Bible 110 Old Testament
Background to OT Study
Tools of OT Study II
Tradition History – was a reaction against literary criticism. It was highly
influenced by oral transmission of a tradition. This is a history of transmission of
traditions. It deals with small units of oral tradition, complexes of tradition,
collections of tradition, and schools in which traditions were handed down.
Tradition history begins with individual units and goes through the written
text to oral state and the bare text in isolation. Tradition history is not
stereotyped; a narrative moves with its own speed. A traditional history must
have first knowledge of Israelite history. Tradition history may have many forms.
Tradition History
1. Begins with given tradition and attempts to discern in oral stage the
independent units, complexes and strands of material
2. Censors its tradition composition
3. Tradition history allows for interpretation of small units within context
4. Stress on oral tradition as a reliable method of transmission
5. Employs similar motifs from contemporary cultures
Form of Hebrew Literature
1. Poetry – much poetry in OT
a) Work song – Num. 21: 17-18; song for digging a well
b) Wedding songs – love songs; Prov. 45; Song of Songs
c) Funeral songs – professional mourners; begins with “alas!” 3/2
beat. Lamentation is example; lament of David over Jonathan
d) Taunting song – Numbers 21 wandering troubadours; prophets
(Isa. 47)
e) Drinking songs – Isaiah 22; Isaiah 58:12, Song of Songs 5:1
f) War songs – call to war; unity celebrations; Joshua Judges
contains holy war liturgies; Song of Deborah, Judges 5, Song of
Miriam Ex 15
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Bible 110 Old Testament
g) Blessings and curses – “blessed be…,” “cursed be…;” some may
be done antiphonally
1. Motivation
2. Curse – blessing formula
3. Description of consequences
h) Tribal liturgies – arranged in classical 12 tribe listing; used tribal
cultic ceremony on national level.
Gen 49 – Blessing of Jacob
Deut. 33 - Song of Moses
Judges 5 – Song of Deborah
Gen 9:25-27 – Noah tribal saying
Gen 16:11-12 – Ishmael tribal saying
i) Priestly liturgy - wandering priest in cultic setting
1 Samuel 10 – choice of Saul
2 Samuel 5:23 - Priestly instruction in course of war
j) Legal types
k) Prophetic oracles
l) Cultic songs
m) Wisdom types
2. Prose
a) Speeches – no logic; overwhelm with verbiage and enthusiasm; extreme
repetition; argue in circles
Farewell speech
Political speech
Prayer (1 Kings 8)
Sermons
Conversation – explain a relationship; creative imagination
b) Documents – documentary type material
Contracts of sale
Catalogs
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Bible 110 Old Testament
Covenants
Letters – Jer. 29, 2 Kings 19
Edicts – Ezra 1:1-4
Groups of laws
c) Narratives – myths, legend, novellas, history, biography, drama
Myths- mythopoeic thought; common to Near East; inquiring into basic
question of world and man’s place in it. Story about gods. Questions asked and
answered. Myths based on polytheism. No pure myths in OT.
Mythological material and mytheopic thought does appear.
Demythologize take out of original context and put in new setting. Genesis 1-11
is mythopoeic thought. Gen 32, Job 3, Prophets, Psalm 19, 34, 8, 9.
Legends or saga – not history
aetilogical “why?”
Nature legends – Lot’s wife became pillar of salt
Etymology – meaning of words, tower of Babel
Ethnological – origin of people groups
Occupational legends – why warfare between tillers of sheep and tiller of
soil?
Cultic legends – why is this shrine a legitimate place for worship? Jacob
at Bethel
Hero – saga clusters around a legendary character (devotional legend) e.g.
Sampson. Contains folk tale characteristics.
Novella – has a recurrent theme. Man carefully constructed the legend, carefully
constructed plot (Joseph story Gen 37-50, Rebecca Isaac Gen 24, David –
Abigail)
History – history is used for theological purpose
Biography – only in prophets (Amos 7, Hosea 1,3, Jeremiah, memories of
Nehemiah)
Drama – Not in OT; Job dramatic
Oral tradition – stories preserved orally; they were meaningful or useful
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Bible 110 Old Testament
Characteristics
1. earlier narratives brief; more complex ones later
2. plots highly over simplified
3. number of characters reduced
4. if the story demands large number of persons, they are treated as one
5. story is divided into small scenes; character is dropped if not needed
6. characterizations are brief, enigmatic
7. characterization is subordinated to action
8. rarely are inner thoughts of character revealed; motivation for action is not
revealed
9. link between narrator and learner; at some point the story is committed to
writing; details may change
Oral transmission ceased because of
1. Foundation of monarchy
2. Crises within the nation
722 fall of Northern Kingdom
586 fall of Jerusalem
Role of cultus – responsible for majority of Hebrew literature – used in worship
Traditions were collected at shrines after conquest Jerusalem became
central shrine, interpreter of all traditions.
Cultus is ritual or socially established regulated holy acts and words in
encounter between deity and congregation. Cultus creates life or actualizes
salvation in natural worlds in religious life. Israel cults create salvation by
covenant renewal of a generous God cultic legends explained founding of
shrines. Cultus hammers history into liturgy. Cultus preserves and interprets.
Different shrines →different interpretations of same events. Jerusalem is always
supreme cultic interpretation. Cultus joins together traditions.
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