Living Bible
Epiphany Church – Fr. Ireneusz Ekiert
Book of Genesis - Session 1: Introduction
HereisthescheduleofourstudyoftheBookofGenesis:
September8
–Introduction,InspirationandBiblicalCriticism.
OverviewofthehistoryoftheChosenPeople.
Fourtraditionsofauthorship.
September15
–Genesis1-3,AncientNearEastmythsofCreation.
ThereisnosessiononSept22!!!
September29
–Genesis4-11;
October6 -Genesis11-23;AbrahamandSarah
October13 -Genesis24-36;IsaacandJacob
October20 -Genesis37-50:Joseph
October27 -Genesis37-50cont…
Incasewearenotdone-November3towrapupthestudy.
Introduction
TheBibleistheWordofGod. Godrevealedhimselftohumanitythroughthepatriarchs,prophets,and
historicaleventsofthepeopleofIsraelandfinallythroughhisincarnateSon,Jesus
Christ.Thisself-expressionisattributedtothesecondPersonoftheTrinity,
referredtointheBibleastheWord(Jn1).
TheHolyScripturesarealsoreferredtoastheWordofGod,fortworeasons.
First,itistheprimarywitnessoftheactivityoftheWord;second,Godstillspeaksto
usthroughthepagesofScripture:"InthesacredbookstheFatherwhoisinheaven
comeslovinglytomeethischildren,andtalkswiththem.Andsuchistheforceand
powerofthewordofGodthatitcanservetheChurchashersupportandvigor,and
thechildrenoftheChurchasstrengthfortheirfaith,foodforthesoul,andapure
andlastingsourceofspirituallife(CCC,104)."
TheBibleisalibrary.
TheBibleisnotonebook,butacollectionofseventy-threewhichrepresenta
varietyofliterarygenresorforms:history,myth,parable,personalletters,
imaginativefiction,poetryandsong,prophecy,proverb,moralexhortation,law,
folklore,narrative,gospel,andsoforth.Theword"Bible"isderivedfromtheGreek
tabiblia:"thebooks."
ThebooksoftheBiblewereproducedoverseveralcenturies:thelatestdate
fromthelastyearsofthefirstcentury,orperhapsevenlater;theearliestdatefrom
about900BC.OraltraditionsstandingbehindcertainportionsoftheBiblearemuch
olderstill:someOldTestamentpoemsareperhaps3200yearsold.
1
ThefirstsectionoftheBible,consistingofforty-sixbooks,isreferredtoas
theOldTestament.ItrecountsGod'sestablishmentofacovenantwiththepeopleof
IsraelandthepropheticpreparationforthecomingofChrist. TheNewTestament,theBible'ssecondsection,hastwenty-sevenbooks.
WrittenbyearlyChristians,theysetforththelifeandteachingsofJesusandthe
goodnewsheproclaimed.
TheCatholicOldTestamentcontainsforty-sixbooks,whilethatofProtestant
Churcheshasthirty-nine.ThisinconsistencyhasrootsinJewishhistory.Inabout
150BC,scholarlyJewsofAlexandria,Egypt,producedaGreektranslationoftheOld
Testament,theSeptuagint(LXX),whichcontainedforty-sixbooks.However,atsome
pointduringthefirstcentury,PalestinianJewishauthoritiesestablishedacollection
ofthirty-ninebooks.Subsequently,thisPalestiniancollectionbecamenormativefor
allJews.
Throughoutherhistory,theCatholicChurchhasusedtheforty-sixbooksof
theAlexandrianJewsinherliturgyandpreaching.Accordingly,in1546,thefathers
oftheCouncilofTrentincludedallofthesebooksintheCatholiccanon.Protestant
leadersexcludedthesevenspecificallyAlexandrianbooks,however,fromtheir
bibles.TheyrefertothemastheApocrypha,meaning"thingsthatarehidden."
Catholics,ontheotherhand,refertothemastheDeuterocanonical(Greekfor
"secondcanon")works.Theyare1and2Maccabees,Tobit,Judith,Sirach,Wisdom,
Baruch,andportionsofEstherandDaniel.
GodandhumansasCo-authorsoftheBible.
ThebooksoftheBiblewerewrittenundertheinspirationoftheHolySpirit,
andthereforeinarealsenseGodistheirprimaryauthor.Godmadeuseofhuman
authorsinthecompositionoftheBible,thesehumanauthorsfunctionedas“true
authors.”
Thehumanauthors,whogaveusthewritingscontainedintheBible,were
notunthinkinginstrumentsoftheHolySpirit,likeaguitaristheunthinking
instrumentoftheonewhoplaysit.NordidthehumanauthorsofScripturemerely
writedownwordsdictatedbytheHolySpirit.No,thehumanauthorsofScripture
wroteastrueauthors.Forexample,theymayhavedonecarefulresearchbefore
theybegantowrite.Lktellsusthathe“investigatedeverythingcarefullyfromthe
beginning”beforehebegantowritehis“orderlyaccount”ofthegospelevents(see
Lk1:3).Theyalsowrotefordifferentaudiences. TheHolySpiritinspiredthehumanauthorstowriteinsuchawaythatthe
differingneedsoftheiraudiencesweremet.Andthatisthemysteryofthe
inspirationofScripture:atthesametimebothGodandhumanswereitsauthors.
Neitherrealityofauthorshipdiminishestheother.
TheBibleisinerrant.
AstheBibleistheWordoftheall-knowingGod,itfollowsthatitiswithout
error.However,Catholicinsistenceuponbiblicalinerrancyiseasilymisunderstood.
DoesthismeanthatCatholicsare"fundamentalists"whoseekhistoricaland
scientificfactsoneverypage?No.TheinerranttruthoftheBiblepertainstomatters
ofsalvation:"ThebooksofScripturefirmly,faithfully,andwithouterrorteachthat
2
truthwhichGodwilledtobeputdowninthesacredwritingsforthesakeofour
salvation(CCC,106)."
ThusaCatholicisn'tsurprisedtodiscoverpassagesinScripturewhichreflect
anignoranceofmodemscience. TheChurchdoesrecognizethattheBiblehasahistoricalcharacter.
Descriptionsofeventsandpeopleintherecountingofsalvationhistorywouldbe
meaninglessifnotrootedinhistoricalreality.However,it'simportanttorecall,
whenexaminingpertinenttexts,thathistoryasascientificdisciplinewasunknown
inbiblicaltimes.Biblicalauthors,usingmodesofwritingdifferentfromthoseused
today,wereoftenmoreinterestedinthereligioussignificanceofeventsthanin
providingaccuratefactualrecordsofthem.Theyarrangedmaterialsforreligious
purposes;chronologywassometimesofsecondaryimportance.
BiblicalScholarship. IncomingtotermswiththeinerrancyofScripture,itisimportanttoidentify
author'soreditor'sintentinproducingaparticularbiblicalwork.Forinstance,take
thebookofJonah,inwhichthemaincharactersurvivesseveraldaysinthebellyofa
giantfish.WasittheintentofJonah'sauthortowriteliteralhistory,orinsteadto
composeaworkofimaginativefiction?ConsidertoothecreationstoriesofGenesis.
Didtheauthorsandeditorswishtosetforthascientificaccountofthebeginningsof
theuniverse,ofwhichsurelytheycouldknowverylittle?Orweretheytryingto
conveyanawarenessofthegoodnessofcreationandhumanity'sestrangement
fromGod?Toanswersuchquestions,whichpertaintotheliteralsenseofScripture,
biblicalscholarsemployavarietyoftoolswhichwewilluseinourcourse: *FormCriticismisanendeavortoidentifytheliterarygenre,orformofa
particularbiblicalpassage.
*HistoricalCriticisminvolvestheuseofarchaeology,scientificdating
techniques,andcontemporarynon-biblicalevidencetoanswersuchquestionsas
"WastherereallyafloodofthemagnitudedescribedinGenesis7?"
*SourceCriticismseekstouncovertheoriginofbiblicalmaterials.Inthe
firstfivebooksoftheOldTestament,thePentateuch,scholarshaveidentifiedwhat
theybelievearefourdifferentschoolsofthoughtwhichcontributedtothe
completedwork.
*RedactionCriticism(fromredaktor,Germanfor"editor")attemptsto
revealaneditor'sintentsinomitting,incorporating,revising,orglossing(adding
explanatorynotes)aparticulartext.
*TextualCriticismcomparesancientmanuscriptstotraceaparticular
text'stransmissionthroughhistoryandperhapsreconstructthewordingofthe
original.
HermeneuticsandExegesis.
Hermeneutics(fromhermeneuo,Greekfor"interpret")isthephilosophyof
biblicalinterpretation.Itasks:"HowcanweunderstandtheBible?"Inattemptingto
answerthisquestion,scholarshavedevisedthe"tools"describedaboveandhave
identifiedthe"senses"describedbelow.Theapplicationofhermeneuticalprinciples
3
iscalledexegesis(fromexegeomai,Greekfor"explain").Exegesisisencounteredin
homiliesandcommentariesonbiblicaltexts.
RulesforInterpretation. It'ssometimesthoughtthattheCatholicChurchhasanofficialinterpretation
ofeveryverseintheBible,butthisisnotso.Catholicfreedomininterpretingthe
Bibledoesfollowafewrules,however:
A)Scripturesformawhole,andshouldbeinterpretedassuch.Noparticularverse
orpassageshouldbeconsidered"outofcontext."
B)TheBibleshouldberead"withinthelivingTraditionofthewholeChurch(CCC,
113)."Tradition,ofcourse,istheChurch'stransmissionofrevelationthrough
historyasguidedbytheHolySpirit.TheBiblespringsfromTradition.The
implicationsofthisaretwo-fold:first,onemustseektheSpirit'sguidance
whenengaginginbiblicalinterpretation;second,onemusttakeintoaccount
howtheBiblehasbeeninterpretedinprecedinggenerations.
C)Truthisone,andthusallCatholicdoctrineformsacoherentwhole.Onemustbe
attentivetothis"analogyoffaith"wheninterpretingScripture;accepted
truthscannotbecontradictedbyagiveninterpretation.
HolyScriptureandTradition.
Jesus,toourknowledge,didnotleaveusanywritings.Consequently,
revelationwasorallypassedontothefirstChristians.Onlylater,underthe
inspirationoftheHolySpirit,didthefirstChristianliteratureappear:"TheNew
Testamentitselfdemonstratestheprocessoflivingtradition(CCC,83)."Scriptureis
theChurch'sprimarywitnesstotherevelationofGodinJesus.AsallCatholic
teachingsformaharmoniouswhole(the"analogyoffaith"),manyCatholicscholars
assertthatallrevelationisatleastimplicitlyorseminallycontainedinScripture.
Scripturesprangfromtraditionandshouldbeininterpretedinaccordance
withit.Accordingly,"ScriptureandTraditionmustbeacceptedandhonoredwith
equalsentimentsofdevotionandreverence(CCC,82)."
OverviewofthehistoryoftheChosenPeople:
Exodus(1300-1250)
-Exodus-Greekwordmeaning“agoingout.”
-ThemanchosentoleadtheIsraelitesoutofslaverywasMoses.
-ReadExodus3:1-10(Burningbush)
o Yahweh(Hebrew)“IamwhoIam.”
o Adonai(Hebrew)“Lord,Lord,LordMaster.”(aka.LordofLords)
-ThePassover,involvedasacrificeandameal(Exodus11-12).
ThePassoverisconnectedtothetenthandfinalplaguethatGodsenttoconvince
Pharaohtoletthepeoplego.InthisplagueGod’smessenger(angelofdeath)
killedthefirstbornofeveryEgyptianfamilyandlivestock.
-Tobespared,everyIsraelitefamilyhadtokillayounglamb(calledthe
PassoverorPaschalLamb)andsmearitsbloodovertheirdoorway.Thenthe
4
angelofdeathwould“passover”theirhousehold,andtheiroldestsonwouldlive.
-Theycookedthelambandserveitwithunleavenedbread,astheirfinalmealin
Egypt.Passovermealcelebrationbecamethememorialofdeliverancefrom
slaverythroughGod’sdivinepower.
-CovenantonMountSinai.Eventthatbroughttogetherandunifiedthemasthe
PeopleofGodorChosenPeople.
-ArkoftheCovenantsymbolofGod’sprotectionandpresence;aportable
thronewhereGodreclinedwhilereigningoverIsrael.
-TheIsraelitescontinuedtowanderthedesertfor40moreyearsduetotheir
lackoftrustinYHWH.
ThePromisedLand(1250-1020)
-AfterthedeathofMoses,theIsraelitescrossedtheJordanRiverintothePromised
Land(Canaan)ledbyJoshua.(BookofJoshua- wishfulthinking)
-Theyhadtofightmanywarsbeforetheywereabletotakepossessionoftheland.
-Theconqueststookplaceundertheleadershipofaseriesof charismaticmilitary
leadersknowastheJudges.
-ThetribesneededastrongleadertodefeatthePhilistines,sotheyappointedtheir
firstking:Saul.
Saul
-Hewasawarriorking,butaverytroubledman.
- When Saul became king, the 12 tribes of Israel were divided into 2 groups. The ten
tribes that lived north of Jerusalem kept the name Israel, the two tribes living
south of Jerusalem were named Judah.
TheUnitedMonarchy(1020-930)
David
-UponthedeathofSaul,Davidbecameking.Heunifiedthe12tribes.
- Jerusalem is conquered by David. He makes Jerusalem his capital and relocated the
Ark of the Covenant here.
- Jerusalembecamethecenterforpoliticalandreligiouslife!
Solomon
-David’ssonSolomonbecamethesuccessorandherulefor40years.
- Israel was at the height of its power during the reign of Solomon
- HeisresponsibleforthebuildingoftheTemple(1stTemple)whentheArkonthe
Covenantwaskept.
JAHWIST(J)950?
TheKingdomDivided:IsraelandJudah(930-722)
-UnderSolomon’ssuccessor’s,thekingdomofIsraelsplitinto
northernkingdom(Israel)andsouthernkingdom(Judah)
The people began to fall into the sin of idolatry.
TheTimeoftheProphets
-Itwasduringthisperiodofthedivisionofkingdomsthatprophets
5
arosepreachingagainstpaganworshipingandtotrytobring
thepeoplebacktotheCovenant.
- In 721 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the kingdom of Israel and exiled the people.
- In586B.CtheBabylonianscapturedJerusalem(Judah),destroyedtheTempleand
deportedmanyofthepeopletoBabylon.
- Manypeoplethatwerenotcapturedleftthecountryforplacesalongthe
MediterraneanSea.ThesepeoplebecameknownastheDiaspora
(dispersion).
ELOHIST(E)850?
DEUTERONOMIST(D)620?
BabylonianExile(585-539)
RenewaloftheCovenantCommunity
-Becauseoftheexile,manypeoplewereleadtoarenewed
appreciationoftheirfaithinGod(faithfulremnant).
- Babylonian Exile caused the Jewish religion to emerge in a new way and significant
portions of the Old Testament were composed during that time.
AProphet’sPromise
-In538B.C.thePersians,undertheleadershipofCyrustheGreat
conqueredtheBabylonians.HepermittedJewsinBabylonto
returntoJudah.
- Some Jews had prospered in Babylon and decided to stay and other left.
TheReturntoJudah
-In515B.C.manyexiledJewsreturnedtoJudahandrebuildthe
TempleinJerusalem(2ndTemple)
- The Jews were no longer united under a king, but by a high priest. Because these
people were the remnant of the south kingdom (Judah), it is at this point we use
the word Judaism and refer to them as Jews.
- Graduallytwomainclassesofleadersdeveloped:
o thepriests-responsibleforofferingsacrificesinthe
Temple
o theScribes-responsibleforteachingtheLawsofMoses.
ThePostexilicPeriod(539-332)
JudahremainsaverysmallstateofthelandimmediatelyaroundJerusalem.
ItnolongerhasanyindependencebutisruledbyPersiangovernorsandguidedby
thehighpriestsoftheTemple.Ezra(458-390)andNehemiah(445-420)beginthe
religiousreformthatleadstothecanonizationoftheScripturesandthereligious
practicesbasedontheTorah.
PRIEST(P)500?
TheHellenisticPeriod(332-175)
AlexandertheGreatconquerstheNearEastandtheinfluenceofGreek
cultureandphilosophyonJewishculturebegins.TheJewsarefirstgoverned
byPtolemies(Egypt)andthenafterthebattleofPaneasin198BC,bytheSeleucids
6
(Syria)
TheMaccabees(175-63)
TheMaccabeesfightforindependenceandwinsalimited
freedomforJudah. RiseofthemajorJewishsects:Sadducees,Pharisees,andEssenes.
PENTATEUCH
ThetermPentateuchmeans“fivecontainers”,indicatingthewrittenleatheror
papyrusrollsthatwerekeptincontainers.Inthiscasethefiverollsarethefirstfive
booksoftheBible:Genesis,Exodus,Leviticus,NumbersandDeuteronomy.Together
theyconstitutetheLaw(Torah),whichoriginallymeant“teaching”.
WhoWrotethePentateuch?
ThequestionofwhowrotethefirstfivebooksoftheBiblehasfascinated
scholarsforthepasttwocenturies.TraditionalbeliefcreditedMoseswithwriting
Genesis,Exodus,Leviticus,Numbers,andDeuteronomy.Ancientrabbisandearly
Christiansbelievedthis.EventheNewTestamentassumesthatMosesauthoredthe
Law.Forexample,JesusexplicitlycallsthePentateuch"thebookofMoses"(Mk
12:26). Today,however,werecognizethatthePentateuchtookitsfinalformonly
aftercenturiesoftelling,retelling,adapting,andreinterpretingthemanystoriesof
Yahweh'sdealingswiththeChosenPeople.Mosesiscertainlythecentralfigureof
thePentateuch.TheIsraeliteswouldnaturallylooktohimasthesourceofthelaws
andtraditionsrecordedintheTorah.ButMosescertainlycouldnothavewritten
everythinginthesefirstbooks.Forexample,Deuteronomy34:5-12chronicles
Moses'death!Scholarlyanalysishascomeupwithmanydifferenttheoriesto
explaintheauthorshipofthePentateuch.
Themostpopulartheorysuggeststherewereatleastfourmajorsourcesthat
wentintothecompositionofthePentateuch.Thefinaleditionofthiscomposite
workwasprobablycompletedduringthelifeofthepriestEzrawholivedbetween
460-400BC.EzrawasaleaderinmakingtheTorahabindingforceinthelifeofall
hispeople.Laterauthorsandeditorsdidnottrytoreconcileallthedifferencesin
thestoriesandtraditionsthatwerehandeddowntothem.Theysimplyincluded
theirstoriesrightafterthepreviousauthor's.
7
8