DO NOT COPY Survival Guide Page 1 of 7 Introduction to World Religions Dr. Keith May Final Exam Study Guide Zoroastrianism 1. What are the date ranges for the birth of Zarathustra? - Birth ranges from 660 BCE to 1500 BCE. 2. Be familiar with some of the details of Zarathustra’s life, including clan and occupation. - Zarathustra was a member of the Spitama clan and he worked as a priest. His parents were of nobility. 3. Be familiar with some elements of the pre-Zoroastrian religion. - Pre-Zoroastrian religion consisted of animal sacrifice and usage of intoxicant plants. 4. What is the name of the Zoroastrian scriptures? - The Avestas 5. What are the Amesha Spentas? You will need to be able to name all 6 (the English translations). a. Good Mind b. Truth and Righteousness c. Holy Devotion, Loving Kindness and Serenity d. Power and Just Role e. Wholeness and Health f. Long life or Immortality 6. Who is Ahura Mazda? (Hint: It isn’t a car.) a. He is the good creator god with positive creative energy. 7. Who is Angra Mainyu? a. He is the destructive spirit that opposes Ahura Mazda. 8. What is dualism? a. It is a religion of two equal competing forces. 9. At what age are children initiated into Zoroastrianism? a. They are initiated in the range of 7 to 12. 10. What two things are children given at their initiation? a. They are given a Shudreh (shirt) and a Kusti (cord) woven into the shirt three times to symbolize good works, thoughts and deeds. Judaism 1. What is the Tanakh? a. The Tanakh is the complete Jewish text. 2. What is the Torah? a. The Torah is the first 5 books of the Jewish text. 3. Who was Abraham and what is his significance for Judaism? a. Abraham is the man that Yahweh formed the covenant with and he is important because, mainly, of the covenant with Yahweh. 4. Be familiar with some of the significant events of Abraham’s life as told by the scriptures. a. The covenant with YahwehDO NOT COPY Survival Guide Page 2 of 7 b. The birth of Ishmail (by Hagar, his servant) c. The birth of Isaac (by Sarah, his wife) d. Yahweh’s call to sacrifice Isaac e. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 5. Who was Moses and what is his significance for Judaism? a. He was a Jew who was raised by the Egyptian Pharoah’s daughter. He is significant because he eventually delivers the Jewish people from slavery…. (i.e. “Let my people go…”) 6. Be familiar with some of the significant events of Moses’s life. a. Murder of an Egyptian b. The Burning Bush c. Receipt of the 613 commandments on Mount Sinai d. Said to be the author of the Torah 7. What are some of the issues that make treating the Tanakh as an accurate historical record problematic? a. The Babylonian Exile b. Inconsistencies of Text and Tradition c. Genesis 12:6 and the two accounts of creation 8. Who were the first three kings of the ancient Jewish Kingdom? a. King Saul (1079 BCE to 1007 BCE) b. King David (1040 BCE to 970 BCE) c. King Solomon (1000 BCE to 931 BCE) 9. Which civilizations, in order, conquered the area inhabited by the ancient Jewish Kingdom? a. Assyrians (8th Century BCE) b. Babylonians (6th Century BCE) c. Persians (Late 6th Century BCE) d. Greeks (Late 4th Century BCE) e. Romans (1st Century BCE) 10. Be familiar with some of the elements of the Jewish interpretation of history. a. Belief that they are Yahweh’s chosen people b. The belief that Yahweh expects Jews to live in accordance to his laws 11. Which Persian king allowed the Jewish people to rebuild the temple thus ushering in the Second Temple period of Judaism? a. Cyrus the Great allowed this in 520 BCE 12. The above king allowed the Jewish people to restore the temple but not the Jewish monarchy. What is the significance of this fact? a. This allowed him to stay in control of the Jewish people. 13. During the Second Temple period of Judaism, the area was conquered by the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great. What are some of the important developments in Judaism that take place at this time? a. Known as the Hellenistic period of Judaism i. New understandings of the Torah ii. ‘tradition of the elders’ becomes the Oral Torah iii. Judaism becomes universalized 14. What are the four different sects of Judaism in New Testament times? a. Sadducees b. Pharisees c. EssenesDO NOT COPY Survival Guide Page 3 of 7 d. Zealots 15. In what year was the second temple destroyed and who destroyed it? a. It was destroyed in 70 CE by the Roman Empire. 16. What are the implications of the destruction of the second temple? a. It was known as Yahweh’s dwelling on earth b. It was where sacrifices were held c. This caused sacrifices and temple practices to be stopped 17. What is the Mishna? a. They are the commentaries on the Torah which are comprised of the oral traditions discussed above. 18. What are the six divisions of the Mishna (in English)? a. Seeds: blessings, prayers, agriculture laws and tithes b. Festivals: regulations of festivals and holy days c. Women: marriage, divorce and vows d. Damages: civil and criminal law, legal procedure and ethics e. Holy Things: temple sacrifice, dietary laws f. Purities: ritual purity and the definition of unclean things 19. What is the Gemara? Who are the four groups responsible for the formulation and compilation of the Gemara? Be able to say a little about each group. a. They are the commentaries on the Mishna b. 4 Groups i. Teachers: made the oral commentaries, gave life to traditions ii. Interpreters: tried to bring unity to the disagreeing teachers iii. Casuists: tried to bring unity by looking at the underlying principles of the teachings iv. Anonymous Men: compiled all of these things to make one larger work called the Talmud 20. What are the two versions of the Talmud and approximately when was each one completed? a. Presbyterian Talmud (450 CE) b. Babylonian Talmud (550 CE) Christianity 1. What makes the study of early Christianity problematic? a. The Jewish nature of Christianity b. The figure of Jesus 2. What are some of the problems with determining who Jesus was? a. The gospels are the only source of information on Jesus b. Son of god could mean divinely appointed leader c. Biological father? 3. What are some of the Christian doctrines that have some basis in the New Testament? Be able to say a little about each. a. Divinity of Jesus i. God in the flesh ii. Casts out
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