Jewish Traditions Flashcards

1
Q

What is the Hebrew Bible otherwise known as?

A

The Tanakh or the Old Testament.

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2
Q

Why don’t Jews use the term “Old Testament”?

A

It reflects the Christian idea that the Hebrew Bible was superseded by the New Testament.

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3
Q

What is the difference between Septuagint and the Masocretic texts?

A

This refers to the difference between the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. It is not exactly the same as the Old Testament because the origins of the texts are different.

  • Old Testament usually product of Greek Text…Septuaqint
  • Hebrew Bible…Masocretic Texts
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4
Q

What IS the Hebrew Bible?

A
  • It is an anthology of 24 books

- It contains a variety of literary for; poems, songs, legal aspects, and narrative of events.

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5
Q

Why is the Hebrew Bible also called TANAKH?

A

An acronym based on the first lettres of the three sections of the Bible, i.e., Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim

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6
Q

When (time frame) as the Hebrew Bible composed?

A

Over the period of 800 years, from the 6th century BCE to the 2nd century CE.

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7
Q

What is the meaning of the Hebrew word ‘torah’?

A

Torah is a Hebrew word that has two meanings: the first meaning correlates to the law of God; the second meaning refers to the five books of Moses.

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8
Q

What are the 5 books of Moses?

A

Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; and Deuteronomy

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9
Q

What are the 5 books of Moses called collectively?

A

the Pentateuch (Greek version), also called in Hebrew as Chameesha.

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10
Q

What is the significance of Torah?

A

Covers the early history of the Israelites, from the creation to the Proised land, including the law and moral instructions.

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11
Q

What is ‘nev’im’ the hebrew word for?

A

prophets

- the prophets are men who conveyed God’s message to the Israelites.

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12
Q

What does ‘ketuvim’ mean?

A

writings

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13
Q

What does the Ketuvim contain?

A

This part contains variety of materials: songs, prayers, and wisdom literature.

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14
Q

What does the Bible narrative contain (as sacred history)?

A
  • the narrative contains the story of the people of Israel, the precursors of modern Jews
  • it also contains Jewish law, rituals, festivals, and customs
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15
Q

Why must we not assume that each story in the Bible is historically accurate?

A
  • The Bible was first written to convey theologian message
  • It was intended to teach the Israelites how to live their lives devoutly, both in action and in attitude.
  • It ws not the goal of human author of the Bble to record an objective account of historical evens.
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16
Q

Can we confirm that Biblical figures such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Moses ever existed?

A

no

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17
Q

Who do archaeological evidences only confirm the existence of?

A

David, a king of the Israelites.

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18
Q

What is the Merneptah Stele/Israel Stele?

A

An archaeological evidence which dates from app. 1208 BCE does mention the word “Israel” which refers to the ethnic group or people existed in Cana (modern day Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and part of Syria)

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19
Q

What is the earliest example of historical evidence?

A

Merneptah Stele/ Israel Stele

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20
Q

What are the two stories of the creation of humanity that the Bible contains?

A
  1. Genesis 1:26-7…Man and women are equally created in the “image” of God.
  2. Generis 2: 7, 18, 21-4…Man is created first out of the earth, and women is created later out of his ribs as a “helper” for him.
21
Q

What is the problem with the creation story with regards to the treatment of women in Rabbinic literature?

A

Women ought to behave modestly, and are excluded from leadership. Women were “lesser” creation whose central obligation was to serve men, not God.

22
Q

What is the origin of the word Bebrew?

A

Akkadian word which referred to the people living on the periphery of regular society.

  • the early Israelites were somehow removed from a conventional society
  • hebrew also corresponds to a language, that is, the language of the Hebrew Bible and other Jewish literature.
23
Q

What are the two official languages of modern Israel?

A

Hebrew and Arabic

24
Q

What does the word Israel refer to?

A

Refers to Jacob, the “one who struggled with God.”

-The Israelites or children of Israel refers to direct descendants of Jacob

25
Q

Where is the word Jew derived from?

A

The word Jew is derived from Judah, that is, the Southern kingdom of Judah.

26
Q

What was considered the Jewish homeland?

A

Judah

27
Q

Wha is the word Demitic derived from?

A

“Shem,” who is one of the three sons of Noah, the ancestor of Jews and arabs.

28
Q

When was the Torah written down?

A

No agreement as to when the Torah was written down.

29
Q

What is the difference between when the Orthodox Jews believe the Torah was written down and when Contemporary Biblical scholars believe it was written down?

A
  • The Orthodox Jews hold that the Torah was divinely revealed to Moses at Mount Sinaj and written down by him as a single document by 1312 BCE.
  • Contemporary Biblical scholars: The Torah is a composite texts, consisting of various documents composed at different times by human beings.
30
Q

Who introduced the “documentary hypothesis” (1883)?

A

Julius Wellhausen.

31
Q

What is the Documentary Hypothesis?

A

The five books of Moses consists of Material from four different authors. These four authors can be identified through differences in style, vocabulary, ad theological view point (multiple voices).

32
Q

Modern scholars argue that the Torah or the five books of Moses took their final form in the post-exilic period between___to___BCE. Nevi’im were finalized around the___century BCE. Ketuvim was not a fixed canon until the___century CE.

A
  • 6th
  • 4th
  • 2nd
  • 2nd
33
Q

When as the last book of the Bible, the book of Daniel, written?

A

After 167 CE, even though the narrative is written as if the events it described took place after the exile in Babylonia.

34
Q

Did the Jewish community accept the Documentary Hypothesis?

A

The Jewish community vigorously criticized the theory.

35
Q

What concept is contralto Judaism?

A

the concept of covenant.

36
Q

What is relationship as covenant in Judaism?

A
  • Deuteronomy identified the Israelites as God’s chosen people
  • Does not mean that they are superior
  • Means that they assume responsibilities of serving God
  • Concept of ‘chosen people’ was also found in other religious traditions
37
Q

What is this an example of: “God will give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s still unborn offspring on the condition that Abraham shows perfect obedience.”

A

Covenant

38
Q

Who made covenant with God on behalf of the Israelites?

A

Moses

39
Q

What is Moses’ covenant reflected in?

A

The ten commandments

40
Q

What ist he personal name of God in Hebrew represents by?

A

four letters…YHWA

41
Q

What do the Jews call their God? Why?

A
  • Many Jews considered the four letters YHWA too sacred to be pronounced
  • They instead call god “Adonai” (lord) or “ha/Shem’ (the name)
42
Q

Why isn’t the world Jehovah used by Jews?

A

It was intended in the 16th century during the conflict between Protestants and the Catholic church.
-Adonai became Jehovah.

43
Q

When did David, an Israelite king, rule?

A

around 1000 BCE

44
Q

What is King David of the Israelites known for? Who were his predecessors and what were they known for? Split of kingdom…why?

A
  • He was a warrior king who conquered the Israelites’ enemies and established a kingdom
  • He was also called by some a messiah or “anointed one”
  • David’s kingdom was inherited by his son Solomon, who built the first temple
  • After the death of Solomon, the kingdom was split into two: the kingdom Israelites in the North, and Judah in the south.
45
Q

What led to the Babylonian exile?

A
  • In the early eighth century (722 BCE), the Northern kingdom fell to the Assyrian, destroying and relocating the Israelites population.
  • Then in 586 BCE, the Israelites in the South defeated by the Babylonais, destroying the temple built by Solomon
  • The Babylonian transfer the Israelites to Babylonia (modern day Iraq)
46
Q

What does the Babylonian exile mark?

A

The exile marks the beginning of the concept of diaspora, the dispersion of Jews outside homeland of the Israelites.

47
Q

What is one important theological impact associated with the exile?

A

The first statement of monotheism the Israelites worship the same God, even if they were far from their homeland.

48
Q

What are the 2 Talmuds in Judaism?

A
  • Jewish community who stayed in Babylonia world later produced on of the central texts in the history of Judaism: “Babylonian Talmud.”
  • The other Talmud is “jerusalem Talmud.”