1	Introduction to Sacred Scripture The Histories Adult Faith Formation St. Michael the Archangel
2	The Histories Joshua, Judges 1 & 2 Samuel 1 & 2 Kings 1 & 2 Chronicles Ezra-Nehemiah 1 & 2 Maccabees The “Novels”: Ruth, Tobit, Judith & Esther
3	Former Prophets Joshua, Judges 1 & 2 Samuel 1 & 2 Kings In Jewish tradition these six books are known as the Former Prophets because they contain the prophets Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha
4	Former Prophets Joshua, Judges 1 & 2 Samuel 1 & 2 Kings These are also known as the Deuteronimist Histories because they seem to be related to the writer(s) of Deuteronomy.
5	Joshua The Book of Joshua (historically circa 1200 BCE) recounts the entry into and conquest of the Promised Land. The figure of Joshua is idealized and the events are reconstruction of events in the distant past. It is a work of historical-theological fiction. The underlying message: God has given the land to the Hebrew people and to keep it they must obey His laws.
6	Judges Judges, “sophet” in Hebrew, deals with the time between the conquest of the Promised Land and the Saul, the first king. Judges views the nation as a loose confederation of tribes, lacking any central authority.
7	Judges … interim leadership arose as necessary in the form of Judges, who were charismatic leaders, but not hereditary. The book asks the questions: How does Israel exist without a great leader? How does it defend itself against hostile neighbors? How does Israel co-exist with the original owners of the land?
8	Judges There are 12 judges described (six major, six minor) along with the usurper/tyrant, Abimelech. One significant major Judge is a woman, Deborah. We are usually familiar with Gideon; another, and probably best known as Sampson.
9	Judges A repeated cycle is described in the Book of Judges: the Israelites do wrong/evil; they are punished; they repent and cry out to YHWH; YHWH hears them and raises up a leader or judge; things are fine until they fall into evil ways again.
10	1 and 2 Samuel The Samuel books contain a lot of duplication/repetition and is lacking in continuity in places. Scholars have suggested that it was built up from some basic units or building blocks.
11	1 and 2 Samuel Building blocks. A possible prophetic record The Ark narrative [1 Sam 4-6; 2 Samuel 6] Story of David’s rise to Power [1 Sam 16 to 2 Sam 5] Nathan’s prophecy [2 Sam 10] The report of the Ammonite war [2 Sam 10] The succession narrative [2 Sam 9-10 & 1-2 Kings]
12	1 and 2 Samuel The story begins with the rise of Samuel as a prophet for all of Israel … in some ways the last Judge, but not military in character. The story ends with the first transfer of dynastic power from David to Solomon.
13	1 and 2 Samuel Note that Samuel dies before the end of 1 Samuel. The books are concerned with the interplay between the concept of a prophetic people of God and the monarchy … a landed people under a monarchy [like other nations] versus a people in an intimate relationship with God.
14	1 & 2 Kings Again, we are looking less at an historical recounting of the monarchy from Solomon to the exile, and more at the tragic fate of YHWH’s people.
15	1 & 2 Kings Although probably working from court records and other factual texts, these have been selected, rearranged, expanded and supplemented by the writer/compilers to emphasis this downfall. Three specific records are mentioned as sources. The Acts of Solomon, The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, and the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel [all now lost.]
16	1 & 2 Kings Some scholars believe that the major work on the book was done before the Exile, perhaps in the reign of King Josiah, with additional narrative added in Exile. The final form of the books of Kings is dated from 2 Kings 25:27 which recorded the release of Jehoiachin from prison c.560 B.C., but the writer fails to mention Cyrus and the return from Exile [538-537]
17	1 & 2 Kings The purpose of the books is to explain how YHWH’s people came to be in Exile, and points to the unfaithfulness and corruption of so many of both the Northern and Southern Kings. This unfaithfulness and rejection of YHWH’s word through his prophets could only result in punishment.
18	1 & 2 Kings -David is seen as the ideal King, faithful and obedient to God, but beginning with Solomon most of the Southern kings fail to follow David’s way. Only Hezekiah and Josiah receive an unqualified approval. -Kings of both the north and the south are judged in terms of faithful worship of God, and most are most are found lacking or aberrant.
19	1 & 2 Kings -The construction and dedication of Solomon’s Temple is the centerpiece of Solomon’s story and become a central focus of the books. -The growing roles of the prophet’s in the history of Israel is a central concern. [we have collections about Elijah and Elisha … major prophets without separate books of their own] The role of the prophet as speaking the Word of God and calling an unfaithful people back to right worship and right living is key.
20	The Book of Ruth Most scholars agree that Ruth falls into the category of historical-fiction … a short, fictional story framed in a specific historical period, that of the judges. It could also be characterized as drama since nearly 2/3 is dialogue.
21	The Book of Ruth These types of books hold up heroines and heroes as models for readers. In this case how even a non-Israelite [Ruth is a Moabite woman] can be a faithful worshipper of YHWH. It also justifies intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews, possibly at a time when some thought this was wrong. Ruth ultimately becomes an ancestress of David.
22	The Book of Ruth It shows the strength of human relationship when they are grounded in the self-sacrifice, moral integrity and conviction that God is faithful to his people and his covenant. Other historical novels we will look at include Tobit, Judith, Esther.. and ought to include Jonah, however we will consider him when we cover the prophetic books.
23	"1 & 2 Chronicles" 1 & 2 Chronicles Ezra-Nehemiah 1 & 2 Maccabees Tobit Judith Esther
24	"These books are all grouped..." These books are all grouped together because we date their writing from the Greek period of Israel: Roughly 300-63 B.C.. on his way to conquer Egypt. Alexander died in 323 B.C. and his vast conquered lands were divided up between his principle generals.
25	"Initially Judah was under control..." Initially Judah was under control of the Ptolomies [also known as the Lagid Dynasty], whose seat of government was Egypt, roughly 320-198 [Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolomies] North of Judah was controlled by the Seleucids, centered in Syria, who rested control of the remnant Jewish state from the Ptolomies in 198 and controlled it until the roman period began in 63 B.C.
26	"The Maccabee books" The Maccabee books, together with the Tobit, Judith and parts of Esther, are outside the Jewish and Protestant canons, primarily due to their late period of writing. All of the books of the Catholic canon have been found in at least fragmentary form in the Dead Sea-Qumran Scrolls, except for Esther.
27	1 & 2 Chronicles The four books of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah are considered by most Biblical scholars to be the work of a single, unknown author, generally referred to as the Chronicler. He had a rather ambitious plan of writing a history from Adam to Ezra.
28	1 & 2 Chronicles The writer idealizes the past history of the Hebrew people. The history of Adam to David is summarized in a genealogy form. In the history of David we see many of the less favorable episodes in David’s life have been removed. David is a King after God’s heart, the true representative of God, who remains the only king of Israel.
29	1 & 2 Chronicles The Chronicler passes over the history of the Northern Kingdom almost entirely. His main focus is on the Temple and its worship. It glorifies and consolidates the ritual and dynastic achievements of the Davidic covenant. Solomon also receives the approval of the Chronicler, as does Hezekiah and Josiah. Priests and levites are of particular interest for the Chronicler.
30	1 & 2 Chronicles The Chronicler shows that when kings and the people are faithful they are in good fortune, but unfaithfulness leads to misfortune.
31	Ezra-Nehemiah These two books are a continuation of the Chronicles. They are often treated as a single book rather than two separate ones because of the unity in spirit and themes found in them. These two books contain our most important source for information on the Jewish community after the Exile … the period called the Restoration.
32	Ezra-Nehemiah Ezra and Nehemiah are seen as the two most significant figures in the reorganization of Jewish life. Scholars are concerned that the often-disorganized blocks of material as they appear in many old texts may indicate that the activity of Nehemiah actually preceded that of Ezra chronologically. Much of the material may even reflect actual autobiographical writings by both Ezra and Nehemiah.
33	Tobit Tobit is dated from around 200-108 B.C. during the post-Exile/Hellenic period of Israel’s history. The action is set in the time of the captivity and exile of the Northern Kingdom shortly after 720 B.C.
34	Tobit Tobit is best described as a romance, designed for educational purposes. It’s the story of the two families joined by marriage. The message, illustrated through ordinary faithful lives, is that God is both just and free. Suffering is not a punishment but a test. Ultimately God will always reward the good and punish the bad. The believer is called upon to trust in God and mirror in daily life the justice, mercy and freedom of God.
35	Judith Judith is dated from around 135-104- B.C. Again we are dealing with historical fiction with little concern for historical or geographical inaccuracies. It has a strong flavor of the theology of the Pharisee sect of Judaism. God is portrayed as transcendent, unfathomable, and ruler and creator of the universe. He is champion of the weak, shows mercy to the faithful and crushes enemies with a female tool.
36	Judith The story is concerned with physical survival and continuance of the Temple worship in Jerusalem in the face of fear and evil, which leads to a prophetic call for trust in the God of tradition. Judith is portrayed as the real force that leads the people to victory over the enemy. She is an example of human liberation and upholds the fundamental truths that faith does not depend on visible results, and that God’s might is not always in numbers.
37	Esther The nucleus of this story may go back to the 5th century B.C. with editing into its present form in the Greek period. It may reflect either a real or threatened pogrom against the Jews in the Persian Empire. The descriptions of manners, customs and styles in the Persian Empire are fairly accurate. Its present form is a largely fictionalized account, told for more or less religious purposes and expressing well-known themes of the Old Testament wisdom literature.
38	Esther Mordecai and Esther [Hadassah] are classic examples of the righteous wise who seem at first helpless but eventually turn tables on clever persecutors like Haman. The highlight of though is that of personal responsibly, and it acts as a reminder to Jews that patience and persistence are the key to being true to their faith in times of difficulty. It also acts to establish the feast of Purim at which this writing was read in synagogues.
39	1 & 2 Maccabees There are four books known as the Maccabees. Two are considered canonical in the Catholic Church. Some of the Greek and Slavonic Orthodox include all four. Most Protestants place the first two in the group known as “apocrypha.”
40	1 & 2 Maccabees They tell the story surrounding the revolt against the Greek Seleucids in 167 B.C. Written between 175 and c. 130 B.C., it is basically a historical work meant to teach that God is at work in Jewish history in the Present even as he was in the past. It depicts God’s saving action in the Maccabean struggle against paganism. The central lesson is that fidelity to the law and faith in God achieve more then the size of an army or the strength of an individual’s arm.
41	1 & 2 Maccabees The first book of Maccabees illustrates the efforts that won independence and a kingdom. Second Maccabees acts as instruction and to edify by strengthening Jewish faith through the heroic example of persecution.