W. B. STEVENSON,
are not independ-
OLD TESTAMENT.— Introd uction, i. Origin and growth of OT— 1. The Law or Torah. 2. The Prophets. 8. The Writings or Hagiographa.
ii. The OT in the Jewish Church—
1. Preservation and Transmission : (a) pre-Massoretic
period ; (Ὁ) Massoretic period, a.p. 600-800.
2. Use or aaa and interpretation: (a) early Rabbinic and Ta qe peees B.0. 400-a.D. 700 ; (Ὁ) later Rabbinic peri
iil, The OT in the Christian Ohurch—
1. Textual criticism.
2. Use and interpretation: (a) in the NT; (Ὁ) in the early Church,—a.p. 600; (6) in the Middle Ages, 600-1500; (d) period of the Reformation, 1500- 1600; (6) post-Reformation period, 1600-1750; (/) period of modern Criticism, 1750-1900.
iv. Permanent religious value of OT.
Literature.
The OT is that portion of the Canon of the Re- formed Church which was received as sacred litera- ture from the Jews. (On the name see art. BIBLE in vol. i. p. 286”). While the Gr. Version of these Scriptures included additional writings, now known as the ae Pe and reckoned a part of the OT by the Rom. Cath. Church (see art. APOCRYPHA in vol. oe 121”), the only books recognized by the Pal. Jews as holy, and admitted into their Canon, were those of our present OT. They were arranged as in the present Hebrew Bibles in three groups: the Law (mn Térdh), Gn, Ex, Ly, Nu,
t; the Prophets (o'x'2; ΟΝ δι᾽ ἴηι), Jos, Jg, 1 and 2S, 1 and 2K, Is, Jer, Ezk, and the 12 minor prophets; and the Writings, Hagiographa (o:>:n> Kéthtibim), Ps, Pr, Job, Ca, Ru, La, Ec, Est, Dn, Ezr, Neh, 1 and 2 Ch.* : ἐ ᾿
The purpose of this article is to describe the origin and growth of these groups as sacred literature, and to give an account of their _use and method of interpretation when united into the OT in the Jewish and Christian Churches.
i. ORIGIN AND GROWTH.—1. The Law or Torah.
A térdah in ancient Israel was any decision or instruction on matters of law or conduct given by a sacred authority (O7JC?, Ρ 299 ; ef. art. LAW IN OT, p. 64"). A body of such instruction went by the same name, which was readily transferred to
* The order of the books in the first group was always the game, and also of the Former Prophets, Jos, Jg, 1 and 28, land 2 K, but for the Latter Prophets the Babylonian Talmud
by a reader who observed that the ass of the man of God is | (Baba Bathra 14b) and some ancient MSS give Jer, Eazk, ls, mentioned now for the first time, and from this concluded that had
been lent or given him by the prophet of Bethel.
and minor prophets, and in the Writings place Ru before the taiteon to the Bible, pp. 1-8).
Ps (Ginsburg,
596
OLD TESTAMENT
the Scriptures containing this material as its lead- ing element.* Thus arose the name of the first five books of the OT,
The work of providing regulations for worship naturally belonged to the priests, but in addition in early Israel the administration of justice fell partially, at least, likewise to them. uber com- municated the Divine will by means of the lot, the ephod, and the Urim and Thummim (1 $8 14% [LXX] 23°, Dt 33°).
People repaired to the sanctuaries to have judgments rendered (Ex 21° 227), 1S 2%). Such action was called ‘inquiring of God,’ and the decisions were, ‘the statutes and laws of God’ (Ex 18% 1%; of. Driver on Dt. 16). Thus the priests became the natural guardians and teachers of Divine instruction or law (Dt 33”, Jer 1815, Hos 4*-). They were members of the supreme tribunal of the land (mentioned in 2 Ch 19°" as established by Jehoshaphat), Dt 178% 19%, Tracing evi- dently their instruction or law to Moses, to pre- serve its continuity they issued legislation in his name, acting upon the principle that all law emanated from Jehovah, and that Moses was the medium of its communication, At first their work as lawgivers was probably simply carried on by oral decision and transmission. As Israel advanced in culture, however, laws were naturally reduced to writing. When this began, we have no clear means of determining. Some meagre written legislation may have existed as early as the time of Moses. (See the small type on p. 597"). No great stress was laid upon the original legal form or words. They were modified through change in time and _ circumstance. + Codes remained open. The earliest written laws which have been preserved are those in Ex 20-23 (the Bk. of the Covenant) 34, They probably owe their preservation to their incorporation into historical writings (E or J) of the 8th cent., but the laws themselves may be much earlier. (The lex talionis reveals a primitive state of society, yet an agricultural people is presupposed, and hence a later date than the settlement of Canaan). Other codes more ancient may have existed in Israel in a written form. The earliest written law or book of Divine instruction of whose introduction or enactment an authentic account is given, was Deuteronomy or its main portion, represented as found in the temple in the 18th year of king Josiah (B.C. 621), and proclaimed by the king as the law of the land (2 K 23) (see article DEUTERO- Nomy in yol. i. p. 602f.). From that time forward Israel had a written law which the pious believer was commanded to ponder day and night (Jos 18 Ps 15); and thus the Torah, as sacred literature, formally commenced in Israel. This law aimed at a right application of original Mosaic principles.