Sermon Tone Analysis

BEACON UNIVERSITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF RUTH

 

 

 

 

 

RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED FOR

 

INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE RESEARCH

 

PR 510

 

DR.

IAN A. H. BOND

 

 

 

 

 

 

BY

 

ALAN L. RUSS

 

 

 

 

COLUMBUS, GEORGIA

 

NOVEMBER 30, 2006

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\\ CONTENTS

 

Chapter                                                                                                                                        Page

1.      INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................           1

2.      LITERATURE REVIEW......................................................................................           3

3.      AUTHOR AND DATE OF WRITING................................................................           9

4.      PURPOSE AND CONTENTS..............................................................................         14

5.      THEOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF RUTH............................................................         17

6.      SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.....................................................................         22

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................         23

 

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

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Readers are in general agreement the story of Ruth is a wonderful literary story, containing all of the elements for a pleasant tale.

It is the story of redemption.

It is the story of inclusion of the excluded.

It is the story of forgiveness of sin, as descendents of those who were cursed merge into a holy lineage.

All of this is told to the reader while demonstrating the upholding of the law of Jewish society and the greater law of Yahweh.

The book of Ruth involves several issues of uncertainty, including authorship and the period of its being written.

Many opinions have been presented, from the traditional belief of authorship by Samuel during the time of David to a pre-exilic unknown author or authors to a post-exilic author possibly offering an argument against the religious teachings of that time.[1]

The involvement of Moabites within the story, especially with regard to marrying Hebrews, is an issue which requires discussion, because, when this is discussed, the verses of Deuteronomy are brought into play.

Does the book of Ruth uphold the Law, or, as stated in the previous paragraph, is it an argument against post-exilic interpretation of the Law.

Within the story of Ruth is also the question of its meaning with regard to the lineage of David, as expressed in the final verses of the book.

Why is this lineage important, and what is it telling us?

Is this the link which shows God’s inclusiveness to the non-Jew?

Is this a symbol of forgiveness for the ancient sins of the ancestors?

These are the issues at hand to be discussed.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

 

The primary source for this research paper is the book of Ruth from the Old Testament.

The writer of this paper primarily used the King James Version of the Bible, although other sources made reference to various versions.

The King James Version holds its validity in being a “word for word” translation of ancient sources.

The /Zondervan KJV Study Bible/, edited by Kenneth Barker, was the edition used.

This Bible provides both the King James Version scripture of the book of Ruth and the accompanying foot notes for explanation of the verses.

Additionally, the editors provide a brief introduction addressing the background, author and writing of the book, its theme and theology, and the literary features contained within it.

This work is an adaptation to the KJV of their previous works.

As such, it appears to be both well written and concise.

/The New International Standard Bible Encyclopedia/, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, is another significant source for this paper.

This encyclopedia provides a detailed overview of the book of Ruth, addressing the general issues of content and the possible periods of authorship.

The set is considered to be a major resource in biblical studies.

It provides multiple sides of the discussion concerning the book, providing suggested reasoning for why some may have a stronger position than others.

The article concerning the book of Ruth attempts to provide an even-handed discussion of the subject and continues to weigh the merits of the various possibilities concerning the date of the book and its significance.

Bromiley argued for a pre-exilic dating for the authorship of Ruth.[2]

Edward F. Campbell, Jr., in the Anchor Bible series volume, /Ruth/, also argues for a pre-exile date as to the authorship while adhering to the Julian Wellhausen’s Documentation Hypothesis.

Campbell is in appreciation of the skill of the author, and he places the work into that period of time of the J and E writers where “history and fiction merge.”[3]

Campbell’s work’s are frequently cited in the bibliographies of other authors with regard to the book of Ruth.

His work is one of the more complex studies of the book, addressing the book of Ruth both in summary and in detail.

The author provides an in-depth analysis of the book of Ruth.

Whereas most of the other works listed in this bibliography used only a limited number of pages, usually no more than contained in the whole book of Ruth, Campbell offers a full explanation of the elements of book of Ruth.

Because of this depth, this text provides considerable value to the study at hand.

Campbell was Professor of Old Testament at Chicago Theological Seminary in 1975.

Of particular use, the book contains a glossary and an index to the referenced biblical verses.

Gleason Archer, /A Survey of the Old Testament Introduction/, on the other hand, agrees with the date of the writing, he is not being a proponent of the Documentation Hypothesis.[4]

This work is based upon the author’s conservative view of the writings of the Old Testament, especially with regard to authorship and time frame.

The text covers the general out­line of the book of Ruth, its date of composition, and the book’s basic teachings.

Archer’s research includes some of the later references to released Dead Sea scrolls infor­mation.

The work provides a strong conservative perspective of the book of Ruth, with an excellent list of sources.

Walter Brueggemann, /An Introduction to the Old Testament/, also accepts the pre-exile theory of dating the writing.

Brueggemann discusses that the book of Ruth must be appreciated as a story.

He compares opinions of other theologians concerning the book, to include such things as considerations of its feminist characteristics, period written, and placement within the Bible.

His material is also aimed at the understanding of a Christian and Jewish co-readership.

Brueggemann is a noted theological author and is professor emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Brueggeman addresses Ruth briefly within this book, tending to consider it only from the aspect of a story.

[5]

Eugene H.

Merrill attempts to place the book of Ruth in its proper canonical and historical setting and addresses the similarities between the two narratives contained in Judges 17-18 and 19-21.

Merrill addresses what he considers the purpose of the book to be, along with the strength of its ties to Bethlehem and the ties between the promise of the covenant and the royal fulfillment..[6]  The author attempts to place the book of Ruth in its proper canonical and historical setting.

He also addresses the similarities between the two narratives contained in Judges 17-18 and 19-21.

Merrill addresses what he considers the purpose of the book to be, along with the strength of its ties to Bethlehem and the ties between the promise of the covenant and the royal fulfillment.

This article has been peer reviewed.

George S. Glanzman, in his article “The Origin and Date of the Book of Ruth,” provides takes exception with what he refers to as the prevalent philosophy of the time (c.

1959 A.D.) and provides specific arguments against them in his attempt to clarify the origin and date of the book of Ruth.

He presents the material in a straightforward manner for the benefit of the reader.

It is within this context he makes his argument for a pre-exile writing.[7]

This author deals with the source and date of the book of Ruth.

Within that context, he examines the various published opinions and the apparent underlying poetry.

The author discusses an argument for three levels of origin, beginning with a pre-exile oral source, through an exilic source, into a post-exile source.

The analysis examines the prose style and wordage to help date the period from which the book originated.

The author concludes that this book went through a pattern of development.

This article is peer reviewed.

Likewise, Louis B. Wolfenson addresses the issue in “The Character, Contents, and Date of Ruth.”

Although this article was published in 1911, the author holds to the pre-exilic date, and, like Glanzman almost sixty years later, is going against the popular opinion of the time.

By presenting the individual arguments for an early dating, and by addressing these arguments one on one, Wolfenson is able to put forth a plausible explanation refuting the post-exilic dating of the book.[8]

William MacDonald, in the /Believer’s Bible Commentary/, is a proponent for the historical credibility of the historical books of the Old Testament, including Ruth.[9]

As such, references to his commentary on Ruth in the /Believer’s Bible/ will be from that perspective.

He does provide an excellent overview of the areas within the book of Ruth.

This book is intended for a general audience, and, as such, is written in an easily read format.

The author addresses the book of Ruth with an introduction, outline, and commentary.

The introduction covers the standard issues of authorship and date, with the commentary providing a descriptive narrative of groups of verses.

The author uses the NKJV Bible.

MacDonald provides a bibliography, although the bibliography for the book of Ruth is included with the book of Judges.

As this book is intended for a general audience, it does not attempt to go into lengthy discussions, but tends to only give the author’s comments.