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Old Testament

Hurricane Utah

Adult Religion Class

Week 2: Origin, development, and

translation of the Old Testament

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2

The Old Testament 39 books.

2 Corinthians 3:14.

testament= covenant. Torah + Neviim + Ketuvim = TANAKH ( )

Teaching Prophets Writings

Hebrew Bible.

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Old Testament books Hebrew:

Torah ( ),

teaching

Greek: Pentateuch

(), five [scroll] cases

The Law

The five books of Moses

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Old Testament books Historical writings

Israel after Moses:

Joshua, Judges, Ruth

Kings of Israel:

1 & 2 Samuel,

1 & 2 Kings,

1 & 2 Chronicles Babylonian exile:

Esther

Return and rebuilding: Ezra, Nehemiah4

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Old Testament books Poetical and

wisdom writings

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Old Testament books

Prophetic writings

Major prophets:

IsaiahDaniel

Minor prophets:

HoseaMalachi

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Old Testament apocryphal books

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Roman

Catholic

Greek

Orthodox

Russian

Orthodox

Protestant

Apocrypha

Tobit

Judith

Additions to Esther

Wisdom of Solomon

Ecclesiasticus (Sirach)

Baruch & the Epistle of Jeremy

Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three Children

Susanna

Bel and the Dragon

1 Maccabees

2 Maccabees

3 Maccabees

4 Maccabees (appendix)

1 Esdras

2 Esdras

Prayer of ManassehPsalm 151

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Who wrote the Torah?Traditional view:

Written by Moses.

Completed before his

death (1500

1200

B.C.).

Not stated directly in

the Torah. Moses 1:40?

1 Nephi 5:11?

Modern view:

Compiled from 4 or

more independent

sources.

Documentary

Hypothesis.

Parallel accounts withdifferences.

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The Documentary Hypothesis Duplicate passages with different details.

Creation accounts, details of the Flood, lists

of Ten Commandments.

Names of God.

God (elohim) vs. LORD (Jehovah).

Names of people and places.

Sinai vs. Horeb.

Reuel vs.Jethro.

Anachronisms.9

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Who wrote the Old Testament? Historical books:

Anonymous; written after events described.

Poetical/wisdom books:

Anonymous; basedon earlier writings, oral

traditions.

Prophets:

Some written about, not by.

Multiple authors of Isaiah?

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Language of the Old Testament Paleo-Hebrew (>10th5th centuries B.C.):

22 consonants, no vowels.

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Language of the Old Testament Hebrew (3rd century B.C.today):

Developed from Aramaic.

27 consonants, no vowels. 12

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The Masoretic Text Created by scribes

called the

Masoretes.

7th10th centuriesA.D.

Marks indicate

pronunciation.

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The Septuagint Hebrew scriptures

translated into

Greek.

3rd1st centuriesB.C.

Used by the New

Testament writers.

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Early translations of the OT Latin Vulgate

(5th century A.D.).

Read by academics

and clergy.

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Early English translations John Wycliffe

(A.D. 1382)

William Tyndale

(A.D. 152634)

Great Bible*

(A.D.1539)

Geneva Bible

(A.D. 1557

60) Bishops Bible*

(A.D. 1568, rev. 1572)

*Authorized by the Church of

England

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The King James Version Authorized by the

Church of England.

Abbreviated KJV or

AV. Based on earlier English

Bibles.

Published A.D. 1611

(most recent revisionin 1769).

Greatest English literaryachievement.

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KJV Only movement

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KJV translators not inspiredI have often heard men in this countrysplutter a great deal about the meaningof odd words in the Bible, but this onlyexhibits their folly: it is the spirit and

intention of the language that are tobe looked at, and if the translator doesnot know this it is impossible for him totranslate correctly, and this is the

reason why there are so many blunders in theBible. I believe the English Bible is translated aswell as any book could be by uninspired men.

John Taylor, 1852 (Journal of Discourses 1:25)

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KJV translators not inspired[If the Bible] be translatedincorrectly, and there is a scholar onthe earth who professes to be aChristian, and he can translate it any

better than King Jamess translatorsdid it, he is under obligation to doso. I think it is translated just ascorrectly as the scholars could get it,

although it is not correct in a great manyinstances.

Brigham Young, 1871 (JD 14:22627)

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Structural problems in the KJV

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Isaiah

3:244:2< LDS KJV

Oxford NRSV >

Poetry

Chaptersand

verses

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Archaic English in the KJVWords no longer in use:

Adjure

Holpen

Bewray

Pourtray

Obeisance

Churl

Words whose meaning

has changed:

Conversation

Road

Confectionaries

Carriage

Corn Prevent

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Mythological creatures in the KJVUnicorn

Satyr Cockatrice

Dragon

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Antiquated pronouns Thee

Thou

Thy

Thine

You

Your

Yours

In 1611: Informal Formal

Today: Formal (deity) Informal

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Count not thine handmaid fora daughter of Belial: for out of

the abundance of my

complaint and grief have I

spoken hitherto.

KJV 1 Samuel 1:16

Do not regard your servant as

a worthless woman, for I have

been speaking out of my greatanxiety and vexation all this

time. NRSV 1 Samuel 1:16

Jacobean English of the KJV

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He answered and said, Lo, I seefour men loose, walking in the

midst of the fire, and they

have no hurt; and the form of

the fourth is like the Son of

God. KJV Daniel 3:25

He said, Look! I see four men

loosed and walking about in

the midst of the fire withoutharm, and the appearance of

the fourth is like a son of the

gods! NASB Daniel 3:25

Theological bias in the KJV

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So why do we use the KJV? KJV is the Churchs official Bible.

It is not superior in translation,

readability, source documents.

Sufficient for devotional use, but not for

in-depth Bible study.

It shares a family relationship with

other LDS scriptures.

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Recommended study Bibles

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The Joseph Smith Translation What is the JST?

How did Joseph make his translation?

Is the JST a restoration of anoriginal text, or something else?

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The Joseph Smith Translation Restorations of lost material.

Events or doctrines not recorded

anciently, or not included in collection.

Corrections errors in originals.

Inspired commentary by Joseph Smith.

Make Bible more clear andunderstandable for modern readers.

Harmonization and fixing contradictions.

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Our class motto

D&C 88:118b

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Next week:The Creation

Genesis 12

(Moses 23; Abraham 45)