Encountering the Old Testament
DBS 620
Encountering the Old Testament
A Christian Survey
Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer
Baker Books
Caron M. Allen
Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Studies
This paper is prepared for Newburgh Theological Seminary and College of the Bible
March 16, 2013
INTRODUCTION
I continued my study in pursuit of the doctoral degree in Biblical Studies by reading the text, Encountering the Old Testament. Little did I know when I began reading this text that it would so completely satisfy two of my greatest pleasures; studying the Word of God and studying people’s history.
I am an ardent historian. Knowing and understanding the history of peoples and nations is more than exciting or simply interesting to me. It is necessary. My favorite people and times to study are the ancient Egyptians and American history as it relates to the African Diaspora and slavery. My great grandfather, John Burdette, instilled in me a hunger for knowing our family history and in 2008 I was blessed to publish a factual account of that history. He once said to me, “Promise me you gone tell da ones to come. ’Long as we keep tellin’ it, we keep it alive. Dey gotta know who dey are.”
It was not until I was studying Encountering the Old Testament that I realized he instilled in me a need to know about humankind. Hence, Encountering the Old Testament was an exciting theological and historical journey.
(All Bible references in this paper come from the New King James Version of the Bible, except where clearly noted by the student).
Chapter 1: What Is the Old Testament and Why Do We Study It?
Canon: What is the Bible?
The Bible is a collection of sixty six books; thirty nine in the Old Testament and twenty seven in the New Testament. But there are some sacred works that are not included in the Bible and the questions of which books should be included in the Bible raises the issue of canon. Tests for canonicity of the Old Testament must focus on three
Encountering the Old Testament
A Christian Survey
Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer
Baker Books
Caron M. Allen
Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Studies
This paper is prepared for Newburgh Theological Seminary and College of the Bible
March 16, 2013
INTRODUCTION
I continued my study in pursuit of the doctoral degree in Biblical Studies by reading the text, Encountering the Old Testament. Little did I know when I began reading this text that it would so completely satisfy two of my greatest pleasures; studying the Word of God and studying people’s history.
I am an ardent historian. Knowing and understanding the history of peoples and nations is more than exciting or simply interesting to me. It is necessary. My favorite people and times to study are the ancient Egyptians and American history as it relates to the African Diaspora and slavery. My great grandfather, John Burdette, instilled in me a hunger for knowing our family history and in 2008 I was blessed to publish a factual account of that history. He once said to me, “Promise me you gone tell da ones to come. ’Long as we keep tellin’ it, we keep it alive. Dey gotta know who dey are.”
It was not until I was studying Encountering the Old Testament that I realized he instilled in me a need to know about humankind. Hence, Encountering the Old Testament was an exciting theological and historical journey.
(All Bible references in this paper come from the New King James Version of the Bible, except where clearly noted by the student).
Chapter 1: What Is the Old Testament and Why Do We Study It?
Canon: What is the Bible?
The Bible is a collection of sixty six books; thirty nine in the Old Testament and twenty seven in the New Testament. But there are some sacred works that are not included in the Bible and the questions of which books should be included in the Bible raises the issue of canon. Tests for canonicity of the Old Testament must focus on three