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| The Gospels of the Old Testament |
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The first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, are foundational for Jews and Muslims as well as Christians. The first book, Genesis, starts with the creation of the world and the placing of humanity in the Garden of Eden. The final book, Deuteronomy, ends with God's people on the edge of the land promised to them by God and with the death of the key figure in the Pentateuch, Moses.
In between, we read of the origins of sin, and its devastating consequences; of a people chosen by God as the vehicle for his recreative and redemptive purposes; the rescue of this people from a life of poverty and slavery; the giving of the 10 commandments and other laws to this people, and of their many failures on the way to the land.
To download the lectures, click here, and for the course reading list, click here.
Reading programme
You will most enjoy and benefit from the lectures if you read the Pentateuch in your own time. Since reading large chunks of the Old Testament may be unfamiliar to you, choose a translation which flows well, or listen to the passages being read online on one of these sites:
Bible Gateway
Audio Bible
The suggested outline below gives some guidance on the main sections together with some questions to focus your reading:
Genesis – What would you think of a Christian retelling of Big Bang theory and evolution? Why? How do the promises made to Abraham change and develop? Where do they occur and why? What are the parallels between the different patriarchal narratives (events, difficulties, resolutions)? Why?
Exodus 1-24 – What picture of God do you get in his relationships with different people? What is Moses’ role?
Exodus 24-40 and Leviticus 1-9 – Where is God’s presence to be found? In what sense? What does the tabernacle communicate about God’s presence? What attitudes to God’s presence do these chapters promote? Why the elaborate rituals? What do you think is the significance of the symbols / rituals?
Leviticus 10-27 – What does holiness look like?
Numbers – What (if anything) gives shape and order to Numbers 1-10? Recurring topics? When do they stop recurring? What is the significance of chapters 22-24? Chapter 26?
Deuteronomy – What are the basic attitudes that God is looking for?
James Robson teaches Old Testament Studies and Hebrew at Oak Hill and is also coordinator of the College Missions programme. |
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