Obscure origins
Assyrian Empire (911-612 B.C.E.)
biblos, “book”
Organization
1) *Torah/Pentateuch
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
2) Prophets
3) Miscellaneous Writings
History, poetry, and philosophy
Evidence of oral transmission
3 traditions in Torah
Example: 2 accounts of creation of the first man and woman
Similarity to flood story in Epic of Gilgamesh
Earliest written version, 2100 BCE
Evidence of written transmission
Silver amulet with prayer, ca. 600 BCE
Quoting a version of Numbers 6:24-26 : “The Lord bless you and protect you. The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you. The Lord bestow his favor upon you and grant you peace.”
Dead Sea scrolls, ca. 100 BCE
*Faith
God
Miracles
*Legends
Early prophets
Abraham
Miracle: God’s intervention
Moses
Miracle: Parting of Red Sea
*History
Maximalists 1300 BCE
Minimalists 700 BCE or even later
Herders
*Semitic language
Biblical narrative
Arrival of “12 Tribes” in Canaan
Archaeological evidence
Canaanites and Philistines in lowlands
Hebrew migration, 1300-1100 BCE
Hillside villages
Bronze & flint tools
Several deities
1% or less pig bones
"Age of Kings" (1020- ca. 920 BCE)
Saul of Benjamin
David of Judah
Solomon
Capital at Jerusalem
Archaeological evidence?
Example of "King David's Palace" at "City of David" in Jerusalem Old City
Based on the sign at the "City of David" archaeological site, what controversy exists about the identification of the structure as "King David's Palace"?
Stepped Stone Structure
Foundation of David’s palace or Canaanite fortress?
Complex society arises, 1000-900 BCE
Divided kingdoms under great powers
*Assyrian Empire, 911-612 BCE
*Israel (north)
Assyrian conquest of Israel, 722 BCE
*Judah (south)
Jerusalem population, 5,000 people
Legend of earlier capital under David and Solomon
*Neo-Babylonian Empire (612-539 BCE)
Conquest of Judah, 587 BCE
Deportation of elite to Babylon
Hebrew Bible
Biblical narrative
Age of Prophets
Moral failings blamed for political decline
Polytheism
Hebrew folk religion
*Monotheism
*Yahweh (YHWH), literally "Being"
*Covenant
10 Commandments
Ethical code
1. How was the Hebrew Bible composed orally and finally put in writing?
2. What problems are involved in using the Hebrew Bibles as a historical source? What elements of the biblical narrative are matters of faith? What elements can be classified as legends?
3. How do "maximalist" and "minimalist" scholars disagree about the value of the Hebrew Bible as a historical source? What controversy exists about the identification of an archaeology site in the Jerusalem Old City as the "City of David"?
1. What different opinions do scholars have about the value of the Hebrew Bible as a historical source? Why do archaeologists interpret absence of pig bones in archaeological sites as evidence of the arrival of Hebrews in the southern Levant?
2. When and where do the authors of Voyages in World History state that the current version of the Hebrew Bible was written down in its current form? What similarities and differences exist between the flood stories of the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh and the Hebrew Bible? What do the two flood stories reveal about the oral transmission of the Hebrew Bible before it was written down in Babylon?
1. What is the nature of the Hebrew covenant with their god? What does God promise and demand in return? What are his rewards and punishments?
2. How do these selections from the Bible explain and justify political events, such as the Hebrews' settlement in the land of Canaan and defeats at the hands of their enemies?
3. What are the similarities and differences between the Ten Commandments and the "Judgments of Hammurabi" from earlier in time (see the previous reading on Mesopotamia)? What are the reasons for similarities?