Old Testament chapter 3

Who did the classical prophets address and what did they do?

Addressed all people. And informed them of God's wrath against their sin, warned of approaching judgment, called people to repentance, and proclaimed God's salvation to all who would turn to him.

What social problems are found among the Israelites at this time?

An economic crisis had led some Jew into slavery, and others had mortgaged their property. Social injustice would turn the physical rebuilding of the wall into a futile activity.

Author of Ecclesiastes?

Anonymous

Army in chapter 2 of Joel can be described as what?

Army ants. Causes us the flee to the Lord

What are some of the common characteristics of Hebrew poetry? How does biblical poetry differ from much of our modern poetry?

Characteristics: Meter - Accent patterns or which syllables are stressed...Hebrew poetry relies much more on meter than rhyme. Parallelism - Most important feature of Hebrew poetry...two or more lines of verse are parallel, usually in thought not necessarily in rhyme or sound. Chiasm - Successive lines of poetry reverse the order in which parallel themes appear, "crisscrossing" each other. "O Lord, forgive me; blot out my sin, O God of my salvation...ABBA. Acrostics: Alphabetical poems. In modern poetry, meter and rhyme are more important than parallelism.

Name the major contributors to the book of Psalms. What makes the book so unique in God's Scripture?

David, Asaph, and the sons of Korah. Psalms gives insight into Israelite worship...what did they sing about. Psalms describes personal and corporate worship.

Extispicy

Examination of the entrails of a sheep

What role did Ezra play among the returning exiles?

Ezra led a second group of Jews back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon.

Who is the main character of Esther?

God

How does God respond to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar? What is the final outcome for Job?

God reprimands them for not speaking rightly on his behalf. He restores the fortunes of Job such that he had more than at the start of the book.

What is the theme of this Esther?

God's sovereignty

Why were the mixed marriages found in the book of Ezra a threat to God's people at this time?

Israel's historiographically illustrated how quickly Israelite religion deteriorated due to interfaith marriages

What biblical books do modern scholars designate as "Wisdom literature"?

Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes.

hesed

The Lords steadfast love

Discuss the concept of Israelite Yahwism as exclusivistic.

The Persian Empire practiced religious syncretism, or the merging of different religious beliefs into one system. The whole world seemed to believe that all roads led to heaven and no single group had the right to claim an exclusive handle on truth. Yet ancient Israelite Yahwism was by definition exclusive. National Israel had failed b/c of its unwillingness to worship Yahweh alone.

What are some of the theological themes of Ezra and Nehemiah?

The importance of history in ancient Israel's religion. The overarching theme tying these historical events together is the author's assumption that they are "divinely related steps in what may properly be regarded a a history of salvation."

How does Job contribute to an understanding of retribution theology? How does the book answer the problem of theodicy?

Retribution theology is not a hard and fast principle... Job, for example, was an exception. As for theodicy, Job shows that God is able to work all things, even evil things, together for good.

Prophet does what?

Someone who sees what is going on in the heavenly court and then comes down as an ambassador to tell the people and to warn them of curses or blessings

ebed

servant

The Mari Letters

written in Akkadian and discovered in the 20th century in the Tigris-Euphrates valley, contain 25 letters

What is the central message of the book?

Wisdom belongs ultimately to God and all human attempts to grasp it or contain it are doomed to failure.

Nabi

a person called to speak for God

What does Ecclesiastes mean?

Leader, speaker of an assembly, preacher, or teacher

Differentiate between Mesopotamian discoursive material and Israelite Wisdom literature.

Mesopotamian authors had no word for wisdom that included the high morality and poetry of Israelite Wisdom literature.

With what events is the book of Nehemiah concerned?

Nehemiah's arrival in Jerusalem and leadership in rebuilding the walls. The social and religious reforms undertaken by Ezra and Nehemiah.

Discuss the subtleties of this book and how they affect the story being told.

The subtleties are too ironic and interconnected to be mere happenstances...there is a large power at work, and in the context, it becomes clear that God is the main character of the book

What does the book of Esther teach about life in a pluralistic and multi-religious society?

The worship of Yahweh could never be one religion among many, as the Persians insisted. Exclusive monotheism was not compatible with Persian pluralism.

Why are Ezra and Nehemiah often studied as one continuous work?

They appear to come from a single editor/author. They deal with the same general time period and are roughly sequential. They are combined as one book in the Jewish canon.

What did the Old Testament prophets receive from God?

They received revelation from God given in the context of a covenantal relationship

What period of time is covered in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther?

They share an origin in the Persian period of Jewish history.

How did the Israelites interact with the literature and worldview of their ancient Near Eastern neighbors?

They were comfortable incorporating materials from other cultures, as long as they eliminated polytheistic elements.

What are the difficult questions of life addressed in Job? What aspects of God's character are challenged by the presence of evil in the world?

Difficult q's - undeserved suffering and the attendant problem of theodicy. Challenged aspects of God's character - If God is just, why do the wicked prosper, why do good people suffer?

How does the Lord rebuke Job in 38:1-42:6?

He rebukes Job for speaking in ignorance

How does Elihu characterize Job's problem? To what does he attribute God's silence? What does he see as the key to alleviating Job's suffering?

He says the problem comes from unanswered prayer...God's silence. He attributes God's silence to insincere prayer. He says the key is repentance.

What is the all-consuming question faced by the people at this time?

How to maintain a distinctive identity in a changing world.

What is the central idea in Ecclesiastes?

Humankind's only hope of surviving the trials of this life is to fear and obey God.

What topic is explored in Wisdom literature?

The meaning of life.

Identify the various psalm types and describe their general characteristics. What kinds of expressions would you expect to find in each type?

Types of Psalms: Hymns - Songs of praise and thanksgiving to God for who he is and what he has done. Penitential - Confess sorrow for sin, appeal to God for grace and forgiveness. Wisdom - General observations on life, especially God and our relationship to him. Royal - Focus on the king as the son of David and as God's chosen man to rule his people. Messianic - Describe some aspects of the Messiah's person or ministry. Lament - Lament one's condition...usually includes statement of lament, statement of trust in God, and affirmation of praise to him

What is the OT foundation of wisdom?

The fear of the Lord expressed in genuine faith.

Describe the points of view of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Where did they place the blame for Job's suffering? What was Job's response?

Eliphaz - Emphasized God's justice and purity and taught that people (like Job) brought trouble on themselves. Bildad - Appealed to tradition and considered himself a defender of orthodox doctrine...said that an individual (like Job) who pursues wickedness should not be surprised by divine punishment. Zophar - Considered himself a rationalist and reasoned that Job's punishment was no less than could be reasonably expected. Job asks them to point out specific sins b/c his punishment is out of proportion to his sins. Rather than assume false guilt and live a lie, Job waits on God's vindication.

Discuss some of the important differences among these books( Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther). How do these differences make the books complement one another?

Ezra-Nehemiah is anchored in historical facts...Esther is an artfully written narrative that communicates through the skillful use of dialogue, intricate plot, and elaborate characterization. Esther's secular atmosphere balances Ezra-Nehemiah's piety. Ezra-Nehemiah's historical detail offset Esther's entertaining story line. Esther's view from the exile in Persia counters Ezra-Nehemiah's loyal devotion to the Jewish homeland.

Discuss the problems of authorship and chronology connected to Ezra and Nehemiah

Originally, it was thought that one author (probably Ezra) wrote Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah...but, unlike most OT narratives, these books use 1st person accounts, making it unlikely anyone other than Ezra wrote those pieces of Ezra and Nehemiah wrote those pieces of Nehemiah. Thus it is likely that these books were written in three stages with multiple authors/ compilers/editors. The dates in Ezra-Nehemiah suggest that Ezra returned to Jerusalem before Nehemiah; however, many scholars think that Nehemiah returned first (explaining why Nehemiah didn't mention Ezra in his memoirs...Ezra hadn't begun his ministry yet). This would mean that the reference to Artaxerxes was a reference to Artaxerxes I not Artaxerxes II

The adulterous wife in Hosea means?

She has immoral tendencies. Refers to what she does-not what she might do.

Describe the significance of the Ugaritic tablets to the study of the Bible, particularly Hebrew poetry

Tablets discovered which contain written language of the Ugarites...a language with many words that have matching words in Hebrew...helps us better understand Biblical text in 3 ways...1 Certain rare Hebrew words occur more commonly in Ugaritic, so we can be more certain of their meaning. 2 Ugaritic poetry is similar to Hebrew poetry in a lot of ways (for example, both use parallelism). 3 Ugaritic poetry helps us understand the polytheistic world that surrounded the Hebrews...gives info on false gods Baal and Asherah who the prophets denounced.

What is known about the writing of Job and the geographical setting of the book?

The author is anonymous. Job was in Uz and his friends were from Edom. We don't know when the events occurred...maybe pre-Mosaic b/c sacrifices are offered without a priest and wealth is measured in flocks, servants, and lifespan. Probably written between 8th and 3rd centuries BC.

What unusual feature does the book of Esther have?

The author nowhere refers to God, Abraham, the covenant, prayer, or Davidic kingship. Esther is never quoted in the NT and is the only OT book not represented in the Dead Sea Scrolls.