Welcome to the third course in the program on the Life of Christ. The time has come to start reading the Old Testament. In this course, you will read the books that chronicle the history of Israel. Although you can take this course on its own, it is designed to be taken after the courses on “Jesus in Mark’s Gospel” and “How to Read the Bible”. Our study on Mark’s Gospel has shown us that everything Jesus said or did is connected to the Old Testament in some way. āIt is impossible to fully understand the message of the Gospels apart from the Old Testament.
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In the course on how to read the Bible, we saw how the books of the Old Testament come together to tell one continuous story that points to Jesus. This story is called the “History of Salvation”. Since the Bible tells a continuous story, we must learn to read it as we read novels; that is, from beginning to end. We also saw that God used real people to write the sacred books. They are to be considered true authors. Therefore, to understand what they wanted to say, we need to study the Bible as we study any other literary work written by human beings. This is important because the Church teaches us that everything “the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit” (CCC 107).
In this course, you will be asked to read each of the historical books in the Old Testament. Together, they tell us the story of history of Israel, which is also the story of the history of salvation. The first five lessons will explain some of literary devices used in these biblical texts to help you better understand their unity and meaning. For each book, we recommend viewing the corresponding Bibleproject videos. These excellent videos will help you understand the structure and message of each of the biblical books. The better you know the story and the details in the Israel’s history, the deeper your encounter with Jesus will be.
Lesson 1 - The Setting
One of the purposes of a good introduction is to establish the setting, that is, the location in which this story will take place. The setting for the History of Salvation is the world that God created. In this lesson we will look at what Genesis chapters 1 and 2 say about this world.
Lesson 2 - The Crisis
In this lesson we will study how Genesis 3 sets up the plot for our story by presenting us with the crisis. Deceived by the serpent, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and broke their communion with him. The plot thickens in chapter 4 because we read how this first sin opened the floodgates to an avalanche of even more sin. By the end of chapter 11, God’s plans for his creation and humanity have been ruined.
Lesson 3 - The Main Characters
In this lesson we will study how Genesis chapters 1 to 3 introduce us to the five main characters of the story. Three appear in the story from the beginning: God as the protagonist, the serpent as the antagonist, and Adam and Eve, who together represent all of mankind. The two remaining characters, a woman and her offspring, are just mentioned in prophecy, but they will appear later on in the story.
Lesson 4 - Three Biblical Motifs
In literature, a motif is a recurrent image, idea, or symbol that develops or explains the central themes and deeper meaning of a story. In this lesson we will study three important biblical motifs that appear for the first time in Genesis chapters 1 to 11. They are, water and wind, the exile, and the face of God. These motifs helps us better understand the Bible’s main theme, which is our redemption. After Jesus redeems us by dying on the cross, we are created anew by the Holy Spirit and the waters of baptism so that we will be able to end our spiritual exile and return home. There, we will be able to see God’s face again.
Lesson 5 - The Concept of Covenant
The covenant is one of the most important concepts in the Bible because it gives unity to the whole story. The History of Salvation is structured around a series of covenants God establishes with his people, culminating in the New Covenant through which God overcomes the crisis caused by mankind’s rebellion against him and restores our communion with him. In this lesson we will explain what a covenant is and describe the seven essential element components in the making of covenants. We will then describe the first three covenants of the Bible, that is, the covenants God established with Adam, Noah, and Abraham.
Lesson 6 - The History of the Patriarchs
In this lesson we will study the history of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as told by the Book of Genesis chapters 12 to 50 using the video produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: Genesis 12-50”. Students are also expected to read Genesis 12–50 on their own.
Lesson 7 - The History of the Exodus
In this lesson we will study the history of the Exodus using three videos produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: Exodus 1-18”, “Overview: Exodus 19-40”, and “Overview: Numbers”. Students are also expected to read the books of Exodus and Numbers on their own.
Lesson 8 - The History of the Conquest
In this lesson we will study the history of the conquest of the Promised Land as told by the Book of Joshua using the video produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: Joshua”. Students are also expected to read the Book of Joshua on their own.
Lesson 9 - The History of the Judges
In this lesson we will study the history of the judges of Israel as told by the Book of Judges using the video produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: Judges”. Students are also expected to read the Book of Judges on their own.
Lesson 10 - The History of Davidic Kingdom
In this lesson we will study the history of King David and the establishment of the Davidic Kingdom as told by the books of 1 & 2 Samuel using two videos produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: 1 Samuel” and “Overview: 2 Samuel”. Students are also expected to read the books of 1 & 2 Samuel on their own.
Lesson 11 - The History of the Divided Kingdom and the Exile
In this lesson we will study the history of the divided kingdom and the exile as told by the books of 1 & 2 Kings using the video produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: 1–2 Kings”. Students are also expected to read the books of 1 & 2 Kings on their own.
Lesson 12 - The Retelling of the History of the Kingdom
In this lesson we will study the history of the Kingdom of David as retold by the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles using the video produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: Chronicles”. Students are also expected to read the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles on their own.
Lesson 13 - The Return from Exile
In this lesson we will study the history of the return of the Jews from their exile as told by the books of Ezra and Nehemiah using the video produced by The BibleProject called “Overview: Ezra-Nehemiah”. Students are also expected to read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah on their own.
Lesson 14 - The Maccabees
In this lesson we will study the history of the Maccabees using the video produced by Dr. Taylor Marshall called “Be the Maccabee!!!! The Maccabean Revolt for Catholics Today”. Students are also expected to read the books of 1 & 2 Maccabees on their own.