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Many of, but not all, the key people in the OT narrative are listed below with references to on-line information from American Catholic (a Franciscan website of St. Anthony Messenger Press) and Wikipedia. The links to the former carry the imprimatur of the Catholic Church (i.e., they are guaranteed to be free of error). The links to Wikipedia, when speaking to Christian and Jewish understandings, seem to represent the current state of scholarship. The description is a readable and informative – in other words, no guarantees, but it is a fun way to begin to read about the key people of the Old Testament, our elder sisters and brothers in the Faith.
The Patriarchs
Adam and Eve
Noah and Noah’s Ark
Abraham (also here), Sarah and their descendents Isaac (and here) and Jacob (and here)
Isaac and Ishmael: Brothers in Conflict , Leslie Hoppe, O.F.M.
Jacob and Esau: Rebecca's Children, Frederic Manns, O.F.M.
The Twelve Sons of Jacob – especially Joseph
Moses and his successor Joshua (The Book of Joshua)
Covenant: The Tie That Binds—And Frees, Virginia Smith
The Law Road to Life, Irene Nowell, O.S.B.
The Judges and Kings of Israel
The Book of Judges
Joshua and Judges Who Is Israel's God?, Bernard F. Batto
The Book of Ruth
King David and his son Solomon – a United Kingdom
The Books of Samuel tells the story of the judge and prophet Samuel and his
role in the life of Saul and David
The Book of Kings tells the story of Solomon and the other kings of Judah and Israel
The Kingdom Divided (here)
Israel vs. Judah: The Chosen People Divided, Virginia Smith
The Assyrians , Elizabeth McNamer (the nation who conquered the 10 Northern
tribes and threatened, but did not conquer Jerusalem due to God’s intervention
Prophets Before the Exile
Prophets to Israel (the 10 Northern Tribes)
Elijah (in the Book of Kings) and his successor Elisha (also in the Book of Kings)
Amos and the Book of Amos
Hosea and the Book of Hosea
Hosea Prophet of Divine Love, Leslie Hoppe, O.F.M.
Prophets in Judah (the two Southern Tribes)
The Book of Joel
1st Isaiah. (Some scholarship, including some of the Roman Catholic Church, sees “Isaiah” as a long, inspired tradition including the prophet of Jerusalem (referred to as “First Isaiah”) and continuing through his disciples including “Second Isaiah” and “Third Isaiah”. First Isaiah preached between 740 and 687 BCE. Second Isaiah (sometimes called the Deutero-Isaiah) is generally attributed to an anonymous prophet / poet who prophesied toward the end of the Babylonian exile (587-537 BCE). From this section come the great messianic oracles known as the Songs of the Servant, whose mysterious destiny of suffering and glorification is fulfilled in the passion and glorification of Christ. Third Isaiah contain oracles from the end of the Exile and later and were composed by disciples who inherited the spirit and continued the work of the great prophet
Micah
Jeremiah and the Book of Jeremiah
Prophets of the Exile
Ezekiel and the Book of Ezekiel
Ezekiel Difficult Prophet in Difficult Times, Irene Nowell, O.S.B.
Zechariah and the Book of Zechariah
2nd Isaiah (see above)
Malachi and the Book of Malachi
After the Exile
Ezra (The Book of Ezra) and Nehemiah (The Book of Nehemiah)
Ezra & Nehemiah Rebuilding From the Bottom Up, Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.
Malachi and the Book of Malachi
Others
Jonah
Daniel and Daniel: Beyond the Lion's Den, Wilfrid Harrington, O.P.
Once Upon a Time in the Bible: Tobit, Judith and Esther , Virginia Smith
The Maccabees , Elizabeth McNamer
The Timeless Wisdom of Sirach , Virginia Smith
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