Module 1: Introductory Material

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first module for the Old Testament survey course. In this section, we'll be working through some preliminary information to give you introduction to some background issues that will hopefully help you better learn and understand later material.

Upon successful completion of this module, the student will:

  • Favorably consider the necessity of and the means to study the Old Testament.
  • Articulate the 'Big Picture' history of the Old Testament People of God and the overall message of the Old Testament.
  • Articulate God's purpose for creation and the 'Big-Idea' themes of the Old Testament.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the literary divisions of the Old Testament Scriptures.
  • Place the Major historical epochs of the Old Testament in a general chronology.

There are a few groups of material in this first module:

  • The first group answers the questions "Why Study the Old Testament?" and "How to Study the Old Testament?"
  • The second group gives an umbrella description of how the Old Testament fits in the Bible as a whole, and some Big-Picture ideas that run throughout the entire Old Testament.
  • And the last group gives an overview introduction to the physical location, the history, and the writings of the Old Testament.

Course Documents

In this section, you'll find links to important and supplemental documents for this module. Click the following links to open each document. The first group contains documents that explain and give instruction for all the course activities in this module. The second group is a set of blank lecture notes which you may use as a companion for the video lectures. And the last group contains overview and supplemental documents for some of the topics covered in this module.

Instruction Guides


Lecture Notes


Supplemental Documents


Lecture Videos

In this section, you will find the video lectures for all the introductory course material module. They are designed to be watched in order, but each video should make sense on its own. Click each thumbnail to open access to each video. There is also a link with each video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface. In addition, there is a link to download the audio from the presentation for offline review.

1: Why Study the Old Testament?

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1: Why Study the Old Testament?
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2: How to Study the Old Testament

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2: How to Study the Old Testament
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3: The Unity of the Bible

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3: The Unity of the Bible
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4: Key Themes of God's Design

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4: Key Themes of God's Design
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5: Big Picture Themes

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5: Big Picture Themes
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6: OT Geography

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7: OT History

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8: OT Literature

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Reviews

In this section, you will find the review slides from the course lectures for module 1. This is a convenient way to view and review the summaries for each lecture. Click the Thumbnail picture to begin the slide show.

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Click the prev. and next buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.

Review Quiz

This section is a link to a review quiz to test your understanding of the objective material for Module 1. By clicking the link, you will be taken to a series of questions, in random order. Answer each question and then push the Submit button to check your answers. Every question must be answered before you can submit the quiz. At the end, you will be shown your score for the entire quiz. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once. Click the Thumbnail picture to begin the quiz.

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Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this module's lectures. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.


The Prophets wrote during a variety of different times of Old Testament history.

True

Good

False

Sorry, see Lecture 08
Which is NOT one of the four themes of God's deign for His OT people?

Relationship

Sorry, see Lecture 04

Covenant

Well Done

Salvation

Sorry, see Lecture 04

Community

Sorry, see Lecture 04

Blessing

Sorry, see Lecture 04
The Book of Leviticus is in which division?

Torah

Correct

Poetic Books

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Major Prophets

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Historical Books

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Minor Prophets

Sorry, see Lecture 08
Which type of literature is characterized by the telling of a historical story in order to teach a moral and/or theological lesson?

Prophecy

Sorry, see Lecture 02

Narrative

Well Done

Disourse

Sorry, see Lecture 02

Poetry

Sorry, see Lecture 02
God's character in the Old Testament is shown to be significantly different than His character in the New Testament.

True

Sorry, see Lecture 03

False

Well Done
Old Testament Poetry communicates not only by what it says, but also in the way in which it is said.

True

Right on.

False

Sorry, see Lecture 02
Because of the nature of sin, something has to die for even the smallest sins.

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 05
Reading the Old Testament helps us to know ourselves better.

True

Good Job

False

Sorry, review Lecture 01
In the OT, God is displayed as King over the entire world, not just Israel.

True

Great Job

False

Sorry, see Lecture 05
Because the Bible comes to us in human words, we need to take its language communication seriously.

True

Good Job

False

Sorry, see Lecture 02
The Old Testament is one continuous narrative, in chronological order from start to finish.

True

Sorry, see Lecture 08

False

Correct
The Major Prophets are more significant than the Minor Prophets.

True

Sorry, Book length is the difference, not significance, see Lecture 08

False

Well Done
If you were travelling from west to east, which is the THIRD region of the promised land you would visit?

Central Highlands

Sorry, see Lecture 06

Coastal plain

Sorry, see Lecture 06

TransJordan Highlands

Sorry, see Lecture 06

Jordan River Valley

Good Job
God's salvation is known both by what we are saved from and what we are saved for.

True

Right

False

Sorry, see Lecture 04
Which is NOT one of the regions of the Fertile Crescent?

Egypt

Sorry, see Lecture 06

Mesopotamia

Sorry, see Lecture 06

Syria-Palestine

Sorry, see Lecture 06

Trans-Jordan Highlands

Well done
Studying the Old Testament is an act of faith.

True

Good Job

False

Sorry, see Lecture 01
Knowing the Old Testament helps us to understand Jesus and the New Testament.

True

Well Done

False

Sorry, see Lecture 01
God's purpose in the Exodus is to reveal His character and make Himself known.

True

Right

False

Sorry, see Lectures 04 and 12
Which is NOT one of the divisions of the English Old Testament?

Poetic Books

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Law

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Historical Books

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Gospels

Well done
Which is NOT one of the steps to read the OT in historical progression?

Read Jesus without the OT

Right

Read Jesus in light of the OT

Sorry, see Lecture 03

Read the OT without Jesus

Sorry, see Lecture 03

Read the OT in light of Jesus

Sorry, see Lecture 03
We should attempt to know God without having to pay close attention to learning His revealed words in history.

True

Sorry, His words in history are the primary way to know God, see Lecture 02

False

Well Done
The responsiblities of relationship with God include responsiblities toward other people.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 05
What is God's primary purpose in the universe?

To love His people

This is true, but a secondary purpose, see Lecture 04

To bless every nation

This is true, but a secondary purpose, see Lecture 04

To reveal His Law

This is true, but a secondary purpose, see Lecture 04

To rescue His people

This is true, but a secondary purpose, see Lecture 04

To make His Name known - that He is Yahweh

Good Answer
Every item in the Old Testament should be related directly to Jesus.

True

Sorry, they all relate to Jesus, but often not directly, see Lecture 03

False

Well Done
The name "Mesopotamia" refers to most of this land being between two rivers.

True

Correct

False

Sorry, see Lecture 06
Which is NOT one of the three main things to learn from the Old Testament?

Literature

Sorry, see Lecture 02

Experience

Right

History

Sorry, see Lecture 02

Theology

Sorry, see Lecture 02
The Books of Ezra & Nehemiah occur in which historical epoch?

Exile-Return

Yes

Patriarchs

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Monarchy

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Prehistory

Sorry, see Lecture 08

Exodus-Conquest

Sorry, see Lecture 08
Which is NOT one of the five epochs of Old Testament history?

Exodus-Return

Correct

Monarchy

Sorry, see Lecture 07

Exodus-Conquest

Sorry, see Lecture 07

Patriarchs

Sorry, see Lecture 07

Prehistory

Sorry, see Lecture 07

Exile-Return

Sorry, see Lecture 07
What one thing gives unity between the Old and New Testaments?

Jesus

Correct

God's People

Sorry, see Lecture 03

Covenant

Sorry, see Lecture 03

God's Commands

Sorry, see Lecture 03
Which is NOT a part of the nature of the Bible?

Word of God

Sorry, see Lecture 02

By Human Initiative

Correct

In History

Sorry, see Lecture 02

In Human Words

Sorry, see Lecture 02

Discussion/Reflection/Essay Questions

This section contains questions for further thought and discussion from Module 1. These questions can also be used as essay questions in a classroom setting exam. It is recommended that you take time to think through these issues in order to thoroughly grasp the significance and explore the application of the material you are learning. Click the Thumbnail to view the questions.

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The following questions are for your thoughtful consideration and discussion:

  1. How should the unity between the Old and New Testaments influence your Bible reading and understanding?
  2. What are the four themes of God's design for His people in the Old Testament, and how do these work out in the life of a modern Christian?
  3. What are the five Epochs of Old Testament history, and what does each epoch reveal about God and His purposes?
  4. What is God's primary purpose in the universe and how does this impact the life and mission of a modern Christian?
  5. What impact did geography have on the events of the Old Testament and what lessons can we learn from this?

Module Completed!

Congratulations, you have reached the end of the first module. I hope that you have found it rewarding and have noticed personal growth.

I encourage you to continue on to the next module as soon as is convenience. The button below will take you to Module 2.