Hebrew Bible Final
Michelangelo
Made sculture of David - looks more pious/righteous than Verrochio's - older, stronger, more adult David - amplifies his wits and intelligence - more true to how we imagine the story now
Michal
Daughter of Saul; wife of David
Tamar
David's daughter, raped by her half-brother Amnon
Amnon
David's eldest son. Raped half-sister Tamar. Invited to party by Absalom and killed by servants.
Eliab
David's oldest brother - accuses David of coming to the battle just to watch and neglecting his duties with the sheep
Absalom
David's son who rebelled and drove David from Jerusalem; hair hung in a tree - tries to take throne from David and he doesn't discipline him - killed by Joab - kills Amnon - David does nothing - no more power
Canon
The collection of books the Church recognizes as the inspired Word of God.
Song of Songs/Song of Solomon
This is another important Old Testament book; it is a collection of love poems - can be read as reversal of curse in Genesis 3 - equality between man and woman also in a garden - no coherent narrative, completely unique in the bible - vibrant metaphors - similar to Egyptian Love poems - no one knows for sure who wrote SoS, although there are many theories - could be about people's relationship with God, or individual lines could mean different allegorical things
Babylonian Empire
Unified all of Mesopotamia circa 1800 B.C.E.; collapsed due to foreign invasion circa 1600 B.C.E. - took over Judah and deported/enslaved the people
Kabod
glory/glory of God - can also refer to part 2 of the Ezekiel Acid Dream
Bethel and Dan
two cities where Jeroboam's golden calves were set up
Covenant of Grant
A reward for past loyalty; one-sided obligation. - requires nothing in return - Noah and "all flesh" - Abraham - David
Wisdom Literature
A style of Hebrew literature that meditates on important truths. Wisdom literature utilizes poems, teachings, and other means of communicating these truths.
Apologetic literature
A style of writing, usually intellectual, that was popular during the 100s AD; defends and explains the Christian faith - "to speak in one's defense" - DH defends David's right to be king even though he took the title from Saul - needed because people would have wanted to keep Saul/ David taking over would be problematic
"New Exodus"
A theme of the prophet Second Isaiah based on the Exodus from Egypt led by Moses; Second Isaiah anticipated the release of Judean refugees from Babylonian exile in a new act of divine deliverance.
Establishment Prophet
Advisor to the king, part of established Israelite society - Samuel (bridge), Nathan, Isaiah, Daniel (exilic prophet to Babylonian and Persian kings)
The Day of YHWH
Also termed the Day of the Lord, the day that God of Israel battles his enemies; derives from the holy war tradition and was cited by Amos, Joel, Obadiah, and Zephaniah. - people thought of ultimate battle between good/evil in apocalyptic times - Amos warns them that if YHWH destroys all unjust people Israel might be part of that
Amos' Oracles Against the Nations
Amos 1-2 - YHWH will punish all the enemies of Israel AND even Judah doesn't live up to YHWH's expectations and will be punished too (this part makes the Israel happy) - Then says Israel will be punished too (less happy) - they will fall to Assyria because of how they treat the poor - violated Sinai contract - YHWH liberated the people, he wants them to take care of/not oppress others
Epic of Gilgamesh
An epic poem from Mesopotamia, and among the earliest known works of literary writing. - many themes/parallels to David - friends between two people who should be enemies (David/Jonathan; Gilgamesh/Enkidu) - level of poetry after the friends' deaths - Gilgamesh taught about mortality, David taught about sin - Gilgamesh is a tyrant, David is a "good" king - Gil building the city is similar to David bringing people together - similar flood story - theme of characters getting washed and sent back into civilization - boundaries drawn between mortal and divine - less historical, in entertainment format - Gilgamesh is king of Uruk, Abraham was from Ur and would have known story of Gilgamesh - Gil is epic poetry to be recited and performed, Bible is told as history - Susan Ackerman studied Gilgamesh to look at themes of male friendship - says it's covenantal, not romantic and is portrayed positively
Jotham's Parable
Jotham is surviving son of Gideon - Parable of the trees (Judges 9) - trees can't be king because they have productive things to do - bramble tree is willing to be king but has no productive purpose and can also become engulfed in flame and destroy them
Davidic Covenant
Promise that the line of rulers from one family would last forever - unconditional covenant, gives theme of permanence and fulfilling of destiny - Covenant of Grant - even though David's line can be punished for sins, they will never lose YHWH's love
Haman
Tried to destroy the Jews during Esther's time - takes personal offense that Mordecai doesn't bow - voices cultural tension - says you can't be a Jew AND a Persian citizen
Bathsheba
Wife of Uriah, a Hittite soldier working for King David, her adultery with David caused David to murder her husband and evoked the denunciation of the prophet Nathan. She becomes the mother of Solomon. - david should be at war but he is home - abuses his power to get Bathsheba - later given more agency in her own story - makes sure Solomon becomes king and is chosen to become queen mother (YHWH's repayment for her suffering?) - tells solomon that Adonijah wants a wife (knowing it will make him angry) - manipulation behind the scenes
"The House of David"
as described in 2 Samuel, the Lord established a house (a dynasty) for David, which would be an eternal kingship, passed down from David, like a priesthood. God had a special relationship with the Davidic King. The Davidic monarchy ends in 587 BCE with the destruction of the First Temple and exile, and Jews continued (and in some cases, still continue) to wait for the re-establishment of the House of David. - metaphorical dynastic house and David's house will build a house/Temple for YHWH's name - unconditional covenant and theme of permanence - David isn't perfect and he and his line will sometimes be punished but will never lose covenant love from YHWH
Monotheism
belief in only one god - switch from monolatry, where they only worship one God - if YHWH can manipulate a foreign king, is he the only God in the world - exile is both a trauma and an event that causes us to reconsider theology
Solomon's Temple/The First Temple
built by Solomon as a "home/dwelling place" for the Lord - has physical location in Jerusalem/Mt. Zion - God is centered in the temple but is not limited to it - microcosm - earthly manifestation of a perfect heavenly temple - envelops both realms, heaven and earth meet in a special way - building mirrors creation - 7 days vs 7 years, garden-like temples, etc. - ark of covenant is moved to temple
Antiochus IV/Apocalyptic
descendant of Alexander the great, late BCE - a bad dude - persecutor of the Jews??
Josiah's Reforms
destroyed altars/idols to false gods, deposed their priests, destroyed their high places, renewed the covenant with God, and restored the Passover
Isaiah of Jerusalem/First Isaiah
eighth century prophet and counselor of Judean kings, Isaiah of Jerusalem was active during the reigns of Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Oracles attributed to this historical figure are found in Isaiah 1-39. - Establishment Prophet - said Judah should wait out the Assyrian attack - shaped around Zion covenant - Call narrative with God and seraphs - different from reluctant prophets - YHWH on Jerusalem's throne symbolizes him ruling through David's line, establishes direct presence/connection to temple - prediction of child- "Immanuel" (God is with us), before he is weaned, the kings will no longer be a threat (not referring to Jesus in a *historical* context) - Book of Isaiah has 3 prophets - Isaiah of Jerusalem and then two more who continued and moved his prophecies forward (way of claiming legitimacy for their words)
Wisdom
expert knowledge about the practical aspects of life
Schools of Prophets/Sons of Prophets
houses of prophets (not clear) - Samuel is head of one
Sheol
in ancient Hebrew cosmology this was the underworld, the dwelling place of the dead
Ketuvim/The Writings
includes writing that isn't in Pentateuch or prophets
Peripheral Prophet
is separated from the main religious institutions- on margins of society - critique establishment - Amos is a shepard
Greek Esther
large changes from MT version - in Hebrew, there is no mention of God - Sept adds lots of God, Esther has a lengthy prayer - Sept is not comfortable with her marrying a non-Jew and says she hated sleeping with the king - Sept says it's not ok to break Jewish laws/traditions even in diaspora - makes God the main character over Ester - "if I perish, I perish" is changed to fainting Esther - Sept jew in diaspora is more about praying a lot and hating everything about foreign nation, MT version is about community
mashal/proverb
little sayings/little words of advice for how to live properly - mostly common sense/folk wisdom - "early to bed, early to rise" etc.
Job
lives in wisdom tradition and YHWH rewards him - lifestyle challenged by the satan - God hurts Job for no reason to test his faithfulness and he remains faithful - God blesses him even more than before - is he really restored? can't replace children - happy ending feels wrong because he didn't deserve any of the tragedy - the problem is that YHWH allowed this to happen for no reason - struggle with concept of innocent suffering
Andrea del Verrochio
made a sculpture of David - makes him look boyish, cocky - emphasizes his unexpected victory because he is small - precocious smirk - more true to the text telling of the story, captures some of the annoying arrogance
Deuteronomistic History
name given to a series of books of the Old Testament written by the Deuteronomistic Historian, books that emphasized the necessity of Israel adhering strictly to its covenant with God - very rhetorical - has something to prove/convince - does not approve of Israel wanting a king hurts suzerin/vassal relationship with God and they want to stay separate from other nations - sees Judges as ideal time- all tribes invested - Joshua, Judges, 1/2 Samuel, 1/2 Kings - Alternately called Former Prophets
the satan
not Satan - a member of the divine council - means "the adversary" - challenges God for justice - challenge for Job - he is only good because he doesn't experience hardship, will he still be faithful to God when he's not rewarded?
Daniel
one known for wisdom and accurate judgment; from a wise leader in the Old Testament who was able to read the handwriting on the wall - exilic prophet to Babylonian and Persian kings
Nehemiah
worked to help build Jerusalem's walls, governor of Persian Judea - also concerned about marriage to foreigners - uneasiness of breaking the covenant again
Major Prophets
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
Latter Prophets
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 12 minor prophets - have their own books - split into major (first three) and minor (12) prophets
597 BCE
First Babylonian deportation
Messiah
"Anointed one" - in HB does not necessarily refer to Jesus - David at one point
Psalm 137
"By the rivers of Babylon there we sat weeping when we remembered Zion." "no more joy in the songs of Zion" but they can't allow themselves to forget - tries to articulate suffering
Solomon
(Old Testament) son of David and Bathsheba and king of Israel noted for his wisdom (10th century BC) - Kills Adonijah and becomes king - YHWH grants Solomon a wish and he asks to be wise - his request for wisdom so he can best govern the people is the perfect request in eyes of DH, YHWH is so pleased he gives him riches and long life as well - creation of "wisdom tradition" - proverbs and ecclesiastes attributed to him - creates the temple on Mt. Zion - permanent house for the Lord - associated with South/Judah - DH says even best kings will be corrupted - Solomon has many wives (foreign) who worship different gods - practically it helps incorporate foreign people and helps relationships with other nations, but it is bad in pious ideology because DH doesn't want other people to worship other gods
Yehud
- Name for Judah while under the rule of the Persian empire - Where People of the Land lived and had conflict with the Golahs
Syro-Ephraimite Crisis
-Syria (Rezin) and Ephraim (Pekah) form a coalition against Assyria. -They try to pressure Ahaz, king of Judah, to join as well. -After almost being deposed, Ahaz calls in Assyria (Tiglath-Pileser III) for help. -Assyria and Judah defeat Syria and Ephraim, but Ahaz is forced to pay tribute to Assyria. RAPT - Rezin, Ahaz, Pekeh, Tiglath
Cyrus II of Persia
-The Persian King -2nd Isaiah belies that he is God's anointed one (The MESSIAH, according to 2nd Isaiah) -Defeats the Babylonian Empire -Lets the people of Judah out of Exile and go back to their homeland - allowed conquered people to return home - deut Isaiah think of this as a new exodus - Moses was human agent, sees Cyrus as human agent of exodus - idea that God can manipulate a foreign king because he is the ONLY God - Cyrus claims YHWH sent him to do this and is concerned with Israel and temple but Cyrus Cylinder does not mention this - Israelites bringing Cyrus into harmony with their theology
Deborah
1100 B. C. judge and prophet of the old testament; started a war against the Canaanites - only female judge
Egyptian Love Poetry
55 Egyptian poems - very similar to writing in Song of Songs/Solomon
Nebuchadnezzar
A Babylonian king who conquered Jerusalem,and built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon - Daniel interprets his visions - has to live in the wilderness as a wild animal for a while but comes back praising YHWH
Immanuel
A Hebrew word meaning "God is with us." - name for child that Isaiah predicted to come
Samuel
A Levite priest, the last of the Judges, and the man chosen by God to anoint a king for Israel. - people don't learn from Abimelech and ask Samuel for another king - Establishment Prophet, bridge between time with kings and time without - head of one of the schools of prophets
Diaspora
A dispersion of people from their homeland - living by choice outside your ancestors homeland-scattered - exile is forced, living in diaspora is a choice - people had made lives for themselves in foreign countries
Covenant Lawsuit/rib
A genre used by the prophets in which Israel is put on trial by Yahweh for having violated its covenant with him
Gilgamesh
A legendary Sumerian king who was the hero of an epic collection of mythic stories - king of Uruk - tyrant king - lets no girl or son go (Deut warnings about kings?) - wants to be immortal/learns about his own mortality
Ezra
A priest who led the returned exiles in Jerusalem and gathered together the books of the Old Testament. - fear of losing God's protection again, comes after marriages - "holy seed" has mixed itself - genetic interpretation of Deuteronomy, not faith interpretation - anxiety about marrying foreign women - send away foreign women and children because of decree - "set apart" mentality
Scribe
A professional writer
Josiah
A reforming king of Judah who returned the people to the worship of God. During his reign the Book of the Law was found in the Temple, where it might have been hidden during Manasseh's persecutions. - finds "book of the law"/book of Deuteronomy when people are straying and tries to point them back to God - realizes how angry YHWH is with their ancestors for forgetting D code - tries to reform people, destroy graven images
Merneptah Stele
An inscription making the earliest known references to the Israelites, it dates roughly to 1200 B.C. - conquest of King Merneptah - doesn't support conquest theory - shows that leaders of the time take note of their battles, but there are none outside the Bible talking of Israel's conquests - Suggests Israel was not as militarily successful as it seems
Sennacherib
Assyrian king and empire builder - laid siege on Jerusalem but is not successful
Tiglath-pileser III
Assyrian leader who reestablihed control over Mesopatamia; led Assyria to height of power; deported Isreal in 722bc. - King of Assyria during Syro-Ephraimite crisis, takes over Israel
587/586 BCE
Babylonian Captivity and exile of the southern kingdom - destruction of the First Temple
Uriah the Hittite
Bathsheba's first husband; David caused him to be killed in battle - does the right thing, won't even go home when his fellow soldiers are in battle - David tries to send him home to make Bathsheba's baby seem like his - Says Joab (commander) is his lord because Joab is acting like a leader and being in the battle - still holds to principles when he's drunk
Baal
Canaanite god of fertility - had mounts - Jeroboam made similar mounts for God in the form of the golden calves but DH and YHWH take it as idolatry
Jael
Canaanite woman who drove tent peg through skull of Sisera - leverages her motherhood to take out the last of the Canaanite army - saves Israel - hinting that women are dangerous theme?
Jerusalem
Capital of Israel - where David established the Ark of the Covenant - creates permanent home for Ark as Israel finds its permanent home - God is not tied down to any one place but gives permanence to idea of Israel's home - DH believes the temple in Jerusalem is the only true place of worship
Kinsman Redeemer
Close relative who has the right or responsibility to redeem or avenge. - performs role of marrying widow in the family - brother/relative who marries a woman after her husband dies so she can stay in the family clan - if they refuse their sandal is taken off
Joab
Commander of David's army - referenced as a better leader than Daniel by Uriah during Bathsheba thing
Enkidu
Companion and friend of Gilgamesh. Hairy-bodied and brawny, he was raised by animals. Even after he joins the civilized world, he retains many of his undomesticated characteristics. He looks much like Gilgamesh and is almost his physical equal. He aspires to be Gilgamesh's rival but instead becomes his soul mate. - provided for by the gods in the wilderness - alone with animals like Adam
Endogamy/Exogamy
Endogamy - practice of marrying within a cultural/ethnic group Exogamy - practice of marrying outside a cultural/ethnic group - HB has conflicting views of intermarriage - many texts say not to marry because of faith, but some people do intermarry if spouse will worship God (Rahab, Ruth) - return from exile with concern that marriages to foreign women will make them lose God's protection again - Malachi says even if you do marry a foreign woman you shouldn't divorce them - Third Isaiah says that outsiders who join themselves to YHWH become insiders
Mordecai
Esther's relative who refused to bow to Haman; helped Esther save the Jews - part of being a Jew is quietly standing firm in his beliefs - will only bow before God - Haman takes personal offense - convinces Esther to go to the king - she doesn't have a choice because she will be found out as a Jew eventually - knows salvation will come for them somehow- with or without her
Saul
First king of Israel - reluctant leader from smallest Benjamin tribe - anointed by Saul in private, in public (hiding in the baggage) - unlawful offering - someone with religious authority must offer sacrifice before battle and Saul does even though he's not supposed to - can be seen as him doing the right thing as a leader because Samuel gave him no choice - spares Agag even though he's not supposed to spare any Amalekites - Saul is a good king, but DH wants to prove its point so it is reluctant to admit it - themes of people rejecting YHWH by wanting a king - Saul bears consequences of the sins of the people - rejected and David is anointed while he is still king - critique in David and Goliath - he sends David out instead of going himself
Prophecy in Ancient Israel
From Moses to Return from Exile there are prophets in ancient Israel - idea that perfect prophet speaks from God word for word - prophecies cannot be false or they are a false prophet - a prophet speaks the word of the Lord whether the people listen or not - interceding with God on the people's behalf (God's anger after golden calf) - diverse activities- tell parables, interpret dreams, share visions, healings, miracles - speak to Israel's situation in the present to call them back to covenant obligations - convey deep feelings of God - try to get people to change their ways, often conditional - since they speak for YHWH they can critisize leaders more freely
Law of the King (Deuteronomy)
From YHWH saying that the people CAN have a king if they want one - warns that the king will be greedy/certain things the king can't do like have too many horses - sounds kind of disapproving of a king even though it lets them have one - very important to DH - it's not inherently bad for the people to want a king since they need a centralized government but it goes against their covenant principles
Gideon/Jerubbaal
Gideon was one of the most important of the Judges He lead the people against Israel's enemies. - people want him to be king but he says no
Esther
God providentially protects His people from their enemies - beginning of book SOUNDS historical, but it unlikely that the kingdom can party for half a year - historical fiction?? but still part of canon because it has themes of Jewish identity and diasporara - what it means to be a Jew in a foreign land/how you continue to be Jewish when your cultural identity is scattered - needs to go above king's head to ask for the Jews to be spared but she is risking her own life - "If I perish, I perish" - Moral: to be a Jew in a foreign land you have to identify with the people of your ancestors and act to preserve your people
Ruth the Moabite
Great-grandmother of David - follows Naomi back to Israel - huge show of faith to convert to a foreign nation and a new God - marries Boaz
Septuagint
Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible for Jews living in diaspora - Greek was a lingua franca - story is that all 72 translators translated the text identically (shows God's will) - theory is that is preserves some earlier traditions from something older than the MT
Ezekiel
Has a vision: The Merkabah - angels? horses? unicorns? - it's hard to describe and difficult to imagine what he was talking about - emphasizes a sense of movement Vision part 2: Kabod - the glory (kabod) of YHWH - the Lord wasn't with the temple anymore, so it wasn't as devastating when the Babylonians destroyed it - call narrative: he eats a whole-ass scroll -
Gomer bat-Diblaim
Hosea's Hoe - "wife of whoredom"
Pillared Israelite House
Houses made by Israelites found in Israel, but are indistinguishable from Canaanite houses - goes against immigration model - if the Israelites had come from outside they would want to bring their own culture/traditions/architecture
Boaz
Husband of Ruth - fulfills duty as Kinsman Redeemer - Ruth comes and gathers from his field
Models for Israel's Emergence: Gradual emergence
Idea of canaanites finding a new sense of identiry, rose from within Canaanites themselves believing in YHWH - role of foreigners as a powerful force for Israel (Ruth, Rahab) - stories of battles are creative telling of history to shape identity/belief - creation of new myths to reclaim past for an emerging nation
Babylonian Exile
In 587 BC, the Babylonians pillaged Judah, destroyed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem, and banished the people in chains to serve as slaves in Babylon. The Exile lasted until 539 BC. - occurs AFTER the promises- causes people to question if the promises were real
Esther's Prayer
Included in the Greek version of Esther's story (Sept) - puts more focus on God/his presence in the story
Collared-rim storage jar
Israelite and Canaanite storage jars are the same, with the unique collared rim - tells us that Israel and Canaan shared a culture - goes against immigration theory because if they immigrated in they would want to maintain cultural uniqueness
"New Covenant"
Jeremiah 31 - Babylon is used by YHWH to create a new closeness with his people - they will come back and he will create a new covenant with them
Jeremiah's Temple Sermon
Jeremiah stands at the temple gates and delivers God's word in Jeremiah 7:1-15. He announces Yahweh's conditions for continued possession of the Promised Land: "Amend your ways and your doings, and then I will dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord'" (Jer 7:3-4). Judah relied on divine protection, as promised in 2 Samuel 7, which assured security for Jerusalem. Jeremiah's Temple Sermon is significant in that it declares the ideology of the Inviolability of Jerusalem a lie. Jeremiah says that divine protection is conditional—based on Judah's observance of the Sinai covenant. - people are no longer thinking about what it means to have YHWH right there with them - "deceptive words" - the sheer fact of having a temple does not protect you from doing any wrong and being saved from YHWH's wrath
Sisera
The Canaanite general who is defeated by the Israelites (Deborah and Barak) and killed by Jael (tent peg through the skull).
King Pekah of Israel
King of Israel during Syro-Ephraimite crisis - resisting being taken over by Assyria by allying itself with Syra (YHWH doesn't like this)
King Ahaz of Judah
King of Judah during Syro-Ephraimite crisis - refuses to ally with Israel and Syra in an attempt to avoid being taken over by Assyria - YHWH rewards this and they are not taken over at that time - Isaiah assures him Judah will be protected because they have the temple - doesn't listen to Isaiah - hurts Zion theology by taking gold from YHWH's temple - prostrating - says he's Assyria's servant/son instead of YHWH - suzerainty treaty with a human ruler - betrays Sinai and Zion covenant
King Rezin of Syria
King of Syria during Syro-Ephraimite Crisis - resisting being taken over by Assyria, allies itself with Israel
Amarna letters
Letters from the Egyptian Pharaoh Akkhenaton (1400 to 1350 B.C.) Which talked about many battles, and people asking for military help. - correspondence between Egypt and its vassals, some come from "Jerusalem" - problematic because Israel isn't supposed to serve any human kingdom (Deut 17 - they must not go back to egypt) - doesn't support conquest theory
Ahasuerus/Xerxes
Married Esther, King of Persia - Esther must go above his head/to him to convince him not to kill the Jews
Persian Empire
Mesopotamian empire that conquered the existing Median, Lydian, and Babylonian empires, as well as Egypt and many others. Also known as the Achaemenid Empire.
Models for Israel's Emergence: Conquest
Model of entering the Promised Land as told by the Bible - follows Biblical account of Israel marching up the path and conquering the land - archealogical findings have no mention of these conquests (Merneptah Stele and Amarna Letters) - leaders of the time would have taken note of their battles, and there are no mentions outside the Bible of Israel's conquests
Models for Israel's Emergence: Immigration
Model of entering the Promised land - Israelites didn't take Canaan by force but settled there and had local skirmishes - hard to conclude they would all come in from someplace else - pillared/israelite houses are indistinguishable from other canaanite houses - if they came from outside they would bring their own architecture and culture - Israelite and Canaanite storage jars are same - collared-rim storage jars - if Israelites did come from outside they would want to maintain cultural uniqueness - probably didn't immigrate en masse - would have had to come from within Canaan - they had a shared identity but then became a distinct people
Ancient One/Ancient of Days
Name for God in the book of Daniel when he sees God in a vision
Israel
Northern Kingdom - top 10 tribes - Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon who gained a lot of power and became northern king - problem with Zion theology - most people in Northern kingdom don't have access to temple in jerusalem
722 BCE
Northern Kingdom of Israel conquered by Assyrians
(The Book of) Proverbs
Practical advice for human interactions, leading to the virtuous life - attributed to Solomon - very classical, mainstream tradition - Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope is similar - one type focuses on deriving wisdom from the observable, natural world - find wisdom in all of God's creation (even things as small as an ant) - collecting/writing literature is attributed to upper classes - Proverbs are mostly practical advice, not explicitly religious - finds its own way to weave religion in - prevailing philosophy of wisdom tradition is that good things happen to people who earn them, bad things happen to people who don't (justice in the world)
Hosea
Prophet - responds to same Assyrian threat to Norther Kingdom as Amos - Unlike Amos, he is from the North - Ch 4 lists crimes of Decalogue that Israel is committing - uses metaphor to illustrate covenant relationship - call narrative - marry a "wife of whoredom" and live a life that illustrates people's relationship with YHWH (the wife will stray, etc.) - Kids: - Jezreel: "God will sow" - Lo-ammi: "Not my people" -and I am not your God - Lo-ruchamah: "not pitied" - no longer have pity on house of Israel, will punish them like any other nation - breaking of marriage covenant is like breaking Sinai covenant - theme switches from legality of suzerainty treaty to feeling of marriage covenant with real loss when it breaks - both YHWH and Hosea know their "wives" will stray, YHWH will punish Israel for "cheating on" YHWH with other gods
Second Isaiah/Deutero-Isaiah
Prophet during the time of King Cyrus of Persia - sees himself as continuing legacy - writes of return from exile - thinks of returning from Cyrus/Persia as new exodus - Isaiah 40 sounds like a separate call narrative- message of comfort
Amos
Prophet of social justice - Peripheral prophet - outside the established social order - not an established "prophet" like Nathan who was born and trained for the job, but called by God - fig tree shepherd - warns Northern Israel of destruction during reign of Uzziah and Jeroboam - about reversing expectations/prophet of reversals - he's from Southern Kingdom/Judah but called to prophesy for Northern Kingdom - goes to Bethel and tells them king will die and they will be taken over
Jeremiah
Prophet- not a hopeful prophet - says people will have justice brought to them - has temple sermon, chapter 7 - Call narrative - he protests, doesn't feel qualified (reluctant prophet) - during Babylonian exile tells people to settle down, make a home in the new land because they'll be there a while -picture of joy/restoration that people begin to project into the distant future
Vashti
Queen who lost her throne and was replaced by Esther - refused to come to the king
Jonathan
Saul's son and David's best friend
Merkevah/Divine Chariot
School of early Jewish mysticism?
515 BCE
Second Temple completed
David
Second king of Israel - anointed by Samuel while Saul is king - "Messiah" means "Anointed one" - theory that David had a coup d'etat and DH covers it up to make his kingship seem rightful? - DH hates kings but chooses David - he fulfills the promise and unites the 12 tribes of Israel as one nation - culmination of Pentateuch - most developed character in the hebrew bible - Goliath- takes out threat of Philistine army, pious, affirms strength of covenant - ambiguity in his introduction "what's in it for me" - also very cocky during the fight, almost to an annoying extent - does right thing in magnifying YHWH's power in fight with Goliath - critique of Saul because he sent a small fighter instead of going himself - installs Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem - commits adultery with Bathsheba - associated with the Southern Kingdom/Judah
Golden Calves
Set up by Jeroboam in Bethel and Dan so the people would not have to travel to Jerusalem to worship - seen as idols by YHWH and by the DH
Adonijah
Solomon's half brother, next in line for the throne . Nathan and Bathsheba trick David into annointing Solomon as next king. Solomon has him killed when he requests Abishag as his wife. - tries to take the throne (would put Solomon and Bathsheba at risk) - asks for one of the king's wives as his own to cement his power - makes solomon very angry
Rehoboam
Solomon's son and heir. His pride caused all but two of the twelve tribes to rebel against him. - First king of Southern Kingdom/Judah
Ephraim
Son of Joseph, one of the tribes of Israel and used interchangeably as a name for the Northern Kingdom
Judah
Southern Kingdom - associated with David and Solomon - first king is Reheboam
Ahijah the prophet
Tells Jeroboam that he'll become king of Israel, of 10 tribes - uses torn coat to illustrate how Israel will split - DH wants audience to know that it is all part of YHWH's plan
Zion
The hill on which the oldest part of Jerusalem was built. A poetic name for the city of Jerusalem.
Zion Theology
The ideology in Israel that affirmed the divine promises to the house of David and the invulnerability of the city of Jerusalem - power of temple trumps Davidic line - YHWH will never choose to fully remove himself from Judah - big significance to the fact that Zion has a physical location and the people are an established nation (Sinai had no determinable location when people wandered in wilderness) - God is present and absent from Zion at the same time - he is not spatially limited but he "dwells" in the temple - Temple is microcosm- earthly manifestation of heavenly temple - building of temple mirrors creation
Uruk
The largest city of ancient Mesopotamia - Gilgamesh was the king in Epic
Sinai
The mountain where Moses received the Law from God. - Sinai theology - people must uphold the covenant or they risk losing YHWH's protection
Hezekiah
The reforming king of Judah who temporarily returned Judah to the pure worship of God - given extra life by YHWH (sundial) when he prayed to be healed but got in trouble for boasting about it
Circumcision
The surgical removal of the male foreskin; it was the physical sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.
United Monarchy
The time of Saul, David, and Solomon, when Israel and Judah were unified under one king.
Minor Prophets
The twelve prophets of the Old Testament whose recorded sayings are much briefer than those of the major prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Sabbath
a holy day for rest and worship
Goliath
a large person; from the giant from the Philistine city of Gath, slain by David, when he was a shepherd boy
Call Narrative
a story that describes a person's initial awareness that God wanted him or her to do something specific. - when a prophet is called up they have this - HOW they were called and the key to their message - (ex: Amos's call narrative is about reversal)
Jew/Jewish
after diaspora is used to refer to the religion - people continued worshiping even after they were scattered - start identifying it as religion - word comes from Judean - only thing left of David's united monarchy - everyone who traced themselves back to what it once was to be a Jew
Allegorical interpretation
an approach to biblical interpretation that seeks meaning in symbols or allegories rather than literally - used to interpret Song of Songs/Solomon
Cyrus Cylinder
an inscription from the time of Cyrus of Persia, saying that Cyrus sent the peoples who had been exiled by the Babylonians back to their homelands and ordered them to rebuild the temples of their gods. - yay - people now think of this as foundation of human rights
Nathan's Parable
poor man had a ewe lamb whom he loved and treated like a daughter, and a rich man took the ewe and made a meal of it - shows david what he did wrong by taking Bathsheba and murdering Uriah - Bathsheba's name has connections to ewe lamb - doesn't realize it's about him at first - David says the man should be payed back fourfold and four of his children end up dying - God will not stop loving David and his line, but he will suffer
Qohelet/Ecclesiastes
preacher/schoolmaster who tries to live by wisdom tradition/philosophy - lives in wisdom and is rewarded but struggles with reason behind it - wisdom is good for its own sake but WHY if everyone dies (no concept of heaven at this point, only sheol) - Qohelet's solution: just enjoy the pleasures of life to the fullest because all of life is work/toil and it doesn't matter - chasing wisdom is "all vanity" - critique of wisdom tradition
Models for Israel's Emergence: Revolt
rather than coming from outside and conquering they unite as a people from within - beginning of religion as a concept rather than just a national identity - would create local skirmishes/battles
Dietary Laws
rules in certain religions that detail which foods people can and cannot eat and how food should be prepared and handled - laid out in Leviticus
Abimelech
son of Gideon; takes over kingdom; kills siblings so that they don't inherit the throne - speaks from voice of Israelites (feels Israel should have king) - disobeys law of king by taking gold for himself and murdering brothers
Mesha Stele
stone on which the king of Moab claims to have wiped out Israel (840 BCE) - DOES match up with biblical account in Kings
Eschatology
study of the end times
Utnapishtim
survivor of a flood sent by the gods to destroy humanity; the gods granted him eternal life - shows Gilgamesh that he cannot achieve immortality
Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles
tells them to settle down because they will be living in other nations for a while
Masoretic Text
text of the Hebrew Bible produced between A.D. 500 and 950 by Jewish textual scholars (the Masoretes) concerned with the precise transmission of the text. - traditional Hebrew text in original form
Former Prophets
the Hebrew designation of the books in the Old Testament canon that are typically thought of in English as historical books—Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. They represent the history of Israel from a prophetic perspective. - Alternate name for DH
Second Temple
the Temple in Jerusalem that was built following the destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians; destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.
Sennacherib Prism
the clay prism that recounts the siege of Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah; states that Hezekiah was locked inside of Jerusalem like a caged bird, but city not taken b/c of Hezekiah's devotion to YHWH; written in Akkadian; found in Nineveh
Woman Wisdom
the depiction of the concept of wisdom as a goddess who is the companion of Yahweh - wisdom is a feminine word in Hebrew language - sense of her divinity/closeness with YHWH - with him before/during world's creation - first of YHWH's creations, there before cosmos and foundation of chaos - world is created in wisdom and is thus inherently good and you can find glimpses of YHWH's divine wisdom in nature and world - serves to appeal to young men - Woman Wisdom helps accomplish this - urges young men to resist Dame Folly - Dame Folly/Strange Woman is a foil to Woman Wisdom - personifies pitfalls of not following wisdom - laziness, cheap/temporary pleasures - both women are out in streets, calling to men, but strange woman wants to lead them into darkness
Four Beasts (Daniel 7)
the main vision! each beast represents a gentile nation of idolators. the rationale for the symbolism is that middle eastern idols often took the shape of hybrid beasts. lion=babylonian bear=median leopard=persian beast with iron teeth=greek or macedonian or hellenistic or alexandrian
Naomi
the mother-in-law of Ruth whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament - sons and husband die - tells Ruth to go into the fields of Boaz
Nathan
the prophet who corrected King David after his affair with Bathsheba - one of David's chief advisors - Establishment Prophet
"The Sin of Jeroboam"
the sin of Jeroboam was to construct two golden calves for the people of the Northern Kingdom to worship, thus promoting idolatry. The reason why the northern kingdom falls. - practical solution in itself because Jeroboam doesn't want people going back to Reheboam because its hard to worship - BUT DH considers any worship outside Zion as idolatry - making "mounts" for God - marks end of Deuteronomistic History/Historian
Assimilation
the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another ??
Theodicy
the theological question that tries to connect belief in God's justice with the reality that sometimes good people suffer unjustly and die - "justice of God" when bad things happen to good people - Qohelet's answer is lighthearted, Job's is harsher
Philistines
the traditional enemies of the Hebrews, known for their barbarism and indifference to art and culture. - Goliath
539 BCE
the year Persia conquered Babylon, allowing some Jews to return to Jerusalem
Assyrian Empire
this empire covered much of what is now mesopotamia, syria, palestine, egypt, and anatolia; its height was during the seventh and eigth centuries BCE - superpower gathering more strength moving in from North - took over Israel/Northern Kingdom - starts to gather up smaller countries around it and made conquest southward (Israel/Northern kingdom becomes a target)