Jewish History

Question 1

List two major characters in agent Jewish history here receive new names. Give both their original and their new names. Briefly explain the significance of their receiving a new name from God.

Answer 1

Abraham used to be called Abram, and Jacob was changed to Israel. God giving them a new name was a sign of the covenant

Question 2

What name did god reveal to Moses, and what does the name mean? Why was God’s giving of that name is so significant?

Answer 2

God revealed the name ‘Yahweh’ to Moses. It means: I am who I am
It shows God’s power over Moses

Question 3

Briefly explain the original meaning of the term: Passover

Answer 3

It literally means to pass over or skip something
The origins come from the tenth plague, which was the death of all firstborn children in Egypt, God told the Israelites
he’d protect them and only them if they put the blood of a sheep or goat (the paschal lamb) on the door posts
and tops of their doors

Question 4

Identify Saul, David and Solomon,a new briefly explain the relationships among the three

Answer 4

Saul was the first king of Israel, and head of his kingdom’s army.
David (the greatest king) was a shepherd boy whom Saul was jealous of after he won the kingdom’s favour for killing Goliath.
Solomon was David’s son after he became King of Israel. He built the temple that houses the covenant. He was really wise, but because of his wives he turned to pagan idols

Question 5

Define the term Diaspora

Answer 5

The people who fled Jerusalem during the Babylonian Exile

Question 6

Briefly explain how the Greeks - in particular the Syrian Greeks - came to dominate the people of Israel

Answer 6

The Syrian Greeks had war debts to pay off, so they took over Palestine in order to tax the Israelites to get money

Question 7

Identify two major Jewish reactions to Greek rule

Answer 7

Sadducees They had the most to lose
The Rich people - decided to comply, thinking that if they did what the Greeks asked, they’d leave them alone
The Zealots
They rebelled, they refused to listen to the new rulers, thinking it was a betrayal of their religion

Question 8

Identify and define three major political factors within Judaism that developed during the period of Jewish independence

Answer 8

The Sadducees
Who cared more about politics than politics than religion
The Essenes
Who were very strict with religion and who withdrew from the others after the occupation
The Pharisees
Who cared more about religion than politics - they tried to find a middle ground, but refused to compromise their
religious beliefs

Question 9

Explain the origins of the Jewish hatred for the Samaritans

Answer 9

The Samaritans were descended from the old northern Israeli tribes, who after it had been conquered by the Assyrians stayed in the north and lost touch with the Jews in Judah. A lot of their practices with religion & traditions - including the scripture - where different then those of the Southern Jews. When the Jews who’d been exiled returned they shunned the Samaritans and “exiled” the from the Jews.

The Jews even destroyed their temple and tried to force them to accept Orthodox Judaism.

Question 10

Briefly explain the origins of the ancient Jew’s expectations of the Messiah

Answer 10

At first, the Jews dreamed of a leader capital the Messiah who would overthrow the oppressors and return the kingdom to its former glory. A deliver.

They also dreamed of someone who bring past prosperity and peace to their kingdom, descended from the greatest king, David.

During the Roman application, The Jews dreamt of a warrior king who would overthrow the Romans and make The Jews great and free again. The “militaristic“ image of Jesus clashed with Jesus’ life and message, and have an affect on the Gospel story

Question 11

Why were the Romans able to build such a powerful empire?

Answer 11

When they conquered countries they chose leaders from among the people themselves- making the empire more stable

Question 12

When was Herod selected to rule?

Answer 12

37 C.E - he was an Idumean Jew, and the mainline Jews didn’t like them, because the faith was enforced on the Idumeans
He ruled until he died in 4 B.C.E - Jesus was born towards the end of his rule
Herod’s sons would continue to rule until almost the end of the first entry after Jesus

Question 13

Why was Herod called: “The Great“ ?

Answer 13

Politically, He was a great ruler - but he was a cruel man

Question 14

What happened after Herod died?

Answer 14

The Roman’s allowed his sons to become his successors - they had the cruelty, but not the political prowess

The political situation in Palestine became the backdrop for the events described in the Gospels

Question 15

Who was Herod Antipas?

Answer 15

Herod’s second son - he ruled over Galilee and Perea
Jesus called him “that fox” when talking to the Pharisees
He’s referred to as “Herod” or “Herod the tetrarch”
Meaning someone who governs 1/4 of a province

Question 16

Who was the fifth Procurator and when did he start to rule?

Answer 16

Pontius Pilate, he started to rule as a Procurator (prefect, governor) in 26 - who played an important role in Jesus’ trial & execution

Question 17

Why is a basic sense of Jesus’ daily world important to understanding Jesus and his message?

Answer 17

It’s important because we should be able to recognize the influences Jesus’ culture has on his teaching style.
Eg. He was a carpenter, and he used the metaphor of a log and a speck

Question 18

What is one explanation for the sense that Jesus and his disciples continually move from place to place in the Gospels?

Answer 18

They only ever stayed in Palestine, and it was easily to walk to where they needed to be, because the Jews were great walkers

Question 19

Explain the importance of water to the people of Jesus’ day

Answer 19

There was a lack of drinkable water in the country, so much so that there were rules in place to govern the use of water. Jesus referred to himself as the living waters in the sense that he sustained the people

Question 20

What was Jesus saying when he described himself as the bread of life?

Answer 20

He was telling them that he was the only one who could sustain them entirely

Question 21

What status did meals have among the Jews of Jesus’ day?

Answer 21

Sharing a meal was a sign of friendship and respect, it was an outward display of unification, and was not to be taken lightly - it was sacred.

Question 22

What qualities of fishers might have attracted Jesus to them when he was seeking disciples?

Answer 22

The fact that they had patience, and had cheerful souls. They has trust in God

Question 23

What might Jesus have learned about life from his years as a carpenter?

Answer 23

How to get in touch with God’s creation & sensitivities to the people

I also think that he learned that everything has its place. Whether with wood, or the people society was rejecting

Question 24

Why did Joseph want to quietly divorce Mary when he discovered she was pregnant?

Answer 24

He knew that if he publicly announced that she was pregnant before they were married, the law would demand she be stoned to death because it would’ve been seen as adultery

Question 25

What was unusual about Jesus’ actions and attitudes regarding women?

Answer 25

He spoke publicly with them, which was frowned upon in ancient Jewish society. He treated women as equals

Question 26

Why were female children in Jesus’ day regarded as less desirable than male children?

Answer 26

Girls were seen as less desirable, because they get married at a young age and then became someone else’s property. Mary was 13-16 when she had Jesus - Joseph would’ve been over or equal to 20

Question 27

Why did Jesus often speak about the rich and the poor?

Answer 27

The gap between the rich and the poor was so big - they were at opposing sides in society

Question 28

Give two reasons that slavery was not practiced as much among the Jews as among the Greeks and Romans

Answer 28

Most Jews couldn’t afford slaves

Jewish Law stated that Jewish slaves had to be set free after seven years of service

Question 29

Give three examples of how Jesus challenged his society

Answer 29

He outwardly associated with women
Jesus focused on the poor and society’s rejects in his teachings
He showed love to those the Jews hated (Samaritans, prostitution etc.)

Question 30

Why did the synagogues become more important for the Jews after the time of Jesus?

Answer 30

It assured the Jew’s survival, as Judaism transferred to oral teachings after the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E

Question 31

What was the origin of the Sabbath day, and what was it a sign of?

Answer 31

It’s based on the creation story, where God rested after creating the world. It was a sign of God’s covenant & relationship with the people

It’s on Saturday - God rested on the seventh day
Sunday for Christians ‘cause Jesus rose on a Sunday

Question 32

Identify and briefly describe the three major religious feasts of the Jews

Answer 32

Pentecost - “The Feast of Weeks”. It’s a celebration of God giving the law to Moses, “Pentecost” is Greek for “50th” represents the fact that 50 days after leaving Egypt, Moses got the law on Mount Sinai

The Day of Atonement - In Autumn, three feasts in quick succession: Jewish New Year, The Day of Atonement and The Feast of Tabernacles. It is a time for Jews to repent of all their sins. It involves fasting and prayer

Passover - The most celebrated. Celebrated in honor of the Israelites being freed from the Egyptian‘s. It lasts a week, and marks the beginning of the Jewish religious year. Includes the sacrifice of lambs, and the ritual of eating a meal like the one Moses and the Israelites ate before they were set free

Question 33

Identify the major characteristics of both the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Why did the Sadducees have greater political power than the Pharisees?

Answer 33

Sadducees - The Aristocracy of the priestly cast
Not all of them were priests, but they were all upper class
They had a great commitment to the temple & its practices & it’s practices
Liberal in politics, strict with religion

Pharisees - strictly law abiding citizens
Were more willing to accept new ideas into the religion
Unlike the Sadducees, they accepted more than the first five books of the Bible unlike the Sadducees
They spread the Law orally, so people could adhere to it better
They were strict in politics - refusing to compromise with politicians
This led to them being greatly respected by the people

The Sadducees had more political power, because they weee willing to compromise with the leaders, giving them some choice into what went on it their country

Question 34

What is another name for a Tax Collector?

Answer 34

Publicans

Question 35

What is the great prayer of the Jews called?

Answer 35

The Shema prayer - prayed every Morning & Evening

Question 36

What eight wild animals were common in Palestine?

Answer 36

Boars, foxes, leopards, hyenas, porcupines, wolves, lions, and bears - Many of these are mentioned in the Bible

Camels were rare, and only Roman soldiers rode on horseback

Question 37

What four domesticated animals were common in Palestine?

Answer 37

Donkeys, sheep, cows, and oxen
There were also pigs, but they were considered to be unclean, so they couldn’t be eaten

No domesticated cats, and and the dogs were half-wild relatives of wolves

Question 38

Why was the donkey the most useful animal?

Answer 38

How strong it was and it’s endurance

It was so important, that it was never used as a sacrifice

Question 39

Who were the Scribes, and when did they start?

Answer 39

They were writers, & lawyers or “interpreters of the law”. They started up during the Babylonian Exile.
They studied the law and judges those who broke it
The most important scribes were known as “doctors of the law”
When they were teaching they were called “rabbi”, meaning “teacher” or “master” they taught in synagogues
They were mentioned in the Gospels with the Pharisees but the groups aren’t the same
Many of the scribes belonged to the Pharisaic party, but not all of them