OT second half

Why does Ezra go to Jerusalem, and what does he discover when he gets there?

--Ezra went to Jerusalem when the new Persian King was backing down. He was given official sanction to teach the law and appoint magistrates in Judah, to offer sacrifices and to beautify the Temple.....he wrote scribes and from this time and on the Israelites would be known as Jews

What does the book of Ezra say about the problem of intermarriage with foreigners? 2

--You should not be unequally yoked --The issue is idolatry

discuss two of the following: fiery furnace

--certain Jews were not serving the idols of Nebuchadnezzar and so he said that if they do not worship them, they would be cast into a burning fiery furnace...the Jews stated that the God whom they serve is able to deliver them from the fiery furnance and that he will deliver them out of NEbuchadnezzars hand. As Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the fire, after a while, he called them out, and they walked out, the fire had no power over the bodies of the men. Nebuchadezzar then said "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Mescach, and Abednego who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him.

What are the problems he discovers when he arrives

--problems: the living conditions, the enemy created opposition, but they still built

list the important events of Ezra:

--starts by listing those who returned back to Judah --They are originally opposed for building the temple --Ch. 6: 14 the temple is done

message of Zechariah is divided into two sections:

-1:1-8:23 -9:1-14:21

List two different types of Psalms and explain how they are different.

-Hymns of Praise, -Individual laments.... The main difference are the content of the psalms and the way they are designed to be interpreted.

Ezra was what 3 things:

-priest -scribe -great leader

Compare and contrast the military policies for dealing with conquered peoples of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Persians. Discuss how these policies impacted the course of biblical history.

...?

How did its governmental policies differ from those of Babylon and why was this important for the Jews?

...?

why parallelism in the psalms? 2

1) It makes it unforgettable by giving truth 2) Although meter is lost, logical explanation is maintained

types of parallelism: 4

1) Synonymous 78:1 2) Antithetic 1:6 3) Stairstep (climactic) 29:1 4) Number Amos 1-3

at least 13 superscriptions in the psalms are found before ________ of the pslams (more than 2/3) and have been preserved in outmost ancient ______________

116, manuscripts

_____ different poems in the psalms

150

Third wave of the return from exile under Nehemiah

444 BCE

Second Wave of the return from the exile under Ezra

458 BCE

the psalms are grouped into ___ books corresponding to the _____ books of the ____________

5, 5, Pentateuch

Temple rebuilt in

516 BCE

End of exile by decree of Cyrus

538 BCE

First wave of the return from exile under Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel

538 BCE

The Persian Empire

539-331 BCE

Fall of Jerusalem

586 BCE

three phases of the Return from Babylon:

598, 586, 582 are the major dates of the exile; three phases

The Babylonian Empire

612-539 BCE

selah occurs ____ times in the Psalter, three times in __________ but nowhere else in the Bible

71, Habakkuk

Destruction of Israel

722 BCE

The Syro-Ephraimite War

734 BCE

Assyrian Hegemony:

900-600 BCE

Discuss the Persian empire. Who were some of its main leaders (including dates)?

?? Of all of the human empires that affected the people of Israel, the Persians did something rather unique - they permitted the return of the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, by God's command (see above verses), 70 years after their exile by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar.

prophet from 760-745

Amos

What is Apocalyptic Literature? List several important characteristics and discuss how this medium was an effective literary technique under oppressive regimes. of apocalyptic literature

Apocalyptic Literature is "revelation" literature. It is ironic because no one understands it unless you know the code. It expressed hoe to a disenfranchised people, an opportunity for them to express what was going on around them anonymously during oppression.

Zechariahs new visions They could only be comprehended by those who knew what the prophet was talking about. What is this new-type of prophetic language called?

Apocalyptic language—coded language that is not understandable due to symbols and cracking the code.

In what way does Job question the assumptions of Proverbs, and how is his problem answered?

Because Job experienced much suffering, God doesn't answer Jobs questions but He does answer the need of his heart..... --prosperity signifies divine nearness, but adversity indicates God's distance (nearness and distance relate to favor and displeasure)

What is the main issue for this prophet?

Building the temple and assuming priestly duties

Where is Ezra located in the Catholic/Protestant Bibles, and in the Hebrew Bible?

Catholic/ Protestant: Following Chronicles, before Job ; Hebrew: in the 3rd section

the decree of ______ is recorded in Ezra

Cyrus

What is "disinterested righteousness" and why is it an important concept to understanding Job?

Disinterested righteousness is the process of acting righteously for selfish motives because you think that the Lord will rewards your prosperity. This is suggested by Satan in Job, which is disproven by the Lord when Job remains faithful during adversity.

In what way does Ecclesiastes question the assumptions of Proverbs, and what is this book's answer to the problem?

Ecclesiastes questions the assumption of Proverbs by asking the "why's" of human life, such as the meaning of life and the finality of death. The answer to this problems is "enjoy what God gives now", "fear God" and that God is not responsible for explaining himself.

phase 2:

Ezra 458 BCE A much larger group What festival was reinstated during this time? passover The story of Esther occurred between phases two and three (ca. 480). What is Purim?

Why does Nehemiah go to Jerusalem?

Goes to rebuild the walls of the city and after he does this he goes back to his Persian king

context of Zechariah... he was a contemporary of ________

Haggai

What other books does tradition tell us Ezra wrote?

He also is believed to have lead a council of 120 men who began the process of determining the limits of the OT canon.

what does Zechariah have to say about the new emphasis found in Jeremiah and Ezekiel on individual relationship with God and covenant responsibility?

He expresses the importance of covenant community relationships. That Babylon be destroyed, God restore Jerusalem through visions. Visions are much more symbolic

in Psalms, What is Hebrew Parallelism and why is it important to studying biblical poetry?

Hebrew parallelism is like an echo (ex: dealt with us-according to- our sins.....treated us-according to- our iniquities) It makes it unforgettable by giving truth. Although meter is lost, logical explanation is maintained.

prophet from 745-722

Hosea

prophet from 742-701

Isaiah

Belshazzar

Mene Mene tekel upharsin... foretelling the fall of babylon

phase 3:

Nehemiah 444 BCE Ezra's job was to rebuild Judaism in the land after they've been in exile for a couple years Nehemiah: rebuilds the walls What was his main reason for returning to Israel? To rebuild the walls Malachi ministered (perhaps returning with phase 2).

How does the question of foreign wives in both Ezra and Nehemiah fit into the context of post-exilic debates over foreigners?

Nehemiah had to deal with problems arising from marriages with foreign women. A major concern of his was the fact that the children of these marriages could no longer speak the language of Judah. Nehemiah ordered an end to further intermarriage, but he did not go as far as Ezra who demanded divorce from foreign wives.

Zechariah ministered from _________ ___ - __________ ___

November 520, December 518

Discuss biblical Wisdom Literature

Proverbs is one of the three biblical books including wisdom literature. Widsom literature gives us a panoramic description of the changing scenes of life.

other smaller collections of Psalms:

Psalms of Korah (42-49), Psalms of Asaph (73-83), Songs of Ascent (120-135), and two "Alleluia" collections (113-118, 146-150).

What books are considered to be Wisdom books:

Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon

phase 1:

Sheshbazzar (appointed governor of Judah) and Zerubbabel (one of Jehoiachin's sons) 538 BCE (the details of this return trip are not without dispute). Haggai and Zechariah minister during this time (both ca. 520 BCE) Zerubbabel's main goal was to rebuild the Temple completed In 516 (the temple Jesus walked through)

the hebrew word for Psalms is _________ meaning "______"

Tehillim, praises

Briefly discuss the Deuteronomistic History

The Deuteronomistic History (DH) is 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

What are the problems that the Jews encounter in the book of Ezra during the first two waves of the return? Why does Ezra go to Jerusalem and what does he discover when he gets there.

The Jews face multiple problems when they returned to Israel, where met with hostility from the local people. They also were threatened with idolatry because they intermarried. They were no longer a homogenous culture, they were mixed with Babylonian culture. Ezra returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Ezra discovers the intermarrying of the Jews.

Cyrus Cylinder

The text on the Cylinder praises Cyrus, sets out his genealogy and portrays him as a king from a line of kings.

Discuss Zechariah's use of apocalyptic language and imagery. Why is this something new and different from earlier prophecies?

This is different because apocalyptic language can only be interpreted by people who know what the prophet is talking about, in context. This type of language creates an emotional response, and helps the reader to better understand things that are complicated.

the return in Ezra was lead by:

Zerubbabel

what does Zechariah say about Zion:

Zion is Jerusalem --Ch. 8 20 there are Jews dispersed, and some turn back home but many decide not to, they form independent groups wherever they are at

Zechariah 9:1-14:21 are his messages:

after completing the temple

why is Ezra called the father of Judaism?

because he was the impetus behind establishing which books would be considered sacred and therefore canonical and because of his part in establishing the religious life and practice of Israel after the exile

Zechariah 1:1-8:23 are his messages given while:

building the temple

poetry=

compressed language

example of parallelism:

dealt with us - according to - our sins treated us - according to - our iniquities

each book in the psalms ends with a _________

doxology

The book of Zechariah contains ______ separate visions dispersed throughout and everyone is far-reaching in its outlook (B 441).

eight

Zechariah was primarily a prophet of _____________ who tried to motivate people to work diligently on the ________

encouragement, temple

what is selah:

exclamation (in the Bible) occurring frequently at the end of a verse in Psalms and Habakkuk, probably as a musical direction.

list some of the recurring themes in proverbs:

family relationships, value of good friends and a loving wife, civic virtues (honesty, generosity, justice, and integrity), stewardship over wealth, prudence and planning for the future

Ezra is called the:

father of Judaism

Ezra's name means:

help --and his entire life was dedicated to helping his fellow Jews

Psalm 1 acts as an ___________ to the Psalter and Psalm 150 its formal _________

introduction, conclusion

His visions are much more _________ and _____________ than earlier prophetic language.

mystical, symbolic

traditionally Ezra wrote the biblical book with his ______

name

Amos and Hosea in the:

north

Ezra and Nehemiah were said to be:

one book originally

What are the problems he discovers when he arrives

opposition of the enemy , but they still built after 52 days

what is the primary structural element of Hebrew Poetry, for example (ps 103:10)

parallelism, like an echo

Ezra prophesied during the _____-_____ Israel

post-exilic

the book of Psalms is the ____________ of the ancient Israelites

prayerbook

differences between Haggai and Zechariah: Zechariah has a greater concentration on _________ matters than Haggai

priestly

nature of the Psalms:

psalms comes from the Septuagint

Ezra was a ______ in the ________ of Moses

scribe, torah

the temp was called the ________ temple, become ________

second, Herods

Isaiah and Micah in the:

south

Nevertheless, despite their supposedly public provenance, Psalms highlight a personal note including strong emotions and personal concerns causing great anguish or elation. It is in such times of _______ or ___________ that we can see most clearly into how the ancient Israelites perceived their God.

stress, jubilation

nabi means:

to declare

Zechariah also has far reaching _______ in the second half of the book

vision

what is "wisdom,"

wisdom is Holy, the discipline of applying truth to life in light of experience, skilled living, and the reasoned search for thoughtful ways to assure wellbeing and the implementation of those discoveries into daily life

below are notes from lyons lectures

yay...

categories of psalms:

• Hymns of Praise • Thanksgiving Hymns • Individual Laments • Community Laments • Enthronement Psalms • Wisdom Psalms • Trust Psalms • Royal Psalms • Songs of Zion • Imprecatory Psalms • Messianic Psalms