Inter-Varsity Press

Contents

Introduction – Philip Johnston

1 Introducing the Bible – Mark Strauss

2 Introducing the Old Testament
Old Testament Story – Desmond Alexander
Old Testament Background – Jamie Grant
Old Testament Theology – Philip Johnston
Old Testament Interpretation – Jamie Grant

3 Pentateuch – Desmond Alexander

4 Historical Books – Philip Johnston

5 Poetic Books – Tremper Longman III

6 Prophets – Ernest Lucas

7 Between the Testaments – Carl Mosser

8 Introducing the New Testament
New Testament Story – Ian Paul
New Testament Background – Carl Mosser
New Testament Theology – Mark Strauss
New Testament Interpretation – Brian Rosner

9 Gospels – Howard Marshall

10 Acts – Mark Strauss

11 Letters – Ian Paul, Brian Rosner, Carl Mosser

12 Revelation – Carl Mosser

Reading the Bible

The Bible and the IVP Introduction to the Bible

The Bible is a truly wonderful book. It leads us to faith in Jesus Christ, nourishes us as we grow in faith, and guides, moulds and corrects that faith throughout our lives. Millions of Christians through the ages and across the world have treasured it as their most valued possession.

Much of the Bible is immediately clear to any reader, like the general storyline in the Old Testament, the ministry of Jesus in the Gospels, and the rapid spread of the early church in Acts. This is why Christians often insist that anyone can read and understand the Bible for themselves.

But many details remain fuzzy until we find out more about their historical or literary setting, like the minor prophets, or specific instructions in the letters. This IVP Introduction to the Bible is intended to reduce the fuzziness, in two complementary ways. First, there are four general chapters (1, 2, 7, 8) dealing with overall background issues to the whole Bible and to each testament, as well as filling in the gap between the testaments. Secondly, there are eight chapters (3 – 6, 9 – 12) dealing with all the main sections and each biblical book in turn. So the great biblical panorama is brought to life, first with broad brush strokes and then with fine art work.

This IVP Introduction is written by an international and interdenominational team of evangelical scholars, all involved in teaching Biblical Studies at a theological college, seminary or university, and each writing in their area of specialization. They are all experienced writers and able communicators, and can guide you expertly through the detail so that your understanding of the Bible and its message is enhanced.

Readers of the IVP Introduction to the Bible

Many different readers can benefit from this IVP Introduction:

• young Christians, who have a real desire to grow in their faith and to know more about its foundation document;
• older Christians, who have a mature faith but whose knowledge of Scripture is patchy;
• non-Christians, who have a genuine desire to find out more about this book that means so much to their Christian friends.

You can read it in several ways:

• rapidly, right through, to get a thorough overview of the Bible in all its diversity and richness;
• slowly, section by section, reading the text of each biblical book alongside it, to absorb the detail.

Whichever way you choose, you should have a Bible open to check the main references and to follow up as much detail as you can.

You can use any version of the Bible as you read. All quotations are taken from the TNIV, or Today’s New International Version, though the authors are aware of different modern versions as well as the original languages. (See ch. 1, E.3, pp. 15–16, for a guide to Bible versions.) Abbreviations are used throughout for Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT), and for all the biblical books (see p. xii). Everything else is fully explained.

Chapter 4. Historical Books

Philip Johnston

INTRODUCTION

The Historical Books discussed here are Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. They recount the history of Israel from entry into the promised land under Joshua, through decline under the judges, prosperity in the early monarchy, mixed fortunes in the divided monarchy and eventual exile of both kingdoms, and on to the various returns of some Jews to Judah and their survival in the Persian empire. Between them these books cover about 1,000 years in time, and sweep across some 1,000 miles of the ancient fertile crescent, though most of the story relates to the small territory known variously as Canaan, Palestine or Israel. The story recorded covers much social and political development, but concentrates on God’s perseverance with and preservation of his faltering people Israel. (Note that God is often referred to by his Hebrew name Yahweh, usually translated in English as LORD, in small capitals.)

A. Christian and Jewish orders

The order of the Historical Books in English Bibles follows the ancient translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, commonly called the Septuagint (and abbreviated as LXX). This was made in the third and second centuries BC, though our earliest complete manuscripts come from the fourth and fifth centuries AD. The translation of the Septuagint was done by Jews in the pre-Christian era, but its later preservation and the ordering of books was done by Christians. This order obviously reflects the nature of these books, since together they recount Israel’s history. And it contributes to the traditional Christian division of the Old Testament into four sections: Pentateuch, History, Poetry and Prophets.

By contrast, Jewish Bibles have only three sections: Pentateuch, Prophets and Writings. The second is subdivided into the Former Prophets, with four books: Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings; and the Latter Prophets, also with four books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and The Twelve (i.e. the ‘minor prophets’). The third section, Writings, includes Ruth, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. This division highlights the fact that Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings have a distinctly prophetic perspective: they note many prophets who proclaim God’s approval or disapproval, and the narrators themselves give similar verdicts. In particular, the man Samuel dominates the first part of 1 and 2 Samuel, while Elijah and Elisha provide a crucial counterpart to the monarchy in 1 and 2 Kings.

The other ‘historical’ books have different, less prophetic perspectives. Chronicles focuses more on the temple and worship, while Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther recount post-exilic reconstruction and survival. Their placement in the Writings thus has thematic reasons, though may also be due to their later composition and acceptance into the Hebrew canon. In addition, Esther and Ruth were two of the five short books (or ‘scrolls’; also Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes and Lamentations), each read at an annual festival. So Jewish and Christian ordering of these books give complementary insights into their nature.

B. Historical setting

When did all this take place? Dating ancient history is a difficult exercise, and becomes increasingly hazardous the further back we go. However, there is one great help. The Mesopotamians were often keen star watchers, and they cross-referenced their historical records to eclipses, comets, etc. Modern astronomy can now give us exact dates for these celestial occurrences, and hence for much of Assyrian and Babylonian history in the first millennium BC. On its own that would be of little use. But fortunately Mesopotamian records occasionally mention battles fought in the Levant (i.e. the eastern Mediterranean lands) and also the names of various kings of Israel and Judah. As a result, we can derive reasonably accurate dates for the Hebrew monarchies back to the time of David. Historians now largely agree on these dates, within about a ten-year margin for most. ...