St. George Bible 101: The Old Testament

Lesson 1: Intro to the Bible

100

What event separates the Old testament from the New testament? 

The Birth of Jesus Christ

200

How many languages was the Bible written in? And, which ones were they?

Written in 3 languages (hebrew, greek & aramaic)

300

What is the breakout of the old testament books and what are the categories?

5,12,5,5,12

• 5 Books of Law (Pentateuch)

• 12 Historical Books

• 5 books of poetry

• 5 major prophets

• 12 minor prophets.

400

Tell me who wrote the first 5 books of the Bible and a short description of each. 

Penta means “five” in Greek. All written by Moses 

Covers from 2000 BC through 1250 BC(days of Abraham through Moses) (~750 years)

Genesis means “beginning” ; beginning of God’s Creation 

Exodus means “exit/departure” ; Hebrews out of slavery & into Egypt

Leviticus a book detailing worship led by the priests ordained by the tribe of Levi (5 offerings are detailed here)

Deuteronomy means “second time” because so many israelites died in the  40 years in the wilderness, Moses wrote down all that again to remind the younger Israelites all that God had done for them. 

Lesson 2: The Book of Genesis

100

What is a fun fact about the book of Genesis?

The book of Genesis covers the longest time span of any book in the Bible

200

What are the 2 parts of the book of Genesis

• Part 1: The creation of the world and its descendents (chapters 1-11)

  1. Creation & Fall of Man (1-5)

  2. The Flood & Tower of Babel (6-11)

• Part 2: the early History of Israel - (12-50)

  1. 12-36 The tribes of Israel

  2. 37-40 Israel in Egypt

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  2. The Patriarchs of the Hebrews

     1. Abraham

     2. Isaac 

     3. Jacob

300

Where is the Trinity first found in the Book of Genesis?

• Genesis 1:1 “ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

• Genesis 1:2 “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness [a]was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

400

Why did God create? There were 4 reasons we reviewed in class, give me the first two which relate to why parents have kids and why artists paint

1. God Created Out of Love, Not Necessity (Love Multiplies!)

2.  Creation as a Manifestation of God’s Glory

500

Explain how Jesus, the Word, is shown in Genesis 1:3?

Genesis 1:3 “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.”

John 1:1-5  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [a]comprehend it.

John 1:14 “ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Lesson 3: Exodus

100

The Book of Exodus is know for having many "xxxxx" of Christ?

Types 

200

From an orthodox perspective, what is a Type of Christ?

In the Orthodox Christian perspective, a "type of Christ" (also called a "foreshadowing" or "prefiguration") is a person, event, or symbol in the Old Testament that points forward to Jesus Christ and His work of salvation. This method of interpretation is called typology, which is deeply rooted in the teachings of the Church Fathers and the liturgical tradition.

Key Aspects of a "Type of Christ" in Orthodoxy

1. Prophetic Foreshadowing – A person or event that prefigures Christ’s actions, mission, or attributes.

2. Partial Fulfillment in the Old Testament – The "type" is real and significant in its own time but is fully realized in Christ.

3. Completion in Christ – The New Testament reveals how Christ is the fulfillment of these Old Testament figures.

300

What was the passover in Exodus 12 a foreshadowing of? Explain how. 

• The spotless lamb was sacrificed to spare the Israelites from death (Ex. 12:5-13).

• Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), was sacrificed to free us from eternal death.

• The blood of the lamb on the doorposts saved Israel → The blood of Christ saves us in the Eucharist.

400

What was the crossing of the Red Sea a foreshadowing of?

• Israel passed through water and was freed from Pharaoh → Christians pass through baptismal waters and are freed from sin.

• Pharaoh (symbolizing Satan) was defeated in the waters → Our sins are washed away in baptism (Romans 6:4).

500

The manna of Heaven in Exodus 16 was a foreshadowing of?

• God provided manna (bread from heaven) to nourish Israel (Ex. 16:4-36).

• Christ is the true Bread of Life in the Eucharist (John 6:31-35).

Lesson 4: Joshua

100

What does the name Joshua mean?

Moses renamed him Joshua meaning “Jesus saves” (Numbers 13:16).

200

What was Joshua's original name?

His parents named him Hoshea, which means “salvation,”

300

Why was Joshua chosen to lead?

• He demonstrated faith and courage as one of the twelve spies sent to scout the land of Canaan (Numbers 13–14).

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  • While the other spies gave a fearful report, Joshua and Caleb remained faithful:
    “If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us.” (Numbers 14:8)

Because of his faith, God promised that Joshua and Caleb alone would enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30).

400

How old was Joshua when he died?

110 years old

500

What did they say about Joshua when he died? 

“Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred and ten years old . . . Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel” 

(Joshua 24:29-31).

Lesson 5: Judges

100

Who wrote the book of Judges

Scholars believe that the book was written by Samuel because of the recurring statement that “in those days there was no king in Israel” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), which points out a contrast between the events happening in the book and the time of its writing. 

200

How many Judges were there and name at least 3. 

Who were the 12 Judges?

• Othniel: The nephew and son-in-law of Caleb

• Ehud: A judge whose leadership history follows a pattern similar to other judges

• Deborah: Judged Israel for 40 years, according to traditional Jewish chronology

• Gideon: Freed the people from oppression

• Jephthah: A judge featured in the Book of Judges

• Samson: Used by God to defeat

300

What is the story of Samson? Who were the Israelites fighting against? What was his achilles heel?

His story is found in the Book of Judges, chapters 13–16. 

He is chosen to judge over the israelites during the occupation of the Philistines (they had already fought of the canaanites-Deborah & midionites- Gideon) 

Judges 13:1 “Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.” 

Women

400

How did Samson die? Tell me from the beginning: who was involved? What miracle did God perform?

Who Was Involved?

1. Samson – The last judge of Israel, a Nazirite set apart for God, gifted with immense strength.
2. Delilah – A Philistine woman who was bribed to discover the secret of Samson’s strength.
3. The Philistine Lords – Rulers of the Philistines who conspired against Samson.
4. The Philistine People – They celebrated Samson’s capture in their temple.

The Betrayal and Capture

• Samson had repeatedly fought against the Philistines and was a thorn in their side.
• The Philistine leaders bribed Delilah to find the secret of his strength.
• After multiple failed attempts, she finally coaxed him into revealing that his strength came from his Nazirite vow—specifically, his uncut hair.
• She betrayed him by having his hair cut while he slept.
• With his strength gone, the Philistines captured him, gouged out his eyes, and imprisoned him.

The Final Scene – The Miracle

• The Philistines held a grand celebration in the temple of Dagon, their false god, to mock Samson and praise their god for delivering him into their hands.
• They brought Samson out to entertain them, humiliating him.
• Samson, now blind and weakened, was placed between two central pillars of the temple.
• He prayed to God one last time, saying:
  "O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" (Judges 16:28)
• God answered his prayer and miraculously restored his strength.

500

What is the defining verse of the Book of Judges?

“In those days there __ ___ __ ___ : every man did that which was right __ ___ ___ __” (Judges 21:25).

“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).