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VCU Religions > Judaism > Flashcards

Judaism Flashcards

1
Q

What does “Shema” mean?

A

Hear

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2
Q

What is the most often said prayer in Judaism?

A

The Shema

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3
Q

Where is the Shema taken from?

A

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

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4
Q

How often is the Shema said?

A

twice daily

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5
Q

What are two characteristics to define Judaism?

A

1) Abrahamic faith

2) monotheistic

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6
Q

What is the difference between being ethnically and religiously Jewish?

A

ethnically Jewish = born Jewish (Judaism is passed down matrilineally)
religiously Jewish = not necessarily born into, but you practice the faith

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7
Q

Was Judaism always a monotheistic religion?

A

early Judaism was possibly henotheistic –> belief/recognition that other people have other gods, but this group has one god who is recognized as the singular god

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8
Q

What are the meanings of Abraham’s name?

A

“Father is exalted,” “Father of many nations,” “First patriarch”; father of the Jewish nation

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9
Q

When do historians place Abraham?

A

somewhere in the era of 2000 o 1600 BCE

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10
Q

In the Jewish faith, who discovered God?

A

Abraham

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11
Q

Who was Abraham?

A

an Aramean shepherd and herdsman from the Fertile Crescent (lived in the city of Ur)

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12
Q

Who is Abraham’s wife?

A

Sarah

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13
Q

What were Abraham and Sarah originally called in Genesis?

A

Abram and Sarai (names are changed after they enter the covenant)

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14
Q

What covenant did Abraham and his descendants form with God?

A

El Shaddai

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15
Q

What does El Shaddai mean?

A

“God of the mountain”

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16
Q

Who were Abraham’s sons?

A

Isaac (with Sarah) and Ishmael (with Hagar)

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17
Q

What does Ishmael mean?

A

“God hears” (because God hears Ishmael’s cries in the desert after he and Hagar are cast off; God provides them with a well)

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18
Q

When Sarah wants Hagar and Ismael banished, what does God tell Abraham?

A

to listen to Sarah

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19
Q

Where does the name Isaac come from?

A

comes from the word “laugh” because Sarah laughed with disbelief when she found out she was pregnant

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20
Q

What does Isaac become?

A

the next Jewish Patriarch

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21
Q

What does Ishmael become?

A

the next Muslim Patriarch

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22
Q

Who is Jacob?

A

son of Isaac and Rebekah; after he wrestles with an angel his name is changed to Israel which means “to struggle/triumph with God”

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23
Q

Who is Joseph?

A

son of Jacob and Rachel; he is the favorite son and receives a multi-colored coat; interprets dreams for the Pharaoh and is saved after being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers

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24
Q

What is a covenant?

A

a binding agreement between God and his chosen people; a covenant is repeatedly renewed

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25
Q

What is the difference between a covenant and a contract?

A

unlike a contract, a covenant has no date of expiration

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26
Q

What is the covenant with Abraham?

A

If Abraham is faithful to God, God promises to make Abraham a father and promises him the land of Canaan (Israel); God tells Abraham that he will be the father of a great and numerous nation

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27
Q

How is God recounted in the book of Genesis?

A

One God, El, El Shaddai

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28
Q

What was the role of animal sacrifice in ancient Judaism?

A

animal sacrifices were conducted as acts of worship, often sealed covenants

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29
Q

What is animism?

A

different elements of nature have spirits within them (animate vs inanimate objects)

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30
Q

What was the role of animism in ancient Judaism?

A

possible animistic practices; importance of certain trees, rocks, etc. when humans interact with God

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31
Q

What are the three names for God in the Hebrew Bible?

A

1) El/Elohim
2) Yahweh
3) Adonai

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32
Q

What is El/Elohim and how is it used?

A

“God/gods”; general name
El Shaddai = God of the mountains
El Elyon = God most high
El Olam = God everlasting

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33
Q

What is Yahweh and how is it used?

A

YHWH; not spoken out loud; personal name revealed on Mt. Sinai to Moses

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34
Q

What is Adonai and how is it used?

A

“Lord/sir”; honorific name used as replacement/protective name for God

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35
Q

What does Exodus mean?

A

“going out”

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36
Q

How many sons did Jacob have?

A

12

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37
Q

What did Jacob’s sons become?

A

leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel

38
Q

What did Joseph become?

A

a viceroy of Egypt

39
Q

What happened during the famine in Canaan?

A

the pharaoh of Egypt invited Jacob and his sons, and their families, to settle in Egypt; after the death of Joseph, a new Egyptian pharaoh enslaved the Israelites

40
Q

When did Moses arise?

A

during the time of enslavement in Egypt

41
Q

Briefly recount Moses’ life story.

A
  • born to Hebrew slaves, sent down the river
  • rescued and raised by the pharaoh’s daughter in the pharaoh’s (Ramses II) court
  • as an adult Moses kills an Egyptian who is harassing a Hebrew and he is cast out
  • he lives in the desert until God appears to him in a burning bush
  • God calls Moses to become the leader of his chosen people and to free them from the enslavement of the pharaoh
42
Q

How does God assist Moses?

A

provides the 10 plagues of Egypt to convince the pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go; the pharaoh finally lets them go, but as they flee Egypt he changes his mind and chases after them (the parting of the Red/Reed Sea); the Hebrews escape the Egyptians with the help of God and reach Mt. Sinai where God’s covenant with his people is renewed

43
Q

What happens to Moses on Mt. Sinai?

A
  • God would give his chosen people a promised land if they fulfilled obligations
  • the Ten Commandments
  • Religion of the law, obedience to the laws of God
44
Q

What is the Ark of the Covenant?

A

a wooden chest containing the stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments; priests carried the Ark in their possessions; it was said to first be housed in the Tabernacle and then eventually housed in the Temple

45
Q

Where did the freed Hebrew slaves go after receiving the Ten Commandments?

A

back to Canaan

46
Q

How long did it take to get back to Canaan?

A

40 years

47
Q

How did the Israelites settle in Canaan?

A

organized into tribal life based on the 12 descendants of the children of Israel

48
Q

Was Moses allowed in the promised land?

A

No because he questioned God; he dies at age 120

49
Q

Who was King David?

A
  • king of Israelites
  • won the battle for Jerusalem and established it as the center of religion and government for his people
  • brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem - wanted to build a great temple; God did not want him to
  • David was prosperous, but had a son named Solomon who seceded him
50
Q

Who was David’s son?

A

Solomon

51
Q

Who built the 1st Temple?

A

Solomon

52
Q

Describe the 1st Temple.

A
  • magnificent, adorned
  • more formal worship
  • animal sacrifice
  • ark held inside
53
Q

How was the 1st Temple financed?

A

forced labor and heavy taxes

54
Q

What is a prophet?

A

a person inspired to speak in God’s name; in Hebrew history, prophets in groups gave way to the messages of individual prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel

55
Q

What did prophets contribute?

A

spoke the word of God to the people; led to laws on individual rights and social responsibilities

56
Q

What caused Israel to split?

A

taxes imposed by Solomon

57
Q

Where were the 10 lost tribes from?

A

the Northern Kingdom

58
Q

Who defeated the Northern kingdom?

A

Assyrians

59
Q

Who defeated the Southern kingdom?

A

Babylonians (exile begins)

60
Q

Where was defeat first, the north or south?

A

north

61
Q

Who was Ezekiel?

A

prophet; proclaimed that God was available in Babylon, just like in Jerusalem (this was after the Hebrews were exiled to Babylonia)

62
Q

Who was Isaiah?

A

prophet; proclaims that God is the one true God and God of the world (not just the Jews)

63
Q

Who was Ezra?

A

prophet; called the man of the book; God spoke through the book rather than prophets

64
Q

Who was Herod and what happened under his rule?

A

puppet king put in place by the Romans; builds the 2nd Temple which is even more magnificent than the first, but it was ultimately destroyed by the Romans (along with much of Jerusalem) and was never rebuilt; Jews were scattered again

65
Q

What does diaspora mean?

A

spreading out

66
Q

What did the Roman destruction of Israel cause?

A

caused the Hebrews to create a “mobile” religion because they were spread all around

67
Q

What does synagogue mean?

A

“assembly”

68
Q

What is the requirement to form a minyan?

A
  • scripture (Torah)

- 10 adult (13 years or older) Jewish males

69
Q

What is a minyan?

A

quorum

70
Q

What does rabbi mean?

A

“my master”/”my teacher”

71
Q

What is hermeneutics?

A

interpretation of scripture/the process of interpreting

72
Q

What is theodicy?

A

a justification, in the presence of evil, of God’s goodness, justice, and knowledge; attempts to answer the question “how can an all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing God allow evil?”

73
Q

When/why did hermeneutics develop?

A

rabbis ran into the problems of interpreting the scriptures literally because the world of the first rabbis was greatly different than the world of the patriarchs; developed hermeneutics to interpret scripture for the modern world that they lived in

74
Q

What are examples of Jewish separateness?

A
  • the Sabbath
  • kosher laws
  • circumcision
  • Messiah
75
Q

What is the Tanakh?

A

Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) –> Torah (first 5 books of Moses), Prophets, Writings

76
Q

What is the Mishnah?

A

the oral law –> interpretation of scripture and continuation of prescribed laws

77
Q

What is the Zohar?

A

used in Kabbalah; “Book of Splendor/Light” (a more esoteric text)

78
Q

What does Zohar mean?

A

splendor

79
Q

What is Kabbalah?

A

mystical form of Judaism; involves the concern for angels, demons, magical incantations, charms, witches, ghouls, interpretation of dreams, the date of the coming Messiah, numerology, and the name of God

80
Q

What is the goal of Kabbalah?

A

mystical union with God

81
Q

What is reform Judaism?

A

inspired by David Einhorn and Isaac Mayer Wise in the United States; Torah is binding in its moral teachings rather than diet, ceremonial purity, and dress

82
Q

What is conservative Judaism?

A

Torah and Talmud must be followed, worship services in Hebrew, members encouraged to observe Kosher law

83
Q

What is orthodox Judaism?

A

retains as much as possible for the Torah and Talmud, other forms not seen as fully legitimate

84
Q

What is Hasidism?

A

a form of orthodoxy; “pious ones” those of the modern world devoted to the Torah and pure lives; Judaism in the most ancient form possible, the world is hallowed

85
Q

What is Zionism?

A

movement in the late 19th century to establish a Jewish homeland

86
Q

What is the general Jewish idea about life after death?

A

Judaism emphasizes a good life on earth more than the joys of heaven

87
Q

What is sheol?

A

the afterworld; however, it is inconclusive and not a satisfying answer

88
Q

What does Judaism say about bodily resurrection?

A

there are bodily resurrection references in the Psalms to heaven and hell (often attributed to Zoroastrian influence)

89
Q

How is life after death incorporated in worship services?

A

worship services lack descriptions of life beyond death; life itself is most valued, even hallowed

90
Q

What does Judaism say about life after death?

A

there is life with God in the age to come, and the joy of fellowship with God is more important than anything else

VCU Religions (18 decks)

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