The study of all 46 books of the Old Testament could take several years to complete. The following suggestions are for small groups that are prepared to spend four seasons (of six or seven weeks per season) over a period of two years on some books of the Old Testament.
Season One: Introduction to the Bible; Book of Genesis
We are introduced to the Bible, after which we go into a detailed study of Genesis, the opening book of the Bible.
Article 1 summarizes most of the material found in introductory books on the Bible, i.e., five stages of the Bible’s formation; how the Church decided on which books to include and exclude from the Bible; meaning of the terms divine inspiration and inerrancy; how the Catholic approach to biblical interpretation differs from a fundamentalist approach; why Catholic Bibles have seven more books than a Protestant Bible; and an overview of all 73 books of the Bible.
Articles 2-6 focus on the Book of Genesis, a book about “beginnings”: the beginnings of the world and the human race (chs. 1-2), the beginning and spread of sin (chs. 3-11), the beginnings of a nation (chs. 12-50).
Season Two: Exodus and Numbers
We pick up Israel’s story where Genesis left off. The Book of Exodus is regarded as the most important book of the Old Testament because it recounts the two most important events in Israel’s history: her liberation from the slavery of Egypt and her entry into a solemn covenant with God at Sinai. The Book of Numbers narrates Israel’s journey from Sinai to the borders of the Promised Land.
As you will see below, I am not suggesting that you read all of Exodus and Numbers. Several chapters in both books disrupt the narrative with very detailed descriptions of the construction of the Ark of the Covenant and regulations about worship and ritual.
Exodus chapters 1-20, 32-34, 40:34-38
Numbers 10:14-44, 16:1-17:27, 20:1-25, 27:12-22
Season Three: Historical Books – Joshua, Judges 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings
Six of the historical books of the Old Testament cover about 700 years of Israel’s history from the conquest of the Promised Land (1250 BC) through the Period of the Judges, the rise and fall of the Monarchy, all the way to the Babylonian Exile (587 BC).
If you decide to follow the Level Three versionof the commentaries on these six books, it may take two or more seasons to cover them. If you use the Level One version, it may be possible to cover one book during one study session. When you come upon a difficult verse or incident, you can consult the Level Three version commentary.
Season Four: Introduction to the Prophetic and Wisdom Books of the Bible – Isaiah, Psalms and Tobit
We are introduced to the prophetic and wisdom literature of the Old Testament.
Article 43 introduces us to the prophets, often called the conscience of Israel. The prophets are grouped in relationship to Judah’s exile in Babylon, i.e., pre-exilic, exilic, and post-exilic prophets.
Isaiah. The Book of Isaiah actually comprises three books and covers Judah’s (South Kingdom) history before, during, and after the exile. The following are suggested articles to read:
Wisdom Books. Article 66 introduces us to the seven Wisdom books of the Old Testament.
Book of Psalms. Article 76 introduces us to the worship life of Israel, to the many types of psalms, the theology of the psalms, and much more. To open the Book of Psalms is to open the door into the worship world of Jewish believers since 1,000 BC and of Christian believers since the time of Christ.
Tobit (a historical novel).The Books of Tobit, Judith and Esther are placed amongst the historical books of the Old Testament. They do not belong there because they are more fictional (called “historical novels” by some scholars) than historical. Article 40 gives us the historical context for the Book of Tobit. While the Level One can be used as a study guide for this book, I recommend following the Level Three article because it is very hard to only read excerpts from a very engaging story.
A SUGGESTED METHOD OF STUDY
Integrating the reading of the biblical text with the commentary (especially with the Level Three version) may be a challenge. There is no one way to do this. Different facilitators will proceed in different ways. The following is the approach I take.
Three resources
Who are the main players?
What should I look for?
When did this take place?
Where did these events occur?
Why was this book written?
What is the story?
Place in the Bible
Date and author
Theme
Summary
Theology
Outline – division of chapters
If you have any questions about studying the Old Testament in a small group, do not hesitate to contact me. Also, if you decide to use my commentaries, I would love it if you would let me know how they are working for you.
In Christ,
Fr. Eamon Tobin
tobin2@live.com