Poetic and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament
REL 310
Week 2 Class Notes
Poetry in the Pentateuch and Historical Books
The Pentateuch refers to the first five Books of the Bible : Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, which deal with the creation of the universe, the earliest beginnings of mankind, the Patriarchs of Israel and their descendents up until the time that God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, gave them the Ten Commandments, and led them to the land of Canaan.
The Historical Books refer to the Books which recount the history of Israel as a nation. They start with the Israelites, led by Joshua, entering Canaan and establishing themselves as a nation.
Judges describes the initial chaotic years when "everyone did whatever he thought was right". The period of the Judges is also the setting of the Book of Ruth, which was regarded by the Jews as a "Writing" rather than a Historical Book.
I & II Samuel and I & II Kings give the history of the development of leadership, from the Prophet Samuel, to King Saul, then King David and his descendents, then the decline of the monarchy and the division of the land into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom, "Israel", centered on Samaria and Shechem, was ruled by a series of dynasties which became more and more chaotic until the Assyrians invaded northern Israel, carried the inhabitants off, and replaced them by other conquered peoples who intermarried and became the Samaritans. The southern kingdom, "Judah", centered on Jerusalem, continued to be ruled by descendents of King David, but they too became corrupt; eventually Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, and the people were taken into Exile in Babylon.
After the Jews had been in Exile in Babylon for 70 years, King Cyrus the Persian conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Jews to return to their land to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.
I & II Chronicles give an account of the history of the Israel/Judah, edited after the return from Exile, and continuing the post-exilic history with the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
The Historical Books contain many poetical sections. Because a rhythmic utterance is easier to remember than plain prose, people tended to use a rhythmic poetical style when pronouncing blessings or curses. The Historical Books also contain records of songs which were sung at important events, such as the Crossing of the Red Sea, or the victory of the Israelites, led by Deborah and Barak, over Sisera.
Even before the Temple was built, some of the Levites were appointed as singers and musicians, to lead the worship services - songs presuppose a poetical literature.
The Scripture readings for this week give a sample of the poetry found in the Historical Books, and also some of the evidence for the employment of professional musicians and singers in Israel.
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
