Legacy HB Canon

Slide 1: 

The Legacy of the Hebrew Bible The Process of Formation Dr. Heidi M. Szpek, Ph.D

Familiar Terminology : 

Familiar Terminology Ancient Near East Fertile Crescent: Mesopotamia, Egypt ANE Literary Parallels Epic of Gilgamesh Hammurabi’s Law Code Overview of Biblical History/Geography REVIEW: Harris/Platzner Ch. 3-4 Bible, Hebrew Bible, Tanak, Old Testament Canon, Scripture Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek Dead Sea Scrolls REVIEW: Harris/Platzner Ch. 1-2

On Canons : 

On Canons TaNaK (Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim) Samaritan Pentateuch – 4th BC Septuagint (Greek ) – Alexandria, Egypt, 3rd BC Dead Sea Scrolls – Qumran, 2nd BC – 2nd AD THEN Protestant Old Testament + Apocrypha Roman Catholic & Greek Orthodox OT Includes Apocrypha = Deuterocanonical texts

Development of the TaNaK : 

Development of the TaNaK Internal evidence (biblical): Exod. 24:4-7 (book of the covenant) and Deut. 31:24-27 (book of the law) II Kings 22-23 (II Chron. 34) – discovery of the book of the Law Nehemiah 8:13-18 Is. 8:16; Jer. 36:1ff (emphasis on written word) Zech. 1:4ff (former prophets)

Slide 5: 

External evidence: Regarding the Torah Samaritan Pentateuch – 4th BC Septuagint – 236BC translated in Greek Letter of Aristeas – c. 186BC refers to this translation Summary: between 4th-2nd BC first part of HB canonized

Slide 6: 

Samaritan Pentateuch Paleo-Hebrew Script

Septuagint : 

Septuagint Codex Sinaiticus 4th AD See: Letter of Aristeas

Slide 8: 

Regarding the Nevi’im (Prophets) Hymn of Ben Sirach 44-50 – c. 180BC praises of HB heroes following order of Torah, Nevi’im, but Ketuvim not complete Prologue to Ben Sirach – 132BC grandson translated hymn into Greek (+ mentions “the law and the prophets and the others”) Dead Sea Scrolls – MSS date to c. 150BC-150AD Texts of Prophets and Ketuvim fluid (esp. Isaiah Psalms) Summary: by 2nd BC the Nevi’im may have been canonized, with the Ketubim still open

Dead Sea Scrolls : 

Dead Sea Scrolls Now the earliest extant witnesses to the texts in the Hebrew Bible (+ extra-biblical, sectarian) Nash Papyrus, c. 150BC >>>> Dated: c. 150BC-150AD Psalms Scroll Nash Papyrus 10 Commandments & Shema

Slide 10: 

Regarding the Ketuvim (Writings) Philo Judaeus of Alexandria (c. 20BC- 50AD) mentions Therapeutae who used “the laws and oracles delivered through the mouth of prophets, and psalms and other books by which knowledge and piety may be increased and perfected.” New Testament Matt. 22:40; Luke 16:16; 24:27; Acts 13:15 refer to “laws and prophets” or “Moses and the prophets” Luke 24:44 – “the law of Moses, and the prophets and the psalms” Josephus (c. 37-100AD) Contra Apionem I 37-43 (8) states: sacred books are 22 in number scriptures are separated into three divisions five books of Moses 13 books of the prophets four books containing hymns & precepts of conduct

Slide 11: 

Summary: In the 1st century AD, order of 2nd part still questionable and 3rd part still fluid Council of Jamnia (Yavneh) 90AD – discussion over inclusion of: Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs Status of Esther still questionable as late as 3rd AD II Esdras 14 (Apocrypha) 2nd CE – oldest reference to a Jewish canon of 24 books Talmud: Baba Bathra 14b Thus creation of canon not result of single event at a single point in time, rather a series of phases. Above evidence can help us piece together approximate development. But there was never an official edict commemorating this final stage.

Masoretic Text : 

Masoretic Text Masorah = Hebrew “transmission” Masoretes = Hebrew “transmitters” 9th-10th Jewish scholars Aleppo Codex Leningrad Codex Vocalization – vowel pointing Masora – detailed notes “hedge around the law”

Hebrew Manuscripts : 

Hebrew Manuscripts Aleppo Codex (930AD) Leningrad Codex (1009AD)

Hebrew Critical Edition with Masora Parva : 

Hebrew Critical Edition with Masora Parva

Canon of the Old Testament : 

Canon of the Old Testament Alexandrian Canon/Septuagint First for Jewish community, not fixed, extra texts (Palestinian canon?) First Bible for the Christian community BUT extra books (Judith, Tobit, Sirach) Term canon for Scriptures in use in the fourth century AD the Council of Laodicea - kanonika biblia Athanasius - biblia kanonizomena Term Proto-canonical = canon of the Hebrew Bible & of Protestants Deutero-canonical = extra texts used by Catholic & Eastern Orthodox Extra books remained in canon till 16th AD Grouped as Apocrypha by Protestants/Luther Protestant Canon Roman Catholic Canon (+deuterocanonical) Eastern Orthodox Canon (+deuterocanonical) (~ Harris/Platzner, pp. 4-5)

Conclusion : 

Conclusion Formation Evidence for formation of the Hebrew text Evidence from extra-biblical ‘participants’ Intellectual history (religious, social, cultural): Palestinian: Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus Samaritan community: Samaritan Pentateuch Jewish & Christian communities of Alexandria: Septuagint, Letter of Aristeas, Philo