0:00 – INTRO

1:15 – WHAT IS THE OLD TESTAMENT? The Bible is a collection of 66 books. Old Testament: first 39 books.

2:00 – OVERVIEW OF THE OT: Written over 1000 years (c. 1400 BC-400 BC). 30 writers. In Hebrew (some Aramaic). Jesus & apostles referred to the OT as their “Scriptures.” Theme: God’s dealing with his chosen people & anticipation of the coming Messiah (Christ).

3:02 – WHAT IS GENRE? “Genre” is a kind of writing with a certain form and content. “What type of thing am I reading right now?”

4:25 – 6 GENRES IN THE OT:
LAW
NARRATIVE
WISDOM
POETRY
PROPHECY
APOCALYPTIC

4:42 – 1. LAW: gives instructions (Pentateuch: first 5 books)

5:34 – 2. NARRATIVE: stories (Genesis-Esther): tragedy, epic, romance, heroic, satire

8:04 – 3. WISDOM: teaches the meaning of life and how to live (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes): proverbial, speculative

9:46 – 4. POETRY: ancient Near Eastern poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs)

11:05 – 5. PROPHECY: points to the future & how to live (Isaiah-Malachi). Jesus fulfilled God’s plan!

11:55 – 6. APOCALYPTIC: prophetic using symbols & imagery (Daniel 7)

12:51 – SO WHAT? To correctly interpret Scripture, you have to know the genre and not confuse them!

13:55 – WHAT’S YOUR NEXT STEP? READ PROVERBS

15:22 – THANK YOU & WRAP UP