Ceresko Introduction To The Old Testament Summary

In recent years there have been several investigations and endeavors to locate many of the central figures of the old testament in historical records and documents. However, these investigations have failed to produce any concrete evidence. Anthony R. Ceresko’s, Introduction to the Old Testament confronts this challenge. With no historical or analytical evidence of the locations of many places mention in the Old Testament, it can be hard to determine how these stories should be most accuracy interpreted. To better interpret the books of the Old Testament many scholars look as far back as the early Israelite people and the values held dear in their society. There are also scholars who interpret the Old Testament through the first five books

Ceresko first makes the point that the ancestors of Israel where originally various tribes of individuals seeking protection from socially and economically oppressive regimes. This protection came largely from the environment these peasants, sheep and goat herders, itinerant metal works, renegade priests, and mercenaries migrated into; the highlands of Can ‘nan, offered protection from outside invaders. The protection of the hills gave the inhabitants a sense of invincibility or as they perceived it, “God’s chosen people”, and “the promised land”. Many scholars suspect this could be the origin of these two fundamental ideas of the Bible. These scholars also believe this is not the only historical interpretation the people of Israeli had in the Old Testament. They suggest stories of Abram joining forces with other rulers to defeat oppressive regimes, can symbolize the different tribes of ancestors forming alliances to fight the systems which oppressed them. Other examples of historical interpretations of the Bible occur in the book of Leviticus, which depicts the ways an individual should conduct him or herself. The scholar’s suspect the virtues of main characters in the Bible are the traits various tribes valued. The chapter

He does this by examining the Pentateuch, the Greek translation of the Torah. Ceresko also makes an important note that it wasn’t until the Renaissance that a critical approach to analyzing the Bible was considered. Richard Simon, a French Catholic priest, was one of the first to question the sole authorship of the Pentateuch, and to argue it is in fact a compilation of diverse documents. His proof is the inconsistency between books of the Old Testament like in Genesis 2:4b-25 and Genesis 1:1-2:4a which provide contradictions within creation. This evidence leads to the interpretation that books of the Old Testament were written by various people and not solely by Moses. Upon closer examination scholars have been able to find four different sources of the Pentateuch. These sources are split by regions, voice, and finally narrative or legislative literature. The narratives tell the stories of God and the early Israelite people, while legislative literature says how people should conduct themselves. These four sources are investigated more closely in chapter