OTHCC Chapter 32: items 621 - 640

The Old Testament in the Heart of the Catholic Church < > All Chapters

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Most of the last half of Joshua describes in detail a division of the promised land to the tribes of Israel. Some scholars believe that this was done

a.   as a way of maintaining peace by providing highly reliable records of land settlements.
b.   in order to reinforce the king and maintain the power and prestige of the house of David.
c.   to teach that God kept his promise to Moses and gave the whole land to his people.

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The last two chapters of Joshua

a.   are Joshua's last words to the people, which are a collection of wise sayings from ancient times.
b.   prepare the people for the change to governance by a royal family, with David as the beginning.
c.   restate and renew the covenant of the LORD and urge faithful obedience by the people.

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Probably the two most famous stories in Joshua are of Rahab the harlot (prostitute), and the defeat of Jericho (where ''the walls came a'tumblin' down,'' as a well-known spiritual puts it). Read Josh 2, the setup to the story continued in Josh 6.

Now read Ruth 4:18-22 and look for the name 'Salmon.' A tradition developed that Rahab married the man Salmon mentioned in Ruth 4:18-22, and thus was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. Why is that of interest? Read Mathew
1:1-5.

Joshua records that the inhabitants of Canaan, those (unlike Rahab) not devoted to the LORD, were wiped out from the land. Ancient warfare could be that bloody, but most modern scholars (and the book of Judges) say that the record of total extermination recounted in Joshua is not historically accurate. Most scholars say that the story of conquest in Joshua is told in this way to emphasize that the LORD really does ask total faithfulness. The foreign gods of the surrounding peoples are not to be worshiped under any conditions. Now read Josh 6 for the story of Jericho. <<

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Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy || Joshua >> Judges << Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings || 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah || Tobit* Judith* Esther 1 Maccabees* 2 Maccabees* Job

Psalms

Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Wisdom* Sirach* || Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch* Ezekiel Daniel || Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

The Old Testament books with a star * are not any more or less important than the others. The star indicates that the Catholic Church definitively professes and knows these books to be part of the sacred writings, the inspired Word of God [cf. CCC 120], but that they are specifically rejected by the Jewish people, and called ''apocryphal'' (of doubtful inspiration) by Protestants.

In distinct contrast to the book of Joshua, the book of Judges

a.   describes an easy and speedy conquest of the promised land under the competent leadership of Joshua.
b.   outlines a very slow and uncertain occupation of the land with the help of various military leaders and advisors.
c.   shows the pattern of good and bad kings that governed Israel up to the time of the Exile in Babylon.

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According to most scholars, the ''judges'' in the book of Judges are primarily

a.   charismatic military leaders and rulers.
b.   leaders of the legal system of Israel.
c.   priests of the worship of the LORD.

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Many scholars see Judges

a.   as a series of fact-based hero stories collected together for a religious purpose.
b.   as presenting a systematic history of Israel up to the time of David.
c.   in the light of the information on the judges provided by the book of Joshua.

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Judges presents sparse information on several judges, and provides the most extended stories regarding three judges. These are

a.   Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
b.   Deborah, Gideon, and Samson.
c.   Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

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Most scholars consider that the accounts of each of the major judges

a.   are a single tightly-woven tradition that was passed on.
b.   collect together several traditions about these heroes.
c.   show evidence of drastic re-writing by editors.

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Most scholars find in Judges a message and a pattern common also to Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. The LORD

a.   makes promises to Israel which he never expects to fulfill.
b.   rejects the people of Israel, in spite of their continual faithfulness.
c.   saves his people, they turn from him, and the people again suffer.

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Unlike other judges, Deborah also seems to have been a ''judge'' as we understand that term (a judge of legal matters) prior to being called by the LORD. He calls her at a time of crisis, and she then calls and advises Barak. Then Israel defeats a strong coalition of enemies in battle. Read Judg 4:1-16.

Scholars consider the Canticle of Deborah one of the oldest texts in the Bible. Read the beginning of the Canticle, Judg 5:1-7. <<

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Read Judg 6:1-24. When the LORD calls Gideon, Israel

a.   has been at peace for forty years.
b.   is beginning to fear for its safety.
c.   is being oppressed by the Midianites.

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Gideon defeats the Midianites. Read Judg 8: 22-35. What happened next?

a.   After Gideon died, the people betrayed the LORD again.
b.   Gideon became the king of Israel and ruled for forty years.
c.   Gideon was completely faithful to the LORD all his days.

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The most extensive collection of traditions in Judges is about Samson. Samson

a.   commands the largest army in Israel.
b.   defeats the Philistines once and for all.
c.   engages in a series of individual exploits.

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The stories about Samson are different from the stories of the other judges. Samson never commands an army. He never rescues Israel from the Philistines, although he does defeat some of them in battle. He was remembered as having begun the eventual victory against the Philistines, a people who settled in Israel around the same time as the Jews. Most scholars say that Judg 13-16 contain several traditions about Samson that have been combined.

The first tells of his auspicious birth and consecration to the LORD. Read Judg 13.

The second recounts the first of Samson's heroic exploits. Read Judg 14:5-6. Later in the story Samson kills thirty men by himself.

The third relates more of Samson's feats of great strength. Read Judg 15:14-20.

Finally, chapter 16 concludes the story of Samson. Read Judg 16. <<

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Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy || Joshua Judges >> Ruth << 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings || 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah || Tobit* Judith* Esther 1 Maccabees* 2 Maccabees* Job

Psalms

Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Wisdom* Sirach* || Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch* Ezekiel Daniel || Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

The Old Testament books with a star * are not any more or less important than the others. The star indicates that the Catholic Church definitively professes and knows these books to be part of the sacred writings, the inspired Word of God [cf. CCC 120], but that they are specifically rejected by the Jewish people, and called ''apocryphal'' (of doubtful inspiration) by Protestants.

Read Ruth 1:1. Most scholars say that the book of Ruth

a.   has no real connection to life in the time of the judges.
b.   is a story whose setting is the time of the judges.
c.   is an account of Ruth, one of the judges of the LORD.

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Many scholars think that the historical details in the book of Ruth about Jewish village life in the time of the judges is

a.   consistent with what is known.
b.   not consistent with what is known.
c.   partly consistent with what is known.

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Ruth is much like a short story. A nice Jewish girl, Naomi, loses her husband and children in the foreign land of Moab. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, promises not to abandon her, or her God. Read the most famous passage in Ruth, Ruth 1:15-18. Impoverished and cursing God, Naomi sends Ruth to pick up remnants of wheat from a field after harvesting. Ruth meets and falls in love with the rich owner of the field, Boaz. Naomi negotiates with Boaz for Ruth's hand, and Boaz and Ruth are married. A child is born to Ruth, but somehow the local women give the credit to Naomi. A genealogy links the child to David. Now read the short book of Ruth, Ruth 1-4. <<

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Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy || Joshua Judges Ruth >> 1 Samuel 2 Samuel << 1 Kings 2 Kings || 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah || Tobit* Judith* Esther 1 Maccabees* 2 Maccabees* Job

Psalms

Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Wisdom* Sirach* || Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch* Ezekiel Daniel || Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

The Old Testament books with a star * are not any more or less important than the others. The star indicates that the Catholic Church definitively professes and knows these books to be part of the sacred writings, the inspired Word of God [cf. CCC 120], but that they are specifically rejected by the Jewish people, and called ''apocryphal'' (of doubtful inspiration) by Protestants.

Samuel is a prophet and a judge of Israel, the anointer of the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. His mother dedicated him to the LORD and he became part of the household of Eli and his sons, who were priests. Read 1 Sam 2:12. Now read 1 Sam 2:35-3:19. The LORD calls Samuel

a.   to replace the priesthood of Eli and his sons.
b.   to support the priesthood of Eli and his sons.
c.   to warn the priesthood of Eli and his sons.

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A theory held by some Jews was that a (good) king could unify the laws, the people, and the army, making a nation stronger, more just, and better able to defend itself. Read 1 Sam 8. What does the LORD say?

a.   The people may have a king because a king will make the nation stronger.
b.   The people may have a king even though it shows their lack of faith.
c.   The people may not have a king because it shows their lack of faith.

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Read 1 Sam 9:27-10:1. The anointing of Saul with oil

a.   caused Saul to become deeply troubled and concerned.
b.   showed that the spirit of the LORD has come upon Saul.
c.   was a mistake because Saul was not to the people's liking.

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