BISHOP PATTESON THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

KOHIMARAMA
ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED FOR MARKING

NAME: Fr. Charles Tarai

TITLE: Critically analyse the historical background of the Old
Testament so as to arrive at its content.

COURSE: THBS 110 – Introduction to the background of OT

DUE DATE: 05th June 2020
LECTURER: Bp.Michael Tavoa
Word Count: 1500 Spell checked? Yes

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of content

1. The Ancient Background of Old Testament…………………………………………………2

2. Critical analogy………………………………………………………………………………2
2.1 Mythology and Legends……………………………………………………………………………..2
2.2 Historical Background………………………………………………………………………3
2.2.1 Jericho……………………………………………………………………………………..3
2.2.2 Iron and Pottery……………………………………………………………………………………4
2.3 Social Background………………………………………………………………………….4
2.3.1 Community Expansion…………………………………………………………………………….4
2.3.2 Agricultural Expansion……………………………………………………………………………5
2.4 Religious Background………………………………………………………………………6
2.5 Political Background………………………………………………………………………..7

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 Introduction

In order to understand the Old Testament as it is, we must begin in the ancient background of the
bible. We need to consider its environment because it was the product of that time that we have it
today. Though it may seen as humane, it was an inspired product. Whatever it may be, theology
always put us in our right position. Therefore this assignment will look briefly at analyzing five
(5) perspectives on the ancient background of the Old Testament, which will then draw us to the
relevancy of the current content of the Bible, then to our conclusion.

1. The Ancient Background of Old Testament.

The bedrock of the Old Testament was the ancient background of the Old Testament. Let us
look to what makes it so relevant and more authoritative to our contemporary context, by
way of making critical analysis on few ancient background of the Old Testament.

2. Critical analogy.

2.1 Mythology and Legends: - If we perceive that the Myths and Legends of the ancient world
were borrowed, then it is worth doing because God always deals with human being in history.
God uses these literatures to answer doubts of readers on how things surrounding the world ever
existed. Like the creation Myth of the Gilgamesh Epic and the infant Sargon (a Baby lion
legend), this can be seen as Gods frame work of his plan of Salvation for mankind. This
understanding is very clear in the infant story of Moses. God is making sense of ideologies that
already existed. Like the early missionaries who came to our shores centuries ago, they do not
really do away with our primitive cultural understanding, but however gave new insight to what
is already there. Thus, like we value our own Myths and legends, so it is with the legends and
myths which draw our understanding to accept and value the content of the Old Testament. The
Bible writers make use of these traditions as means of presenting the purpose and the meaning of
the story to the contemporary world.

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2.2 Historical Background

2.2.1 Jericho: The fertility of the land draws attraction to many inhabitants surrounding this land
because of water. Mass findings of archaeological ungraved cities revealed early settlement there
during the end of Stone Age period. This depicts the gradual development from nomadic life to
semi-nomadic existence to a sedentary community.1 People now leaving their caves as much is
found surrounding this region and begun a new and settled life.

Settling down is not that easy as one may think of in the ancient world. This involve war and
bloodshed. A risky undertaking for a family or a tribe or a nation for that matter to make. An
advantage is on how strong, clever and advance your plans are, and even so to the favorable
mind of the gods.
Occupation of land in the Old Testament is the same as I have mentioned. A classic example
were on the biblical Israelites recorded in the book of Joshua and Judges. They recorded the way
the Israelites found a home for themselves in Palestine. 2This is a story of war and bloodshed, loss
of lives and brutal injuries. It takes centuries of warfare before they manage to settle down and
shared out the land between the twelve tribes. Similarly during the eve of the Patriarchal age (3 rd
Millennium BC), fighting takes its course as lots of people all over Palestine looking for land.
Life began to settle down after a lot of fighting by the end of 3 rd millennium BC.3 We could
realized in this stories that it is like history repeating itself.

Furthermore, the enmity of Abel and Cain speaks of a progress towards civilization within the
biblical context. Being the keeper of sheep and a tiller of the ground reflects the lives of people
in the middle Stone Age period, where people begun to plant and terming animals. The Bible
recorded this texts to reveal humans gradual improvement in life and intellectual capability and
so exercised competition and strength.

Fortified walls resurfaced by Archaeologists in Jericho and other parts of the land of Ancient
Israel has been duplicated in the Old Testament records. The biblical Jericho was collapsed down
to its fortified walls.4King Solomon build fortified walls to protect several cities he build. These

1
Ferdinand E. Deist, The material Culture of the Bible (London: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002), 79.
2
David F Hinson, History of Israel (Great Britain: The University Press, 1990), 73.
3
Michael Tavoa, Classroom Lecture, Room 2.
4
New International Version Bible.

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are signs of settled life. Permanent ownership, popularity and prosperity are implications of a
stabled life as reflected in the Old Testament records.

2.2.2 Iron and Pottery: Pottery and iron making are also indications of stability. Egypt and
Mesopotamia are said to be the center of civilization by which these materials may emerged
from.5 The Bible records that the Philistines used chariots for war against their enemy. They
were the first people in Palestine to learn how to use iron to make tools and weapon.6 That was
the advantage of the Philistines in the initial battle with the Israelites. Not until “the reign of
King Solomon that he introduces the use of chariots into Israel”.7 This understanding gave us a
knowledge biblically that civilization first reached the Philistines before the Israelites. Therefore,
Iron and Pottery had made a potential impact in the growth and development of life in the Old
Testament world.

2.3 Social Background

Social growth and development in the Old Testament can also be a byproduct of social
development in the ancient Israel. The end of Patriarchal age means social stability. There are
lots of things that contributed in it. However, we will have a look on two aspects.

2.3.1 Community Expansion: The ruined settlement discovered by Archeologists speaks of a

community that expanded or growing. Two things we want to highlight here as the main source
of such expansion. One is intellectual capability and two, economy. At this period in time human
being begun to develop intellectually as evidence sought in the emergence of pottery and iron.
For example, potteries are “cream burnished, heavy and lumpy. This speaks of developed
refinement and technique”.8 The later improvements of these skills on smearing of paints on fine
potteries depicts improved skills. Similarly, human’s early achievement followed pottery was
from copper and tin to metal or iron.9It is obvious from these improvements that skills as such is
of no doubt, extended to house building, weapon making, and farming. Intermarriage and
population growth can also be an addition to such expansion.

2.3.2 Agricultural Expansion: Agricultural activities are expanding by now with different skills
and techniques for the irrigation of the land. These improvements draws attention to neighboring
5
Michael Tavoa, Classroom Lecture, Room 2.
6
David F Hinson, History of Israel (Great Britain: The University Press, 1990), 87.
7
Ibid, 96.
8
Magnus Magnusson, The Archaeology of the Bible Land (London: British Broadcasting corporation, 1977), 14.
9
Ibid.

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nations. This is where trade and commercializing of invented and farm products takes its course.
Of course documentation of economic activities and inventories may also takes it course.

However, to mention few impacts of these activities in the life of the Biblical world, we want
to pick on King David and Solomon particularly. They were quite successful during their reign.
King David was determine to unite the nation of Judah and the neighboring nation and other
tribes of Israel.10 He designed a framework by first brought the Ark of Covenant to Jerusalem his
capital city. In fact he is aiming at drawing attention to other tribes of Israel and Judah as the Ark
had been the old symbol of tribal unity, and emblem of the presence of God 11. Secondly, other
nations and tribes manage to subdue under his rule as he defeated them in fierce battles. David’s
framework strategies were very successful. King Solomon after David died, took on from there.
He strengthened the United Kingdom by making treaty agreements in intermarriage, trade by
way of exporting and importing. He engage in large building schemes by importing timbers and
experts in Egypt and Lebanon12 (1st Sam to 2nd Kings).

Here, we begun to admire the way the Ancient Israel made a very large impact in the social life
and the nature of the Biblical world.

2.4 Religious back ground.

We can perceive from the archaeological findings of the past that religion of the ancient world is
highly polytheism. Debris of scattered shrines and human skulls with decorated ornaments
depicts the worship of many gods. The lecture of Bishop Michael Tavoa in class may also, sort
of confirming these ancient religious belief as emerged from the Sumerians.

Interestingly, there are principles with regard to moral conducts that are maintained to build good
relationship with their gods. Whatever there is, must be done in order. These are mechanisms
inplaced to safeguard or to protect the general conduct and lives of the people. It is an obligation
to adhere and commit to these principles so that peace and stability prevail. Furthermore, the
implication sought is that the line of command and the structural statue of the gods must be
highly respected. This means that there are several gods with one as a leader or a chief. “The
Sumerians had a chief god called Enlil and others as his subordinates”.13

10
David F. Hinson, History of Israel (London: The University Press, 1990), 93.
11
Ibid, 94
12
Ibid, 96.
13
Bishop Michael Tavoa, Classroom Lecture, Room 2.

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Looking to the history of Israel, it took centuries for God to prepare the hearts and minds of his
people to receive the true faith through revelation of events took place during their pilgrimage.
God had to begin at the beginning and lead them stage by stage 14 to prepare them for the true
revelation of the one true God Yahweh. The giving of the Ten Commandment might of course
another stage. The input of this cord of law is not something of a foreign institute, but a religious
orientation of the ancient Sumerian world.

It may of no concern to the Israelites but being in Egypt who associates with Mesopotamia
whom its cities had its own gods,15 like that of the ancient Sumerians, knew significantly, this
Law of Moses as it impacts their entire lives. Further still, the drinking and orgies and
worshiping of other images done by the Israelites while awaiting Moses with the two stone
tablets was the impacts of such religious background. Something of such a religious nature can
also be seen throughout the content of the bible (OT) as the impacts of the ancient religion.

2.5 Political Background.

Ensuring an organized community and to form a proper functioning society was the feature of
the political organization of the Sumerian world, as stated below:
i. “Lugal their chief god is the manager of the state. Any establishments made on
the land is understood to be owned by that god. People are working for the state
god but are under the rule of their head god Enlil.
ii. There is a rise in stability economically and cities are gradually growing, with
population increasing.
iii. Inversion were made like Chariots. Trade and commercial activities done their
course. Sumerians were the creator of Mathematics.”16 (Geometry, algebra etc.)
17
Historically, ancient Israel developed from a clan society into a state, parallel to that of the
Sumerians. Thus, the biblical picture of Israel’s twelve tribes can be seen as a kind of political
organization that had in placed at some stage. The appointment of the judges during the lawless
period of Israel’s history between the invasion of Canaan and the establishment of the monarchy
is some kind of parallel. Another kind of organization which features political face of the ancient

14
David F. Hinson, History of Israel (Great Britain: The University Press, 1990), 36.
15
John Rogerson and Philip Davies, The Old Testament World (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989), 117.
16
Michael Tavoa, Classroom Lecture, Room 2
17
Ferdinand E. Deist, The Material Culture of the Bible, (New York: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002), 276.

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world was the biblical Saul, David and Solomon who were Israelites kings. This is sort of a
switch for tribal to chief political organization. 18The political situation presupposed by the Saul
and David narratives in the biblical text seems to suit better the Sumerian culture as this move is
geared towards centralized government. Further development as such in the ancient face
normally arises when there is an increase production on agriculture or increased population
which causes scarcity of natural resources. These conditions were met in the Saul, David, and
Solomon narratives. Looking into the aforementioned analysis, we can better appreciate the way
the Old Testament has come into being. Its content can only be appreciated when we put faith as
an instrument in its formulation.

Conclusion.
The Old Testament can be appreciated as Gods word through faith. Its content though of human
making, evolved in depth insights which is conscious to human and have rich original
background. Thus it did not formed in a vacuum but on concrete concepts which are developed
for human understanding. We can affirm that this is where God can reach humanity in His
mysterious way as a revelation of His love to humankind.

18
Ibid, 278.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Deist E. Ferdinand. The Material World of The Bible. London: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002.
Hinson F. David. History of Israel. London: The University Press, 1990.
Magnusson Magnus. The Archaeology of the Bible Land. London: British Broadcasting
Corporation, 1977.
Rogers John and Davis Philip. The Old Testament World. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1989.
Tavoa Michael. Classroom Lecturer, Room 2, 2020. Bishop Patteson Theological College.