home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
/ Multimedia Mania / abacus-multimedia-mania.iso / dp / 0027 / 0027902.tab < prev    next >
Text File  |  1993-07-27  |  9KB  |  130 lines
  1. $Title{Table 2.: Books of the Bible (Old Testament)}
  2.  
  3. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  4.  
  5. The Law (Torah)                   Major Focus                       Period Described
  6. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  7.  
  8. Genesis          After creation myths and such miracle stories      Covenants
  9.                    as the flood, common to early Middle              probably
  10.                    Eastern societies, sets forth original and        seventeenth
  11.                    several subsequent covenants between God          and sixteenth
  12.                    (Yahweh) and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob            centuries
  13.                    (Israel), and through them, the Children
  14.                    of Israel.
  15. Exodus           Miracle stories depicting escape from bondage      Mid-to-late
  16.                    in Egypt; receipt by Moses of Yahweh's Law        thirteenth
  17.                    at Mount Sinai.                                   century
  18. Leviticus        Detailed laws setting forth the priestly           No special
  19.                    duties and functions.                             period
  20. Numbers          Forty-year sojourn in the Sinai, the journey       Mid-to late
  21.                    from captivity to the Land of Canaan, the         thirteenth
  22.                    land promised by Yahweh to Abraham and            century
  23.                    his descendants in perpetuity.
  24. Deuteronomy      Review and recounting of laws regulating           No special
  25.                    every aspect of life and recounting of            period
  26.                    testaments and admonitions of Moses.
  27. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  28.  
  29. Early Prophets
  30.   and Kings                       Major Focus                       Period Described
  31. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  32.  
  33. Joshua           Conquest and settlement of the                     Late thirteenth,
  34.                    Promised Land.                                    early twelfth
  35.                                                                      centuries
  36. Judges           Wars with invaders, further settlement of          Twelfth
  37.                    the land by the Twelve Tribes of Israel.          century
  38. I Samuel         Saul chosen by Samuel as first king; Saul's        Mid- to late
  39.                    major function was to repulse invasions.          eleventh
  40.                                                                      century
  41. II Samuel        Reign of David, expansion of kingdom, which        Late eleventh,
  42.                    composed of Judah (Judea) and Israel.             early tenth
  43.                                                                      centuries
  44. I Kings          Reign of Solomon, the apex of the kingdom's        Tenth
  45.                    power and prestige; construction of the           century
  46.                    Temple.
  47. II Kings         Review of the rise and fall of Judah and Israel.   Tenth to
  48.                                                                      sixth centuries
  49. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  50.  
  51. Major Prophets                    Major Focus                       Period Composed
  52. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  53.  
  54. Isaiah           Major presentation of ethical teachings and        Part in eighth
  55.                    prophecy of eventual redemption by the            century; part
  56.                    Messiah; former tribal god has been changed       in perhaps fifth
  57.                    to loving, merciful God; unadulterated            century
  58.                    monotheism.
  59. Jeremiah         Scathing criticism of sins of the people,          Early sixth
  60.                    which provoked God's wrath; fall of               century
  61.                    Jerusalem predicted and then described.
  62. Ezekiel          Because of the sins of the people, doom of         Sixth
  63.                    Israel prophesied; Babylonian exiles              century
  64.                    promised eventual relief.
  65. Hosea            Israel's infidelity and future repentance.         Eighth century
  66. Joel             Retribution and Israel's restoration at the        Date uncertain
  67.                    end of days.
  68. Amos             Prophecies against the nations; reproof;           Eighth century
  69.                    visions.
  70. Obadiah          Oracle of doom on Edom.                            Date uncertain
  71. Jonah            Message of repentance to Nineveh.                       Do.
  72. Micah            Moral rebukes; vision of the universal             Eighth century
  73.                    reign of peace.
  74. Nahum            Prophecy of the downfall of Nineveh.               Seventh century
  75. Habakkuk         The problem of injustice; prayer for               Seventh to sixth
  76.                    compassion.                                       centuries
  77. Zephaniah        Condemnation of idolatry; vision of Zion           Seventh century
  78.                    restored.
  79. Haggai           Encouragement to build Second Temple;              Sixth century
  80.                    its role.
  81. Zechariah        Visions of rebuilt Jerusalem and divine            Sixth century
  82.                    rule of universe.
  83. Malachi          Moral exhortations.                                Sixth to fifth
  84.                                                                      centuries
  85. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  86.  
  87. Wisdom Literature            Major Focus                            All Dates Uncertain
  88. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  89.  
  90. Psalms           Poetic, devotional literature, traditionally       Probably between
  91.                    attributed to David but composed by               tenth and first
  92.                    numerous authors.                                 centuries
  93. Proverbs         Guides and maxims to proper behavior,
  94.                    warnings of wages of sin, also composed
  95.                    over long period of time.
  96. Job              Composed by at least two authors; problems         Probably fourth
  97.                    of evil, belief, reward, and trial of belief      to first
  98.                    presented in a form closely resembling            centuries
  99.                    a play.
  100. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  101.  
  102. Five Scrolls                 Major Focus                            All Dates Uncertain
  103. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  104.  
  105. Song of Songs    Beautiful and sensual love song between a          Probably second
  106. (also called       man and woman, sometimes depicted as an           and first
  107. Song of            allegory of the love between God and his          centuries
  108. Solomon)           chosen people.
  109. Ruth             Story of one of the more famous women in           Probably second
  110.                    the Bible; provides description of laws           and first
  111.                    governing family and society.                     centuries
  112. Lamentations     Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.           Date uncertain
  113. Ecclesiastes     One of the most famous pessimistic                 Probably second
  114.                    commentaries in the world's literature; often     and first
  115.                    attributed to Solomon but the work of             centuries
  116.                    more than one author.
  117. Esther           The story of the salvation of the Jews in          Perhaps first
  118.                    captivity; the "Purim" story.                     century
  119. Daniel           Miracles, prophecies, and martyrs of the           Second century
  120.                    Jews in the Babylonian Captivity.
  121. Ezra             Return of the Jews to Jerusalem from               Late fifth
  122.                    Babylon; resurrection of the Temple.              century
  123. Nehemiah         Rebuilding of Jerusalem; additional laws           Late fifth
  124.                    and admonitions.                                  century
  125. Chronicles I     Genealogies and history from the earliest          Date uncertain
  126.                    time to David.
  127. Chronicles II    History from David to the release of the                Do.
  128.                    Jews from the Babylonian exile by Cyrus.
  129. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  130.