BIB101: INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE

RELIGION 1310: THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURESStudy Guide for Test #2

Dates that you should know: 922 BCE, 721 BCE, 621 BCE, 597 BCE, 587 BCE, 538 BCE, 515 BCE, 167 BCE, 164 BCE, 63 BCE, 4 BCE 922 BCE: Schism 721 BCE: Israel destroyed 621 BCE: discovered book of Law (Josiah) 597 BCE: Babylonians attacked (first dep) 587 BCE: Judah destroyed by Babylonia (destruction of the Temple) 538 BCE: Cyrus allows Judeans to return and rebuild Temple 515 BCE: Temple completed 167 BCE: Edict of Antiochus; Epiphanes prohibits keeping the Jewish Law 164 BCE: Rededication of Temple; Hannukah 63 BCE: Here come Romansconquest of Judea by PompeyDivided Kingdom and the Exile: The Great Schism (reasons, consequences), major characteristics of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, discovery of the book of the Law in the temple during Josiahs reign, the downfall of Israel (by Assyria) and the downfall of Judah (by Babylon), the exile The Great Schism: Reasons: Solomons death, people ask his son and successor Rehoboam to lighten the heavy burden of taxation and forced labor introduced by Solomon Consequences: 10 northern tribes withdrew from the monarchy and formed their own kingdom called Israel; the tribes of Judah and Benjamin form the smaller kingdom in the south called Judah with the capital in Jerusalem Characteristics of Kingdom of Israel: in the north; decentralized; didnt have a place to worship except for Dan and Bethel, leads to false idols; instable due to repeated overthrows of kings; capital: first shechem (Jeroboam) then Samaria; one of the best known Israelite kings was Ahab, who married Jezebel, who introduced the worship of Baal Characteristics of Kingdom of Judah: relative stability bc of Davidic dynasty; most of the kings were positively presented by the Deuteronomistic historians bc they reinforced the centralization of worship in Jerusalem; the highest marks given to kings Hezekiah and Josiah Discovery of the book of Law: prophetess Huldah certified that a scroll discovered in the Temple was indeed the word of the Lord; Josiah heard this and began spiritual renewal and revived the faith in Yaweh Removed items of worship for pagan deities from Temple Destroyed sanctuaries at high places Reinstated celebration of the Passover Downfall of Israel (Assyria): Assyria invades-fall of Samaria (capital); deportation of 10 tribes to places in Syrian empire Downfall of Judah (Babylon): King Jehoiachin, Babylonians attacked Jerusalem; he was taken captive to Babylon with 10,000 Jews (first deportation); Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah as king, but he rebelled; Nebuchadnezzar took over Jerusalem and destroyed temple in 587 BCE; Zedekiahs eyes were taken out The Exile: Judah to BabylonReturn from the Exile: Cyrus of Persia, the first wave of returnees led by Zerubbabel, the second wave of returnees led by Ezra, the third wave of returnees led by Nehemiah, rebuilding the temple Cyrus of Persia: King that allows the people from the south (Judah) to return to Jerusalem to rebuild temple; allowed them to worship any deity they want; right to live wherever they want; financial resources for displaced people to return home First wave of returnees (zerubbabel): not everyone left bc they were happy or waiting to be financially stable to leave Second wave of returnees (Ezra): Third wave of returnees (Nehemiah): Rebuilding the temple: Samaritans wanted to help, but the Jews did not help from Samaritans, so they tattle taled to new king and stopped them from building temple; resumed when Hggai and Zechariah convinced Zerubbel and Jeshua to start working again; made appeal to new emperor Darius, who found Cyrus authorization and agreed; finished in 515 BCEEzra and Nehemiah: Ezras mission (public reading of the Torah, mass divorce of non-Judean wives), Nehemiahs mission (rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem) Ezras mission: distressed bc Judeans married foreign women-made them get divorces Public reading of Torah: free translations were models of future translations called Targums; Hebrew to Aramaic bc many Jews didnt understand classical Hebrew Mass divorce of Non-Judean wives: Nehemiahs mission: cup-bearer; distressed bc heard about miserable conditions in post-exilic community in Jerusalem Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem: persuaded Artaxerxes to send him back to rebuild the city; appointed governor of Judah in 445 BCE; Syrians and Samaritans=not happyThe Prophets of Ancient Israel: the task (role) of a prophet, different types of prophets, description of the prophetic office in Deuteronomy 18, significance of the Mosaic and Davidic covenants for Israel and Judah Task/role of a prophet: called by God to proclaim a message, charged with mission Different types of prophets: Seers Ecstatic: acting out prophetic visions Royal: members of court Classical literary: oracles were written down by pupils Cultic: associated with shrines and temple Sons of prophets: prophetic brotherhood/ prophet bands Description of the prophetic office in Deuteronomy 18: prophet serves as link between God and people; discerns Gods will; disobey prophet=disobey God; something the predict will happen happens, they are real Significance of the Mosaic covenant: For Israel: 10 commandments Significance of the Davidic covenant: For Judah: Davids reign last foreverAmos: biography, oracles against Israels nations, oracles against Israel, consolation and hope Biography: native of Judah, but preached in Israel Oracles against Israels nations: says all these bad things will happen to their neighbors, but saves Israel for the last cuz they will get punished the most; there is hope that God will forgive them Oracles against Israel: saves Israel for last Consolation and hope: Gods punishment is not the end of the storyHosea: his unhappy marriage and children as a metaphor for Yahwehs relationship to Israel Marries a hoe, Gomer, and have three kids; Jezreel=bloodshed, Lo-Ruhama= not pitied, Lo-Ammi=not my people; Gomer leaving Hosea represents Israel leaving God, but Hosea taking her back represents God taking back IsraelIsaiah: the structure of the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah of Jerusalem, second Isaiah, third Isaiah), significance of the Davidic covenant for Isaiahs prophecies, three historical settings in which Isaiah of Jerusalem delivered his prophecies (the Syro-Ephraimite War, Hezekiahs Temptation to ally Judah with Egypt, the Assyrian Invasion of Jerusalem), the message of Second Isaiah (the time of punishment is over, absolute monotheism, Gods foreknowledge, Gods transcendence, the concept of the suffering servant), the message of Third Isaiah Structure of Book of Isaiah: Isaiah of Jerusalem: biography of Isaiah Second Isaiah: anonymous prophet Third Isaiah: collection of oracles of various post-exilic prophets Significance of the Davidic covenant for Isaiahs prophecies: emphasizes Gods faithfulness to Davidic dynasty Three historical setting in which Isaiah of Jerusalem delivered his prophecies: Syro-Ephraimite War: kings of Syria and Israel wanted to force the king of Judah, Ahaz, to join them to resist Assyria; Isaiah suggested they just trust God; Isaiah says the birth of Emmanuel will be Gods sign; Ahaz negotiates with Assyra, begging aid and Judah becomes Assyrias voluntary vessel Hezekias Temptation to ally Judah with Egypt: Isaiah says to ally with Egypt, but trust God; Hezekiah followed, but then joined Egypt in anti-Assyrian alliance Assyrian Invasion of Jerusalem: Assyrian king retaliated and led siege to Jersalem; Hezekiah asks Isaiah for advice and he says trust God; Assyrian army withdrew Message of Second Isaiah: message of hope to people in exile Time of punishment is over: Cyrus comes and saves them all Absolute monotheism: mocks other gods Gods foreknowledge: Gods transcendence: we are separated from Him, and He is greater than us, but He still loves us and is there for us Concept of the suffering servant: we are His servant Message of Third Isaiah: message of Jews who returned from exile to Judah; maintain social justice, stay away from idols; including foreigners into the covenant community; visions of new heavens and a new earthJeremiah: biography, his message for his contemporaries (surrender to the Babylonians), his message that goes beyond history (God can be worshipped everywhere, the concept of the new covenant, individual responsibility) Biography: Prophet of Doom (627-587 BCE) Was an unwilling prophet: protested his youth at the time of his call (1:1-10) Was without friends and alone much of the time Was forbidden by God to get married Was active until the fall of Jerusalem (587 BCE) Participated in Josiah's reforms Was disappointed with the artificiality of the reforms (social injustice, idolatry, etc. see Jer 3:6-10; 5:26-29) After first deportation to Babylon, Jeremiah contradicted the prophet Hananiah who falsely promised deliverance Symbolic: he paraded around Jerusalem, first in a wood yoke and then in an iron yoke Accused for treason and thrown into a muddy well to die-saved by a servant Message for his contemporaries: Redefined Davidic covenant in terms of Mosaic covenant: God will keep his promises to David if people keep commandments of Torah People did not keep Gods commandments, so Babylon will become Gods instrument to punish Judah Destruction is inevitable, so must surrender to Babylonians Advised this to all Judean kings, especially Jehoiakim and Zedekiah Message was usually rejected and regarded as betrayal to his country Had secret interview with Zedekiah and advised him that Jerusalem should give up Zedekiah refused and suffered terrible consequences: sons were killed, Jersualem was burned, he and other Judeans were taken to captivity Jeremiah had policy of submission, but Zedekiah refused, and presumably died in Egypt Message that goes beyond history God can be worshipped everywhere: Gods presence doesnt depend on outward signs such as temple-can be found everywhere Concept of new covenant: inscribed on human hearts; wont need to tell each other to know the lord because they will all already know bc it is within them; God says Israel will be like his children unless the whole natural order falls apart Individual responsibility: everything cannot be blamed on the sins of the fathers; people will bear the consequences of their own behavior

Ezekiel: biography (Babylonian exile), mystical visions, symbolic actions, the message of hope Biography: Priest/prophet who was taken to Babylon during the first deportation (596 BCE) Strange and unusual visions Winged animals of human form, blazing chariots, sapphire throne, Yahwehs glory, etc. Became a source of mystical speculations Claimed access to Jerusalem by vision and seemed well informed about the situation there Prophesied the impending situation there Claimed that Yahweh abandoned Jerusalem and that Gods glory left the Temple Mystical visions: Very concerned about the violation of the holiness of Jerusalem temple by the way of idolatry Prophecies often reflect the great trauma of the exilic crisis and likely for that reason are often extreme prophecies an hard to interpret Most famous vision is the vision of the valley of dry bones, which envisions a new life for Israel Symbolic actions: Ate a scroll Lay on one side for 390 days and the other for 40 days Shaved his head and beard and burnt his hair Cooked meat in rusty pot Did not mourn the death of his wife Message of hope: Judgment of struck, and his message of doom becomes the message of hope Valley of dry bones symbolizes the restoration of the nation Prophesied that Jerusalem will be rebuilt and Gods glory will return to it Emphasized individual responsibility, like JeremiahJonah: the narrative, Jonahs narrow understanding of Gods mercy vs. Gods universal compassion The narrative: Post-exilic; humorous story with only one oracle YHWH calls Jonah to deliver to Nineveh, a message calling for repentance; Jonah flees from this task and ends up overboard where he is thrown upon land by a great fish so that he has another opportunity to go to Nineveh; preaches five words and all of Nineveh repents; Jonah responds with hostility, for he represents a Jewish attitude that God will care for the Jews and wipe out their enemies; message: God does not support exclusivist tendencies in early Judaism, but is concerned about all of creation Conversation btwn Jonah and God Jonah: O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." G: God: Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?" J: Yes, angry enough to die. G: You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?" Jonahs narrow understanding of Gods mercy vs. Gods universal compassion Ironic bc everyone in the book is more devour than the self-righteous prophet Jonahs narrow view of divine justice is contrasted with Yahwehs universality and compassion God extends his mercy to all who repent, even if they are the worst of enemies Jonah is the archetype of hypocritical and egotistic persons who think that God loves only them and that everyone else should be punishedIsraels Wisdom Literature: characteristics of OT wisdom, practical and speculative wisdom, major characteristics of the Book of Proverbs, the theme, plot, and message of the Book of Job (suffering of the innocent, Gods incomprehensibility, Gods restoration of Jobs fortunes at the end of the book), the message of Ecclesiastes (the experience of lifes futility, denial of afterlife) Characteristics of OT Wisdom: International character- not unique to Israel Based on common sense and observations of the natural world (natural law) Does not refer to Gods revelation in history but to Gods revelation in nature Presupposes Gods guidance of this world (this is not a secular wisdom) Derives from observation or experience; reflects on the business of daily living, such as eating and speaking Connected with morality and justice; about living the good, moral life as developed in practical affairs and relationships God is the source of wisdom Practical and speculative wisdom: Practical: Proverbs; articulates traditional generalizations about life Speculative (theological inquiry about the nature of God): Job and Ecclesiastes Major characteristics of Book of Proverbs Blessings of Wisdom-focus on humility, hard work, honesty, following God; speculate about the meaning of life and the question traditional perspectives Life that is promised is not life after death, but a long and fulfilling life on earth Those who ignore wisdom will be lost, confused, and hopeless Everyone is either wise or foolish-there is no middle ground There is a clear deed-consequence scheme: every action has an appropriate consequence Many proverbs do not mention God; however, many of them are tied to the belief that God generally rewards goodness and punishes evil Message of book of Job: Plot: Job=upright and godly person; he is not an Israelite, but a native of Uz: he has universal significance Gods council in heaven: Satan questions Jobs loyalty and God accepts the challenge Job experiences loss after loss, but continues to trust God Sabeans fell on his oxen and donkeys and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword Sons and daughters were eating and a great wind came and caused the house to fall killing them all Fire of God fell from heaven and burned the sheeps and servants Sores cover his body Job refuses the advice of his wife to forsake God and resolves to embrace the life in misery as a gift of God Jobs three friends heard his troubles and came to him-Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar- they console Job Did not recognize Job; sat with him for seven days and seven days-no one spoke a word to him Job is troubled by the chaos in the universe and curses the day he is born; tormented by Gods presence and accuses God for not living up to the Lords own moral law Jobs friends advocate the well-established religion and conventional wisdom-Jobs misery must be the result of some unknown sin Elihu speaks up and became angry because Job because he justified himself rather than God; also became angry at Jobs friends because they had found no answer, but declared Job to be in the wrong God refuses to directly answer Jobs questions; so he reveals the majesty of His universe and emphasizes the enormous distance between God and humanity The God from the whirlwind refuses to be domesticated; job has to live in the world in which nothing is finally settled, in which the forces of chaos still prevail God restores the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends and He gave him twice as much as he had before; then came is brothers and sisters and those who loved him before and showed him compassion; each gave him a piece of money and a gold ring Suffering of innocent: If God is intrinsically good and omnipotent, why do innocent suffer? Position of Jobs friends Job is not innocent His suffering is the result of his sinfulness with this, they avoid the dilemma posed by the suffering of the innocent Jobs position He maintains his innocence Preserves the inner integritiy of a righteous person, which does not allow him to falsely confess sin in order to justify Gods actions Gods incomprehensibility: We do not know why there is so much evil in the world, but we are nevertheless to trust God and have patience Suffering may be a test of ones faith and fidelity If you keep your faith throughout the time of suffering, you will ultimately be rewarded Gods restoration of Jobs fortunes: Job never denounced God, so he rewarded him with his fortunes and gave him twice as much as what he used to have Theme: the suffering of an innocent man who questions the nature of God who permits evil; addresses the discrepancy between faith (our understanding of God) and actual experience; Job challenges the thesis found in deuteronomistic history and prophetic books that God protects and rewards the righteous, and that suffering is the result of sin Message of Ecclesiastes: Experience of lifes futility Life is an endless circle of natural processes-there are no real changes or improvements All things that are commonly believed to bring fulfillment in life are vanity and have no meaning whatsoever Denial of afterlife: We all must die, and leave everything we have achieved to someone else Death is the absolute end of someones life; there is no afterlife God only reinforces natural laws, but He does not give meaning to human lives Life is irrational and too complex for absolute certainties Take life as it comesPsalms: content the Psalter, superscriptions, parallelism (synonymous, antithetic, stair-step parallelism), the time of the composition, types of psalms (lament, praise, royal psalms, wisdom psalms), theological themes in the Psalter Content of the Psalter: Refers to a song performed to the accompaniment of stringed instruments Collection of psalms that express Israels faith and encourages them to remain loyal to Yahweh Can also be found in exodus and Jonah Superscriptions: 116 of 150 have descriptions written above the text these were prob not the original, but were added later give us clues about how ancient Israelites interpreted the psalms function: mark collections ex: A Psalm of Asaph give musical instructions with stringed instruments make historical connections ex: to the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone to Bathsheba Parallelism: Synonymous: second line enhances the thought of the first line What are human beings that you are mindful of them,Mortals that you care for them? Antithetic: second line contrasts with the first line for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked will perish. Stair-step parallelism: second line takes the thought of the first line a step further for the LORD is a great God,and a great King above all gods Poetic rhythm (IDK IF WE NEED TO KNOW THESE) Not a uniform meter, but some kind of rhythm Acrostic structure Psalm 119 has 22 stanzas, one stanza for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet; each stanza has 8 verses that all begin with that letter Time of the composition: Pre-exilic?- some psalms talks about the Temple and making sacrifices; this leads some to believe they originated in cultic worship Post-exilic?- some psalms seem to refer to the exile or the destruction of Jerusalem Psalms were prob written at different times throughout Israels history and preserved in collections, and later in books; the final form of the Psalter as we know it was not set until sometime in the 1st century BCE or 1st century CE Language is very general and can be applied to many different situations and time periods Types of psalms: Lament: reflect the experience of Gods absence Structure: Invocation: How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? Complaint: How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Petition: Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed"; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. Conclusion: But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Can be individual or communal Individual: could be from the perspective of a sick person, someone who has been falsely accused, someone who is in trouble Communal: could be from the people after a military defeat or during a famine or other Praise: reflect the experience of Gods presence; praise Gods character and saving actions throughout history Structure: Introduction: Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! Reasons for praising: For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Conclusion: Praise the LORD! Almost all psalms have some kind of expression of trust in God or hope for the future at the end of the lament Movement from lament to praise in the lament psalms has also been noticed in the Psalter as a whole In the first books of the Psalter, we have more lament psalms, while later in the psalter, they are still there, but there are fewer psalms of lament and more psalms of praise Psalms of Thanksgiving Introduction: I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. Narrative: By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 8 To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication: 9 "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper! 11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, Conclusion: so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Royal psalms: have to do with different settings in the life of the Jerusalem King The king was seen as a channel of Gods blessing and justice for the people, and the Royal psalms pray that the king will achieve this When the Psalter was canonized, there was no Davidic king in Jerusalem, so these were prob interpreted as the communitys hope for the future Later Christian interpreters often use these psalms to describe Jesus as king Wisdom psalms: seek to pass on instruction for living Characteristic forms: the better saying, the blessed/happy saying, the warning Theological themes in Psalter: Honest dialogue of faith In praise and pain- how to talk to God in the midst of life, instruction for the journey of faith The providence and reign of god In creation and in Israels history, God provides and rescues his people Worship Emphasizes prophetic view that worship is related to ethical living Hope A theme in both praises and laments Justice Cries for vengeance are really cries for justice-the psalmists trust (and sometimes demand) that God will set things rightThe Song of Songs: literal vs. allegorical interpretation, theological motifs, wasf, the megillot Literal v. allegorical interpretation: Made many ancient readers uncomfortable, it was frequently interpreted as an allegory (in Jewish circles) of Gods love for Israel or (in Christian circles) as an allegory of Christs love for the Church Literal: the female lover vs. male lover and their beauty Theological motifs: Celebrate love btwn man and a woman as expression of Gods intention for creation Physical expression of love is characterized by mutuality and caring often missing in erotic literature There is neither shame nor domination of one lover over the other This poetry implicitly rejects the notion that spirituality is found in denying our physical nature Wasf: a poem or section of a poem that describes human body through a series of metaphors (many of them are agricultural images) Megillot: festival scrolls; arranged in order as mentioned in Hebrew Bible Song of songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther Song of songs is recited during Jewish PassoverBetween the Testaments: Alexander the Great, Hellenization, the edict of Antiochus Epiphanes, the building of gymnasium in Jerusalem, the erection of the altar to Zeus in the temple, the Maccabean revolt (Hasidim + the Maccabeans), the rededication of the Temple and Hanukkah, the Hasmonean period, conquest of Judea by Pompey, Herod the Great Alexander the great: (356-323 BCE); convinced that Greek culture was superior to all others Hellenization: making it Greek Antiochus Epiphanes IV: development of a new fraction of Hellenizing Edict of Antiochus Epiphanes (167 BCE): Prohibited keeping the Jewish Law Commanded the Hellenistic type of life (eating pork, making pagan sacrifices) Erected the altar to Zeus in the Temple Consequences: beginning of persecution; Maccabean revolt Building of gymnasium in Jerusalem: Antiochus Ephphanes, son of Antiochus the king-was a hostage in Rome Lawless men came forth from Israel and misled the people by saying, let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since we separated from them many evils have come upon us The people were pleased and went to the King and he allowed them to observe the ordinacnes of the Gentiles; built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, which removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant; joined with Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil Erection of the altar to Zeus in the temple: Maccabean revolt: led by Judas for religious freedom and took idols and rededicated temple Rededication of the Temple and Hanukkah: Hasmonean period: Conquest of Judea by Pompey:The Book of Daniel: apocalyptic literature, dreams and visions as means of divine revelation, belief in the resurrection of the dead Apocalyptic literature: Revelatory literature: uncovering or revealing the future Means of revelation: dreams and visions Historical context: time of real or perceived crisis Message: the faithful should endure the evils of the current age because God is in control of history Plot: Daniel and his friends are taken into Babylonian exile, but still uphold Jewish dietary laws Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar his dream and its interpretation Recue of Daniels friends from fiery furnace Judgment on Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar Daniels deliverance from the lions den Dreams and visions as means of divine revelation: Reveals that God has the power to save those who maintain faithfulness, even if Gods people are suffering now Belief in the resurrection of the dead: I DONT THINK WE COVERED THIS???