December 21, 2005

CHICAGO – A video presentation about the Old Testament, its authors and history, is available to congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Introducing the Old Testament" – the winter 2005 release of Mosaic Television – was recorded in Israel, the West Bank and Egypt, and features interviews with Old Testament scholars.

Mosaic Television is the quarterly video program produced by ELCA Communication Services. It is intended for educational use in a variety of congregational settings including Sunday school classes, adult forums, youth groups, women's and men's groups, new member classes, congregational council, committee and other organizational meetings.

"The Old Testament tells the story of God at work in the lives of individuals," the program states. "Well-known characters include Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, Ruth, Esther, Deborah and many others. The Old Testament also tells the wider story of the Nation of Israel."

"‘Old Testament' is a Christian name. In ancient times they really didn't have a standard name for the Bible," said Dr. James L. Kugel, who appears in the program. "They called it the holy writings, sacred books. And I guess nowadays among most Jews it is common to call the Bible either the Bible or specifically the Hebrew Bible to distinguish it from the New Testament." Kugel is Harry Starr Professor of Classical, Modern Jewish, and Hebrew Literature, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., and professor of Bible, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.

"I think the central message of the Old Testament is that God is with us." said Dr. Esther M. Menn, associate professor, Old Testament, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. "What inspires me about the Old Testament is that we have witnesses from diverse authors, from different times, different cultural situations, all attesting to God's working in history and in human communities and in the lives of individuals."

Who wrote the Old Testament is not completely known. "Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, the overwhelming majority is anonymous on its own terms," said the Rev. Brooks Schramm, associate professor, Old Testament, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.). "Both Christian and Jewish tradition have ascribed authorship to all the books of the Old Testament. But those attestations are relatively late. So the more interesting question is, for me, is not who wrote the bible, but rather when it was written."

The program highlights the diversity of the Old Testament, which one speaker said it part of its "beauty."

"Sometimes I try to imagine how many writers actually contributed to those 39 books," said the Rev. Peter W. Marty, host of "Grace Matters," the radio ministry of the ELCA, and senior pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa. "And I can't know, and you can't know. But the very diversity of that which was shaped by later editors who found their own way to make sense of it in religious community, the very diversity of that is a part if its draw."

"Introducing the Old Testament" can be viewed for free on the Web. It is also available in VHS and DVD formats. Some ELCA colleges and universities carry Mosaic Television on local cable channels.

Each issue of Mosaic Television includes a user's guide with a synopsis of each segment and discussion questions. Annual subscriptions are available through ELCA Communication Services.

ELCA News Service