Journal of Biblical Literature, Dictionary of the Bible, and Smyth and Helwyn Bible Commentary - Research Paper Example

Synopsis: This is a six page APA citation style research paper with six works cited. The themes of this research paper are divided into three parts .The first of which is from the Journal of Biblical literature. The second is from the Dictionary of the Bible. The third is from Smyth and Helwyn Bible Commentary. Die Ursprunge des israelitischen Rechts, by Albrecht, Alt der Sachsischen Akademic der Wissenschafeten: Phil hust Klasse, 86, No. 1 Leipsig 1934. The significance of Wellhausens endeavors could be viewed from two perspectives. The primary perspective is that he demonstrated that the accepted time line that the documents were authored G, (P), E, J, D was incorrect. The correct time line of these documents was J, E, D, P. The Grundschift, which translates into Priestly Document was the latest edition to the Pentateuch, not as had been previously conceived. The secondary perspective was how he could logically demonstrate how such investigations should be approached. It has now become more evident that Wellhausens logical approach was inflexible and that Wellhausen made two faulty assumptions. First that the civilization of the Hebrews was based upon Hegelian concepts as emphasized by Vatke. The second false assumption was that the culture and civilization of Israel was solitary and that Israel began its progress at the levels demonstrated by the nomads of Arabia at the latter part of the Jehilivah. Wellhausen was more conservative than his colleagues, who often followed the premise that information contained in thew codes generally as dated from their period of authorship. What Wellhausen has demonstrated is that only in the completed form, the documents had a progressive timeline. In this investigation, the endeavor has only begun. There can be no temporal investigation of Hebrew culture, being that Wellhausen could not disprove that document J is from an author who existed in the middle of the ninth century B.C. That was almost one hundred years after the Kingdom of Israel had been divided in two. If Stanley Cooks argument were to prevail, the completed form of document J must be deduced to be from the eighth century B.C., subsequent to the fall of Samaria. Since the time of Wellhausens discourse, a great amount of codifications had been discovered. The pursuit of dating of the Pentateuch still remains one of the great academic objectives. Anton Jirku was one of the researchers who approached the legal origin upon which the Pentateuch is based in his book: Das weltliche Recht in Alten Testament (1927). In this book Jirku proposed that there were ten compositions of Judaic law. Each of these elements existed by themselves before being compiled. In Jirkus work, both the mispatim and the devarim were perceived as Hebrew. The difference between Canaanite and Hebrew could not be distinguished with respect to these elements which compared to the Pentateuch. Alt disagreed with these arguments. Alt formulated that elements of the Pentateuch which are most antiquated are from the Cannanite and Hebrew origin. Alt disputes the usage of the word elohim as judges. Alt proposed that elohim translated to gods. This fact was reinforced by Gordon from the Nuzian documents of the fifteenth century B.C. In the Hebrew version of the document, the word elohim translates to God. Hofsi was another definition which was contended by Alt. Originally it was perceived to mean peasant bound to the soil. It was reviewed in meaning and updated to the word freeholder. Ivri was perceived to be the definition of a citizen of the Kingdom of Judah or the Kingdom of Israel. The derived form of the word mispatim was authored in the time of Jehoshaphat. Alt perceived the Pentateuch to be an Israelite endeavor. Alts main contribution is assisting in the definition of terms included in the Pentateuch. These terms are primarily huqqoth (commands) and miswoth (things which are forbidden). Alt improved the understanding of the devarim (decalogue0. Alt also adds that these laws were administered by Levitic priests, not by judges as previously believed. One of Alts main contributions is to enlighten investigation to the fact that the surrounding cultures of Israel had little influence on the Israelites writings until the dividing of the Monarchy. Albright is a scholar in the work of defining the era of documents D, E. G. (P). This definition was of tantamount significance as it gave chronological order to the Pentateuch. Many academic historians have dedicated much work and effort to this pursuit. What I learned is that the Pentateuch is of Canaanite and Hebrew origin (Albright, 1936: 167). I also learned that the word elohim originally meany gods but was translated in modern language to God. I learned the importance of Alts contribution to the understanding of the devarim. Dictionary of the Bible (1909) The objective of the editor is to provide a comprehensive and independent dictionary of the Bible with the contribution of present day academia . 1 Comprehensive- This dictionary tells of all of the stories in the Bible with as many definitions as the most comprehensive dictionaries. The individuals, locations and significant occurrences are illustrated. These are articles on the theology of the Bible and ethics on ancient customs, items and cultures. The languages used are English, Hebrew and Greek. Literary critiques and archaeological research is taken into account. 2 Autonomy- This book is a new and autonomous work. 3 One Volume- This book is composed of the information of the Bible and it is economically positioned for those who are of modest means. 4 Inclusion of Present Day academia- This literary expression is inclusive of the average academia at the time of this writing. Maps are included for greater comprehension of the details. Bethulia- The place of the setting of the book of Judith. It may have been a synonym for Jerusalem. Mithilyah from the identical nomenclature, Sanur from its superior strategic position and Shechem have all been referenced as possible locations. (Judith 4:6) pg. 94. The author is E.W.Gurnet Masterman, M.D. F.R.G.S. Jerusalem Syria. What was learned are the alternate names for Jerusalem. Beth- Rebob- a village close to Laish (Judges 18:23) whose villagers joined the Ammonites in their campaign against David (2 Sam:10:4). The location is not specified. pg. 94 The author is R.A. Stewart Macalister M.A., F.S.A. Director of Excavations for the Palestine Exploration Fund. What I learned is that the villagers of Beth- Rebob had alliances with the Ammonites. Benaiah – A valiant warrior from Kabzeel in Judah (2Sam23:20). He was captain of Davids personal security force and led the valiant men, the Cherthites and Perethites (2 Sam 8:12; 2 Sam 8:20; 1 Kings 1:7. The author is the Rev. John Taylor M.A., D.Litt, Vicar of Witchcombe. What was learned is who composed Davids personal security force. Smyth and Helwyn Bible Commentary on Isaiah The work and life of Isaiah cover thirty years in the late eighth century B.C. However his legacy influences not only his lifetime, but Judahs time of exiles and through the centuries of the existence of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. This prophets writings and teachings continued to be influential through the ages. Expressions such as “beating swords into plowshares” Isa 2:4, “the lion and the lamb” Isa 11:6 and “rock of ages” Isa 26:4 continue to influence to the present day. Isaiah is difficult at best to interpret, many Jewish followers respect his writings and his name. However many individuals who have attempted to convey the meaning of his writings have misconstrued their intent. Isaiah is known to be an evangelist, rater than a prophet, he foretells the coming of the messiah and of his works. Many academic students dispute that Isaiah spoke of events in his own time and not the unforeseen future. Many who wish to conserve his writings and meanings ponder over how he came to be perceived as a seer and what his concerns were for the time. The aspirations of this commentary are to gain a better comprehension of Isaiahs conduits that his writings took over time as new meanings were revealed and to help theologians and students recognize the links between present day life and this ancient book. In the book of Isaiah, there are many relationships which allude to within the test and outside the text. There are relationships in the book of Isaiah to other books in the Old Testament. There are a variety of levels and subjects within the book of Isaiah as well as relationships to other books of Israel and the surrounding vicinity of the Near east. A great deal about how Isaiahs life developed is unknown. Isaiah was a deeply faithful and committed person. His national bonds to the Kingdom of Judah were superseded by his devotion to God. We recall Isaiahs writings to this day because the opposition that the established government had at the time for his work. Isaiah went in opposition to the established political and economic regime. The work of preaching and teaching is the same today as it was in ancient times. Isaiah wrote about fifteen books about the classists. These were Hosea, Micah and Amos. His writings are corresponded in I-2 Kings. It is very possible that there was an interconnection between these writers. In Hebrew the word nabi means prophet. Other prophets are also referred to in this context. Abraham, Samuel and Aaron were also called prophets. These prophets were able to discover hidden meanings (1 Sam 9:6-9) and were inspired to speak in prophetic parables through music (1 Sam 10:5, 10). Prophets also brought hidden messages to leaders (1 Sam 22:5, 2 Sam 24:11). Isaiah does not refer to himself as a prophet, he criticizes the prophets for leading others in a wayward direction away from the God of Israel. Isaiahs writings were written during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Isaiah had access to these rulers. Isaiah was a man of the Torah (Isaiah 1:10, Isaiah 5:24, Isaiah 8:46). Works Cited Albright, F. (1936) Die Ursprunge des israelitischen Rechts, by Albecht, Alt, Berichte der Sacsischen der Wissenschaften: Phil-hust Klasse, 86(1). Leipsig, 1934. JBL 125th anniversary Commemorative Essays, JBL55: 164-69. Atla Religion Database. October 3, 2011. Dictionary of the Bible . Charles Scribners Sons : NY 1909 Smythe and Helwyn Bible Commentaery Isaiah 1-39 Web. October 3, 2011 Read More