© Cambridge University Press 2014 DISCUSSION How is the message of the Old Testament relevant for the world in which you live?

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ANATOMY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Skeletal System = Primary History Metanarrative from Genesis to 2 Kings provides the historical framework for the OT Includes Torah story and Torah instruction Does not explain directly what Israel thinks about God. Show rather than tell us about God

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ANATOMY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Nervous System = Creeds & YHWH’s Character Creeds are scattered throughout the OT Most of the creeds trace back to an original affirmation of faith found in Exodus 34:6-7 Creed highlights Yahweh’s attributes OT narrative uses verbs to narrate the actions of Yahweh The creeds use adjectives to explain his character

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ANATOMY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Cardiovascular System = Moses’ speeches These speeches in Deuteronomy, especially 5-11, are the heart of the OT Create a new relational ethic for Israel All one’s emotions and resources are combined in a singular and focused commitment to Yahweh Summed up in the Shema’s command Explores the practical and behavioral aspects of relating to Yahweh

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ANATOMY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Muscular System = Rest of the OT Collection of Israel’s responses to the creeds & ethical demands of the covenant Prophets affirm and apply the ethical demands of their relationship with God to numerous life situations The other writings fleshed out their theology in the affairs of everyday life

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS Monotheism is not expressed in the Primary History, in the OT creeds, nor in the ethical convictions of the OT Yet the origins of monotheism are clearly present in Israel’s monolatrous henotheism Eventually monotheism was articulated by the prophets, especially Isaiah of the exile But the OT message is more than a philosophical formulation of monotheism

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS Primary concern was developing faithful devotion to Yahweh at the exclusion of all other deities Does arrive at the conclusion that only one God exists, but this isn’t the OT’s central message Central messages of the OT How to live in covenant with God How to live ethically with other humans, especially foreigners, orphans and widows

© Cambridge University Press 2014 DISCUSSION What is the relationship between science and religion (particularly monotheism)?

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS Science & Monotheism Science was not born when modern thinkers threw off the blinders of religious ignorance Science is a direct result of theological assumptions unique to Judeo-Christian formulations in Europe, explaining why science was born in Europe Science & religion are inseparable not incompatible Monotheism is Israel’s gift to the world, and science is its delayed benefit

© Cambridge University Press 2014 DISCUSSION What is the relationship between politics and religion (particularly monotheism)?

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS Politics & Monotheism Central values of civil society 1.Individual rights and liberties 2.People have the right to govern themselves without monarch or dictator 3.Separation of church and state, which ensures religious tolerance

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS Often assume these values emerged through a process of secularization Told Europe was incapable of such advances because they were so thoroughly religious, especially Christian Philosophical separation, in which religion was partitioned and excluded from exploration of political theory and investigation of most other topics Separation produced our modern values Implies liberty, freedom and tolerance were only possible when religion is suppressed Implies secularization saved society from religion

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought by Eric Nelson (Harvard University Press, 2010) Proved the previous theory is completely false The values of our modern societies are not the result of a separation from religion but a reformation of religion As a result of the Protestant Reformation, Christian scholarship in Europe turned to the OT for guidance 16 th and 17 th centuries witnessed a revival of the Hebrew language and an investigation of the Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS Relied on Jewish interpretation of OT to concluded Israel’s request for a king in 1 Samuel 8 was a sin Eventually led to the conclusion that all monarchies were undesirable and republics were the only legitimate form of government “Crucial turning point in the history of European political thought” (Nelson, page 3) Further reflection on OT’s plan for fairness in land use and wealth distribution transformed the way people thought about the right of a state to limit wealth in order to ensure fair distribution of wealth

© Cambridge University Press 2014 ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS Exploration of biblical laws allowing unbelievers and strangers to live in the land undisturbed, so long as they agreed to certain laws and regulations, which resulted in a commitment to religious tolerance in open societies Religious tolerance resulted from study of the OT – not from secularization The “traditional narrative” that our contemporary values are based on secularization “will have to be significantly revised, if not discarded” (Nelson, page 5) OT must be remembered for its legacy of monotheism and for its contributions to nearly every aspect of our lives together