Old Testament
What is Ezra authorized by Persia to do?
1. Make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem 2. Carry the silver and gold that the king and his counselors freely offered 3. appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province
Sennacherib's Annals
Assyrian attack of Judah/Hezekiah
What does Mordecai refuse to do that makes Haman mad?
Bow down and pay homage to Haman
Observations regarding theological messages in this book:
God is not mentioned in this book, however, He is present and is working "behind the scenes"
What circumstances surrounded the splitting up of the United Kingdom under Rehoboam?
The people thought Rehoboam was weak so he made their work heavier
Main details of the covenant with David
1. David will have royal descendent 2. God will be a father to them 3. His royal "house" will endure forever
What was Ezra's policy on marriage?
- Preserve the purity of the Jewish religion - Do not marry the people of the Land
Who is Jeroboam? What did Jeroboam do that offended God?
-First king of Israel's northern tribe -Built two shrines resembling a cow, similar to Exodus with the cow statue
What aspects of Deuteronomy 17 did Solomon seem to ignore?
1. Women 2. Wealth 3. Horses
What were the 3 key stages of reconstruction in Ezra-Nehemiah
1. reconstruction of the temple 2. Ezra teaches the law of Moses 3. Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem
David's reign
1000 BC
What are 1-2 Kings called in the Septuagint?
3rd and 4th kings
Second Temple Built
515 BCE
Persia defeats Babylon
539 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem/Babylonian Captivity begins
586 BC
How much history (approx. in years) do the Historical Books cover?
700-1000 years
Assyria defeats Israel (northern 10 tribes)
722 BC
Elisha's request when Elijah is taken to heaven
A double portion of Elijah's spirit
How much time is covered in 1-2 kings?
About 400 years
Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
Depicts King Jehu bowing
Elijah's first encounter with a widow woman, which required great faith on her part
Elijah had her bring him a vessel of water and then bring him bread
How does this book introduce Esther and Mordecai as compromised and imperfect people through whom God is still able to work? Why would that be an important point at this stage in Israel's history?
Esther doesn't keep kosher, hides her Jewish identity, and participates in a beauty contest that involves sleeping with the judge. This is important for history because there were a lot of broken and compromised people at this time
How does the chiastic structure of 2 Samuel 21-24 underscore important themes in the book of Samuel?
Failure of Saul and the weakness of David; Failure of David, weakness of Saul
What major themes are struck in Hannah's Song (1 Samuel 2)? How are the features of Hannah's Song in 1 Samuel 2 reflected later in the events of the Book of Samuel
Humble trust in God= Strength. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn ofhis anointedd" (1 Samuel 2:10)
Hezekiah's Bulla
Impression of Hezekiah's seal, depicting the ankh symbol
Merneptah Stele
Israel is in the land in 1,200 BC
What did Jeremiah predict about a 70 years period?
Jeremiah said in 70 years Babylon would be defeated; they were by Persia
Tel-Dan inscription
Mentions the house of David
Moabite stone
Mesha's rebellion against Israel
What books are included in the Historical Books?
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 King, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
How does Judges end in a way that prepares for the books of Ruth and Samuel?
Judges end with a call for kingship and 1 Samuel answers with Israel's last judge who anoints the first king of Israel
Basic plot of Ruth
Naomi's husband (Elimelech) and two sons died. One duaghter-in-law went back to her family and the other one, Ruth a moabite, stayed with Naomi. Because Naomi is bitter, she changes her name to Mara. Ruth goes to Boaz's(happens to be related to Naomi) field and picks grain. Boaz finds out and is very generous (follows the Torah). Boaz marries Ruth and was loyal to Naomi's family.
Who is Samuel?
Plays a big role in the transition between biblical judges. Anoints David as King of IsraelA
How does Joshua problematize a simple "Us vs. Them" interpretation of Events - Looking at the story of Rahab and Achan, what makes you "In" or "out" in the book of Joshua
Rahab: a prostitute, hid two slaves on her roof so the king's men could not find them. She asked them to save her in the fight of Jericho Achan: Stole things from Jericho the Lord told them not to steal
Ruth's significance in Israel's larger history/ who is descended from Ruth and Boaz?
Ruth became Boaz's wife and bore him a son, Obed, who became the father of Jesse, the father of King David.
Origins/meaning of the word meshiach/messiah
The Hebrew meaning is anointed
In what was is the defat of Jericho an act of faith on the part of Israel
The Israelites were a lesser army but defeated Jericho by walking around the town and blowing their trumpets, which God told them to do
What creative use did Hezekiah make of toilets
To stop the use of Baal worships
What prophets are active in the time of building of the 2nd temple?
Zacheriah and Haggai
Who is Zerubbabel?
led captives/exiles back to Jerusalem
In what ways do the Greek additions to the book of Esther attempt to "fix" or "correct" perceived problems with the original book of Esther?
the Greek additions to Esther added a whole new religion perspective. In the Hebrew reading, God is not mentioned once, however in the Greek reading, we read the prayers of Mordecai and Esther. Because the people in this book are actively praying and we can read their prayer, God is more directly involved in this story. Another difference between the two readings is how faithful/religious Esther, Mordecai, and other people are. In the Hebrew reading, Esther mostly sins, however in the Greek reading Esther fasts and prays, allowing her to look and be seen as more religious. Also, in the Greek reading, Esther is unhappy, whereas it seems as though she is fine in the Hebrew reading. Her wretchedness in the Greek shows her remorse and her feelings of sin. One other difference in the readings is Mordecai's dream. In the Hebrew bible, we do not read one. In the other, Mordecai has a dream of two serpents fighting, which translates to God telling Mordecai about the two nations that will conflict against each other.
