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SMU OT 6301 - Study Guide

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Introduction (pp. 1-24)Questions for Review and Discussion1. How does the Protestant Old Testament differ from the Hebrew Bible?2. How does the Catholic Old Testament differ from the Protestant canon?3. What are Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Deuterocanonical books, and the Septuagint (LXX)?4. What are the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible?5. Why is the Greek translation important for the text of the Hebrew Bible?6. What new light has been shed on the formation of the Hebrew Bible by the Dead Sea Scrolls?7. According to the Bible’s own chronology, when did the Exodus take place?8. Why is the Bible’s own chronology regarded as problematic?9. According to modern scholars, when was the Torah or Pentateuch completed?10. When did the canon of the Hebrew Bible take shape?11. What is form criticism? redaction criticism?PART ONE: THE TORAH/PENTATEUCHChapter 1. The Near Eastern Context (pp. 25-46)Questions for Review and Discussion1. Who were the Sumerians?2. What is Akkadian? Ugaritic?3. For what was Hammurabi famous? When did he live?4. When were the Egyptian pyramids built?5. What are the Amarna letters?6. Who was Akhenaten? When did he live?7. Identify: Atrahasis, Tiamat, Enkidu, Utnapishtim.8. How does the myth Enuma Elish relate to the political order in the ancient Near East?9. What are the main episodes in the cycle of myths relating to the Canaanite god Baal? How might they be explained?10. In what ways did Egyptian accounts of creation differ from those of Mesopotamia?Chapter 2. The Nature of the Pentateuchal Narrative (pp. 47-65)Questions for Review and Discussion1. Why do scholars distinguish different sources in the Pentateuch?2. Identify some of the main stages in the development of the documentary hypothesis, up to the end of the nineteenth century.3. What evidence is there for a distinct E source in Genesis? In Exodus?4. What are the major identifying characteristics of the J source?5. What is the profile of the P source? Of D?6. What is the importance of the reform of King Josiah in 621 B.C.E. for dating the sources of the Pentateuch?7. What are some current criticisms of the documentary hypothesis?Chapter 3. Primeval History (Genesis 1–11) (pp. 67-82)Questions for Review and Discussion1. What are the main similarities and differences between the Atrahasis myth and Genesis 1–11?2. In what ways does the story of Gilgamesh shed light on the story of Adam and Eve?3. How should we understand the role of the serpent in the story of Adam and Eve?4. Does the story of Adam and Eve imply a doctrine of original sin? Does it imply that women should be subordinate to men?5. In what ways does the flood story in Genesis differ from other flood stories of the ancient Near East?6. What are the main differences between the Priestly account of creation in Genesis 1 and the Yahwist (J) account in Genesis 2–3?7. What are the main themes that run through the primeval history (Genesis 1–11) in the Yahwist source?Chapter 4. The Patriarchs (Genesis 12–50) (pp. 83-105)Questions for Review and Discussion1. What dates are implied for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the Bible’s internal chronology? Why are these dates problematic?2. Who were the Habiru? The Hyksos?3. What was the contribution of Hermann Gunkel to the understanding of the patriarchal stories?4. How does the religion of the patriarchs differ from the religion of Israel as it is described in later books such as Deuteronomy?5. Discuss the role of deception in the stories of Abraham and Jacob. How would you address the ethical problems presented by these stories?6. How would you address the ethical problem presented by the sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22?7. What purposes are served by the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38?8. What are the main themes in the Joseph story? What function does this story fill in the unfolding story of Israel?Chapter 5. The Exodus from Egypt (pp. 107-120)Questions for Review and Discussion1. What evidence is there for an exodus of Hebrews out of Egypt in the latter part of the second millennium B.C.E.?2. How does archaeological evidence support the biblical story of the Exodus, or put it in question?3. What is the genre of the narratives in Exodus 1–18? What are the problems in using them ashistorical sources?4. What are the oldest traditions that relate the God YHWH to Mount Sinai? What can we learn from them about the early religion of Israel?5. How do you understand the encounter between Moses and YHWH at the burning bush?6. How do you understand the story of the crossing of the sea? Can the poem in Exodus 15 be used as an historical source?7. Why is YHWH portrayed as a warrior in early biblical texts?8. What are the main Priestly additions to the narrative in Exodus 1–18?Chapter 6. The Revelation at Sinai (pp. 121-138)Questions for Review and Discussion1. Why are Hittite treaties important for understanding the Mosaic covenant?2. How do you understand the development of monotheism in Israel? What evidence is there for the worship of the goddess Asherah?3. What is the difference between apodictic and casuistic law?4. What is the Book of the Covenant? When is it likely to have originated?5. What is the attitude to slavery in the laws of Exodus? To adultery?6. Is biblical law relevant to modern discussions of the death penalty?7. What are the major festivals in the cultic calendar of Exodus? What well-known biblical festivals are missing from this calendar?Chapter 7. The Priestly Theology: Exodus 25–40, Leviticus, Numbers (pp. 139-158)Questions for Review and Discussion1. Where can the Priestly source be identified? What are the distinguishing characteristics?2. What is the Holiness Code (H)? How does it differ from P?3. What is the importance of the Tabernacle in the Priestly account of early Israel?4. What kinds of sacrifices are distinguished in Leviticus? What are their various functions?5. How do you understand the ritual for the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16?6. What is the relation between Priests and Levites in the Priestly source?7. What is the importance of purity in the Priestly theology?8. What is the relation between moral issues and ritual purity in the Holiness Code?9. How does the Priestly calendar


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SMU OT 6301 - Study Guide

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