGES FROM THE EARLY EXILE:Psalm 137,
Jeremiah, and EzekielPsalm 137 New Revised Standard Version
(NRSV)Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem

1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows[a] there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How could we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem’s fall,
how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator![b]
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!
Jeremiah 31:31-34 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
A New Covenant
31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their
ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the

land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their
husband,[g] says the Lord.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within
them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one
another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall
all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the
Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no
more.
Remember Jeremiah’s original message on this in the time of
King Josiah? “The covenant is broken—return to the
covenant!” (Jer 11:6-13).
What has changed?
Ezekiel 11:16-20 Something New (NRSV)
Hope for the future, something "new." (Sounds like a new
covenant, like in Jeremiah 31:31-34.)
16 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed
them far away among the nations, and though I scattered them
among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a
little while[b] in the countries where they have gone.
17 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you
from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where
you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 When they come there, they will remove from it all its
detestable things and all its abominations. 19 I will give them
one[c] heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the
heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
20 so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances
and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their

God.
Ezekiel 16:46-49 The Sin of Sodom and Jerusalem (NRSV)The
sin of Jerusalem, like that of Sodom, was "pride, excess of food,
and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy" (verse
49).46 Your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her
daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who
lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. 47 You
not only followed their ways, and acted according to their
abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt
than they in all your ways. 48 As I live, says the Lord God, your
sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your
daughters have done. 49 This was the guilt of your sister
Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and
prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.
Chapters 25-37. Critique of Oppressive Nations.
Yahweh is Lord of them all and the same standards apply to all.
Ezekiel 28:16-18 Against Violence (Hamas) in International
Business (NRSV)
Against the King of Tyre, capital of Phoenicia.
16 In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence [hamas], and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and the guardian cherub drove you out
from among the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;

I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.
18 By the multitude of your iniquities,
in the unrighteousness of your trade,
you profaned your sanctuaries.
So I brought out fire from within you;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
in the sight of all who saw you.
Chapter. 34. God has Fired Your Previous Leaders
God has fired your previous shepherds (kings) for devouring the
flock. He will Himself lead you for now, and some day provide
another shepherd who will do it better. This implies that
kingship has failed and is finished.
Ezekiel 37 The Valley of Dry Bones (NRSV)
A vision of scattered human bones miraculously coming to life
shows the future for the surviving people of God.
The Valley of Dry Bones
1 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out
by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a
valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there
were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.
3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O
Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these
bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath[a]
to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and
will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and
put breath[b] in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that

I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I
prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones
came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were
sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had
covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said
to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the
breath:[c] Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds,
O breath,[d] and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”
10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into
them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house
of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is
lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say
to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your
graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I
will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know
that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up
from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within
you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil;
then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,
says the Lord.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 New Heart and Spirit (NRSV)
Ezekiel’s message ends where it began; God’s promise of a new
heart and spirit for his people.
26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put
within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my spirit within you,
and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my
ordinances.
UNIT 3 DAILY SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR

THL 217 A & B Fall 2015
Wed Nov 18
In Exile! Primal Screams in Anger, Questioning, and Despair.
With life in ruins, everyone is wondering what in the world the
Lord might be thinking and doingif anything. Some powerful
feelings of the time are recorded along with their interpretation
based in faith. One moving and challenging example is found in
Psalm 137.
Psalm 137. The exiles are in despair. The homeland is
destroyed, the survivors shipped across the map to Babylon.
Read Psalm 137 and picture it composed by Judean temple
singers now in Exile. What might it tell us about their
experience? How should we understand verses 79?
Ezekiel the Prophet: Pastor and Theologian. The outstanding
voice in this time and situation came from the great Ezekiel,
prophet and leader on location in the exile.
· What are the main issues addressed by Ezekiel, and what does
he say about each?
· For selected readings in Ezekiel, see the Meta.
Life in Exile and the Big Issues.
· For a summary of this complex and important period, and what
the prophets said, first read the Meta, "Part Four: In the
Babylonian Exile," along with the Bible passages mentioned
there.
· Then read Birch,83-86, “The Meaning of Exile,” for a good
take on the meaning of the Babylonian Exile and how it might
relate to us today.
Mon Nov 23
Return from Exile! The unbelievable happens. After a couple

generations in the Exile, likely in the late 540’s, an unknown
prophet whom we can call "Isaiah of the Exile," and whose
teaching is found in Isaiah 40-55 ("Second Isaiah"), begins to
proclaim: "You will soon return! Get ready!" Incredibly, this
happens.
· For a brief summary of this period, including the first two
phases of return from exile, see the Meta, “Part Five: Return to
Jerusalem.”
· For an understanding of the biblical concept of hope beyond
judgement, especially through the message of Second Isaiah,
read Birch, 86-94.
· For selected readings in Second Isaiah, see the Meta.
· For a good take on the early period of the return from the exile
(the first two phases), read Birch, 96c – 98a (from the heading
“Return and Restoration” to the top of p. 98).
Mon Nov 30
Ezra's Reform, Nehemiah the Governor, and the Prophets
Malachi and “Isaiah of the Return.” A few generations after the
two initial phases of return, two new groups arrive with capable
and energetic leaders.
· For a summary of this brief but vivid and influential period,
first read the Meta, "Part Six: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Mosaic
Law," along with the Bible passages mentioned there.
· What happens in this period?
· What are the prophetic responses By Malachi and “Isaiah of
the Return”?
· For a good take on the larger meaning these events, read
Birch, 99c-100d [beginning with “In this brief treatment” and
ending with “much larger than that”].
Wed Dec 2
Meet "The Writings": A Diverse Collection. Part Three of the
Hebrew Bible is called in Jewish tradition "The Writings,"

which simply means a miscellaneous collection of sacred
writings that don't fit into Part One (The Torah) or Part Two
(The Prophets). The Writings include some famous and well-
beloved parts of the Old Testament, such as the Psalms and the
Proverbs. The final section of our course will sample the most
important of the Writings for social justice and the use of force.
Read about this collection in Birch, 95-96.
The Book of Psalms. In the Bible we find a collection of hymns
and prayers of extraordinary power and beauty, and this is the
Book of Psalms. Some of the oldest ones have been sung and
prayed continuously for almost 3000 years.
· Responding to God and Life. The Old Testament as a whole
tells Israel's story in light of belief about what God says to them
and how God works with them. Now in these prayers the people
respond. They provide words and thoughts for responding in
faith to the gifts and reversals of life, in joy or in sorrow, as
individuals or the united community of faith.
· A Collection of Prayers and Hymns. These prayers were
collected over many centuries, much like a church prayer book
or hymnal. The original circumstances for most of them have
been lost. This is because the ones which were kept were
general enough that many different people could identify with
them in many different situations.
· Read and absorb the online document "Introducing the
Psalms,” by Dennis Bratcher.
Justice and Violence in the Psalms.
· Read Donahue, 110-113, “Lamenting Injustice.” What are the
main points here?
· Read Donahue, 113-115, “Violence: The Shadow Side of
Praise.” What are the main points here, and what do you think
about this difficult but important subject?
· Read Psalm 23. What is going on here, and in particular, what
is the story line. How does it end? How does Psalm 23 relate
to Donahue’s section on “Violence: The Shadow Side of Praise”

in the Psalms?
Mon Dec 7
The New Community in Prophetic Thought. Where does the
faith journey of the Old Testament arrive? It’s a pretty
interesting development. See the Meta, “Part Seven: The New
Community in Prophetic Thought.”
The Aftermath Period. For a good intro. and summary of the
period after most of the Old Testament books were written, read
Birch, 106-108. We need to know this period in order to
understand social justice in the New Testament, and especially
in the teaching of Jesus.
Keeping Torah in a Changing and Hostile World: The
Hellenistic Period. One empire after another! Changes,
changes, changes! After the return from Exile, the Jewish
communities in the Jerusalem area and in various other lands all
found themselves facing one issue after another for selfidentity
and selfpreservation. For a broad summary of this complex and
important period, in which the last few Old Testament books
were written, read the online document: “Keeping Torah in a
Changing and Hostile World.”
The Process of Formation: How the Old Testament Came to Us.
Ancient writings and collections don't just appear out of the
blue. They result from a situation of some kind, and address a
target audience of people in their needs and circumstances. To
learn how this worked in the case of the Old Testament, read the
online document “Process of Formation.”
Wed Dec 9
The Story Continues. The epic storyline of the Old Testament
does not even pretend to reach closure, ending instead with a

feeling of “To be continued—we hope.” One idea which
appears toward the end is that some day God will send a great
leader called “The Messiah.” Naturally, hope for his coming
grew during the aftermath period in the changing circumstances
and multiple issues for keeping the faith in a changing world.
Jesus of Nazareth. Within a few hundred years a great teacher
appeared in the homeland and his followers believed he was
indeed the longed-for Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth did not claim
that title, but he did teach clearly that the biblical storyline had
not come to an end. For how this unfolded, read the online
document “Jesus Continues the Story.”
Using the OT as Christian Scripture. The 2000 year old
question: How might people of the Christian faith read the Old
Testament as Scripture. For some ways to approach this
subject, read the online document "Using the Old Testament as
Christian Scripture." Might not sound like it, but we’ll end
with a bang, not a whimper.

USING THE OLD TESTAMENT AS CHRISTIAN SCRIPTUREGordon Brubacher.docx

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