Key Terms 41-59: CALLED TO BE GOD'S PEOPLE, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Andrew E. Steinmann)

Question 1

Hasmonean

Answer 1

adjective derived from the name Hasmon, an ancestor of a Jewish priestly family, used to describe the family of the Maccabees and their successors.

Question 2

Hellenization

Answer 2

the spread of Greek culture and language throughout the ancient Near East in the centuries following the conquests by Alexander the Great.

Question 3

Higher Criticism

Answer 3

an approach to biblical interpretation that seeks determine a work’s literary history and the purpose and meaning of the authors by human reason without accepting the assertions made in the text itself about such matters. Also called Historical-Criticism.

Question 4

Historical-Criticism

Answer 4

an approach to biblical interpretation that seeks determine a work’s literary history and the purpose and meaning of the authors by human reason without accepting the assertions made in the text itself about such matters. Also called Higher Criticism.

Question 5

Inclusio

Answer 5

a literary device that begins and ends a composition or section of a work with the same or similar words, phrases or themes. Also called envelope structure.

Question 6

Immediate Call

Answer 6

A call directly from God to an office he has established. Most of the prophets in the Old testament were called to the prophetic office through an immediate call (see Mediate Call).

Question 7

Inspiration

Answer 7

the Holy Spirit’s work of revealing and preserving God’s word in the Bible. Because of inspiration, the Bible is the very word of God.

Question 8

Jordan River

Answer 8

the main river in Palestine. It flows from north to south beginning form its source in the extreme north of the Rift Valley and ending as it discharges its wasters into the Dead Sea.

Question 9

Judea

Answer 9

later, Latinized name for Judah.

Question 10

Judah

Answer 10

the large southern region in the central hills of Palestine inhabited by the tribe of Judah. Also the name of one of Jacob’s twelve sons.

Question 11

Justification

Answer 11

God declares sinners to be just or righteous for Christ’s sake. He imputes our sins to Christ and credits Christ’s righteousness to us.

Question 12

Kadesh

Answer 12

place in extreme southern Palestine where the Israelites encamped before entering the land. Also called Kadesh-bamea.

Question 13

Kinsman-Redeemer

Answer 13

an Israelite who takes on the responsibility to act on behalf of family members. Among other things, a kinsman redeemer would buy a relative out of slavery, redeem property a kinsman had sold because of poverty, or marry the widow of a close relative in order to produce children that could inherit the dead man’s land (see Lev 25).

Question 14

Lament

Answer 14

in Hebrew poetry a poem that expresses a desperate cry to God for help in times of trouble. Many laments are written in a fourfold pattern of introduction, complaint, petition and conclusion.

Question 15

Law

Answer 15

in its wide sense, a synonym for the entire word of God. In its proper sense, it refers to God’s word of command. Although the Law is perfect, fallen humans are unable to fulfill its demands.

Question 16

Levant

Answer 16

the region along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea including Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.

Question 17

Maccabees

Answer 17

the name given to the Jewish priests Judas and Jonathan who led a revolt against Greek authority over the Jews in Palestine in the early Second Century Be. They were members of the Hasmonean family.

Question 18

Major Prophets

Answer 18

The larger prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) plus Lamentations.

Question 19

Minor Prophets

Answer 19

The twelve smaller prophetic books (Hosea-Malachi). These books were collected together in ancient times.