20th.
The Old Testament books aim to show how much God loves us how he wanted to make a covenant with us to lead us to a life of communion with Him This divine plan becomes the history of Israel, and our history, "History of Salvation." All the books of the Old Testament, from different points, refer to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who appears in the "fullness of time." Christ is the linchpin of the entire Bible, which makes sense of all the facts of salvation history.
all starts with the people of Israel. Why is it, if it is a small village, of little interest to the history of great civilizations, as were Egypt, Syria, Persia and Rome? Because God willed it so. The smallness of the history of this small town was the subject of the wonderful saving work of the Lord. God chose him to do "The Village", which all men would come to his Son, the Savior. God's providential hand led with the story of Israel, infused his Spirit in their writings and literature, which thus became The Word of God.
The writings of the Old Testament have their origins in the oral tradition of the people. This fact is important because the history of ancient Israel was transmitted orally from father to son. And he began to write the history of the people of God around 1000 BC, ie at the time of King David. All past, that of the patriarchs, of Moses, the judges, the King Saul, were transmitted orally.
This does not mean that there was then written records. Preserved remains of ancient history (eg NATO code: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5) and poems ... and around these old pieces were transmitted orally history, rituals, customs and faith of the people.
Once David and especially Solomon, gave importance to the scribes in the kingdom of Israel, it is time that all such materials could be crystallized in oral tradition and written books.
50 years of Babylonian exile were decisive for the people of Israel. The year was 587. Israel had lost everything: their land, their temple, their king. Would I lose his faith in God? Cyrus king of Persia, in 538, gives freedom to the Jews, and return to Palestine. Community, purified by suffering in exile, living poorly. And during the 500 years that followed, until Jesus, the people reviewed several times his story is read and collected the writings and books of law. The same wise, under the inspiration of God, we offer wonderful academic works: Proverbs, Job, Tobias, etc.
In 333 BC Alexander of Macedonia conquered the peoples of the Middle East, including Palestine, and extends all over the Greek language and culture. In 167 BC Alexander's successor tries to oblige, under pain of death to the Jews to renounce their faith. It is the time of the martyrs of Israel, the Maccabees. The people won their freedom in the year 165 BC is the time of Daniel. In 63 BC Rome conquers Palestine and puts Herod as his representative. We're on the threshold of the "fullness of time." Jesus is born!
PARTICIPATION ITEM What is the most important lesson for you from the Old Testament? Remember that the important thing is to combine the study and reflection ... prayer and meditation of the Word of God, because only the Word which has been admitted to the heart is one that can produce abundant fruit.
0 comments:
Post a Comment