Old Testament: Foundational Study Bundle

by Michael S. Heiser; Logos Mobile Education; Mark D. Futato; David W. Baker

and

1 more

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2013–2020

Overview

In the Old Testament: Foundational Study Bundle you’ll survey the story and structure of the Old Testament from Genesis through Malachi. You’ll study the science and art of biblical interpretation, and you'll learn how the Old Testament developed—from composition, to transmission, to translation. These courses will help you understand the books and genres of the Old Testament and equip you with interpretive tools for further study.

Product Details

• Title: Old Testament: Foundational Study Bundle
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources
• Courses: 5
• Video Hours: 26

BI101 Introducing Biblical Interpretation: Contexts and Resources

• Instructor: Michael S. Heiser
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 5

The Bible is a vast, complex book, and while some of its contents can be understood by a child, much of it requires careful thought. How do we interpret the Bible correctly? Why do biblical scholars disagree on interpretation?

Dr. Mike Heiser introduces students to the science and art of Bible interpretation. The Bible is a book written for us but not to us, so accurate interpretation needs to be informed by the ancient worldview of the biblical writers, their historical circumstances, cultural and religious beliefs of their day, literary genre, and the original languages of the Bible. Learn the necessary tools for accurate and meaningful biblical interpretation.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and Course
• My Task

Unit 1: Obstacles to Interpretation

• Meaning Is Not Self-Evident
• Obstacle #1: Presuppositions
• Obstacle #2: Author
• Obstacle #3: Reader
• Obstacle #4: Medium
• Obstacle #5: Meaning
• Obstacle #6: Translation
• Obstacle #7: Precedent
• Obstacle #8: Context
• Obstacle #9: Relevance
• Obstacle #10: Validation

Unit 2: Seeing the Bible in Context

• Reading Isn’t Seeing
• Three Biblical Contexts

Unit 3: Worldview Context

• Introduction to Worldview Context
• Historical Context
• Cultural Context
• Religious Context
• Tools for Worldview Context
• Primary Sources
• Reference Works
• Academic Monographs
• Bible Commentaries
• Devotional or Popular Commentaries
• Expositional Commentaries
• Scholarly Commentaries
• Journal Articles
• Digital Resources

Unit 4: Literary Context

• Introduction to Literary Context
• Genre
• How Genre Influences Meaning
• Genre and Structure

Unit 5: Literary Context: Old Testament Genres

• Old Testament Narratives
• Genealogies
• Legal Texts
• Psalms and Prayers
• Types of Psalms
• Psalm Interpretation
• Wisdom Literature
• Proverbs
• Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic
• Interpreting Prophetic Literature

Unit 6: Literary Context: New Testament Genres

• New Testament Narrative
• Gospels
• Epistles
• New Testament Hymns
• Domestic Codes
• Virtue/Vice Lists
• New Testament Apocalyptic

Unit 7: Literary Context: Understanding Prophecy

• Fulfillment
• Literalism and Single Intent
• Amos 9 and Acts 15: Part 1
• Amos 9 and Acts 15: Part 2
• Sensus Plenior: Part 1
• Sensus Plenior: Part 2
• Analogical Fulfillment
• Typological Fulfillment

Unit 8: Literary Context: Literary Devices

• Chiasm
• Gematria
• Hyperbole
• Imagery
• Metaphor
• Merism
• Parallelism

Unit 9: Linguistic Context

• Introduction to Linguistic Context
• Word Level
• Working at the Word Level
• Word-Level Analysis
• Summary of Three Competencies

Unit 10: Application and Conclusion

• Individual and Pastoral Application
• Conclusion to the Course

Dr. Michael S. Heiser is a Scholar-in-Residence for Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. His varied academic background enables him to operate in the realm of critical scholarship and the wider Christian community. His experience in teaching at the undergraduate level and writing for the layperson both directly contribute to Logos’ goal of adapting scholarly tools for nonspecialists.

Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages and holds and MA in ancient history and Hebrew studies. He is the coeditor of Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology and Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations, and can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He also specializes in Israelite religion (especially Israel’s divine council), contextualizing biblical theology with Israelite and ancient Near Eastern religion, Jewish binitarianism, biblical languages, ancient Semitic languages, textual criticism, comparative philology, and Second Temple period Jewish literature. In addition, he was named the 2007 Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar by the Society of Biblical Literature.

OT101 Introducing Old Testament: Its Structure and Story

• Instructor: Mark D. Futato
• Publication Date: 2013
• Video Hours: 6

What is the message of the Old Testament and the story of Israel? This course provides the answer by tracing the epic history of God’s activity with humanity through the OT people of God—Israel. Dr. Mark Futato takes students through the major themes of the OT books that narrate Israel’s history from the call of the patriarch Abraham through the return from exile. He shows how each book contributes to the OT’s presentation of God’s goal of establishing a people and kingdom on earth.

The result of over a decade of study and teaching, this course from Dr. Mark Futato gives the big picture of the Old Testament, then dives into the details.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Course
• Introducing the Professor

Unit 1: Developing an Eye for Structures

• Linear Structure
• Symmetric Structure
• Parallel Structure
• Indicators of Structure

Unit 2: The Canon of the Old Testament

• The Canon of the Old Testament

Unit 3: The Book of Genesis

• The Key Text of Genesis
• The Structure of Genesis
• The Message of Genesis
• Blessing as Empowerment for Abundant Living
• Blessing as Praising God

Unit 4: The Book of Exodus

• The Key Text of Exodus
• The Structure of Exodus
• The “Rescue” Message of Exodus
• The “Relationship” Message of Exodus

Unit 5: The Book of Leviticus

• An Overview of Leviticus
• The Structure of Leviticus
• The Message of Leviticus

Unit 6: The Book of Numbers

• An Overview of Numbers
• The Structure of Numbers
• The Message of Human Failings in Numbers
• The Message of Divine Faithfulness in Numbers
• The Priestly Blessing in Numbers

Unit 7: The Book of Deuteronomy

• An Overview of Deuteronomy
• The Structure of Deuteronomy
• The Message of Deuteronomy
• The Message of the Shema

Unit 8: The Book of Joshua

• An Overview of Joshua
• The Structure of Joshua
• The Structure of Joshua 1–5
• The Message of Joshua

Unit 9: The Book of Judges

• An Overview of Judges
• The Structure of Judges
• The Theme of Judges: Apostasy
• The Story of Judges
• The Message of Judges: The Results of Apostasy
• More Results of Apostasy

Unit 10: The Books of Samuel

• An Overview of the Books of Samuel
• The Prologue of Samuel
• The Creation of the Monarchy
• The Rejection of Saul
• The Rise and Reign of David
• The Epilogue of Samuel

Unit 11: The Books of Kings

• The Theme of Kings: The Demise of the Kingdom
• The Structure of Kings
• The Message of Kings: Demise through Disobedience
• Manasseh’s Role in the Demise of the Kingdom
• Hope for Restoration

Unit 12: The Chronicler’s History

• Restoring the Kingdom
• The Unity of Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah

Unit 13: The Books of Chronicles

• The Key Text of Chronicles
• The Setting of Chronicles
• The Message of Chronicles
• The Purpose of Chronicles
• The Themes and Structure of Chronicles
• Manasseh in Chronicles

Unit 14: The Book of Ezra-Nehemiah

• The Key Text of Ezra-Nehemiah
• The Unity of Ezra-Nehemiah
• The Structure of Ezra-Nehemiah
• The Themes of Ezra-Nehemiah
• God Accomplishes His Objective
• An Overarching Theme of Ezra-Nehemiah
• The Ministry Message of Ezra-Nehemiah
• Following Ezra’s Example

Dr. Mark Futato joined Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in 1999, and serves as the Robert L. Maclellan Professor of Old Testament. He teaches core classes on Hebrew and Old Testament books. Dr. Futato served as academic dean of RTS Orlando from 2004 to 2012.

Dr. Futato’s research interests include biblical Hebrew, the book of Psalms, and the role that elements of creation, such as climate and geography, play in Scripture. Dr. Futato has published multiple books on the Psalms, as well as an introduction to biblical Hebrew. He is currently finishing a commentary on Jonah.

Dr. Futato also served on the translation team for the book of Psalms in The New Living Translation (NLT), contributed study notes for the ESV Study Bible and The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, and contributed to the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis (5 vols.).

Students appreciate Dr. Futato’s passionate emphasis on God’s desire to bless all nations, his engaging communication style, and his practical application of biblical texts to those who struggle, suffer, and doubt. Dr. Futato and his wife, Adele, have four children: William, Evan, Mark Jr., and Annie.

OT102 Introducing the Old Testament: Its Poetry and Prophecy

• Instructor: David W. Baker
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 6

This course provides a practical foundation for reading the poetry and prophecy of the Old Testament. Dr. David Baker begins by discussing poetic writing in general, then the elements specific to both Hebrew and English poetry. Applying these elements to the text, he examines the content, structure, and themes of the Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Dr. Baker then turns to the prophetic books, providing historical background, theological motifs, and the structure and content of specific books. He shows that these ancient messages remain relevant in modern life.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Elements of Poetry

• Poetry or Prose?
• Creation in Poetry and Prose
• Elements of English Poetry
• Elements of Hebrew Poetry
• Finding Explanations for Hebrew Poetic Elements
• Parallelism in Hebrew Poetry
• Comparing Hebrew Parallelism in Bible Translations

Unit 2: The Book of Psalms

• A Different Kind of Book
• The Title and Structure of Psalms
• Headings in Psalms
• Types of Psalms
• Worship in the Psalms
• Lament and Repentance in the Psalms
• Searching for Subgenre Elements within Psalms
• Lamentations: An Extended Psalm
• Thanksgiving in the Psalms
• Wisdom in the Psalms

Unit 3: The Books of Wisdom

• Personal and Practical
• An Overview of Proverbs
• Wisdom Words
• Studying the Word “Shrewd” Using the Bible Word Study Guide
• The Beginning of Wisdom
• The Content and Structure of Proverbs
• An Overview of Job
• The Value of Job
• An Overview of Ecclesiastes
• The Content and Structure of Ecclesiastes, Part 1
• The Content and Structure of Ecclesiastes, Part 2
• An Overview of Song of Songs
• Examining Internal Clues for Song of Songs Authorship
• The Content and Structure of Song of Songs
• The Importance of Song of Songs

Unit 4: Prophecy

• The Role of Prophecy
• The Prophet
• The Prophetic Model
• Titles for Prophets
• Examining the Different Terms Used for Prophets
• The Prophet as a Preacher
• Five Steps of Classical Rhetoric: Step 1
• Five Steps of Classical Rhetoric: Steps 2–5

Unit 5: The History of Old Testament Prophecy

• Writing and Pre-literary Prophets
• Pre-literary Prophets in Exodus and Numbers
• Balaam and a Message from God
• Henotheism
• Divination
• Samuel: A Transitional Prophet
• Using a Bible Facts Report to Study Samuel
• David and the Prophets
• Elijah
• Baal and the Prophets

Unit 6: The Books of the Prophets: Jonah and Amos

• The Order of the Books
• Jonah
• Amos: Date and Background
• Amos: Oracles
• Amos: Rhetoric and Genres
• Learning Genre Information from the Passage Guide
• Amos: Covenant Lawsuit

Unit 7: The Books of the Prophets: Hosea and Isaiah

• Hosea: Date and Background
• Finding Date and Location Tables on the Prophets
• Hosea: Symbolic Actions, Part 1
• Hosea: Symbolic Actions, Part 2
• Isaiah: The Importance of the Book
• Examining New Testament Allusions to Isaiah
• Isaiah: The Person
• Isaiah: The Structure of the Book
• Isaiah: His Call
• Isaiah: Historical Background
• Isaiah: Ahaz and Assyria
• Isaiah: Words and Meaning in Isaiah 7:14
• Isaiah: The Message of the Book

Unit 8: The Books of the Prophets: Micah and Jeremiah

• Micah: Date and Background
• Viewing the Prophets’ Activity on the Timeline
• Micah: The Structure of the Book
• Micah: Theological Motifs of the Book
• Jeremiah: Date and Background
• Jeremiah: His Call
• Jeremiah: His Character
• Jeremiah: The Prophet and the King
• Jeremiah: Theological Themes in the Book

Unit 9: The Books of the Prophets: Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, and Habakkuk

• Joel: Background and Message of the Book
• Joel: The Day of the Lord
• Joel: Creation and the Spirit
• Joel: The Relevance of the Book
• Obadiah: Historical Background
• Finding the Meaning of Hebrew Names
• Obadiah: The Structure of the Book
• Nahum
• Habakkuk

Unit 10: The Books of the Prophets: Zephaniah, Ezekiel, and Daniel

• Zephaniah: Background of the Book
• Zephaniah: The Message of the Book
• Ezekiel: Date and Background
• Ezekiel: Interpreting the Book
• Ezekiel: His Call and God’s Glory
• Ezekiel: The Theology of the Book
• Daniel: Date and Author
• Daniel: Apocalyptic Literature, Part 1
• Daniel: Apocalyptic Literature, Part 2
• Daniel: The Message of the Book

Unit 11: The Books of the Prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi: Background and Message
• Malachi: Structure and Themes

Conclusion

• The Prophetic Message
• What the Prophets Condemned
• Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Dr. David W. Baker is professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages at Ashland Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1986, following teaching assignments at the University of Durban-Westville and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He’s also lectured in Argentina, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Dr. Baker has a particular interest in pedagogy, constantly exploring new means and media to enhance the learning and teaching experience for both the instructor and the student. He has contributed to, edited, or written over 40 books, including Isaiah in the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, NIV Application Commentary: Joel, Obadiah, Malachi and Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch.

OT201 Old Testament Genres

• Instructor: John H. Walton
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 4

Dr. John Walton guides students through the types of literature in the Old Testament. Beginning with narrative and continuing through prophecy, apocalyptic literature, wisdom literature, and the Psalms, this course explains how to best read and understand the Old Testament. Students should walk away with a strong interpretive framework through which they can grapple with the Old Testament. The course guides students into asking broader questions about the overall purpose of the Old Testament and God’s revelations throughout it.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Professor and the Course

Unit 1: Foundations

• Introduction
• Identifying Old Testament Genres
• About the Old Testament
• Introduction to Authority, Inspiration, and Revelation
• Authority
• Inspiration
• Revelation
• Literary Analysis
• Identifying Emphasis in Old Testament Narratives
• What Sort of Reader?
• Ethical Reading

Unit 2: Genres: Law

• Law: Part 1
• Law: Part 2
• Finding English Translations of Ancient Legal Texts
• Law: Part 3

Unit 3: Genres: Narrative

• The Significance of Story
• Misreading Biblical Narrative, Part 1
• Using Visual Filters to Identify God as the Subject
• Misreading Biblical Narrative, Part 2
• Finding Practical Ways to Preach Old Testament Narratives
• Writing History
• Ancient History Writing

Unit 4: Genres: Prophecy and Apocalyptic

• Prophets
• Using the Bible Facts Report to Research the Role of a Prophet
• Prophecy for the Present
• Kinds of Prophetic Illocution
• Search Parameters for the Prophetic Literature
• The Message of the Prophets
• Focusing on the Message
• Prophecy and the New Testament
• Locating Prophecies about Jesus
• Apocalyptic Literature

Unit 5: Genres: Wisdom and Psalms

• Introduction to Wisdom
• The Book of Job
• Discovering Ancient Near Eastern Parallels to the Book of Job
• The Book of Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs
• Speaker Identifications in English Translations
• Psalms

Unit 6: Theology and Faith

• God’s Presence
• Faith

Dr. John Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, spent 20 years teaching at Moody Bible Institute.

In his college years, he developed a passion for archaeology and Bible history. Instead of training to be an archaeologist, though, he focused his attention on studies comparing the culture and literature of the Bible and the ancient Near East. He has never lost his fascination with this subject, but comparative studies only provide one of the means by which he tries to get people excited about the Old Testament. He’s saddened by how little exposure to and understanding of the Old Testament many Christians have, but he’s passionate in doing whatever he can to remedy this spiritual and theological loss.

OT281 How We Got the Old Testament

• Instructor: Michael S. Heiser
• Publication Date: 2014
• Video Hours: 5

In this course, ancient-language expert Dr. Michael Heiser gives a thorough background of the Hebrew Bible’s writing, composition, canonicity, and transmission through the ages. This course also surveys text criticism—what are Hebrew scholars today doing with these ancient manuscripts? How does their work affect English translations of the Bible? By understanding criticism, your personal Bible study will be richer, even with little knowledge of the Hebrew language.

Contents:

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker
• Introducing the Course

Unit 1: Preliminary Issues

• The Term “Old Testament”
• The Scope of the Old Testament
• The Number of Old Testament Books
• The Order and Structure of Old Testament Books
• Titles of Old Testament Books
• The Authority of the Old Testament
• A Roadmap for the Course

Unit 2: Inspiration

• Two Sides to Inspiration
• A Flawed Conception of Inspiration
• A Coherent Conception of Inspiration
• Inspiration Is Not Dictation: Ezekiel
• Inspiration Is Not Dictation: The Synoptic Gospels
• Inspiration Is Not Dictation: Borrowed Material
• Searching Ancient Near Eastern Literature for Old Testament References
• Inspiration Is Not Dictation: Changing Laws
• Summary of Inspiration

Unit 3: Scripts and Writing

• Summary and Preview
• The Development of Writing
• Scripts
• Early Alphabets
• The Semitic Alphabet
• Writing Materials
• Writing Instruments
• Searching Images for Information on Ancient Writing

Unit 4: The Process of Composition

• Preview of the Composition Process
• Oral Tradition
• Literary Techniques
• Known Sources
• Lost Sources
• Speculative Sources
• Original Material
• Collecting Material
• Editing
• Inspiration as a Process
• Inspiration and Inerrancy

Unit 5: Canon and Canonicity

• The Concept of Canon
• Complicating Factors for the Canon
• The Canon through History

Unit 6: Early Transmission of the Hebrew Bible

• Manuscript Evidence Prior to 1947
• The Aleppo Codex
• The Leningrad Codex
• Exploring the Leningrad Codex
• The Cairo Genizah
• Summary of Manuscript Evidence Prior to 1947
• The Dead Sea Scrolls
• Textual Evidence from Qumran
• The Hebrew Bible in the Exile
• The Old Testament from 586–400 BC
• A Book in Transition
• The Old Testament from 400 BC to AD 100
• The Rise of a Scribal Class
• The Rise of Multiple Textual Traditions
• The Local Texts Theory
• The Masoretic Text in the Local Text Theory
• The Surviving Texts Theory
• Scribal Practices at Qumran, Part 1
• Scribal Practices at Qumran, Part 2
• Viewing Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls in Logos and Online

Unit 7: A Period of Ancient Translations

• The Septuagint
• Comparing the Septuagint and the Hebrew Bible
• Aramaic Targums
• Later Translations
• Creating a Layout of Ancient Translations

Unit 8: The Hebrew Bible from AD 100–1000

• The Importance of AD 100
• The Role of the Scribes
• Scribal Innovations
• Marking Problems in the Text
• The Masorah
• Viewing and Searching for Ketiv-Qere Readings
• Vocalization System
• Variation in the Masoretic Tradition
• Important Manuscripts

Unit 9: The Hebrew Bible since AD 1000

• Transition to Modern Editions
• Pre-Reformational Editions of the Old Testament
• Editions of the Old Testament from the 1500s
• Editions of the Old Testament from the 18th and 19th Centuries
• Editions of the Old Testament from the 20th Century
• Editions of the Old Testament in the 21st Century

Unit 10: Textual Criticism of the Old Testament: Overview

• Preview of the Process
• Determining Variants
• Gathering Evidence: The Specialist
• Gathering Evidence: The Non-Specialist
• Examining Textual Variants with the NET Bible
• Evaluating Evidence

Unit 11: Textual Criticism of the Old Testament: Variant Types

• Unintentional Variants: Letter Confusion
• Unintentional Variants: Word Division
• Unintentional Variants: Vowel Pointing
• Unintentional Variants: Eye Skipping
• Unintentional Variants: Haplography
• Unintentional Variants: Dittography
• Unintentional Variants: Graphic Transposition
• Unintentional Variants: Faulty Hearing
• Intentional Variants

Unit 12: Principles for Evaluating Variants

• Determining the Best Reading
• Internal Considerations
• External Considerations
• Using Favorites to Collect Key Resources on Textual Criticism
• An Example
• Studying a Text Critical Problem in Isaiah 8:11
• Revisiting Inspiration and Inerrancy

Unit 13: The Hebrew Bible and English Translations

• English Translations
• Evaluating English Translations

Conclusion

• Summary of the Course

Dr. Michael S. Heiser is a Scholar-in-Residence for Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. His varied academic background enables him to operate in the realm of critical scholarship and the wider Christian community. His experience in teaching at the undergraduate level and writing for the layperson both directly contribute to Logos’ goal of adapting scholarly tools for nonspecialists.

Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages and holds and MA in ancient history and Hebrew studies. He is the coeditor of Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology and Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations, and can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He also specializes in Israelite religion (especially Israel’s divine council), contextualizing biblical theology with Israelite and ancient Near Eastern religion, Jewish binitarianism, biblical languages, ancient Semitic languages, textual criticism, comparative philology, and Second Temple period Jewish literature. In addition, he was named the 2007 Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar by the Society of Biblical Literature.