Major Periods in Salvation History: Hebrew Scriptures
I) The Patriarchs (c.1850 BCE to c. 1400 BCE)
II) The Exodus (c. 1400 BCE to 1200 BCE)
III) The Beginnings of the Nation:
Joshua and Judges (1200 BCE to 1020 BCE)
IV) The Great Kingdom (1020 BCE to 922 BCE)
V) The Divided Kingdom (922 BCE to 587 BCE)
* The North Israel (922 BCE to 727 BCE)
* The South Judah (922 BCE to 587 BCE)
VI) The Babylonian Captivity (587 BCE to 537 BCE)
VII) The Post Exilic Period
(or the Remnant Community) (537 BCE to about 166 BCE)
THE PATRIARCHS
Period begins with what event?
Period ends with what event?
from ______ BCE to ______BCE
THE STORY OF ABRAHAM
Biblical readings/major events
I) Terah and his family (Gen 11,27 - 11, 32)
II) Abram's call and migration (Gen 12,1- 9)
III) Abram and Sarai in Egypt (Gen 12,10-20)
IV) Abram and Lot part: Abram saves Lot from the Four Kings (Gen 13,1-14,24)
V) The Covenant with Abram (Gen 15, 1-21)
VI) The Birth of Ishmael (Gen 16, 1-15)
VII) Covenant of circumcision (Gen 17,1-27)
VIII) Abraham's visitors; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18,1- 19, 38)
IX) Birth of Isaac (Gen 21,1-33)
X) The testing of Abraham (Gen 22,1-19)
Video:
"Abraham" from TNT's The Bible Collection
"Abraham: One Man, One God" from A&E's Mysteries of the Bible
THE STORY OF ISAAC
Biblical readings/major events
I) Isaac and Rebekah ( Gen 24, 1-66)
Characters: Major / minor
Isaac, Rebekah
THE STORY OF JACOB
Biblical readings/major events
I) Birth of Esau and Jacob (Gen 25,19-34)
II) Jacob's Deception (Gen 27, 1-45)
III) Jacob sent to Laban (Gen 27, 46- 28,22)
* Jacob's dream at Bethel (28,10-28,22)
IV) In Bethal (Gen 29,1-31,54)
* marriage to Leah and Rachel
* Jacob's children
* Jacob outwits Laban
* flight from Laban
* Jacob and Laban at Gilead
V) Jacob and Esau (Gen32,4-33,20)
* Embassy to Esau
* Struggle with _____
* Jacob and Esau meet
VI) The Rape of Dinah (Gen. 34, 1-31)
Characters: Major / minor
Esau, Jacob, Isaac, Rebekah, Laban, Leah,
Rachel, Bilnah, Dinah, Hamor, Shechem
THE STORY OF JOSEPH
Biblical readings/major events
1) Joseph sold into Egypt (Gen 27,1-36)
II) Joseph's temptation (Gen 39,1-23)
III) Dreams interpreted (Gen 40, 1-23)
IV) Pharaoh's dream (Gen 41,1-57)
V) The brother's journey into Egypt (42,1-38)
VI) The second journey into Egypt (43,1-34)
VII) Final test (Gen 44 1-34)
VIII) The truth revealed (Gen 45,1-28)
IX) Migration to Egypt (Gen 46,1-7)
X) Death of Joseph (Gen 50, 24-26)
Characters: Major / minor
Jacob, Joseph, Potiphor andhis wife, Pharaoh, Joseph, Reuben, royal cupbearer, baker, Judah, Benjamin
Video:
"Joseph: Master of Dreams" from A&E's Mysteries of the Bible
Text:
The period of the Patriarchs is covered in
Ch 3 of Fr. Link's Path Through Scriptures
THE EXODUS
Period begins with what event?
Period ends with what event?
Approximate beginning and ending dates:
from ______ BCE to ______BCE
THE STORY OF MOSES AND THE EXODUS
Biblical readings/major events
I) The Israelites in Egypt (Ex. 1,1-12,36)
II) The Exodus from Egypt and the Journey to the Sinai (Ex. 12, 37-18,27)
III) The Covenant at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19, 1-20, 26)
IV) The Decalogue (Deut. 4,6-21)
V) The Great Commandment, the Shema (Deut. 6, 4-9)
Characters: Major / minor:
Moses, Pharaoh, Aaron, Zipporah, Gershom, Jethro
Text:
The period of the Exodus is covered in chapter 4 of Fr. Link's Path Through Scriptures
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NATION:
JOSHUA & JUDGES
Period begins with what event?
Period ends with what event?
Approximate beginning and ending dates:
from ______ BCE to ______BCE
THE STORY OF JOSHUA
Biblical readings/major events:
I) The conquest of Canaan (Joshua 1,1-2,24)
II) The Battle of Jericho (Joshua 5,13-6,27)
III) The Defeat at Ai (7,1-8,29)
IV) Palestine after the death of Joshua (Judges 1,1-2,23)
THE STORY OF THE JUDGES
V) The major judges:
� Othniel (Judges 3,7-30)
� Deborah and Barak (Judges 4,1-31)
� Gideon (Judges 6,1-7,25)
� Jephthah (Judges 11,1-40)
� Samson (13,1-16,31)
VI) The Last Judges, Eli and Samuel
-Eli and his sons (1 Samuel 2,12-4,180
The period of beginnngs of the nation is covered in the first half of chapter 5 of Fr. Link's Path Through Scriptures
Major characters: Joshua, Achan, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Eli, Samuel
Major events: Battle of Jericho, Battle of Ai
NATIONHOOD:
Period begins with what event?
Period ends with what event?
Approximate beginning and ending dates:
from ______ BCE to ______BCE
THE STORY OF THE GREAT KINGDOM
Biblical readings/major events:
I) Samuel annoints the first king (1 Samuel 8,1-22; 9,26-10,8)
II)The story of Saul and David (13,1-31,13)
III) David's sin (2 Samuel 11,1-12,25)
The period of the great kingdom is covered in the second half of chapter 5 of Fr. Link's Path Through Scriptures
Major characters:Samuel, Saul, Goliath, Jonathan,David, nathan, Bathsheba, Solomon
Major events: Annointing of first king, Defeat of the Philistines, Saul tries to kill David, David's sin, the building of the Temple
Video:
"David," part one from TNT's The Bible Collection
Chapter 6: DIVISION
Period begins with what event? ______________approximate date?_______
The North, Israel, ends with what event? _______________ approximate date? ________
The South, Judah, ends with what event? _______________ approximate date? ________
Major characters in Israel___________________________________
Major characters in Judah__________________________________
Link's Review Questions
1. What were the northern tribes' grievances against Solomon?
2. What happened when Rehoboam refused to redress their grievances?
3. What situation in the northern kingdom initiated the Era of the prophets?
4. What two important points are made by the prophets encounter with the prophets of Baal?
7. What situation sparked the "writing" prophets into action?
9. Why are prophets and kings often found paired up in the Old Testament?
10. what do we mean when we say prophets were "foretellers" and "forthtellers?"
11. Give two reasons why Amos seems to have been unprepared to be a prophet, especially in Israel.
12. What two evils, especially, did Amos preach against?
13. What brought an end to Amos' ministry in Israel and who succeeded him?
14. How was his successor1s approach to Israel different from Amos', and what influenced it?
Chapter 8: EXILE
Period begins with what event? ______________approximate date?_______
Period ends with what event? _______________ approximate date? ________
Major characters in this period__________________________________
Link's Review Questions
1. When and by whom was the northern kingdom conquered?
2. What name is sometimes given to the northern citizens who led away into captivity?
3. What name is given to the northern citizens who intermarried with the occupying forces? Why did later Jews disdain them?
4. What was the southern kingdom's response tot he news that the north kingdom had fallen?
5. What two prophets warned the southern kingdom that the same fate may await them?
6. Who is called the prophet of God's holiness, and why?
7. When and how was Judah saved from Sennecharib's army?
8. How did the people of Judah respond to Jeremiah preaching?
9. How did the people respond to Babylon's first invasion of Judah? What was Jeremiah response?
10. When did Judah fall, and what three great pillars of Jewish life lay in ruins after the fall?
11. What two important developments of Jewish religious life took place in Babylon? What is the Septuagint? What does the word Septuagint mean?
12. Into what two periods was Ezekiel's ministry divided?
13. What threefold message of hope did Ezekiel prophesy? Explain how New Testament writer1s saw Ezekiel's three old prophecy reach "final" fulfillment in Jesus?
14. Who freed the Jews from Babylon?
Chapter 8: Rebirth
Period begins with what event? ______________approximate date?_______
Period ends with what event? _______________ approximate date? ________
Major characters in this period__________________________________
Link's Review Questions
1. What two problems delayed the rebuilding of the Temple?
2. What two prophets arose to confront the crisis, and what was the basic message of each?
3. What two prophets arose to challenge the Hebrews isolationism?
4. What point does the Book of Jonah make?
5. What kind of Jew is pictured in Ecclesiastes?
6. What serious problem does the Book of Job address? What is the book1s message?
7. What did Antiochus IV try to do to the Jewish people. What situation did this produce?
8. What book addresses the situation created by Antiochus IV? Into what two main sections is the book divided?
9. What is the point of Daniel in the lion1s den?
10. In what two ways did Jesus link himself with Daniel1s vision of the "figure surrounded by clouds?"
11. List and briefly explain the five groups of people in Israel as the Old Testament era drew to a close.
12. What Jewish leader served as the bridge between the Old and new Testament times?
13. What book rings down the curtain on Jewish history?
14. List the seven"�wisdom" books.
PRIMEVIL HISTORY
� Read Genesis 1,1 to 2, 25.
� Read Link Chapter One: Creation
Link's Review Questions
1. Identify: Scopes, Darrow, Bryan, Torah, Enuma Elish, prehistory.
2. List and explain the two main groups into which modern Bible readers divide themselves.
3. List and explain the general fivefold pattern the biblical author uses to describe each day of creation.
4. List and explain the threefold pattern used to describe the week of creation.
5. What do these patterns suggest concerning the kind of writing the author uses to teach about creation? Why this kind of writing?
6. List and explain the four truths the biblical author teacher through the first creation story.
7. Why are there two creation stories in the Book of Genesis?
8. List and explain the three ways the second story complements the first story.
9. When, why, and by whom were the Dead Sea Scrolls hidden? When, where, and by whom was the first of the these scrolls found? About how many of these scrolls contain biblical writings?
� Read Genesis 3,1 to 11,26
� Read Link Chapter Two: Decreation
Link's Review Questions
2. What questions does the biblical writer seek to answer by the first sin story? What do the "snake" and "eating the fruit" symbolize?
3. Explain how the biblical writer teaches that sin alienated the first couple from (a) themselves, (b) God, (c) nature.
4. Explain how God's remarks to the snake were a "ray of hope."
5. How the biblical writer teacher that sin alienates people from one another?
6. List and explain the twofold purpose for which the biblical writer uses family trees.
7. What is the main point of the flood story? What is the rainbow a sign of?
8. How does the biblical writer teach that sin alienates nations from one another?
9. What two important conclusions do we draw from the chain of sin stories in Genesis 3-11?
