Here are some of the fascinating things that I am learning in my Old Testament class. It's hard to believe I would never have learned these things if I hadn't come to Gordon!

- There are four different interpretations for the creation days. The word for day in Hebrew is Yom and this can be taken as a literal day or as a long or indefinite period of time. The four theories are the literal, Gap Hypothesis, Day-Age theory, and Framework Hypothesis. I had never heard of the Framework Hypothesis before. It believes that the order of creation is a literary framework that arranges things topically. It is from the viewpoint of an observer and so sees itself as the pinnacle of creation. The number seven is one of completion and perfected, hence seven days.

- In Genesis 2:18, the NIV and many other Bibles have translated in the God made a "helper suitable" for man. The Hebrew phrase is ezer kenegdo and the a better translation of it is "a power equal to him." (I wrote an entire paper on this one, so feel free to ask me about it!)

- The creation story is filled with literary puns that you can only catch if you know Hebrew. For instance, the word for ground or dust is adamah and the first man taken from dust is called Adam.

- There are three theories about the flood and how much land it covered. It was either geographically and ethnographically universal, geographically local and ethnographically universal, or geographically and ethnographically local.

- When Abraham is trying to buy the cave of Machpelah to bury his wife Sarah in, Ephron was pressing him to buy the land along with the cave because if the owner only sold part of it according to Hittite law he must continue to pay taxes and take care of military services.

- I now know how the Hebrew Bible is split up. The last book is 2 Chronicles because the last phrase in 2 Chronicles is "Let him go up!" referring to Jerusalem. The last verse in Micah is morbid and they didn't want a morbid verse to end their Bible.

- We've learned the translations of the Old Testament and a LOT about Hebrew culture.

- The Ten Commandments or Decalogue (as well as Deuteronomy) uses the format of a Hittite Suzerain Treaty (that is one of a lord to a vassal nation). There are six parts to this treaty and it follows it very closely.

- I know the laws that make things Kosher and the Holidays of the Jews both periodic and annual.

This may sound like bragging (I suppose in a way it is) but really I just want to share some of the awesome stuff I've learned about my Bible and we're only through Deuteronomy!! I'm not an expert by any means, but if any of this stuff interests you, let me know and I'd be happy to get you some more information. Don't miss out!!