REL Final Exam

Black Obelisk

Assyrian sculpture from 9th century Depicts Jehu from the house of Omri (king of Israel) as subdued and prostrated before Assyrian king

Job

Based on a man who obeyed God and was punished by the devil through a disease where no one could touch him Moral of the story: God does what God wants and it is beyond human understanding Wisdom cannot be found and we have no answer to suffering Good comes to those who persevere and wait; the wicked are punished (similar to Proverbs)

167 BCE

Beginning of Maccabean revolt

Proverbs

Book heavy focus on practical wisdom (NO Zion, Torah) Attributed to Solomon as author Wickedness leads to perdition; those who are righteousness will be blessed

333/2 BCE

Conquest of Alexander the Great

Ecclesiastes (Qohelet)

Contradicts Proverbs by insinuating that the wicked get away with everything and the righteous may suffer (wisdom is available but does not matter too much) Death always wins regardless of wisdom, so enjoy life while you can

Nehemiah

Cup barterer of Atraxerex I (lived during second temple under the rule of Persia) focuses on Sabbath, no intermarriage, and Temple tithes (big on rebuilding walls of city)

Solomon

David's son; known for wisdom and wealth; created the Temple; ends up becoming a idolator because he had 700 foreign wives and 300 concubines which lead him to idol worship

587/6 BCE

Destruction of Judah/Jerusalem and exile

Song of Songs/Solomon

Does not include the Torah or God Very erotic-type poetry; uses a lot of Persian and greek words

597 BCE

First wave of exile from Judah to Babylon

Minor Prophets

Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Theodicy

If God is just and holy and good, then how do evil and misery exist?; an explanation of suffering in light of God's justice and benevolence

Exile

Occurs in 586 BCE when Nebuchadnezzar captures Jerusalem, destroys the Temple, and brings Judah to Babylon; Persia becomes the world power and takes over Babylon, which ends the _______ in 539 BCE with Cyrus the Great; now, people are allowed to return back to Judah (now the Persian province of Yehud); Overall, this was punishment for disobedience by God

Depiction of the Kings of Israel and Judah in the Hebrew Bible

Kingdom of Israel: kingdom where all of its kings were depicted as evil rulers Kingdom of Judah: kingdom where there was a handful of decent rulers, as well as bad rulers

King Josiah

Last "good king" whose reign in Judah began at age 8 (641 - 609 BCE) big reformer (Deuteronomistic Law) Did right in the eyes of the Lord and did good like his father David

Psalms

Made up of five books A loose collection of liturgical poetry attributed to numerous authors (David, Solomon, Korahites, Moses, e.t.c) Theology of the book includes humans = mortals that are vulnerable and fragile; God = divine and merciful as well as vengeance Talks a lot about Zion (Jerusalem) - Psalms of Laments - Psalms of Thanksgiving - Royal Psalms - Psalms of Ascent

Isaiah

Major (Judean) prophet His book is written throughout the 8th (Assyria), 6th (Babylon) and 5th (Persia) century While Judah is under threat from Assyria, Israel and Aram, he tells King Ahaz that "God is with us" not to worry Judah is safe Deals with King Hezekiah and siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in 701 BCE Uses "good vs. bad vineyard metaphor to compare Judah and Israel due to social injustice" Spends 3 years in the nude

The Syro-Ephraimite War

Major military conflict; King Ahaz (Judah) vs. King Pekah (Israel); Aram and Israel (north) want Judah to join them in order to fight the Assyrians, so Aram and Israel threaten Judah; Isaiah the prophet tells Ahaz that Judah is safe and gives Ahaz a sign

King Ahab

Marries Jezabel (bad Phoenician princess) reigned during the time of Elisha (9th century) portrayed as worst of the worst: BAD KING (worship of Baal)

Mesha Steele

Moabite stone Tells story of how Moabite god (Chemosh) got angry at them and let Israel subjugate them. However, after a while he returns and helps them overcome Israel and regain lands

Ruth

Moabite who marries an Israeli man; her grandson is King David (symbolizing that Jews are not defined by lineage but by obedience to God) Main goal is to respond to Post-exilic reform (against prophets who condemned marrying foreign women aka. Ezra and Nehemiah

Elijah

Not a classical prophet (but seen as representative of Hebrew prophets) lived during the 9th century (Northern Kingdom of Israel) Killed 450 prophets of Baal; famine; taken up into heaven

539 BCE

Return of Jews from exile

Hezekiah Seal

Seal made in est. 700 BCE (kingdom of Judah) Proved that Kingdom of Judah was perhaps as big and powerful as the Hebrew Bible says

Daniel

Set in 6th century Babylon (during reign of Nebuchadnezzar) (only) apocalyptic not "prophetic" book in the Hebrew Bible Text for the gentile with Jewish tradition

Daniel

Set in 6th century Babylon (during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar) (only) apocalyptic not "prophetic" book in the Hebrew Bible Text for the gentile with Jewish tradition -court tales -apocalyptic visions

Destruction of the Temple

Solomon's temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II after the siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE

Rehoboam

Son of Solomon becomes first king of Judah when his father's kingdom divided in 932 BCE ^ first king of the Souther Kingdom (Judah)

734 BCE

Syro-Ephraimite War

Esther

Tells narrative of Hebrew women who wins contest in Judah (during Persian rule) to replace the queen Saves her people from wrath of King and her uncle becomes very powerful individual in Persian empire Book does not mention God

Cyrus the Great

The Persian ruler who ends the exile of the Jews and allows them to return to Judah (Yehud)

Monotheism

The belief in the existence of only one, universal God (not monolatry or henotheism)

I and II Kings

The books from the reign of Solomon to the catastrophic division of Israel into northern and southern factions; destruction of northern kingdom by Assyria; destruction of southern kingdom by Babylon

Northern Kingdom (Israel)

The kingdom with Jeroboam as king (10 tribes); lasts from 930 BCE - 722 BCE (Assyrians); ruled by many dynasties (family lines); had all bad kings

Southern Kingdom (Judah)

The kingdom with Rehoboam as king (2 tribes); lasts from 930 BCE - 586 BCE (Babylon); ruled only by the Davidic line; some really good kings (Asa, Josiah, Hezekiah), some not (Mannasah)

Assyrian Empire

This empire sieges Jerusalem under Sennacherib III (destroys Israel)

Beginning of Babylonian exile

first in 597 BCE (first assault of Jerusalem) and removal of King Jehoiachin King Zedekiah along with other countries (Edom, Moab, Ammon) try to revolt but fail badly in 586 BCE

Cyrus Cylinder

from est. 539 BCE (return of exile) artifact declaraing from Cyrus in cuneiform script found in Babylon

Jeroboam

labor overseer of Solomon becomes first king of Judah when his father's kingdom divided in 932 BCE ^ first king of the Northern Kingdom (Israel)

Jeremiah

lived during Babylonian period (586 exile) prophet during first exile (597 BCE) and Zedekiah as last king "weeping prophet" and "it's too late mentality" "because you (Judah) does not listen you are finished" shaved and got haircut (implying end) wears a yoke to symbolize slavery of Jews to Babylon punishment is not forever, once served God's people will return

Haggai

post exile prophet (520 BCE 2nd year of Darius) big on reconstruction of the temple from its shambles lived during the reign of Zerubbabel (governor of Judah) and Jeshua (high priest)

Ezra

priest and scribe from Persia (during Cyrus decree) goal is to reestablish proper worship of God in the second temple against priestly marriage of a foreign women

Ezra

priest and scribe from Persia (during Cyrus decree) goal is to reestablish proper worship of God in the second temple against priestly marriages of foreign women (intermarrying), solution was divorcing foreign wives

Ezekiel

prophet and priest during exile of Jews to Babylon book is written in chronological order (unlike the two other major prophets) vision of four living creatures and eats book of Lamentations and doom makes bread with whatever is left over feces (symbolizing hunger Jerusalem will experience during siege) cuts his hair and scatters it (symbolizing the scatter of Jews across the world) dry bones back to life (restoration of Judah) believes Jerusalem is exiled and destroyed because of idolatry and impurity abominations in the temple (priestly understandings)

Persian Government

way more relaxed with Yehud/Judah (let native people return and rule themselves; more autonomy to native people" let people govern themselves according to their personal religious beliefs and customs

Kurkh Monolith

(853 BCE) This artifact describes the Battle of Qarqar between Assyrian (Shalmaneser III) and various smaller nations

Bad rulers:

- Manasseh - Ahab - Jeroboam lifted altars for other gods, as well as sacrificed to other gods in the Temple

Good rulers of Judah:

-Hezekiah -Asa -Josiah lifted altars of other gods as well as sacrificed to other gods in the Temple

Alexander the Great

333/332 BCE: This leader had a conquest (defeated Darius III, captured many places, spread hellenism) - Spread Greek culture (hellenization) - Conquered the Persian Empire

1st Isaiah

A book in the Bible about the Assyrian period and includes the Syro-Ephraimite War; named after a prophet

2nd Isaiah

A book in the Bible by a prophet; End of Babylonian period; includes Cyrus and the beginning of the return from exile

Deuteronomistic Theology

A modern theoretical construct holding that behind the present forms of the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings (the Former Prophets in the Hebrew canon) there was a single literary work

King Hezekiah

A national hero king; possible the "Immanuel"; Deuteronomistic king (good guy) who destroys high places; his reign was during the siege of Jerusalem

Persian Empire

Empire during Cyrus the Great's reign; turns Judah into a providence called Yehud; becomes a world power and takes over Babylon, leading to the end of the exile by Cyrus the Great let people govern themselves according to their religious beliefs and customs

Davidic Monarchy

Established during David's reign the establishment of Israel as a monarchy influence: royal ideology (a cluster of concepts that both derived from and supported and shaped the institution of the monarchy) it is a relationship between God and the king (creation of the Davidic covenant = if your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, then their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne)

Hellenization

Greeks conquer Persia 4th century and expand their culture (lead by Alexander the Great) Spread of ancient Greek culture and, to a lesser extent, language, over foreign peoples conquered by Greeks or brought into their sphere of influence

Three major prophets

Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel

Baruch Seal

Jeremiah 34:4 "To Berekyahu, son of Neriyahu, the scribe"

Nebudchadnezzar

King of Babylon; 586 BCE = he captures Jerusalem, destroys the Temple, and brings Judah to Babylon

Jonah

Prophet that is sent to Assyrian capital by God, and tell them to repent (they actually repent) In his book God is seen caring for the Assyrians (unlike Deuteronomistic history where they are seen as evil)

Wisdom Literatures ??

Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes Proverbs: -God is the creator of the universe (monotheism) - God's creation is well-ordered; He made the world to function in a certain way - Act-Consequence Chain - God is in absolute control - The physical world and the way it works directly reflects how the heavenly world works (empirical knowledge) Job: () Ecclesiastes: - There is no pleasure after death, so the present life is to be enjoyed to the fullest - No reward or punishment after death; death is a universal end - The system of rewards and punishments by God is restricted to life on Earth

Messages Daniel and Esther have for Jews living under foreign rule

To the jews: Be faithful to the king but success is from God; promote hope in a bleak situation

Call Narrative

When God calls a person for special duties and sets him apart for sacred work

1000 BCE

When the kingdom (all 12 tribes) unified

932 BCE

When the kingdom divided into Judah/Israel

722 BCE**

When the kingdom of Israel fell

701 BCE

When the story of Sennacherib III and the seige of Jerusalem took place

Henotheism

Worship of a single god while not denying the existence or possible existence of other deities

Elisha

bold prophets that lived during the 9th century (Kingdom of Israel); not a classical prophet twice as many creative miracles as his mentor prophesided during the rebellion of Moabites against Israel

End of Babylonian exile

caused by overextended power (too much land) and political instability attacked by super power Persia (led by King Cyrus) in 538 BCE

Amos

classical and minor prophet lived in Northern Kingdom during 8th century while Assyrian power was rising and posed threat to Israel (also most prosperous economically and demographically time for Kingdom of Israel) prophesied fall of Israel would be caused by social injustice and abuse of the poor

Hosea

classical and minor prophet lived in Northern Kingdom during 8th century while Assyrian power was rising and posed threat to Israel (also most prosperous economically and demographically time for Kingdom of Israel) prophesied fall of Israel would be caused due to lack of proper worship to God

Difference in classical prophets and other prophetic figures

classical prophets include prophets whose oracles are in books named after the prophet themselves (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos) focused on producing social and moral change as well as aimed to ethics and morals warned of impending judgements from God