Old Testament Canon :Old Testament Canon Christadelphian Presentation


Definition :Definition Canon – authoritative collection of works Recognized by a reading community Authority is not ascribed by the reading community (Catholic View) Authority inheres in the works as an objective characteristic Authority derives from a status that the writings are “from God” and “backed up by God” Scope of the Canon expands over time Progressive recognition of books rather than retrospective veneration


Law of Moses :Law of Moses


Writing and Handing On :Writing and Handing On The Law of Moses was passed on by those in authority over Israel, not only when Israel entered the land, but also after the Babylonian exile. The History Books were written by successive prophets. The superscriptions for the Prophets identify the writers. There is abundant evidence that as the years passed and prophets came and went, later prophets used earlier prophetic writing through quotation and allusion. Later O.T. books use the many patterns and types of earlier works. Some of the Writings have no author superscription, e.g. Job.


Handing on the Law of Moses :Handing on the Law of Moses Deuteronomy 31:9-13 ¶ And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: 13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.


Joshua and the Law :Joshua and the Law Josh 1:7-8 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 23:6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left...


Ezra :Ezra Ezra 7:6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. Ezra 7:11 ¶ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Israel.


Ezra :Ezra Nehemiah 8:1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. Nehemiah 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.


History Books :History Books


Prophetic Books of History :Prophetic Books of History 1 Chronicles 29:29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer... 2 Chronicles 9:29 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?


Prophetic Books of History :Prophetic Books of History 2 Chronicles 12:15 ¶ Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? 2 Chronicles 13:22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. 2 Chronicles 20:34 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.


Isaiah and Kings :Isaiah and Kings 2 Chronicles 32:32 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. This identifies 1&2 Kings as “the book of the kings of Judah and Israel”


Chronicles and Kings :Chronicles and Kings 1 Kings 15:7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 2 Kings 15:31 And the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 1 Chronicles 9:1 ¶ So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression. Only Chronicles refers to this “book”- e.g. 2 Chron 16:11 (7x), and this book is likely to be what we know as 1 and 2 Kings.


Sources in Kings :Sources in Kings Jotham reigned for 16 years (2 Kgs 15:33) but the record knows of a 20th year of Jotham (2 Kgs 15:30). This “discrepancy” is explained by observing that the reference to a 20th year comes in a record fragment about Pekah and his demise at the hands of Hoshea; it is a record written from the perspective of Northern Israel and narrates events in the history of the northern tribes. The “20 years” have a basis in the historical sources from Northern Israel and the most likely hypothesis is that the base year for northern scribes is Jotham’s anointing as king rather than his accession to the throne as a sole ruler.


The PROPHETS :The PROPHETS


Superscriptions :Superscriptions Superscriptions imply later scribal activity of classification and the data that is included implies knowledge on the part of scribes. It assumed by scholars that the prophetic superscriptions that mention kings are intended as dating superscriptions. However, this is not known; the mention of kings could be indicative of court responsibilities. Thus it could be that Hosea and Amos prophesied to the kings in their superscriptions, whereas Joel prophesied to no king. Certainly, Hosea lived during the last days of the Northern Kingdom, but the kings after Jeroboam (died 750) are not listed in his superscription. The point of the superscription is to identify the kings with whom the prophet had dealings. A common role of prophets in the Ancient Near East was to advise kings on the divine will.


Quotation in the Prophets :Quotation in the Prophets Jeremiah 26:18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. Quoted as authoritative


Quotation in the Prophets :Quotation in the Prophets Daniel 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Taken to Babylon and read as the “word of the Lord” “Books” or “Scrolls” (rp,se) – collection of books


Minor Prophets’ Order :Minor Prophets’ Order Wisdom of ben Sirach (200-180 BC) Sirach 49:10 And of the twelve prophets let the memorial be blessed, and let their bones flourish again out of their place: for they comforted Jacob, and delivered them by assured hope. Joel stands second after Amos in the Hebrew Canon of the Minor Prophets and fourth in the LXX order after Micah. The LXX order is reflected in 2 Esdras 1:39-40, whereas the Ascension of Isaiah 4:22 keeps Joel in the fourth position and makes Amos the first book out of the four. The MT arrangement is reflected in the Murabba’at Minor Prophets scroll, (2)MurXII, as well as 4QXIIc; the Greek Minor Prophets scroll, 8HebXIIgr also reflects the MT order. Only 4QXIIa evidences a different order in placing Jonah at the end of the scroll.


Tri-Partite Canon :Tri-Partite Canon Sirach Prolog 1:1 Whereas many and great things have been delivered unto us by the law and the prophets, and by others that have followed their steps, for the which things Israel ought to be commended for learning and wisdom...


The WRITINGS :The WRITINGS


Authority of the Writings :Authority of the Writings Psalms of David Song of Solomon Proverbs – largely Solomonic Ecclesiastes – Hezekiah? Job?


Canon in the First Century :Canon in the First Century


Josephus’ Tri-Partite Canon :Josephus’ Tri-Partite Canon Against Apion 1:38-40 For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another, [as the Greeks have], but only twenty-two books, which contain the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine; and of them five belong to Moses, which contain his laws and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years; but as to the time from the death of Moses till the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, who reigned after Xerxes, the prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their times in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life.


Josephus’ List of Books :Josephus’ List of Books Five Books of Moses Thirteen Prophets Joshua, Judges+Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah+Lamentations, Ezekiel, The Twelve, Job, Daniel, Ezra+Nehemiah, Chronicles, Esther Four Others Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon In Antiquities, Josephus inserts Ruth immediately after the death of Samson, which is his last story from Judges


Josephus’ Principle of Exclusion :Josephus’ Principle of Exclusion Josephus limits the canon to writings up to the time of Artaxerxes: Against Apion 1:41 It is true, our history has been written since Artaxerxes very particularly, but has not been esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers, because there has not been an exact succession of prophets since that time...


Josephus’ View of Inspiration :Josephus’ View of Inspiration Against Apion 1:42 ...and how firmly we have given credit to these books of our own nation, is evident by what we do; for, during so many ages as have already passed, no one has been so bold as either to add anything to them, to take any thing from them, or to make any change in them; but it is becomes natural to all Jews, immediately and from their very birth, to esteem these books to contain divine doctrines, and to persist in them, and, if occasion be, willingly to die for them. Against Apion 1:37 and this is justly, or rather necessarily done, because everyone is not permitted of his own accord to be a writer, nor is there any disagreement in what is written; they being only prophets that have written the original and earliest accounts of things as they learned them of God himself by inspiration; and others have written what has happened in their own times, and that in a very distinct manner also.


The Talmudic Twenty Four :The Talmudic Twenty Four 5 Books of Moses 4 Former Prophets Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings 4 Later Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Twelve 11 Writings Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra+Nehemiah, Chronicles


Scriptures of 1c. Communities :Scriptures of 1c. Communities Theraputae of Egypt (20 BCE-50 CE) De vita contemplative 1:25 And in every house there is a sacred shrine which is called the holy place, and the monastery in which they retire by themselves and perform all the mysteries of a holy life, bringing in nothing, neither meat, nor drink, nor anything else which is indispensable towards supplying the necessities of the body, but studying in that place the laws and the sacred oracles of God enunciated by the holy prophets, and hymns, and psalms, and all kinds of other things by reason of which knowledge and piety are increased and brought to perfection. Essenes (Dead Sea Community) All books of the OT except Esther


Jesus’ View of Scripture :Jesus’ View of Scripture Mark 14:49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled. Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.


Jesus’ Hebrew Canon :Jesus’ Hebrew Canon Luke 24:44 ¶ And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Luke 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 2 Chron 24:20 Zachariah, son of Jehoiada


First Century Versions :First Century Versions In the 1c. environment, where we know that there were various ‘versions’ of the O.T., we naturally ask today, ‘Was there at that time an authoritative text?’. By the time we get to the Middle Ages, there is such a ‘received text’ and variations have fallen by the wayside - so how do we account for this ‘falling away’ and consequent agreement? We can discern from the DSS that the various O.T. texts did not compete on an equal footing in the first century. The main type of text by far is the same text as the M.T., i.e. the DSS represent manuscript fragments that share the same characteristics as the later M.T. of the Middle Ages.


Hebrew Text :Hebrew Text Texts aligned with Masoretic Text 60% Texts aligned with Samaritan Pentateuch 5% Texts aligned with Septuagint Text 5% Non-Aligned texts 20% Texts written in Qumran practice 10%


Jamnia :Jamnia The textual tradition in which the M.T. stands is early and not an invention of the Masoretes. If there was an authoritative text in the 1c., then the M.T. tradition is the only real candidate. (It is interesting to note that the M.T. is the only type of text found at Masada and the Wadi Murabba’at). The canon of the Jewish O.T. was most probably established at a synod, which was convened at Jamnia near Jaffa, between A.D. 90 and A.D. 100. Here, certain disputed questions were settled about some of the writings, for instance, Esther and Ecclesiastes. The M.T. is not an eclectic text constructed from readings selected from various manuscripts, so that if the Jamnia synod established a text, they did not do so by picking and choosing from various sources. Rabbinical tradition says that the text was chosen from three model scrolls, and the Jamnia synod is often proposed as the council that made this decision.


Masoretic Tradition :Masoretic Tradition The Hebrew textual critics, (known firstly as the Sopherim and then the Masoretes), responsible for the transmission of the text since the first century, show a concern about the text itself and preserving its smallest details, as against a concern for giving a contemporary rendering appropriate to their own times. They counted verses, words, and letters, as a control on the manuscripts. Such a concern was obviously a great bulwark against corruption of the text, and it accounts for the similarity amongst the manuscripts. The ‘need’ for a contemporary ‘text’ was supplied by marginal readings rather than by changes in the actual text.


BHS Margin :BHS Margin There were various kinds of marginal readings added by scribes. i) Some letters or words had dots over them indicating textual queries (15 cases); ii) An inverted letter (Nun) occurs occasionally indicating transposition of verses (9 times); iii) There are several hundred examples (350 cases) of marginal readings where scribes placed the word they expected in the margin over against the word that occurs in the text; iv) And there came to be over 1300 passages where scribes placed guidance on how the text was to be read in the margin.


Questions/Discussions :Questions/Discussions