The Development of the Old Testament Canon, Part 1课件.ppt

The Bibles of Jesus’ day There was no fixed canon in the time of Jesus, there were: The canon of the Pharisees The canon of the Sadducees The Canon of the Essenes The Canon of the Samaritans 精品文档 Canon of the Pharisees Written Torah (OT) + Oral Tradition Written Torah: The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms, essentially the LXX Moses received the Law from Sinai and committed it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the Prophets; and the Prophets committed it to the men of the Great Synagogue. Mishnah, Aboth 1:1 精品文档 Canon of the Pharisees  Oral Tradition: Two dimensions a) halakah = rules b) haggadah = lore, stories, theology 精品文档 Canon of the Sadducees Only the five books of Moses Evidence: Matt 22:23-33 Mk 12:18-27 – note Jesus’ response from Exo 3:6 instead of from prophetic books where the resurrection is more clearly mentioned (see also, Acts 23:6-10) 精品文档 Canon of the Sadducees The Sadducees teach that the soul dies along with the body and they observe no tradition apart from the [written] laws. Whenever they assume office however they submit to the formula of the Pharisees, because the masses would not tolerate them otherwise. Ant 18.16. 精品文档 1. All Old Testament (except the book of Esther) with Apocryphal books 2. The Manual of discipline Canon of the Essenes 精品文档 The Canon of the Essenes  “Essenes would alter the text of scripture e.g., add the refrain “praise be the Lord and praise be his name forever and ever” after each verse of Psa 145. Also changed the script spelling and grammar and content of Isaiah…. Therefore different attitude from later rabbinic Judaism that copied every word faithfully.” McDonald, Formation, 73 精品文档 Canon of the Samaritans  The Samaritan Pentateuch: Only Moses was inspired Differs From Hebrew Scriptures: 1.Mt. Gerizim, not Jerusalem is the chosen place of worship 2. Had different number