Keith Essex
Part XVII: The Historical and Geographical Background of the Old Testament

There is no video lecture for the following notes.

18. The Historical and Geographical Background of the Old Testament {review and transition to BI 502}
    1. The Historical Background: The Ten Eras of Old Testament History
       1. The Primeval Era (Genesis 1:1-11:26) [Creation – 2166 BC]
          • Key People:

          Adam;
          Noah

          • Key Events:

          Creation;
          Fall;
          Flood;
          The Making of the Noahic Covenant;
          The Tower of Babel
       2. The Patriarchal Era (Genesis 11:27-50:26; Job 1:1-42:17{Events, not Writing}) [2166 – 1806 BC]
          • Key People:

          Abram / Abraham;
          Isaac;
          Jacob / Israel;
          Joseph;
          Job

          • Key Events:

          The Call of Abram (The Land of the Canaanites;
          The Making and Reaffirming of the Abrahamic Covenant;
          Jacob's Journey to and Return from Paddan-aram;
          The Sons of Israel's Entrance into Egypt;
          The Suffering and Restoration of Job
       3. The Era of the Exodus and Wilderness (Exodus 1:1-Numbers 25:18) [1526 – 1407 BC]
          • Key People:

          Moses;
          Aaron;
          Pharaoh;
          Balaam

          • Key Events:

          The Ten Plagues;
          The Crossing of the "Red" Sea;
          The Making of the Covenant with Israel at Sinai;
          The Rebellion of Israel in the Wilderness;
          The Rebellion of Moses and Aaron at Meribah;
          The Defeat of Sihon and Og
       4. The Conquest Era (Numbers 26:1-Joshua 24:33) [1407-1375 BC]
          • Key People:

          Joshua;
          Eleazar;
          Caleb

          • Key Events:

          The Preparation of the Second Generation of National Israel to Enter Canaan;
          The Conquest of the Land of Canaan;
          The Distribution of the Land of Canaan
       5. The Era of the Judges (Judges 1:1-21:25; Ruth 1:1-4:22; 1 Samuel 1:1-7:17) [1375-1050 BC]
          • Key People:

          Othniel;
          Ehud;
          Deborah & Barak;
          Gideon;
          Jephthah;
          Samson;
          Naomi;
          Ruth;
          Boaz;
          Eli;
          Samuel

          • Key Events:

          The Cycles of the Judges Period (Sin – Defeat – Supplication – The Raising up of the Judge – Victory – Peace);
          The Idolatry of Dan;
          The Perversion of Benjamin;
          The Famine / Abundance in Bethlehem;
          The Capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines
       6. The Era of the United Kingdom (1 Samuel 8:1 - 2 Samuel 24:25; 1 Kings 1:1-11:43; 1 Chronicles 10:1 - 2 Chronicles 9:31; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon) [1050 – 931 BC]
          • Key People:

          Saul
          David
          Solomon

          • Key Events:

          The Establishment of the Kingship in Israel
          The Military Victories of David
          The Davidic Covenant
          The Great Sin of David
          The Wisdom and Splendor of Solomon
          The Building of the Temple
          The Idolatry of Solomon
       7. The Era of the Divided Kingdom (1 Kings 12:1 - 2 Kings 17:41; 2 Chronicles 10:1-28:27; Isaiah; Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah) [931 – 722 BC]
          • Key People:

          Rehoboam;
          Jeroboam 1;
          Ahab;
          Elijah;
          Elisha;
          Jehu;
          Amos;
          Hosea

          • Key Events:

          The Division of the Kingdom (North – Israel; South – Judah);
          The Evil Kings of Israel;
          The Evil and Good Kings of Judah;
          The Destruction of Samaria by the Assyrians;
          The Exile of Israel in Assyria
       8. The Era of the Surviving Kingdom (2 Kings 18:1-25:21; 2 Chronicles 29:1-36:21; Proverbs; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah) [722 – 605 / 586 BC]
          • Key People:

          Hezekiah
          Isaiah
          Manasseh
          Josiah
          Jeremiah
          Nebuchadnezzar

          • Key Events:

          The Defeat of the Assyrian Army
          The Destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians
       9. The Era of the Exile (2 Kings 25:22-30; Ezekiel; Daniel) [605 / 586 – 538 BC]
          • Key People:

          Ezekiel;
          Daniel

          • Key Events:

          The Exile of the Judeans / Israel in Babylon
       10. The Post Exilic Era (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1 – Nehemiah 13:31; Esther 1:1-10:3; Psalms; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi) [538 – 400 BC]
           • Key People:

           Cyrus;
           Zerubbabel;
           Mordecai;
           Artaxerxes 1;
           Ezra;
           Nehemiah

           • Key Events:

           The Return of a Remnant to Jerusalem;
           The Rebuilding of the Temple;
           The Queenship of Esther;
           The Rebuilding of the Walls of Jerusalem;
           The Reading / Teaching of the Torah in Jerusalem;
           The Relapse of the Remnant into Disobedience
    2. The Geographical Background of the Old Testament
       1. The Fertile Crescent
          1. Mesopotamia
             • Assyria
             • Babylon
          2. The Levant
             • Aram [Syria]
             • Canaan / Israel
             • Philistia
             • Ammon
             • Moab
             • Edom
          3. Egypt
       2. Key Areas Outside of the Fertile Crescent
          1. East: Persia
          2. South: The Arabian Desert
          3. Northwest: Anatolia

Used with permission by Dr. Keith Essex. Redistribution without express permission from Dr. Keith Essex is prohibited.