Religion 1004 LSU Irvine Test 1

How do the sagas reflect later rivalries

(1) Israelites and Edomite's (Jacob-Esau stories) (2) Israelites and Arameans/Syrians (Jacob-Laban stories)

How does the Catholic "Old Testament" differ from the Jewish canon?

debated and set by the bishops. Based on the Septuagint (ancient Greek bible). 46 books: 7 Deuterocanonical + 39 Jewish canon. 4 sections: Pentateuch, Historical books, Wisdom books, Prophets

what are the deutero-canonical books?

describes the 7 certain books and passages of the Christian Old Testament that are not part of the Hebrew Bible. sirach, tobit, wisdom, judith, 1 and 2 maccabees and baruch

In what way is god obscure in Abraham cycle

He asks Abraham to sacrifice his child Isaac

Obscurity of god in Jacob vs Abraham

He seems to not be present since he appears rarely as compared to often appearing in Abraham cycle Is god at work??? Gods work is confirmed

Review the Jewish canon of the Bible. How many books are in it? Be able to list the three main sections in their sequential order.

There are 39 books. Order: Torah (Law or Pentateuch), Prophets, The Writings. The rabbis fixed the canon in the 2ND CENTURY (100 CE)

Review the covenant form as it appears in Assyrian treaties between a suzerain and a vassal. Explain how this form is reflected in Deuteronomy.

(1) Preamble (list of the Assyrian King's throne names) (2) Historical prologue (3) Treaty stipulations * (4) Provisions for depositing a copy of the treaty in the vassal's temple and for its periodic reading (5) List of gods as witnesses* (6) Blessings and curses* Part of Deuteronomy fit the treaty form Conclusion: the covenant form in Deuteronomy is a deliberate imitation of an Assyrian suzerainty treaty

1.Compare and contrast the Genesis Flood story and the Babylonian version in the Epic of Gilgamesh. What do the similarities suggest about the age of the Flood tradition, according to the class lecture? Explain (1-2 sentences).

- in both they sent birds and sacrifices, the gods regret the flood and promise to never send a flood again -differences concerns reasons for the flood; in gilgamesh, there is no reason given for the flood, the gods just made it happen. In Genesis the flood is divine punishment for human wickedness

Priestly Account vs Jahwist Account of Creation

-Divine Name: Elohim(p) vs. Yahweh(J) -Starting Point of creation: deep(P) vs land without growth(J) =First act of creation: light from dark(P) vs humankind(J) =Sequence of sex creation: both at the same(P) time vs. male first (J) Deit was seen as being more human like in jahwist account

Review Grabbe's description of naive and critical histories of ancient Israel. How do the two differ in their approaches to the Bible "naïve" source criticism

-It assumes that the Bible is totally, or at least essentially, reliable as an historical witness. It thus treats the Bible as a special witness whose testimony is to be defended as far as possible. -what is a "naïve" history of ancient Israel history - assumes that the bible is totally accurate as a historical witness (special witness to history) - on that bends over backwards for the bible -how do the critical historians interpret the bible -scrutinizes are all witness and none of them get a break (no special witnesses) - recognizes that the bible is a problematic text for the writers - the bigger the gap the more uneasy the historian is - the critical historian have bias and interests

Explain the etiological function of the theophany sagas

-Origin of bethel sanctuary -Origin of peniel sanctuary and dietary taboo

. Review the Passover narrative, which functions as the climax of the plague series. What is the genre of the Passover narrative? See again the etiological function of the narrative in 12:21-27 and 13:11-15.

-Passover plague= the climax (the will of pharaoh is broken) -Genre: cultic legend for the combined festivals of Passover and Unleavened Bread

What two principles, according to the class lecture, are reflected in the organization of the Catholic Old Testament?

-they are organized by theme (the wisdom books are all together) -they cover a span of time (past books to present books to future books

1. Review the evidence for the existence of the Priestly and Jahwist sources in the biblical Flood story in Genesis 6:5-9:17

1 Two divine names (jahwey and Elohim) 2 Two beginning 6:5-8 (j) and 6:9-11 (p) 3 Different instructions regarding the animals 6:19-20(p)(one pair) and 7:2-3 (J) (like 7 pairs) 4 Two different conclusions 8:20-22 (j)(god smells the offerings and says that he will never flood the earth again) and 9:1-18 (P)(he said be fruitful and multiply)

1. Review the episode of the binding or sacrifice of Isaac (Gen 22). Explain how this episode functions as the climax of the Abraham cycle. Review the verbal echoes between Genesis 12:1 and 22:1-2, and explain how the two chapters present parallel scenes.

1. Genesis 12-15: will the promise of a child be fulfilled? 2. Genesis 16-21: which child is the child of the promise? #IsaacBitch 3. Gen 22 = the climax of the Abraham cycle (when God wants Abraham to sacrifice Isaac) It is the supreme test of Abraham's faith.

Review the distinctive covenant theology in Deuteronomy.

A. Jahwey is the suzerain of Israel. B. Israel are the vassal of Jahwey; must "love" and "fear" Jahwey alone C. Laws are treaty stipulations D. Blessing and curses are consequences for abiding by or breaking the treaty of Jahwey

Form Criticism

Accepted results of source criticism Oral stages of literature Genres conformed to certain stages

Source Criticism

Asks about the authorship and date of written literature Applicable to composite works

How does the Protestant Old Testament compare with the Jewish canon and the Catholic Old Testament? In what way is it a hybrid?

Called a hybrid Has the 39 books from the Jewish canon but uses order and sections of the Catholic O.T.

Describe the covenantal relationship between Jahweh and Israel.

Covenant= pact,formal agreement Religious meaning: relationship between god and Israel Israel- people of Jahweh (revere him only and obey his laws)Jahweh-god of Israel (protects and blesses them)

Why do scholars equate the law book of Josiah (2 Kings 22-23) with an early form of Deuteronomy?

Discovery of law book Cultic reforms that Josiah implemented Reform matches cultic law in Deuteronomy Reform included threats of divine punishment which are contained in Deuteronomy

Historians who regard the Exodus as a historical event usually date it to the 13th century BCE (ca. 1250 BCE). Know the arguments for this dating.

Egyptian pharaoh used the Israelites as slave labor to build Pithom and Ramses in the nile delta region Egyptian records state that Egyptian pharaohs Seti and Ramses II carried out major construction projects in the delta region ca 1300 Ramses II is a likely candidate for the pharaoh in exodus

According to the class lecture, the Israelites were "late comers" in the ancient Near East. Briefly explain this statement (2-3 sentences).

Emerged as a state in 1000 BCE Last third of the ancient times Many cultural and political achievements had already came

State V. Hurowitz's answer to the question, is the account of creation in Genesis 1:1-2:4a Babylonian? If the biblical account is not dependent on the Babylonian Creation Epic (Enuma Elish), how does Hurowitz explain the similarities between them?

Genesis 1 is not directly dependent on the Enuma Elish. The two accounts are similar because they share in a common heritage of ideas about creation in the ancient Near East.

The poem about the crossing of the Sea in Exodus 15 is more ancient than the prose account in Exodus 14. Explain why many scholars think that the poem cannot date before 960 BCE. What is the specific genre of the poem? Note that the poem links two mighty acts of God?

Genre: hymn Scholars believe it cant date before 950 BCE because Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem in 960 and the end of the poem alludes to the temple here The hymn was sung during communal services in the temple Links 2 acts of God: -deliverance at the sea-founding of Yahweh's sanctuary

What is the genre of the book of Deuteronomy as a whole, and when does the book in its present form date?

Genre: last testament of Moses (farewell) Date of final form: after 586 , because certain passages allude to Babylonian Exile

Etiology

Gives the reasoning for something that occurs

Friedman's interpretation of Jacob cycle

In the Jacob cycle, the patriarch and other members of his family continually deceive each other. Every act of deception is followed by an ironic recompense later in the narrative. The narrative glorifies God as a deity who can work through anyone, even despicable people like Jacob.

Contrast Israelite law and Babylonian law as represented by the Code of Hammurabi. How does each culture understand the origin and authority of its law.

Israelite origin: from God to Israel (through Moses) Babylonian= royal law author was the king Israel= divine law author was god

4 Major sources of the Pentateuch

Jahwist Source Elohist Source Deuteronomic Source Priestly Source In the order from most ancient to newest

Know at least two difficulties that modern historians encounter when they attempt to reconstruct the Exodus event.

Miraculous events Improbabilities like population size Late date of the sources Most ancient source was the hymn

Review the organization of Exodus 1-15

Organization: -Introduction (Part One) -Oppression in Egypt -Birth and call of Moses -Oppression of Pharaoh-Renewed call of Moses Part Two:10 Egyptian plagues Part Three: Departure from Egypt

Explain how, according to the class lecture, Israel's location on the land bridge between Egypt and Mesopotamia shaped Israelite political history Explain how the nation's location influenced its culture

Political consequence: -Israel was forever caught in the power struggles between the super powers. All of them wanted to control Palestine. Very Important trade routes, if you controlled the trade routes you control everything and make hella shmoney Cultural Consequence: -Israel shared in the cultures of their neighbors superpowers (not a bad thing)

Reason For Circumcision

Preserve male cleanliness Induce fertility Mark passage of marriageable age Ward off demons Theological: SIGN OF THE CONVENANT

Explain why many scholars think that some or most of the laws in the Pentateuch date to a time long after Moses.

Scholars believe this because they believe it was when Israel was settled Law would originate when the matter was actually an issue Some of the great prophets don't seem to know some of the laws

What folk motifs are present in the Jacob-Esau and Jacob-Laban sagas, according to the class lecture?

Shepard vs hunter Rivalry between in laws "success of unpromising"

3 Major Themes of the Abraham Cycle

The divine promise The delay in the fulfillment of the promise The faith of Abraham

How does the Exodus tradition relate thematically to the patriarchal history in Genesis?

The divine promise of many descendants is fulfilled Narrates the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise of the land

Know the formal definition of the "canon" of the Bible, according to the class lecture.

The fixed list of books in the bible as which Jews and Christians regard as sacred and authoritative for their faith and practice

Sagas

The genre of many patriarchal stories Focus on the private matters of the ancestor a family, clan, etc. Miraculous or incredible events Purpose is to entertain, teach, articulate identity

How, according to the class lecture, do these key passages help the reader interpret the Jacob cycle as a whole?

The obscurity of God, in the sense that he doesn't appear often and thus he seems absent from much of Jacobs history 2. The cycle presents a worldly and sordid picture of people and events - malice of Jacob and Esau - deceit of Jacob and Laban - rivalry between Rachel and Leah - undignified names for Jacobs children - portrait of Jacob himself: wily, cunning a liar.

What can the Babylonian flood stories teach us about the Genesis flood, according to Frymer-Kensky? Carefully state the gist of her answer (3-4 sentences

The structure of the Epic suggests that 1. The biblical flood is a divine solution to an out dated problem 2. The nature of that problem is reflected in how the world changes after the flood. Seen in this light, the biblical flood appears as God's attempt to cleanse the earth from the pollution caused by human violence, especially murder.

Who wrote the Pentateuch?

Traditionally: MOSES Critics: multiple writers from different time periods

Define source criticism. What question(s) does it try to answer?

a. Source Criticism - a method of interpretation #plagiarism 1. Asks about the authorship and date of written literature 2. It is especially explicatable to composite works like the Pentateuch 3. Involves 2 basic steps: A.) separate out the source B.) date those sources and talk about those authors

Hardening of Pharaoh's heart by Jahweh

the Egyptians claim that pharaoh was morally pure, and so his heart was light as a feather. Against this background the bible statement about Yahweh Harding his heart is prolemicable in two ways 1. It presents Yahweh as the judge of pharaoh 2. It challenges that pharaoh's heart was pure.

State Currid's thesis about the biblical statement that Yahweh "hardened Pharaoh's heart"

the Egyptians claim that pharaoh was morally pure, and so his heart was light as a feather. Against this background the bible statement about Yahweh Harding his heart is prolemicable in two ways 1. It presents Yahweh as the judge of pharaoh 2. It challenges that pharaoh's heart was pure.

whos Wills collide and struggle in Egyptian plagues

yahweh vs Pharaoh God commissions Moses, Pharaoh refuses, plague, Pharaoh relents, plague ends, pharaoh refuses