1) Genesis/Creation; Mesopotamian influence; canon Genesis 1 – 11: Creation, Fall, Redemption Genesis 12 – 50: Patriarchal period (2000 – 1500) Mesopotamian Influence Enuma Elish Epic of Gilgamesh Code of Hammurabi 2) The Exodus, The Pentateuch The Exodus – liberation (1447) The Pentateuch: Israel's defining documents

3) The Heroic age; Surrounding Civilizations The Heroic Age (1500 – 1000) Begins with Moses and ends of Samuel Broadly the period of the Judges Corresponds to the near east 'heroic' period Surrounding civilizations Hittites Phoenicians Mycenaeans

4) The early monarchy and Assyria Early monarchy United Monarchy:Saul, David, Solomon Early divided monarchy Assyria Prophetic ministry (Isaiah, Jonah, Nahum) The deportation of Israel (722) The Fall of Assyria (612) 5) The later monarchy and Babylon Later united Monarchy (Hezekiah – Zedekiah) The Neo-Babylonian Era

6) Persia and liberation; the major prophets Persia and the Jewish restoration The major prophets Isaiah Jeremiah (Lamentations) Ezekiel 7) Hellenistic Era, Daniel, and the minor prophets The Jewish people and the Hellenistic World The minor prophets

1) Joel – the promise of the God (Short prophet, hard to pin down time wise – refers to a crisis demanding repentance (locusts) and the promise of God's blessings – pour out the Spirit on all flesh) 2) Obadiah – condemnation of Edom (Dated to reign of Jehoram ( ), during whose reign Edom revolted and is condemned by this prophet) 3) Hosea – prophet to an unfaithful bride (during the reign of Jeroboam II – c. 750 – critiquing Israel for its unfaithfulness, like an unfaithful wife, and bringing warnings of judgment) 4) Amos – warnings to those at ease in Zion (during the reign of Jeroboam II, a tender of sycamore trees who is neither a prophet nor the son of one, who prophesied in Israel and raised the ire of the king of Israel.) Minor Prophets

5) Jonah – the reluctant prophet (during the reign of Jeroboam II, who prophesied to the Assyrians in about 780 b.c., and brought about a lull in the rising power of the Assyrian empire.) 6) Micah – prophet against Jerusalem and for Bethlehem (during the reign of Hezekiah, who prophesied the coming destruction of Jerusalem) 7) Nahum – the fall of Assyria (during the reign of Josiah, who predicted the fall of Assyria within the next 20 years) 8) Zephaniah – the scorched earth prophet (during the reign of Josiah, who awakened the young king to the miserable predicament of the people of God, and inspired him to his reforming efforts) 9) Habakkuk – the complaining prophet (during the reign of Jehoiakim, who complained that God would judge Judah by those less righteous than they were) 10) Haggai – the whip to negligent people (during the reign of Darius, who inspired the people to return to the construction of the temple in about 620 b.c.) 11) Zechariah – the promise of protection (during the reign of Darius, who gave the people assurance of God's protection as they worked on the temple) 12) Malachi – the promise of the covenant (during the reign of Artaxerxes, who criticized the imperfect worship of the people of God, and predicted the coming of the messenger of the covenant, and Elijah who would prepared the way for him.)

Theories of canon The Samaritan canon The Palestinian canon The Alexandrian canon Theories of Inspiration Traditional: The Bible is the Word of God Liberal: The Bible contains the Word of God Neo-orthodox: The Bible becomes the Word of God Neo-liberal: The Bible mythologizes the Word of God

Hermeneutics: Theories of interpretation Allegorical - supernaturalistic Historico-grammatical - natural Critical – naturalistic Broad Organization of the Old Testament Law Former prophets (history) Latter prophets (major and minor prophets) The Writings