Exam 1

Question 1

The TaNak is comprised of

Answer 1

1) The Torah
2) The Nebi’im
3) Ketuvim

Question 2

What is a hairesis?

Answer 2

Jewish sect or “ school of thought”

Question 3

How many canons are there?

Answer 3

Three
1) Hebrew
2) RCC/ Orthodox
3) Protestant

Question 4

What is The Torah?

Answer 4

The Law. Also includes Genelogies
Sermon things
Sacrafices and instructions of about sacrifices
Narrative overarching all of it

Question 5

What is the Nebi’im ?

Answer 5

The Prophets

Question 6

What is the Ketubim?

Answer 6

The writings

Question 7

What is the Pentateuch?

Answer 7

The five books of the Torah. It is the same for RCC/OC and the Protestant Bible

Question 8

What are the five books of the Torah?

Answer 8

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

Question 9

How do the Bibles differ?

Answer 9

1) The order- Histories come before the Prophets
2) They are not categorized the same way
3) The minor prophets are together because their length could be placed on 27 foot scrolls
4) Catholic Bible has the Apocrypha “ Extra books”

Question 10

Why is the Apocrypha not in the Protestant bible?

Answer 10

Because Luther hated purgatory and edited it out

Question 11

Dates of the Bibles:

Answer 11

Hebrew Bible: 200 CE
RCC/OC: 367 CE
Protestant Bible: 1500s

Question 12

What is the Septugint?

Answer 12

It is a translation of A Hebrew text into Greek

Question 13

What is the Apocraphya?

Answer 13

The 14 extra books found in the RCC Bible, but not in the the Torah or the Protestant Bible

Question 14

What does the fact the stories within the LXX differ from the Hebrew Bible?

Answer 14

It tells us that Hebrew traditions were not static as the LXX is a translation of A Hebrew text

Question 15

When was the earliest form of the Torah put together?

Answer 15

5th Century B.C.E

Question 16

Explain the theory behind the earliest form of the Torah

Answer 16

It may have come about as a result of the Persian occupation. Persian Law dictates that people govern themselves by their ancestral law. Ezra may have had the task of assembling the first written form of the law. However, we have no idea what it looked like, how long it was, or what was included.

Question 17

When does the H.B. have the shape that we see now?

Answer 17

200 C.E.

Question 18

What is the Latin translation of the LXX called?

Answer 18

The Vulgate

Question 19

Explain the creation of the Vulgate Bible

Answer 19

In the 5th Century, Jerome translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin. There was an uproar because he did not use the LXX, which included the 14 extra books of the Apocrypha. He went back and used the LXX and translated that into Latin

Question 20

Describe the issues in writing down the Biblical stories

Answer 20

Jewish culture was an oral culture. The accuracy of the stories was not an important aspect. Instead, the focus was on moral content. These stories were a way to explain the etiology of things. Over thousands of years, there were many different versions of stories. They would morph and changed, but the moral content remained the same. In writing the stories down, it opened the door for the culture to become static. This then opened the door for people to question whether the stories were accurate and historically true.

Question 21

When does the Northern Kingdom fall to Assyria?

Answer 21

722/721 BCE

Question 22

When does the Souther Kingdom of Judah fall to Babylon?

Answer 22

586 BCE

Question 23

When does Babylon fall to Persia?

Answer 23

539 BCE

Question 24

When was the Second Temple built?

Answer 24

515 BCE

Question 25

When does David become King?- United Monarchy

Answer 25

1000 BCE

Question 26

What happens to divide the kingdom

Answer 26

Rehoboam becomes kings and creates very oppressive laws. The 10 tribes in the north rebel and form the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Rehoboam remains king of Judah in the south

Question 27

What were the pros and cons of the Northern Kingdom

Answer 27

Pros: 1) More land and better land 2) More resources 3)Big enough in coalitions to be regionally powerful Cons: More land to have to defend More people- never really sure who the next king would be Not powerful enough to defeat Assyria

Question 28

Discuss the Pros and Cons of the Kingdom of Judah

Answer 28

1) David Monarchy- the next king would be a descendent of David 2) Smaller- less land to defended 3) Took fewer chances and lasted longer- sometimes by luck 4) Did not survive the conqueror from Babylon 5) Deportantion of the leaders

Question 29

When does Babylon fall to Persia?

Answer 29

539 BCE

Question 30

When does Assyria call to Babylon?

Answer 30

612 BCE

Question 31

When does Judah become vassel?

Answer 31

605/604 BCE

Question 32

When is the first deportationn?

Answer 32

597 BCE

Question 33

When is Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonians?

Answer 33

586 BCE

Question 34

Discuss how the Bible developed historically

Answer 34

It took over a 1,000 years for the stories to be written, edited, collected, re-writed, edited again, and collected again, etc.. It did not just drop out of Heaven, nor was it divinely whispered into the writer's ear. The text was not static and was not clear until 200 CE

Question 35

Was Israel monotheistic?

Answer 35

No. It developed that way over time. Israel was absolutely polytheistic, then Henotheistic, then Monotheistic

Question 36

Defend why Israel was polytheistic and then henotheistic.

Answer 36

The Hebrew culture did not exist in a vacuum. They interacted with other groups who all were polytheistic or henotheistic. In addition, Gen 1:26 uses a plural.

Question 37

What is the Baal/ Yamm/Mot Story?

Answer 37

Baal is the God of Storms. Yamm and Mot are opponets of Baal and portrayed as watery monsters. Baal defeats Yamm (who threatens the world with watery chaos. Mot takes Baal into the underworld as his servant. Rescued by Annat who kills Mot. Baal return, and the land becomes fertile again because the raining season returns

Question 38

Explain how religion looks a lot like the Canaanite religion

Answer 38

Psalm 29 is a cleaned-up version of the Baal Mott story.

Question 39

What is the Enuma Elish?

Answer 39

It is the story of Marduk and Tiamat. It is a Babylonian creation story

Question 40

Explain how the epic of Gilgamesh is similar to the story of Genesis

Answer 40

Gilgamesh the the King of Uruk. He is 2/3 God and 1/3 human which means he will die. The Gods make Gilagmesh a friend Enkidu- which is similar to Adam and Eve. The creation of Enkidu happens as he has sex, his eyes are opened, and now he is human- this also is similar to Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Good and Evil Knowledge. Adter Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh incredible sad, and goes on quest for eternal life. He meets Utnapishtim who is immortal, but has lost vitality. Gilgames learns of a youth elixir plant, but he loses it to a serpent- Again like Adam and Eve

Question 41

Explain the similarities between Emanu Elish and Genesis

Answer 41

E.E is a Babylonian creation myth. In exile, Israelities would have encountered this myth. The story is similar in that it is a quiet act of subversion

Question 42

The Israelites were the first culture to create the idea of a sabbath. Explain what might have faciliated this

Answer 42

Israelites were living in exile in Babylon and would have been exposed to Babylonian myth and religion (i.e. Enuma Elish) In creating the sabbath, every week they came back to the sabbath to remind the Israelites of God as the creator and not Marduk. It was a quiet act of subversion.

Question 43

When is the return from Babylonian exile?

Answer 43

538 BCE