Lectures - Books of the Bible

Question 1

Joshua Key Themes
(3)

Answer 1

• Israel’s theology of warfare
• Outsiders become insiders
• Land distribution

Question 2

Joshua Reading Strategies
(5)

Answer 2

• Book of Joshua is often ignored (because challenging)
• Used to justify violence against Palestine
• Tendency to bring Joshua into contemporary world (spiritual warfare)
• Faithful reading: don’t place faith in military
• Use bible atlas for land distribution

Question 3

Joshua Setting

Answer 3

13th or 15th cent

Question 4

Joshua Authorship Clues
(3)

Answer 4

• Stories may have originated as folk tales
• May have come together around time of King Josiah
• Connected with Deut, Jdgs, Sam, Kgs

Question 5

Joshua Most Popular Verse

Answer 5

Joshua 1:9
I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go

Question 6

Judges Key Theme
(1)

Answer 6

Question 7

Judges Cycle
(6)

Answer 7

1) Going astray
2) People are oppressed
3) Cry to God
4) God raises up Judge
5) Judge rescues people from what oppressed them
6) Judge dies

Question 8

Judges Reading Strategies
(2)

Answer 8

• Expect everything to go to hell
• Why have monarchy?

Question 9

Judges Setting

Answer 9

1200 or 1400
Ends in 11th century (1000)

Question 10

Judges Authorship
(3)

Answer 10

• Judges 5 might be oldest in bible
• Part of Deuteronomist history (jdgs - kgs)
• Came together after exile (587)

Question 11

Judges Most Popular Verse

Answer 11

Judges 6:12
The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.”

Question 12

Ruth Key Themes
(3)

Answer 12

• Friendship
• Immigration
• Hope

Question 13

Ruth Reading Strategies
Things to understand:
(5)

Answer 13

• Widows
• Threshing floors
• Parenting, levirate marriage, Redeemer
• Feet
• Resolution of book

Question 14

Ruth Setting

Answer 14

“Time of judges”
12 or 11th Cent.

Question 15

Ruth Authorship

Answer 15

Counterpoint to Ezra-Nehemiah

Question 16

Ruth Most Popular Verse

Answer 16

Ruth 1:16
Do not press me to leave you,
to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people
and your God my God.

Question 17

1st Samuel Setting

Answer 17

Saul and David

Question 18

1st Kings Setting

Answer 18

Solomon, Israel’s kings, Judah’s kings

Question 19

1st Chronicles Setting

Answer 19

Adam/Eve, Saul, David

Question 20

2nd Samuel Setting

Answer 20

David

Question 21

2nd Kings Setting

Answer 21

Israel’s kings, Judah’s kings, Exile

Question 22

2nd Chronicles Setting

Answer 22

Solomon, Judah Kings, Exile, Return

Question 23

Ezra Nehemiah Setting

Answer 23

Return from Exile

Question 24

Samuel and Kings Authorship

Answer 24

Probably 560-538

Question 25

Chronicles Authorship

Answer 25

unknown, after 538

Question 26

Ezra / Nehemiah Authorship

Answer 26

unknown, after 433

Question 27

Samuel Key Themes
(3)

Answer 27

• Monarchy is necessary evil
• Dangers of power
• Start and re-start

Question 28

Samuel Reading Strategies
(2)

Answer 28

• Kings more like tribal chiefs than medieval kings
• Expect more than one perspective

Question 29

Samuel Most Popular Verse

Answer 29

1 Sam 17:47
and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand

Question 30

Kings Reading Strategies
(2)

Answer 30

• Read with timeline and map
• See it as a theological history

Question 31

Kings Key Themes
(5)

Answer 31

• More concerned with faithfulness to God than ethics
• David is awesome
• Not many good kings
• Exile slow response to generations of unfaithfulness
• God likely to side with prophets than kings

Question 32

Kings Most Popular Verse

Answer 32

1 King 19:12
and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence

Question 33

Chronicles Reading Strategies
(1)

Answer 33

Read like edition of 1-2 Kings

Question 34

Chronicles Key Themes
(4)

Answer 34

• Same themes as Kings
• Family Lineage
• Levites (priestly assistants)
• Optimistic ending (return from Exile)

Question 35

Chronicles Most Popular Verse

Answer 35

2 Chr 7:14
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land

Question 36

Ezra / Nehemiah Key Themes
(4)

Answer 36

• Struggle to survive
• Struggle to rebuild temple
• Struggle to rebuild city walls
• Foreigners, especially spouses, are bad

Question 37

Ezra / Nehemiah Reading Strategies
(2)

Answer 37

• Literary style matches difficulty of times
• Keep in canonical context

Question 38

Ezra / Nehemiah Most Popular Verse

Answer 38

Neh 8:10
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Question 39

Esther Key Themes
(4)

Answer 39

• Celebrations
• Gender
• Bravery
• Violence

Question 40

Esther Reading Strategies
(3)

Answer 40

• Expect irony (reversal)
• Look for invisible hand of God
• Know about Eunuchs

Question 41

Esther Setting

Answer 41

Reign of Persian King Xerxez I
(486-465 BCE)

Question 42

Esther Authorship

Answer 42

4th or 3rd cent.

Question 43

Esther Most Popular Verse

Answer 43

Esther 4:16
For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.