Hebrew Bible

Circumcision of the heart

A metaphorical understanding of physical circumcision. The idea behind it is that the foreskin of the heart prevents individuals from totally following the will of God. (Christians not Jews, Ezekiel)

Canaan

A region mentioned often in the Hebrew Bible. The people of Israel are the chosen people of God, and God has apparent strong dislike for the people of Canaan. Land promised to Abraham and his descendants

Overturning the tables of moneychangers

According to the traditional story, Jesus came to the Temple during the Passover season and started to overturn the tables of the moneychangers, kicked the people out, and claimed that to buy and sell in the house of the Lord was a transgression against God. This was probably part of the reason that he was arrested and later executed.

Cornelius

Acts10; prohibited animals are declared by God in a vision to be pure; Cornelius goes searching for Peter

Jacob

God appeared to Jacob and his sons became the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel; grandson of Abraham

Incarnation

God became human flesh and descended from heaven as Jesus; he is at the same time divine and human

Mark of Cain

God's promise to Cain for divine protection from premature death with the stated purpose to prevent anyone from killing him. The mark served as a sign to others to not commit the same offense - murdering his brother, Abel.

Sciatic nerve

Israelites do not eat sciatic nerve due to Jacob's battle with an Angel in Genesis

When was Jesus active?

It is generally considered that Jesus was born around 4 BC and died around 33 CE, with his arrest occurring in 32 CE.

Septuagint

the original translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, around 200 BCE. Although it the translation was undertaken by Jewish scholars, the Christians used it so much (since it was the only Greek version of the Bible and most early non-Jewish Christians could not read Hebrew) that Jews distanced themselves from it. The Septuagint became the main source of the Old Testament for the Apostles and the New Testament often cites the Greek translation.

Ascension

The Ascension of Jesus is the rising of Jesus into heaven, which occurred 40 days after his resurrection.

Kashrut

the system of Jewish food rules; food that may be eaten is kasher; these are not biblical terms

Apotropaic

to avert or cast off evil influences; blood on door prevents firstborn sons of Jews from being killed

God the Father, God the Son

together with the Holy Spirit create the Trinity and are all equally God; Father= face of God in OT; Son= angel of Lord to speak as God (=Jesus, he is in fact divine)

Typology

various events narrated by the Bible prefigure or foreshadow or represent Christ

The Law

what Greek-speaking Jews in antiquity called the Torah; also what Christians call the Torah; includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy

Pure

whatever is not impure is pure; by contacting a source of impurity a non-impure person/object can become impure; purification must take place to become holy

Zippoarah

wife of Moses: God is going to kill Moses because he forgot to circumcise his sons but she remembers

Holy

within the realm of the divine; anything connected with God is holy; things that are holy need to be protected from the realm of impurity

Was Jesus Circumcised?

Yes; Christians believe that they are spiritually circumcised through the circumcision of Jesus

Marcion

a Christian preacher who believed that God that sent Christ into the world is not the same God as the God of the Hebrew Bible; Hebrew bible is wrathful and God of the New Testament is loving and peaceful; disproved by Nicene Creed

Creed

a brief authoritative formula of religious belief; a set of fundamental beliefs, a guiding principle

You shall not boil a kid in it's mother's milk.

a line repeated in the Torah; Jews interpret this thrice quoted bible verse to mean you have to separate diary products from meats i.e. Kosher food.

Apology

a person who offers an argument in defense of something controversial; ex: Justin Martyr

Nicene Creed

a profession of faith in Christianity; It asserts the divinity of Christ and that the Christian God is the same God of the Hebrew Bible, rejecting Marcion, who had argued that the God of the Hebrew Bible and the God of Jesus and Christianity are separate.

Parables

a story meant to illustrate a spiritual message, as told by Jesus in the Gospel

Oral Torah

an idea, a theory, a belief, according to which Moses at Mount Sinai received two Torahs from God - written and oral; spells out the details of the commandments that the Torah only briefly discusses; has been transmitted by tradition from master to disciple across the generations; finally put into writing in 200 CE in the Mishnah.

Canon

authoritative books for a community; has authority or status when viewed by a certain group of people; list of authoritative books that constitute the Bible

Apocrypha

category of books not found in the Protestant Bibles, although some of them are found in Catholic Bibles; these books were written by Jews, some in Hebrew originally, but are not found in the Hebrew Bible; traditionalists claim that the Jews didn't keep the apocryphal books because many of them were composed in Greek and after the 5th century BC

matrilineal principle

child of a Jewish mother and gentile father is a Jew; ironic given women can't be circumcised

Ishmael

circumcised but not part of the covenant; first son of Abraham born to his house maid

patriarchy

circumcision is seen as a celebration of paternity so that paternity will trump maternity; some anthropologists argue that circumcision serves to take the baby boy out of the circle of women

Thirteen Principles of Judaism

created by Maimonides who formulated Judaism into Jewish truth claims; saw these as rational, not dogmatic or authoritative

Gehenna

destination of the wicked, not hell but not a good place either

Dogma

doctrine or body of doctrines concerning faith or morals formally stated and authoritatively proclaimed by a church. A belief that can't necessarily be proven by logic. For Maimonides the thirteen principles of belief, or articles of faith (or at least the first five) were not really dogmas.

Year 0

does not exist because 1 BC was followed by 1 AD/CE

Synoptic gospels

gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke because they include many of the same stories in similar sequence and wording; contrast to John; agree on the birth of Christ

Ezekiel

is the central protagonist and author of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. Ezekiel provides an example of non-literal/allegorical understanding of circumcision of the heart

Epistle of Barnabas

logic of food laws is elusive: allegorical explanation in Epistle of Barnabas; not eating certain foods is more a symbol of certain moral rules

intermarriage

marriage within a specific group as required by custom or law

Food sacrificed to idols

neither Jews nor Christians are allowed to eat food sacrificed to idols; Paul (Corinthians) and Christians however are allowed to eat whatever they want but should be careful when eating food sacrificed to idols

Impure

not a moral judgment or moral state; rather it is a quality inherent in some objects and actions

Commensality

prohibition of commensality with idolaters; some Jews would not dine with gentiles to not benefit from association with idolatry

Dinah

raped by uncircumcised man (Genesis), Shechem, who demands her as wife- her family doesn't allow it until the man and the men of his city are circumcised. When all the men have been circumcised, Dinah's brothers go and kill all the men of the city and take the women and treasures because Shechem treated their sister "like a prostitute"

Salvation

redemption from sin (humans are naturally sinful)= major theme of Christianity; God brought Jesus into the world by which we humans can be saved from our sins and triumph over death

Aggadah

refers to the non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash; communicates Rabbinic traditions and their understanding of the text

Sheol

refers to the underworld of the Hebrew Bible. It is a dark place and it is preferred to be alive then in the underworld; place where all dead go

Maimonides

reinterprets Judaism as a series of truth claims, series of propositions; thirteen principles of belief or articles of faith -Thirteen principles of belief or articles of faith that are demonstrated by logic/rationality

Prohibition of Blood

repeated more in Torah than any other; blood must be drained from animals before they can be eaten; prohibition of eating blood was given to Noah and believe this is binding on everyone

New Testament

second major part of the Christian biblical Canon; anthology of 27 books originally written in Greek; discusses the teachings and life of Jesus Christ; not seen as canonical by Jews

Profane

sense of unholy; holiness is a numerous and charged state; whatever is not holy is profane; God says to Peter in Act 10 nothing is profane so Christians can eat whatever

Sanctification

the act or process of acquiring sanctity, of being made or becoming holy. A human is sanctified when he or she lives according to God's design and purpose. This means abiding by all the practices, customs, traditions, etc. since a person does not sanctify himself.

Council of Jerusalem

the apostolic decree, the Council of Jerusalem states that Christians should abstain from food polluted by idols and from the meat of strangled animals and blood but not circumcision

Apocalypse

the complete final destruction of the world; Also referred to in Christian books as Revelation. It is a revelation of "hidden things given by God to some one of his chosen saints o...the written account of such a revelation" (Jewish Encyclopedia 1).

Exegesis

the critical look and explanation of the Bible; different exegesis leads to different interpretation

Tabernacle

the dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt; try to protect the holiness of the Tabernacle

Paul

the first Christian writer after parting of the ways; main figure in process of creating Christianity; diaspora Jew, active in the 50s CE "the apostle to the gentiles," nominal author of 13 epistles in the Christian New Testament, of which seven are regarded as genuine by modern scholars; brought in many gentiles, breaking out of Jewish boundaries, start of diminishing of ethnicity

Communion

Christians consume wine and bread to commemorate the Last Supper (Jesus's body = bread and his blood = wine), supposed to show the close relationship between Christians, God and Jesus.

Cosmic dualism

Cosmic dualism is the idea that there is some force antagonistic to God, which currently and temporarily controls the world, but which will ultimately be overthrown. More characteristic of Christianity than Judaism, cosmic dualists place God against Satan. This is opposed to cosmic monism, which suggests that the entire cosmos and all that happens within it can be explained by appeal to a single idea or principle (i.e. God).

Cosmic monism

Cosmic monists argue that the entire cosmos and all that happens within it can be explained by appeal to a single idea or principle (e.g. God).

Holy Spirit

For Christians, the holy spirit is one of the three divine entities in the trinity. It, along with Jesus Christ and the Father all manifest themselves as being God. It is a spiritual force and is how God communicates with the Church.

Epispasm

Foreskin restoration for people that did not want to be seen as Jewish

Sign of the covenant

Genesis 17; Circumcision is a sign for God to see; Jews think this is a good thing whereas Christians see it as God distinctly marking them

Bar Kokhba War

136 CE; Jews revolted against Romans and Trypho is a refugee of this war; led by Bar Kokhba

70 CE

2nd temple in Jerusalem destroyed by the Romans, leaving that large plaza so vacant a new shrine could be built on it centuries later

Baptism

A Christian sacrament of admission and adoption, almost always with the use of water, into the Christian Church. Christian baptism replaces circumcision, because by baptism, Christians believe they receive spiritual circumcision.

Philo

A Greek Jew who believed in the immortality of the soul rather than resurrection of the body; a belief not in the Hebrew Bible

Mishnah

A Hebrew book of laws that provided the basis for Rabbinic Judaism; the collection of Jewish oral halakhah that was gathered in the second century; a large and wide ranging anthology of statements and discussion on law

INRI

A Latin inscription that was posted above Jesus' cross, that translates to Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. It was a term used by the Romans.

Modern Biblical Scholarship

Assume the bible is like any other book put together by fallible human beings; inconsistent since it derives from multiple sources that do not always agree; interpreted in its context; derives authority from community of believers

Commandment

Biblical principles that hold immense weight in both the Christian and Jewish religion. They are the tablet for how to maintain the sabbath and worship God. The commandments also touch upon topics such as murder, adultery and robbery

587 BCE

Destruction of the 1st temple by Babylonians; temple had been built by King Solomon; causes a rupture- some Jews are exiled while others are not

Justin Martyr

During parting of the ways (Jews and Christians (both gentile Christians and Jewish Christians) came to occupy separate social spaces, with separate institutions, political structures, authority figures, and social networks; they each constituted a set of boundaries communities), He takes the separation for granted (ca. 160 CE); He was a gentile, an important witness to Christianity in its formative phase, and apologist who wrote Dialogue with Trypho which aims to work out the Christian boundary with Judaism.

Prophecy

Emergence of Bible, the process known as canonization, is a cause or consequence of the cessation of prophecy; prophet no longer delivers the word of God, the text does via interpretation

Eschatology

Eschatology is the belief that the end of the world is at hand. Jesus can be said to be an eschatological prophet, because his preaching assumed that the world would soon come to an end, and demanded repentance from his followers.

Halakhah

Hebrew word meaning "Jewish Law." The body of laws is derived from the written and oral Torah. It describes the way of life from both religious and day-to-day activities for Jews.

24

How many books in the Hebrew Bible?

Trinity

In Christianity, the concept that God is comprised of three parts (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost), which are all the same and yet distinct. It is the central mystery of Christianity

Prophetic

Jesus' life and death fulfill biblical prophecies; true meaning of the passage was not evident until Christ's life and death

Rabbis

Jewish teachers who are educated in Jewish laws, traditions and practice(s); Talmud is the central text for rabbinic Jews

Torah

Jewish term for the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Consists of laws and narratives. Crux of Judaism

Parting of the ways

Jews and Christians came to occupy separate social space, with separate institutions, political structures and social networks. This was a process that evolved in different places and times due to growing separation in theological (i.e. the divinization of Jesus) and ritual (ex: baptism) beliefs.

Galilee

Location of some of the most important events in Jewish History. Jesus lived here for a large part of his life. Specifically, Galilee is a region in northern Israel that was named by the Israelites.

Thus he pronounced all foods clean

Mark 7; Jesus declares all food cleans enabling Christians to ignore many Jewish food laws; your heart, not your stomach, is what makes you pure

"His blood be upon us and upon our children"

Matthew 27, what the jews said after Pilate crucified Jesus and washed his hands claiming his innocence. This line was what future Christians used to blame Jews for Jesus's death later in history.

Isaac

Son of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac was chosen over his half-brother Ismael to lead the Jewish lineage. Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac to prove his willingness to obey God, but God commanded him not to at the last second. Isaac was extremely faithful to God and became a patriarch to the Jewish nation

Midrash

Rabbinic or Jewish interpretations and commentary of the Bible; origins lie in biblical tradition where many passages reflect upon earlier passages

Allegory

Reading the Bible allegorically means that the reader does not interpret the text literally; rather, the readers interprets the text as a metaphor for a philosophical truth. In an allegorical reading, the text does not mean what a plain-sense reading would reveal it to mean.

Pontius Pilate

Roman governor who pronounces Jesus as innocent and is prepared to release him, but sentences him to death anyway

Sarah

Sarah was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible; it is the son of Sarah that continues the line of Abraham despite the Ishmael being circumcised

Gentiles

Somebody who is not Jewish by birth. For purity reasons, Jews were discouraged from engaging in intercourse with gentiles and refrained from interacting with gentiles (e.g. dining).

The Chosen People

The Chosen People describes the special relationship of Israel with God. In many biblical verses, it is clear Israel chose God and God chose Israel (e.g. recipients of the covenant, exodus from Egypt, Ten Commandments, Torah, etc.). However, this special relationship has been interpreted in various ways over time, namely, as a product of essentialism versus functionalism, as racism, and as an obligation, not a privilege. In regards to the latter point, being God's special people came with higher expectations and greater reasons for punishment. With the advent of Christianity, however, Christians believed they were God's chosen people, or the "True Israel;" this doctrine was known as Supercessionism.

Letters of Barnabas

The Epistle of Barnabas is included at the end of the New Testament and has 21 chapters. It trumpets an allegorical understanding of the Bible. For example, Barnabas believed that Christians did not have to follow the laws of kashrut because Moses did not mean for them to be interpreted literally. (When Moses said not to eat pork, he instead meant that people should not behave like pigs.)

Second Temple Period

The Second Temple of Jerusalem existed from 530 BC and 70 CE. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, which acts as a commentary on the Mishnah, which discusses important discussions and statements about law, practice, and ritual. The Talmud strongly supports the practice of circumcision.

Hellenizers

These were people who wanted Jews and Jerusalem to be brought into Hellenistic (Greek) culture and society.

Pentateuch

The first five books of the bible, which are commonly attributed to Moses. The Torah and the Pentateuch represent the same five books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Christians refer to these five books as Pentateuch and Jews refer to them as the Torah.

Moses

The first prophet in Judaism who led the Chosen people to the holy land under God's instruction and to whom the authorship of the Hebrew Bible is attributed.

Polysemy

The idea that the biblical text has multiple meanings, all of which are true.

berit

The notion of God speaking to/connecting with his followers. For instance, God formed a covenant with Moses and a covenant with Noah. Also, in Judaism, circumcision is seen as a sign of the covenant of God with Jews.

Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus is a belief that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion. According to the Nicene Creed, "On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures." He will return at some point to judge the living and the dead

Exodus

The second book in the Torah. It refers to the Israelites being expelled from slavery (in Egypt) under the leadership of Moses.

Omnisignificance

The theory that claims every single word and detail in the Bible has a meaning and a purpose. This stance is stronger in Jewish interpretation than Christian because Christian exegesis is based on translation.

Jesus as Lord (kyrios)

The title kyrios encompassed the idea that Jesus was not just a man but Lord/God

Pentateuch, History, Wisdom, Prophecy

What are the four parts of the Christian Old Testament?

Torah, The Prophets, Writings

What are the three parts of the Jewish Bible?