This publication explains what the biblical Old Testament is. Sadly, many readers pay attention to the wars, prohibitions, genealogies and punishments that God sent for not keeping the commandments. You should realize that this is not the only thing the Bible is about. The Old Testament, just like the New, testifies to a person and you just need to see it.
Let's start with the fact that these holy books have been translated into many languages \u200b\u200bof the peoples of the world. The Old Testament was translated into ancient Greek as early as the third century BC. It was intended mainly for Jews who could not read their native language, and is known as the Septuagint. He is the most ancient of those that have come down to us. According to the legend preserved in the message of Aristeus, the Septuagint was created by 72 learned men within 72 days. They tried for the ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy, who became interested in the holy book. And the sages lived and were engaged in the translation of the Sacred on the island of Pharos.
From the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. appear Latin translations of the Bible, and created by Jerome at the end of the III century. The Vulgate is still recognized as an official text to this day. At about the same time, the Egyptian and Coptic translations were published. In the fourth century AD, Ulfil translates the Old Testament into Gothic. In the next, fifth century, the Armenian (Mesropa), Georgian and Ethiopian appeared. The last two translations of Scripture are still in use today.
The well-known King James Bible is the most widely used english translation, executed at the beginning of the 17th century at the request of the king of England. Some parts of the Holy Texts were translated into Russian in the 17th-19th centuries, but did not receive wide distribution at that time. Commonly recognized for Russian-speaking Christians today are the "Canonical Books of the Old Scriptures and their translation itself was made by the decision of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1852, and published in 1876.
Believers seeking truth are more interested in Old Testament interpretation than history and translations. The title of the collection, consisting of 39 books, testifies to some kind of agreement (union). The covenant is a union agreement and in the 15th chapter of the book "Genesis" the ritual of its conclusion is described. Abram sacrificed animals, shedding their blood on the ground, and then saw the coming down fire and smoke. These signs were accompanied by the Voice of God, which promised him and his descendants lands from the Nile to the Euphrates.
Also during the conclusion of the Covenant (sealed with the blood of sacrificial animals), Abram learned that his people would live in enslavement for 400 years. Then God will free his descendants, bring them out of slavery and return them to the promised lands. A little later, the Lord changes the name of Abram to Abraham and promises to make him the father of many nations. The new name of the participant in the Covenant with God is translated as “Father of many nations”.
In fact, he is the father not only of Jews, but of all people who today recognize Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is what is written in the Epistle of the Holy One to Galatians - 3:29. It says that those belonging to Jesus are the true descendants of Abraham and the heirs of the promises of Heavenly Father. If the Old Testament implies the receipt of the possession of earthly territories by a certain people, then today believing Christians expect from God a new earth and a new heaven, in which there is only room for righteousness and holiness. Another Apostle, Peter, writes about this in the third chapter of his second epistle.
As you read and interpret the Bible, keep Christ's words in mind. He said that by examining the Scriptures (Old Testament), you need to know that they all testify about Him. Jesus said this to the Pharisees, who, diligently studying the Holy Books, were unable to discern the Image of the Lord, who came down from Heaven and became like all of us.
If you arm yourself with the knowledge that the entire Bible is dedicated to Christ and study it diligently, you can see that His types are seen in each of the 39 books of the Old Testament. Also, all these Sacred texts prepare the children of God for the New Testament by faith in the crucifixion, death and resurrection of the Savior of the world Jesus Christ. God loves the crown of his creation - man, and this should be known and remembered while reading the Bible.
Introduction.
The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings, it is a striking story about the origin of man and the universe, about the invasion of the world of sin and its catastrophic impact on the human race, and about the beginning of God's plan to save mankind.
The Hebrew title of the book "bereshit" ("in the beginning") is also the first word in this book. Russian name "Being" corresponds literal translation its Greek title in the Septuagint, which in turn is a translation of the Hebrew toledot, the key word in this book. The word "toledot" means "origin", and it perfectly conveys the main meaning of the first book of Holy Scripture. This word is often found in the book and it is synonymous with the word "being", that is, "that which was."
Author.
Both Scripture itself and tradition attribute the authorship of the Pentateuch to Moses. And, indeed, who else is better than Moses, "taught in all the wisdom of Egypt" (Acts 7:22), was prepared for this! His literary ability enabled him to collect the surviving records and traditions of Israel in one work. His communion with God in Horeb and throughout his life was the force that guided him in this matter. The book of Genesis laid, in turn, the theological and historical foundations, both for the Exodus, and for the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai.
The transmission of events in chronological order was not the goal of its author, and this book itself was not written as history for the sake of history, as it was not intended to reflect the complete "biography" of the people. It is a theological interpretation of records selected from those long compiled by the forefathers of the Israelites.
Following the historical principle, the book of Genesis explains the reasons that caused certain events, but in it these reasons are of both human and divine origin. Because this book is part of divine revelation, the Word of God, and not just a presentation of human history. Center biblical history was God's covenant. God started it by choosing Israel through Abram.
The original records and genealogies may have been brought by ancestors from Mesopotamia. Family chronicles of the patriarchs could be added to them. All these traditions, both oral and written, could have been preserved by Joseph in Egypt, who supplemented them with his own records. Moses could later combine all of this as it exists today.
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Pentateuch), the first of the five books of the Law. It can be defined as "the literary portion of the Torah". It does not contain the actual laws and regulations, but lays the foundation for them. It provides a theological interpretation of historical legends, which reflects the formation of the covenant with Israel approved at Sinai. As you read Genesis, you can see how Moses prepared his readers to receive the revelation of the Law. This is what gives the book a moralizing character.
The book of Genesis provides a historical basis for God's making a covenant with His people. This can be traced throughout the Pentateuch. This is how it is expressed in the work devoted to the analysis of this book by Moses Sigal:
"The main theme of the Pentateuch is the election of Israel from among other nations and its consecration to serve God and His laws on the land indicated by God. The central event determining the development of this theme was the covenant of God with Abraham and God's promise to create God's people from the descendants of Abraham and give him for everlasting possession of the land of Canaan "
In the development of this theme, the book of Genesis becomes a prologue to the drama that is played out in the book of Exodus. From Genesis it follows why the call was made to Israel to leave Egypt and go to the Promised Land: it sounded in fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the founders of the tribes of Israel.
The book of Genesis lays the foundations for theocracy, showing that the people of God gradually separated from other nations, because their entire history was accomplished in accordance with a clear and consistent plan of God's management of the world, depending on which were any circumstances of both the people as a whole and its individual representatives.
Events in the prologue of Genesis (chapters 1-11) clearly develop in two opposite directions: a) the strictly ordered act of God's creation, culminating in God's blessing of man, and b) the totally destructive effect of sin marked by the two greatest curses of the flood and the Babylonian dispersal of peoples ... Events developing in the first direction testify to the original perfection of God's plan, contrary to the conclusions that the reader can draw "from his own experience." Events in the "second direction" reveal the great need of fallen mankind to intervene in God's affairs.
The moral decay of mankind increased with the development of civilization. And after the decay reached the stage when nothing could be corrected, the human race had to be destroyed by means of a flood. But even after a new beginning was laid for humanity, the vices and insolence of people again entailed extremely grave consequences for all of humanity.
Subsequently, all these events were included in the book of Genesis, which recreated from them the theological picture of man's rebellion against his Creator and the terrible consequences of this rebellion. The stories about this, "woven" into the prologue of the book of Genesis, precede Abraham in time and prepare the reader for his appearance. The rebellious man was left to himself in search of a way out of his painful situation. All primitive history is marked by periodic punishments of mankind, which were replaced, however, by manifestations of the Creator's merciful concern for him.
This prepares the reader for the coming election and for the next blessing of the people through Abraham (Gen. 12-50). Let us repeat that the need to elect a people who would serve to the blessing of the entire human race was caused by the aggravated moral decay of mankind scattered over the earth.
This was achieved by "focusing attention" on one person and his offspring. God's saving grace extended over all nations, acting through one who was “set free” from his own tribal ties in order to become the ancestor of a new nation, the heir of promises not only for Israel.
Genesis revolves around the themes of blessing and cursing. The promised blessing will give the patriarchs offspring, and the offspring - the land; a curse will alienate the offspring and deprive them of their heritage. Later, prophets and historians "brought" the effect of blessing and curse beyond the originally "narrow" framework and in the light of them began to interpret the events of the future. There is nothing surprising in the fact that these themes, which are heard throughout the Holy Scriptures, were taken from the “book of beginnings”. After all, blessings and curses accompany man from the very beginning of his existence.
In the Old Testament, the verb "curse" means, to impose a prohibition or to put an obstacle, to deprive the ability to move. In full, such power belongs only to God or to someone who received special power from Him. In principle, anyone can resort to a curse, but it has the greatest effect when it is drawn by supernatural force. Cursing involves separation from a blessed place or from people blessed by God. In the prologue to Genesis (chapters 1-11), we see how it operates from the moment of the fall of the first human couple to its utterance by Noah to Canaan.
On the other hand, the Bible verb "bless" means (mainly) "to enrich." God is also the source of blessing, even when it is spoken by a person. In Genesis, the promise of blessing primarily refers to future generations in Canaan and certainly implies their prosperity.
By blessing people, God gave them His approval, so ultimately blessing is a spiritual phenomenon. The contrast between it and curse reflects the contrast between a person's obedience by faith and his disobedience through unbelief.
The construction of the book of Genesis begins with an introduction (prologue), and then eleven parts, provided with "headings", follow. The word defining such a construction is the Hebrew "toledot", translated into Russian as "origin", "life" or "genealogy"; it is preceded by "here" (for example, "Here is the genealogy."). This is the phrase and is usually considered as the "heading" of a part or section:
1. Creation (introduction; 1: 1 - 2: 3)
2. "Toledot" (origin) of heaven and earth (2: 4 - 4:26)
3. "Toledot" of Adam (genealogy; 5: 1 - 6: 8)
4. "Toledot" Noah (life; 6: 9 - 9:29)
5. "Toledot" of Shem, Ham and Japheth (genealogy; 10: 1 - 11: 9)
6. "Toledot" (genealogy) of Shem (11: 10-26)
7. "Toledot" (genealogy) of Terah (1:27 - 25:11)
8. "Toledot" (genealogy) Ishmael (25: 12-18)
9. "Toledot" (genealogy) of Isaac (25:19 - 35:29)
10. "Toledot" (genealogy) of Esau (36: 1-8)
11. "Toledot" (genealogy) of Esau, father of the Edomites (36: 9 - 37: 1)
12. "Toledot" (life) of Jacob (37: 2 - 50:26)
Let's dwell on Gen. 2: 4; here "toledot" ("this is the origin") introduces the origin of the material universe as a kind of historical result. And from 2: 4 - 4:26 we learn what "came out" of this. There follows a description of the Fall, the murder of Abel and the evolution of sin as civilization develops. The story goes from the completion of creation (which is repeated in chapter 2, to the corruption of everything created through sin, as if to say: "This is what befell him."
Apparently, one should not thus "limit" the term toledot to the meaning of genealogy only, because its other meanings are often revealed in the context. So "Toledot" of Terah is not a story about him at all, but mainly about those who descended from Terah, namely about Abraham and his offspring.
In the center of Isaac's toledot stands Jacob, and, besides, he is in no small measure related to Esau. Toledot Jacob traces the family history from him to Joseph inclusive. The name that follows immediately after the toledot usually starts the story and is not the name of the main character. So, in this Commentary, phrases corresponding to the toledot are understood to mean "This is what happened from."
Within each toledot, as if in a drop of water, is reflected that "evolution of things" that takes place in the book of Genesis itself, with the leading role of blessings and curses. Each of the first cited Toledots develops in the direction of deterioration until it befalls its curse, and so on until 12: 1-2, where the promise of blessing is first heard.
From here begins a constant striving for the promised place, and nevertheless, in subsequent narratives, "development towards deterioration" continues to be observed, because neither Isaac nor Jacob reached the same high spiritual level as their father and grandfather Abraham had. So by the end of Genesis, the descendants of Abraham find themselves not in the promised land, but in a place of slavery, in Egypt. Someone figuratively said about it this way: "A man paved a long way - from Eden to the grave, and the chosen family, having gone far away from Canaan, ended up in Egypt."
Development of the narrative in the book of Genesis.
1. Creation. The first part (1: 1 - 2: 3) is not "titled" by Toledot, and this is logical, because the introduction does not need to trace what the act of creation led to. The title here is the first verse of the first chapter, in which all its content is conveyed. The meaning of this section (part) is that the work described in it takes place under the sign of God's approval and blessing. The creation of the animal kingdom (verses 22-25), the creation of man (verse 27) and the arrival of the seventh day (2: 3) all receive their special blessings. And this "trilogy" is important as an argument: man, created in the image of God for joy and dominion over earthly creation, had a blessed beginning.
2. Toledot (origin) of heaven and earth. In section 2: 4 - 4:26, Genesis reports what happened to the universe. This part begins with the creation of Adam and Eve, traces their fall, the curse of sin by God and the spread of sinfulness to their descendants. Flight and fear become the lot of a person driven out of God's rest; man makes his own path in the world, fights for survival and exists in the conditions of a developing civilization.
As if in contrast to the threefold blessing (animal world, man, Sabbath rest), the threefold curse sounds (Satan - 3:14; the earth through man's fault - 3:17; and Cain - 4:11). But even this life, distorted by sin, contains a "sign of grace" (4:15), and a ray of hope shines: people "began to call on the name of the Lord" (4:26).
3. Adam's Toledot. Here, too, in this central lineage from Adam to Noah, there is a "development towards deterioration" (5: 1 - 6: 8). The section begins with a return to the history of creation and ends with the expression of God’s strong discontent with man and disappointment with what he created him.
5: 1-2 recalls the blessing of creation; in 5:29, the birth of Noah is recorded as a sign of goodwill as a consolation in the operation of the curse. The original blessing of the human race is overshadowed by the mention of the death of all the descendants of the first people. The only one who was delivered from the curse of death was Enoch, who gave the hope that it (the curse) would not last forever.
4. "Toledot" Noah. Section 6: 9 - 9:29 contains both condemnation (curse) and blessing, which is expressed in the fact that God promises not to condemn the earth more so harshly (8:21). Nevertheless, the story of Noah begins with the fact that he finds favor with God (blessing), and ends with his pronouncement of a curse against Canaan.
Yet in this section a new beginning is made, similar in many respects to the one we saw in the first chapter of Genesis; after the destruction of the rebellious world, merciful deliverance follows - a person is given the opportunity to enter a renewed world. God makes a covenant with Noah who came out on dry land and blesses him and his sons (all this echoes the story of Adam). The human race begins again, and from that moment on, the theme of blessing - as opposed to the theme of damnation - appears more and more clearly. Blessing received by Shem.
5. Toledot of the sons of Noah. As the population grows and spreads across the earth, in accordance with the predicted by Noah, the book changes its direction, addressing the peoples. The author consistently develops the idea that a person is prone to destruction and chaos. The section begins with a description of the numerous offspring of Shem, Ham and Japheth, and ends with an explanation of the origin of the peoples as a result of the Babylonian dispersion (10: 1 - 11: 9).
It was a genius enlightenment to place a story of such decisive importance at the end, especially in the light of the fact that chronologically it preceded what happens at the end. This prompts the reader to look for an answer to the question why a person is "constantly sliding down" And psychologically prepares him for the implementation of the promised blessing in the future.
6. "Toledot" Sima. After the prediction of the spread human race on a world scale (in the previous section) this section (11: 10-26) in the book forms another transition - from Shem to Abram. This "list" traces the line from Noah to Abram, awarded by God with blessings (prosperity and numerous offspring). (Whereas chapter 5 leads the line from Adam to Noah and the flood.) God did not leave people under a curse.
Ahead was the election of a man by Him, from whom He would make a people and through him would spread blessing throughout the whole earth. Anyone who knows the fate of Abraham cannot but pay attention to the importance of this toledot (11: 10-26), "throwing a bridge" from the section where the scattering is narrated to the one in which the blessing will be promised.
7 Farrah's Toledot. While chapters 1-11 outline the picture of human rebellion, chapters 12-50 detail how God brings man into the realm of blessing. This section (11:27 - 25:11) tells about what happened to the "line" of Terah, who is the last in the "list" (11: 10-24). We learn about the life of his son, and this story becomes key both for the book of Genesis and for the Old Testament plan of blessing. To Abraham, blessed more than all others, God promises a people, a country and a name. The story traces the spiritual growth of Abraham in obedience to faith.
8. "Toledot" by Ishmael. This section (25: 12-18) explains what happened to Ishmael, who (like his descendants) did not belong to those whom God had chosen. The author narrates about Ishmael before returning to the chosen line.
9. Toledot Isaac. Talking about "the son of promise" - Isaac, this section also speaks about Jacob, his son, about the struggle that arose in his family, and about the origin of the people of Israel (23:19 - 35:29). The promises recorded at 12: 2 are beginning to come true. The blessing that Abraham received is now transferred to Jacob (chapter 27). Jacob also grew in faith, however, his faith was not the same as that of his grandfather; and yet from the "spiritually lame" Jacob "was born" Israel.
10. Toledot Esau. And again in the book of Genesis the thread of the story starts from Isaac, but before moving on to the toledot of the heir son, the author stops (36: 1-8) on the fate of Esau - the brother from whom Jacob stole the birthright and blessing. The people who will descend from Jacob will often enter into hostile clashes with Edom, a kindred people who will be descended from Esau. It speaks of three wives and five sons of Esau.
11. Toledot Esau, father of Edom (Edomites). Another account of Esau's offspring is added for the reason that the leaders of the Edomites, Amalekites, and Horites were to play an important role in Old Testament times (36: 9 - 37: 1).
12. Toledot Jacob. What happened to Jacob's family? His sons became the ancestors of the tribes of Israel (37: 2 - 50:26). It tells about the life of Joseph and the resettlement of Jacob's family to Egypt. In essence, this is a story about why God's people migrated to Egypt and how the promised blessings were to be fulfilled there. In Canaan, Jacob's family almost merged with the local population - the Canaanites.
In order to preserve the lineage blessed by Him, God miraculously used the evil will of Joseph's brothers to bring him to Egypt and give him power there. When the promised land was punished by hunger, the blessing came again because of Joseph's high position and wisdom. The book ends with an anticipation of the next blessed visit of the Lord to His chosen people (50: 24-25).
Conclusion. Since the book of Genesis is the basis of the entire Pentateuch, the book of Exodus returns to the fact that God “remembered” His covenant with Abraham: “And God heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God looked upon them "(Ex. 2: 24-25). In fact, the closing events and closing words of Genesis anticipate what will be discussed in Exodus. "God will visit you and will bring you out of this land into the land that he swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (Gen. 50:24). These words were repeated by Moses when he carried the remains of Joseph out of Egypt: "And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, for Joseph swore an oath to the sons of Israel, saying: God will visit you, and you will carry my bones out of here with you" (Ex. 13:19) ...
Thus, Genesis provides a theological and historical basis for Israel's existence as the chosen people. Israel can trace its "lineage" to Abraham, whom God chose from among the nations scattered by Him after their attempt to build the Tower of Babel, and to whom He promised prosperity and land by covenant.
Realizing that Israel actually became a great nation, promised in blessing to Abraham by God, they should have realized that they have no future neither in Egypt, nor in Sodom, nor in Babylon, and that it is only in Canaan, the earth which God promised to give to Abraham with an oath.
With all its content, the book of Genesis was supposed to convince the Israelites that God had promised them a blessed future, and that He was able to fulfill His promise. Time and again attention is drawn to the supernatural actions of God in the lives of their ancestors in order to lead Israel to believe that "God, who began a good work in them, will do it to the end" (Phil. 1: 6). If the people realized that they owe their existence to the election and blessings from above, they would answer God with obedience.
The theme of Exodus is the deliverance of Abraham's seed from slavery and the giving of the covenant to it. Leviticus is, as it were, a guide and reference book of prescriptions (ordinances), subject to the fulfillment of which the holy God will dwell among His people. The numbers contain records of military classification and a census of tribes in the desert; This Book shows how God protected from internal and external threats those who received the promises of His blessings. Deuteronomy is the renewal of the covenant with the new generation of Israel.
Unfolding before the reader this grandiose God's program, the book of Genesis gives an idea of \u200b\u200bthe character of God as the supreme Sovereign of the universe, Who is able to "move from their place" heaven and earth, if it is required to fulfill His will. He wants to bless humanity, but he will not put up with disobedience and unbelief forever. From the revelation of Genesis, the reader learns that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11: 6).
Book outline:
I. Events of primitive time (1: 1 - 11:26)
A. Creation (1: 1 - 2: 3)
B. The order of events from the creation of heaven to earth (2: 4 - 4:26)
1. Creation of man and woman (2: 4-25)
2. Temptation and the fall (chapter 3)
3. Sin "makes itself known" in Cain's murder of Abel (4: 1-16)
4. Spread of Godless Civilization (4: 17-26) C. Genealogy of Adam (5: 1 - 6: 8)
1. Genealogy from Adam to Noah (chapter 5)
2. Corruption of the human race (6: 1-8)
D. On the life of Noah and his sons (6: 9 - 9:29)
1. Punishment by the Flood (6: 9 - 8:22)
2. Covenant with Noah (9: 1-17)
3. The Curse of Canaan (9: 18-29)
E. Genealogy of the sons of Noah (10: 1 - 11: 9)
1. "Table of Nations" (chapter 10)
2. Scattering from Babylon (11: 1-9)
E. Genealogy of Shem (11: 10-26)
P. Narratives of the Patriarchs - Lives of the Forefathers (11:27 - 50:26)
A. Terah's Offspring (11:27 - 25:11)
1. Making a covenant with Abram (11:27 - 15:21)
2. Abram, whose faith was strengthened by trials, receives the promise of a seed (16: 1 - 22:19)
3. By faithfulness of Abraham, Isaac becomes the heir of the promise (22:20 - 25:11)
B. Genealogy (offspring) of Ishmael (25: 12-18)
C. Genealogy (offspring) of Isaac (25:19 - 35:29)
1. The promised blessing is inherited by Jacob instead of Esau (25:19 - 28:22)
2. The blessing of Jacob in his ways (chapters 29-32)
3. The return of Jacob to the beginning of moral degradation in his land (chapters 33-35)
D. Genealogy of Esau (36: 1-8) E. Genealogy of Esau, Father of the Edomites (36: 9 - 37: 1)
F. Genealogy (life) of Jacob (37: 2 - 50:26)
1. Joseph is sold to Egypt (37: 2-36)
2. Corruption of the family of Judas and confirmation of God's choice (chapter 38)
3. Joseph in Egypt; his rise to power (chapters 39-41)
4. Resettlement of Jacob to Egypt (42: 1 - 47:27)
5. The promised blessing never dries up (47:28 - 50:26)
According to the assumptions of scientists, the Old Testament (the first book of the Bible) was written in the 15th-4th centuries. BC. It is a translation of the ancient sacred Jewish texts, which the Jews themselves call Tanakh. This collection includes as many as 39 books.
Jewish collection Tanakh
Tanakh is a combined record of Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets) and Ketubim (Scripture). According to many researchers, they began to combine these sacred texts back in the time of King Solomon, and finished a couple of centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. It is believed that this work was carried out by Ezra with assistants. However, nothing is known for certain about this.
Sections of the Old Testament
The Old Testament, although rather tentatively, can be divided into five main parts:
- The Law of the Pentateuch, or Torah (Genesis - Deuteronomy);
- Recognized as historically accurate books (I. Navina - Esther);
- Instructive books (Job - Song of Songs);
- Prophecies (Isaiah - Malachi).
Septuagint
The text of the ancient Tanakh was first translated into another language some time after the expulsion of the Jews from Babylon (III-II centuries BC). Some representatives of this people did not return to Jerusalem, but settled in Alexandria and other cities of Egypt and Greece. After a while they, having adopted social traditions local residents, practically stopped speaking their native language. They still have faith in their god. Therefore, they asked Jewish scholars to translate the Tanach into Greek.
Seventy elders took up this work. After some time, the translated Tanakh saw the light. The resulting book was named "The Septuagint" (which means "Seventy"). It is believed that it was this translation of the Old Testament that the apostles of Christ and other writers of the New Testament used. From him Cyril and Methodius translated the stories of the Old Testament into church Slavonic... The fact is that the Septuagint was always used by the Greek and Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. Other branches of Christianity used later translations from the Greek version or from the Hebrew original.
Canonized in Europe version
Unlike Ancient Rus, in Europe there was a long debate about which translation of the Tanakh should be considered canonized. The Jewish canon itself did not include apocrypha. The Catholic Old Testament that existed at that time consisted of several books. As a result, in Great Britain the translation made from the Masoretic Hebrew text in 1611 (commissioned by King James) becomes the official version. This work was carried out by forty-seven scientists from various universities. They often worked separately in the process and then compared the results. In controversial cases, the decision was made by a majority vote. Many errors have been found in this translation so far. In addition, the work was carried out under some pressure from King James, who recommended that scientists focus on "the King's right to rule, given from above."
There are other scriptures canonized by the Catholic Church. Thanks to the information preserved in them, one can almost always explain the ambiguities of the Old Testament of King James.
Interpretations. Accommodation method
The first Bible (Old Testament), and in particular the prophecies contained in it, throughout its existence was interpreted by many churchmen and independent researchers. Unfortunately, very often the subjective opinion of the author prevailed over the objective meaning of this or that text. Simply put, the ancient prophecies were interpreted with tension in application to the events of that historical era and the area in which the interpreter himself lived. This method is called the method of accommodation and is condemned both by ordinary researchers and by Christians themselves.
At the same time, the Church itself was more than once accused of mechanically pulling the Old Testament biblical texts to certain events and for a specific purpose. Gnostics in the second century AD believed, for example, that even Christ himself and the apostles interpreted the Old Testament not objectively, but drawn to their own teaching. However, Christians and many researchers are still convinced that as for the coming of the Messiah and Jesus from Nazareth, the official interpretations of the church are far from the methods of accommodation.
Interpretation of the Old Testament. Historical method
The historical or literal method of interpretation is often applied not only to the historical part of the Old Testament, but also to the prophetic one. If we talk about the same coming of the Messiah, then this holy book contains literal instructions that such an event should take place. This and other similar direct prophetic indications make it very likely that a specific person, and precisely Jesus Christ, was to become the Savior of Israel. As direct indications, one can take Isaiah's words about the birth of the Messiah from the Virgin, the prophecy of Micah about his birth in Bethlehem, as well as the prophecy of Isaiah about the execution of the Messiah.
Typological method
There is one more method by which the interpretation of the Old Testament is carried out - the typological one used by the Christian church. It is based on the fact that all the events described in this book are historically correct, but their moral and religious background is not separate and completely independent, but represents something like preparing the reader for later times - the coming of the Messiah.
According to the opinion of all Christian churches, the ancient Bible (Old Testament) is a book - "a teacher to Christ". A similar method of interpretation was used by the apostles when they wrote their Gospels. The basic principles of typological interpretation include:
- Structural similarity between type and event. This means that the "Image" presented in the interpretation should not be too strongly divorced from the literal words of prophecy.
- Contrasts. So, the good Jesus (the coming Messiah), according to the churchmen, the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament opposes the first sinner Adam, death and destruction - eternal life, terrible shadows and dreams - a happy reality.
- Limitation of the image of interpretation in time. What does it mean? Any image is not finite. The background of any typological interpretation is such that the event presented in it will necessarily be followed by something else.
- Prohibition of deviations from scientific historical reality. According to many authoritative figures in the church, the events of the Old Testament should be interpreted in such a way that the truth of history remains intact.
The Old and New Testaments are books that have existed for more than one century. One can interpret the first, proceeding from the fact that it is a prelude to the second, or from the fact that it is a completely independent work that has nothing to do with Christ. In any case, momentary, accommodative images will sooner or later sink into oblivion. The truthfulness of the objective ones will certainly become apparent.
OLD TESTAMENT
Introduction to the Old Testament (lecture notes) priest. Lev Shikhlyarov
The word "Bible" in translation from Greek means "books" (in the Asia Minor city of Byblos, papyri for ancient books were produced). Plural in this title originally emphasized the structure of the Holy Scriptures of the Jews, consisting of many books, but over time acquired a different, majestic meaning: something like "The Book of Books", or "all books - a Book." After many years of atheistic ideology and in the years of spiritual pluralism that has replaced it, a correct understanding of the Bible becomes for an Orthodox Christian not so much a sign of education as one of the conditions for salvation. In spiritual literature, the term "revelation" is often used.
Lectures on the Old Testament Archpriest N. Sokolov
Today we begin a series of lectures on one of the greatest books in the world - the Bible, or rather its first part, which is called the Old Testament. The topic of our lectures for two years will be the experience of theological comprehension and disclosure of the meaning of the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament as an enduring value in the kingdom of spiritual values, as a value that receives its interpretation in the light of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament and in the general context of the church's understanding of the ways of saving Divine Providence.
Lectures on Introduction to Old Testament Scripture by D.G. Dobykin
This course of lectures does not claim to be original and is a compilation of a number of pre-revolutionary and modern research and publications on the Scriptures of the Old Testament. The purpose of the compiler is such a course that would be of interest to all those who do not yet know, but want to know what the Old Testament is….
The Bible and the science of the creation of the world arch. Stefan Lyashevsky
The real experience of theological analysis of the Biblical story is the first part scientific research (narratives) about the creation of the world and man. The second part of the study is devoted exclusively to the first people on earth, whose life is considered in the light of modern archaeological data about prehistoric man.
In the field of geological, archaeological knowledge, there are known provisions that are absolute truth, and there are controversial provisions, according to which there are several judgments and theories.
Turning exclusively to the scientific data of geology and paleontology, and in the second part of the book to archaeological research, I could, of course, freely choose between different hypotheses, and in some cases express my personal judgments. The degree of convincingness of this study can be judged by everyone who wants to look at the world and man from the point of view of the divinely revealed knowledge, which is described in the first pages of the book of Genesis.
A tooth for a tooth Andrey Desnitsky
Executions, fines, observance of harsh laws - can the God of Love demand this from a person? But this is exactly how the Old Testament seems to many of our contemporaries, which requires "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
Is the Old Testament Cruel? Deacon Andrey Kuraev
It is easier to understand the mystery of Israel today than it was a hundred years ago, because in order to understand it, one must imagine a world in which only pagans live. One must imagine a world in which the Gospel has not yet been preached, and where magicians, sorcerers, shamans, spirits and "gods" swarm around. This is easier today. Again, the townsfolk scare each other with damage and evil eyes, again wandering shamans offer their services in "love spell" and "lapel". Again around the fairground there is an abundance of names and masks of various spirits and deities, occult words denoting all kinds of "plans", "eons" and "energies". People have forgotten that they can simply stand before God and say, "Lord!" Without any complicated rituals, spells and eloquent names.
And how rare today you can find a book about Orthodoxy at the bookhouses, just as rarely three thousand years ago it was possible on earth to hear a word about One God.
Lifting the veil of time Ekaterina Prognimak
“And I will say to them, if you please, give me my wages; if not, don't give; and they will weigh thirty pieces of silver to pay Me. " No, this is not a quote from a hitherto unknown Gospel text describing the betrayal of Judas. All this was predicted by the prophet Zechariah 500 years before the birth of Christ. And the words about thirty pieces of silver, and other equally accurate predictions of Zechariah can easily be found in any edition of the Old Testament.
But how could the prophet Zechariah know about the impending betrayal, if he lived long before the events described in the Gospel?
Conversations on the Book of Genesis Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev
Why read the Old Testament? deacon Roman Staudinger
The book is compiled from the conversations of the famous Moscow priest Oleg Stenyaev - cleric of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and Joy of All Who Sorrow on Ordynka in Moscow, head of the Program for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Non-Traditional Religions of the Missionary Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, and a permanent participant in the programs of the radio station Radonezh.
In his conversations, Father Oleg shows that the Biblical Revelation is the key to understanding and solving many of our political, social, family and personal problems.
Old Testament in the New Testament Church Archpriest. Mikhail Pomazansky
MANY AGES separate us from the time of writing the books of the Old Testament, especially its first books. And it is no longer easy for us to be transported into the structure of the soul and into the environment in which these divinely inspired books were created and which are presented in these books themselves. From here are born perplexities, confusing thought modern man... Especially often these perplexities arise when one wants to reconcile the scientific views of our time with the simplicity of the biblical ideas about the world. There are also general questions about how the Old Testament views correspond to the New Testament worldview. And they ask: why the Old Testament? Isn't the teaching of the New Testament and the Scriptures of the New Testament enough?
As for the enemies of Christianity, anti-Christianity has long begun with attacks on the Old Testament. And the current militant atheism considers the legends of the Old Testament to be the easiest material for this purpose. Those who have gone through a period of religious doubt and, perhaps, religious denial, especially those who have gone through Soviet anti-religious education, indicate that the first stumbling block for their faith was thrown to them from this area.
This brief survey of the Old Testament Scriptures cannot answer all the questions that arise, but I think it indicates the guiding principles by which a number of misunderstandings can be avoided.
Why are sacrifices made? Andrey Desnitsky
Why does the Bible describe all kinds of sacrifices? In primitive ancient paganism, of course, people thought that it was inconvenient to turn to a deity or spirit as a boss without a bribe gift. But why sacrifices were demanded by the One God, to whom the whole universe already belongs? And why, finally, the death of Christ on the cross is described as a sacrifice of a special kind - who brought it to whom and why? ..
Why is the Old Testament so petty? Andrey Desnitsky
Opening the Bible, a person expects first of all great revelations. But if he reads the Old Testament, he is usually amazed by the abundance of petty prescriptions: only eat the meat of those animals that have cloven hooves and chew gum at the same time. What is all this for? Does God really care what kind of meat people eat? And why are these endless ritual details: how can He offer different sacrifices? Is this the main thing in religion? ...
Historical and cultural context of the Old Testament V. Sorokin
The question of the origin of the Torah is one of the most complex and confusing in modern biblical studies. At the same time, two aspects of the problem have to be borne in mind: the question of the sources of the Torah, that is, the texts that preceded the appearance of its final version, and the question of codification, that is, the recognition of a known text or group of text by the Torah ...
Unfortunately, today many people come to churches who either never opened the Gospel at all, or read it superficially. But if the reading of the New Testament is nevertheless recognized by the majority of Christians as a necessity - strange, if it would have been otherwise, then acquaintance with the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament is limited to the "Law of God" by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky ...
How to read the Bible? Archpriest Alexander Men
The book is an anthology of biblical texts compiled by the renowned theologian, Orthodox priest Alexander Mene. The sequence of the texts follows the chronology of the Salvation story. The book is divided into three parts. The proposed first part begins with the Pentateuch and ends with the Book of Song of Songs traditionally attributed to Solomon. All biblical texts are provided with a brief scientific commentary. The introductory section tells about the history of the creation of the Bible and its impact on world culture.
The book is accompanied by a brief bibliography, a diagram biblical sources, chronological history tables Ancient East and maps. Intended for the widest range of readers interested in the world of the Bible ...
How to read the Old Testament? Protopresbyter John Breck
Speech delivered by Priest John Brek, professor of St. Sergius Theological Institute, at a meeting of members of the Nepsis youth movement at the Archdiocese of the Romanian Patriarchate in Western Europe April 21, 2001. Published in: Mensuel Service Orthodoxe de Presse (SOP). Supplement # 250, juillet-aout 2002.
The Christian tradition of reading and understanding the Old Testament1 is dear to me. It has limitless meaning for us, because we acutely feel that for many years, if not centuries, being Orthodox, we somehow neglected to read the books of Holy Scripture and, in particular, the books of the Old Testament.
I think that we should start with the main statement: it is about the belief that puts us in a certain connection with the great church tradition, represented by both the Fathers of the Church and the holy writers of the books of the New Testament. This conviction comes down to us to understand the Old Testament in accordance with the Apostle Paul (cf. 2 Cor.), Namely, as a set of books that are deeply and essentially Christian.
Reading the Old Testament Konstantin Korepanov
Very often one hears that a Christian needs only the Holy History of the New Testament for a full-fledged Christian life - Christ said everything with which one can fully saturate his spiritual life. On the one hand, this is so, but, nevertheless, there is a kind of belittling of the entire completeness of the Revelation of God and the Holy Scriptures ...
NEW TESTAMENT
The interpretation of the Gospel by B.I. Gladkov
Review of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt on the book "Interpretation of the Gospel" by B.I. Gladkov
January 18, 1903
Brother Boris Ilyich, beloved in Christ!
With the greatest interest I have read both your preface to the highly esteemed work of explaining the Gospel and the excerpts from the explanation. The previous time of your delusions and the state of spiritual dissatisfaction and longing for the truth of God served to an amazing refinement of your logical, philosophical mind and to the cleansing of the heart's eye, to the most subtle clarity and clarity in judgments and subjects concerning faith. I received great spiritual satisfaction from reading your explanation.
Your sincere admirer
Archpriest John Sergiev
Introduction to the New Testament by Ioannis Karavidopoulos
The first edition of the Introduction to the New Testament, which began the Bible Library series, has been meeting the needs of both theology students and those who read the Scriptures for over 20 years. During this period, from 1983 to the present day, the list of books on biblical studies in the Greek language was replenished with works that, although they do not contain something revolutionary new in solving general and particular issues of New Testament biblical studies, nevertheless offer fresh material and new aspects to explore. This material has been included in the present, third edition of the textbook, with the limitation, of course, in order not to deviate from the purpose of the “Bible Library” series, and therefore we present new data mainly in the section of editions of the text and translations of the New Testament. It goes without saying that all the old and new special bibliography is given at the beginning of each chapter of this Introduction to the New Testament.
Introduction to the New Testament V. Sorokin
The Bible has been read and read by many people, and everyone reads it differently. For some it is a historical source, for others it is a wonderful example of the poetic genre ...
The legacy of Christ. What was not included in the Gospel? Deacon Andrey Kuraev
The book by Deacon Andrei Kuraev, professor at the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, is devoted to an issue that is at the center of Orthodox Protestant discussions - the question of the place of the Bible in the life of the Church. Was it only the Bible that Christ left to people? Is it only through the Bible that Christ comes and speaks to us?
The book raises questions about the relationship between Scripture and Church Tradition, about the Christian perception of history, about the relationship between matter and Spirit.
The purpose of the book is to protect people (both Protestants, Orthodox Christians and secular researchers) from an oversimplified understanding of Orthodoxy and to explain what exactly makes Orthodoxy a religious tradition that is significantly different from Protestantism.
New Testament. Introductory part... Lectures A. Emelyanov
The study of the New Testament traditionally begins with an introductory part, which is often called the Greek word "isagogy". Isagogy includes the study of the history of the New Testament, the study of parallel civil history for completeness of the presentation of Sacred history, the study of textual studies of the New Testament, i.e. study of the origin of the text and other auxiliary sections. But before turning to this introductory part, I will do a very brief excursion into Old Testament history. To make it easier for you to structure the Sacred history, which you need to know in order to fully understand the New Testament history, I offer you Atlases on Biblical History, they are now available and sold by the Bible Society.
Interpretation of John Chrysostom on the Gospel of Matthew
The first and second books of the seventh volume of the collection of the works of John Chrysostom. That is, the proposed book contains a complete Interpretation of John Chrysostom on the Gospel of Matthew.
“Matthew rightly called his work the gospel. In fact, he proclaims to all - enemies, ignoramuses, sitting in darkness - the end of punishment, the remission of sins, justification, sanctification, redemption, acceptance, the inheritance of heaven and affinity with the Son of God. What can compare with such a gospel? God is on earth, man is in heaven; everything is in conjunction: angels made one face with people, people united with angels and other powers from above. It became obvious that the ancient warfare had ceased, that the reconciliation of God with our nature was accomplished, the devil was put to shame, the demons were driven out, death was bound, paradise was opened, the oath was abolished, sin was destroyed, delusion was removed, the truth returned, the word of piety was sown and growing everywhere ...
Interpretation of the Gospel of John Euthymius Zigabena
Compilation of patristic texts, mainly John Chrysostom.
Men wrote about Zigaben's interpretations of the New Testament: “His commentary on the NT seems to be more independent. He tried to solve some exegetical difficulties, for example: were the three anointing of Christ the world or two? Where did Peter's denial take place: in the house of Anna or Caiaphas? Why did the Lord say: “My Father is greater than Me” (John 14:28)? In all these cases, Zigaben resorts to his own. inferences. Unlike St. John Chrysostom Zigaben counts two anointing; the question of Peter is solved by the hypothesis that Caiaphas and Anna lived in the same house, and the Savior's words in John, 14, are explained by the fact that He had to take into account the degree of understanding of his words by the disciples. Sometimes Zigaben used an allegorical method to interpret the Gospels. On the whole, “his explanations are short and concise; attempts to reconcile the differences of evangelicals are often very ...
INTERPRETATION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IN ANCIENT JUDAISM
For the ancient Jews, Holy Scripture was rule (?????) faith and life. Therefore, the attitude of the Jews to the sacred documents received through Moses and the prophets has always been the main goal not of scientific knowledge, but of acquaintance with them as an expression of the will of God and as a rule with which it is necessary to coordinate the entire personal life of all the chosen people. Torah - this is the Law of God (????? ?????), God speaks through her. His word is not only books, but also deeds prophets. First of all, you need to be obedient to the word of God. But in order to obey this word, you must first understand that it is word says, that is, you need to find its meaning. Therefore, it is necessary to interpret, study, investigate and seek its deep meaning. Thus, the Old Testament books were interpreted from the very beginning (????), but the ancient Hebrew interpretations have survived to this day only from the 2nd century BC. And not only because the existing interpretations of some books or texts were less clear, but often the books that appeared later turned out to be some kind of interpretation of the previous books.
From these ancient interpretations, the so-called midrash. These are rabbinical interpretations that usually appeared in schools for rabbis, chanters, and in devout circles that studied Sacred Books for your moral improvement. Verb darash, from which the word "midrash" came from, indicates the idea of \u200b\u200bstudy: The Holy Scriptures are researched and studied, but not to satisfy curiosity, for example, who wrote one or another sacred document, but in order to establish what this document means today, what is its specific meaning and how it should be used in everyday life.
The first form of midrash is the so-called halakha. This method of interpretation and study of the Torah looks for in it, first of all, rules for actions and lawful behavior, legal attitudes and cult precepts. This kind of exegesis is also found in the Qumran texts.
The second form of midrash is called haggad. So the Jewish teachers called all the interpretations of the Holy Books, the purpose of which is the spiritual education (????????) of believers: moral, liturgical, dogmatic. This method of interpretation is carried out in different ways, moving from simple explanations to free interpretation and preaching.
There is also a third form of midrash that we meet in qumran manuscripts... It is called peskher. Here we are talking about the actualization of the books of the prophets, through showing the fulfillment of their prophecies in the events of the recent past or present, in order to simultaneously indicate what will be in the future.
The main goal and aspiration of the Jewish Midrash is to show the meaning of the word of God for life. He always emphasizes the divine origin of the Torah and its absolute meaning, finding all God's mysteries open in the Holy Books. This interpretation carries the feeling unity Holy Scripture; individual passages and texts are explained [not only] by other [texts], but also living tradition, modern customs, cult. For him, the personalities of the authors are not so significant, however, books are usually named after the authors (Moses, David (Psalms), the Wisdom of Solomon). This interpretation concentrates all life jewish people around the Holy Scriptures, even before the codification of the Midrash by the rabbis, he uses context, that is, he explains one text to another. Approaching, finally, the events taking place in Israel, and seeing them as the implementation of God's plan, which, as everyone believes, is predicted in Scripture and is hidden as a secret behind words, the midrash tries to decipher this plan, adhering to general meaning, although sometimes considering the details.
The Alexandrian Jewish community began to use and hellenic methods of interpretation. This applies especially to Philo, who tried to connect the Bible with his philosophical ideas. However, from this arose a hermeneutic method and direction that are not characteristic of the Bible, for its purpose is not a philosophical understanding of the world and man, but the strengthening of the relationship between God and man.
What constitutes the backbone of this ancient Jewish exegesis is the belief that Scripture is indeed the word of God. In it, the general meaning precedes the explanation of the details: it even then adheres to the general meaning, when some details are difficult to combine with it. It is these difficulties that push interpreters to a more subtle and in-depth analysis. The Hebrew midrash also used modern scientific means, the study of history and traditions (?????????), which were preserved along with the canonical Old Testament texts.