Hebrew Bible and Christian First Testament Essay

Hebrew Bible and Christian First Testament - Essay Example The early part of the history of Israel is technically Biblical history. On this note, it is vital to point out that the history of Israel, rather than using a theological reading only, ought to be governed by religious perspective. This is particularly so as it makes relevant connections with the past and present, though at different timelines. A brief outline of the history of Israel starts with the call of Abraham when he went to the land of Canaan. From Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, the history of Israel as a nation begins to take shape. The jealousy of Joseph’s brothers changes fortune and Israel takes his sons to Egypt to escape the seven years of famine. Migration and conquest of Canaan start with Moses and ends with Joshua. Briefly, a number of judges rule Israel, amongst them Deborah, Samson, and Gideon until the birth of Samuel when Israel later demands an earthly King. Historically, this period takes place somewhere around the 1300 B.C and covers the reign of Dav id Solomon and the division of Israel. The division of Israel into Southern and Northern Kingdoms follows closely with the fall of Israel and the exile into Babylon. The history of Kingship in Israel is widely covered in first and second Kings. This critical period marks Israel’s fall away from God and subsequent punishments by being exiled. The prophecy of Daniel actually takes place in exile.Around 539 B.C., Babylon falls and prophets Ezra and Nehemiah led the first phase of return into the Promised Land.... The jealousy of Joseph’s brothers changes fortune and Israel takes his sons to Egypt to escape the seven years of famine. Migration and conquest of Canaan starts with Moses and ends with Joshua. Briefly, a number of judges rule Israel, amongst them Deborah, Samson and Gideon until the birth of Samuel when Israel later demands an earthly King. This period has a number of prophecies and promises. Historically, this period takes place somewhere around the 1300 B.C and covers the reign of David Solomon and the division of Israel. The division of Israel into Southern and Northern Kingdoms follows closely with the fall of Israel and the exile into Babylon. The history of Kingship in Israel is widely covered in first and second Kings. This critical period marks Israel’s fall away from God and subsequent punishments by being exiled. The prophecy of Daniel actually takes place in exile (Scott, 2000, p. 357). Around 539 B.C., Babylon falls and prophets Ezra and Nehemiah lead the first phase of return into the Promised Land. The history of Israel during this time majorly dwells on liberation prophesies and various small revolts that are not covered in the Bible. During this time, Christianity has not been born but there are prophecies by Major Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, pointing to a salvation of humankind through a God chosen Messiah. God restores the Israelites back to their land in readiness for the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah. This is what Scott (2000, p. 307) refers to as the Messianic hope. This happened during the Roman reign at when Caesar Augustus was at the helm of Roman leadership. Other events happen in the context of the New Testament although they still form part of the history of Israel. A critical