[OT] 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)

Lecture 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Overview:

After a detailed explanation of the requirements for the paper assignment, Professor Hayes turns to the Writings - the third section of the Bible - and considers a recent approach to the study of the Bible, called canonical criticism. The books in this section of the Bible explore various questions associated with suffering and evil. An example is the book of Ecclesiastes which constitutes a second attack on the optimism and piety of conventional religious thinking. The lecture concludes with a discussion of a number of Psalms, their genre, purpose, and language.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Psalms (JSB pp. 1280-4), Psalms 1, 2, 8, 19, 21-24, 32, 37, 44-46, 49, 52, 55, 72-74, 78-80, 90, 93, 96-99, 103-106, 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, 118, 119, 128, 131, 136, 137, 139, 150
(2) Introduction to The Song of Songs (JSB pp. 1564-1566), Song of Songs 1-8

Lecture

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[OT] 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 21 - Biblical Poetry: Psalms and Song of Songs

Overview:

After a detailed explanation of the requirements for the paper assignment, Professor Hayes turns to the Writings - the third section of the Bible - and considers a recent approach to the study of the Bible, called canonical criticism. The books in this section of the Bible explore various questions associated with suffering and evil. An example is the book of Ecclesiastes which constitutes a second attack on the optimism and piety of conventional religious thinking. The lecture concludes with a discussion of a number of Psalms, their genre, purpose, and language.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Psalms (JSB pp. 1280-4), Psalms 1, 2, 8, 19, 21-24, 32, 37, 44-46, 49, 52, 55, 72-74, 78-80, 90, 93, 96-99, 103-106, 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, 118, 119, 128, 131, 136, 137, 139, 150
(2) Introduction to The Song of Songs (JSB pp. 1564-1566), Song of Songs 1-8

Class lecture:

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[OT] 20 - Responses to Suffering and Evil: Lamentations and

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) with Professor Christine Hayes

Lecture 20, Responses to Suffering and Evil: Lamentations and Wisdom Literature

Overview:

This lecture begins with the Book of Lamentations, a short book of dirges that laments the destruction of Jerusalem and moves on to introduce the third and final section of the Hebrew Bible - the Ketuvim, or "Writings." This section of the Bible contains three books that exemplify the ancient Near Eastern literary genre of "Wisdom" -- Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes. Proverbs reinforces the Deuteronomistic idea of divine retributive justice according to which the good prosper and the evil are punished. The conventional assumption of a moral world order is attacked in the Book of Job. The book explores whether people will sustain virtue when suffering and afflicted, and brings charges of negligence and mismanagement against God for failing to punish the wicked and allowing the righteous to suffer.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Ketuvim (JSB pp. 1275-9)
(2) Introduction to Lamentations, Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes (JSB pp. 1447-9,1499-1505, 1587-1589, 1603-1606)
(3) Lamentations 1-5; Proverbs 1-13, 32; Job 1-11, 21-31, 38-42; Ecclesiastes 1-12

Lecture:

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[OT] 19 - Literary Prophecy: Perspectives on the Exile (Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 2nd Isaiah)

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 19 - Literary Prophecy: Perspectives on the Exile (Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 2nd Isaiah)

Overview:

The destruction of Jerusalem challenged the faith of the nation. What was the meaning of this event and how could such tremendous evil and suffering be reconciled with the nature of God himself? Professor Hayes shows how Israel's prophets attempted to answer this question, turning the nation's defeat and despair into an occasion for renewing faith in Israel's God. The lecture continues with an in-depth study of the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel's denunciations of Jerusalem are among the most lurid and violent in the Bible and he concludes that destruction is the only possible remedy. Ezekiel's visions include God's withdrawal from Jerusalem to be with his people in exile, and his ultimate return. Ezekiel's use of dramatic prophetic signs, his rejection of collective divine punishment and assertion of individual responsibility are discussed. The last part of the lecture turns to Second Isaiah and the famous "servant songs" that find a universal significance in Israel's suffering.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Jeremiah (JSB pp 917-920), Jeremiah 1-8, 18-21, 23, 25-45, 52
(2) Introduction to Ezekiel (JSB pp 1042-45), Ezekiel 1-5:4, 8-11, 16-18, 23, 28, 33, 36-37, 40, 47
(3) Isaiah 40-42, 49-55

Class lecture:

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[OT] 18 - Literary Prophecy: Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habbakuk

RLST 145: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 18 - Literary Prophecy: Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habbakuk

Overview:

Micah, eighth-century southern prophet and contemporary of Isaiah, is discussed. Structurally, the book of Micah alternates three prophecies of doom and destruction and three prophecies of hope and restoration. Micah attacks the doctrine of the inviolability of Zion and employs the literary form of a covenant lawsuit (or riv) in his denunciation of the nation. Several short prophetic books are also discussed: Zephaniah; the Book of Nahum, depicting the downfall of Assyria and distinguished for its vivid poetic style; and the book of Habbakuk, which contains philosophical musings on God's behavior. The final part of the lecture turns to the lengthy book of Jeremiah. A prophet at the time of the destruction and exile, Jeremiah predicted an end to the exile after 70 years and a new covenant that would be inscribed on the hearts of the nation.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Micah (JSB pp. 1205-6), Micah 1-7
(2) Introduction to Nahum (JSB pp. 1219-20), Nahum 1-3
(3) Introduction to Habbakuk (JSB pp. 1226-7), Habbakuk 1-3
(4) Introduction to Zephaniah (JSB pp. 1234-5), Zephaniah 1-3

Class lecture:

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[OT] Naming prophet's kids

I found the names of Hosea and Gomer's children interesting:

• Lo-ruhamah: '"not loved, not forgiven," because God will no longer love or forgive or pardon the House of Israel'
  
•  Lo-ammi: '"not my people," a sign that God has dissolved the covenant bond. He's rejected Israel as his people--divorced Israel.'
• Jezreel:  "because God plans to punish Jehu for his slaughter of the house of Ahab. Even though Ahab was no favorite of God, you still should not raise your hand against the Lord's anointed. And so Jehu will have to be--Ahab will have to be avenged. Jehu will have to be punished at Jezreel, which is where the murder happened. "
  

These children are born through Gomer -- a promiscuous woman that God commands Hosea to marry in order to allude to the children of Israel's unfaithfulness to Him -- and their promiscuousness with other gods.

I also found the names of Isaiah's children interesting, which mean:

• "only a remnant will survive,"
  
• "hasten for spoil, hurry for plunder"

I've noticed a similar phenomena in Genesis -- where most names foreshadow that person's life, or events in their life.  

In westerns, apparently the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys wear black hats.  In the bible, the good guys have good names, and the bad guys have bad names.  Or, sometimes, they name their kids about  things going on in the surrounding environment.  For example the kings of Sodom and Gomorra (the bad guys) mean "in evil" and "in wickedness."  The good guys in the story are Melkesedek (king of righteousness) and Abraham (exalted father).

[OT] 17 - Literary Prophecy: Hosea and Isaiah

RLST 145: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) (Fall, 2006)

Lecture 17 - Literary Prophecy: Hosea and Isaiah

Overview:

The lecture focuses on the eighth-century northern prophet Hosea, a linguistically difficult book set against the backdrop of the expansionist Assyrian Empire. Hosea's marriage symbolizes Israel's relationship with God and serves to remind Israel of God's forbearance and Israel's obligations and pledge to loyalty under the covenant at Sinai. The second half of the lecture shifts to Isaiah and his emphasis on the Davidic Covenant, rather than the Mosaic one, a key distinction between him and Hosea. Themes in Isaiah include the salvation of a remnant, Israel's election to a mission and an eschatology that centers around a "messiah" (anointed) king of the house of David.

Reading assignment:

Bible:
(1) Introduction to Hosea (JSB pp. 1143-4), Hosea 1-14
(2) Introduction to Isaiah (JSB pp. 780-784), Isaiah 1-12, 28-33, 36-39

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