Rels 100 Midterm terms A-H

Question 1

Aaron:

Answer 1

The older brother of Moses and first head of the Israelite priesthood, Aaron was the son of Amram the Levite and his aunt Jochebed. Because moses had a speech defect, Aaron served as his spokesman before Pharaoh. According to the priestly source in the Pentateuch, which emphasizes Aaron’s special role, Moses anointed him and his four sons as founders of Israel’s hereditary priesthood, consecrating them to administer the Tabernacle. Although he led in the worship of the golden calf, Aaron remained in divine favor. His son Eleazar succeeded him as High Priest of Israel

Question 2

Abraham

Answer 2

( At first called Abram) The supreme example of obedience to Yahweh and the founder of the Hebrew nation. By divine order, he leaves his adopted home in Haran, in northern Mesopotamia, and travels to Canaan (Palestine), which land is promised to his descendants, who are to become a mighty nation (Israel). Yahweh later demands that he sacrifice his only son by his wife Sarah. Because of Abraham’s willingness to surrender Isaac, Yahweh reaffirms the Abrahamic Covenant, by which the patriarch’s descendants are to become as numerous as “the sands of the sea” and a source of blessing to all nations. According to the Genesis, the Twelve Tribes of Israel are descended from Abraham’s grandson Jacob

Question 3

ai

Answer 3

The ruin” in Hebrew. ‘Ai was a city reputedly destroyed by Joshua’s conquest of Canaan. Archaeology has demonstrated that the site has already been abandoned in the 13th century BCE when the Israelites entered Palestine.

Question 4

Akhenaton

Answer 4

Egyption Pharaoh who radically altered the state religion, introducing a henotheistic cult of the solar deity Aten and outraging the conservative priests of the Theban state god Amun. Abandoning his original name, Amenhotep IV, Akhenaton founded a new capital, Akhenaton (now known as Tell el-Amarna); archaeologists call his reign the Amarna period

Question 5

Alexander the Great

Answer 5

One of the most brilliant leaders and military conquerors of the classical world. Son of King Philip of Macedonia, Alexander was born at Pella in Macedonia in 356 BCE and died in Babylon in 323 BCE. During his relatively brief career, he conquered most of the known world, created an empire that extended from Greece to India, propagated Greek culture throughout the Near East, and instituted a period of cosmopolitanism termed Hellenistic. His influence on Palestine is recounted in 1 Maccabees 1

Question 6

Anthropomorphism:(“Anthrop” means man if that helps)

Answer 6

Attributing human characteristics to something not human; particularly, ascribing human shape and form to a deity

Question 7

Apocrypha

Answer 7

From the Greek,meaning “hidden” books, Apocrypha refers to noncanonical or deuterocanonical literature, especially the 14 books included in the Greek Septuagint and later editions of the Vulgate but not in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew bible. It also applies to a body of Christian works that typically parallel or spuriously “supplement” the New Testament canon

Question 8

Apocalyptic:

Answer 8

A branch of prophetic writings such as Daniel, Enoch, and Christian Book of Revelation that are distinguished by mysterious language, symbolic imagery, and the expectation of an imminent cosmic catastrophe in which the forces of good ultimately defeat the powers of evil, resulting in the establishment of a messianic rule and consequent transformation of the universe.

Question 9

Ark of the Covenant:

Answer 9

The portable wooden chest, supposedly dating from Mosaic times, that contained sacred artifacts of Israel’s religion, such as Aaron’s staff and the two stone tablets representing the Decalogue. Sometimes carried in the battle, the Ark of the Covenant was eventually brought to Jerusalem and kept in the innermost sanctuary of Solomon’s Temple. Its fate after the Temple’s destruction is unknown.

Question 10

assyria

Answer 10

(1) A large territory centered along the upper Tigris River in Mesopotamia, including the major cities of Assur, Calah, and Nineveh. (2) The empire that dominated the Near East from the eleventh to the seventh century BCE and whose leaders destroyed Israel in 721 BCE and besieged Jerusalem in 701 BCE. It was destroyed by a coalition of Babylonians and Medes in 612 BCE.

Question 11

Baal

Answer 11

A Canaanite-Phoenician term meaning “lord” or “master,” the name applied to Canaan’s most popular fertility god. Worshiped as the power that caused germination and growth of farm crops, Baal was a serious rival to Yahweh after the Israelites settled in Palestine and became dependent on agriculture. He is pictured as a god of storm and rainfall in a contest with the Yahwist Elijah on Mount Carmel.

Question 12

Babylon

Answer 12

An ancient city on the middle Euphrates that was capital of both the Old and Neo-Babylonian empires. Under Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE), who joined forces with the Medes to defeat Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish (605 BCE) and create the second Babylonian Empire, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple (587 BCE). Babylon fell to the Persians in (539 BCE). As the archetypal enemy of God’s people, Babylon became the symbol of worldly power.

Question 13

Baruch:

Answer 13

Secretary and friend of Jeremiah, Baruch recorded the prophets message, which probably became the nucleus of the Jeremiah scroll.

Question 14

Bathsheba:

Answer 14

One of the many wives of King David. a marriage as a result of adultery and pregnancy She was formerly married to one of David’s best soldiers, Uriah, but was widowed when King David sent him to the front, where he was killed in battle.

Question 15

Boaz

Answer 15

A wealthy landowner of Bethlehem who married the Moabite Ruth and became an ancestor of David.

Question 16

Book of Jashar:

Answer 16

Apparently a collection of hebrew poetry, quoted in joshua, samuel, and 1 kings.

Question 17

Canonization:

Answer 17

the process of the bibles creation

Question 18

canon criticism

Answer 18

( total collection) how it all came together, choices. How it all functions together with different influences over time

Question 19

chemosh

Answer 19

the national god of Moab to whom children were sacrificed as burnt offerings

Question 20

chronicles

Answer 20

final books of the hebrew bible, beginning with creation and adam

Question 21

Circumcision

Answer 21

An ancient Semitic operation in which the foreskin of the eight-day- old males is removed as a ceremony of initiation into the religion and community of Israel.

Question 22

Covenant (Noah, Abraham, David, Moses):

Answer 22

In Hebrew Bible terms: (1) an agreement or compact between individuals, such as Abraham and Abimelech or David and Jonathan; (2) a promise Yahweh makes to certain people, such as Noah and Abraham; (3) a legal bond Yahweh forms with a chosen group, such as Israel, and the demands he makes in return.

Question 23

court history

Answer 23

Also called the Succession Narrative, it is the account of David’s reign and Solomon’s succession to Israel’s throne, the narrative, reputedly underlying 2 Samuel 9-24 and 1 Kings 1-2

Question 24

cyrus the great

Answer 24

The founder of the Persian Empire and conquer of Babylon who liberated the exiled Jews from captivity and decreed their return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Second Isaiah calls him Yahweh’s “shepherd” and his “Anointed” or “Messiah”

Question 25

david

Answer 25

Son of Jesse, successor to Saul, and second king of the united Twelve-Tribe monarchy, David expanded Israel’s boundaries to their greatest extent, founded a new administrative and religious capital at Jerusalem, and created a prosperous though short-lived Palestinian kingdom. So great was David’s effectiveness and popularity, especially in retrospect, that he became the prototype of the messiah figure, who was prophesied to be his descendant.

Question 26

Deuteronomistic History:

Answer 26

The Book of Deuteronomy and the books of the Former Prophets as compiled and revised from older sources by an anonymous author or editorial school deeply influenced by Deuteronomy’s historical philosophy. The first edition was compiled late in Josiah’s reign, and a second edition followed Jerusalem’s destruction in 587 BCE. It was further edited during the Babylonian exile.

Question 27

Diaspora

Answer 27

literally, a “scattering,” the term refers to the distribution of Jews outside their Palestinian homeland, such as the many Jewish communities established throughout the Greco-Roman world

Question 28

Documentary Hypothesis:

Answer 28

A scholarly theory associated with Julius Wellhausen that argues the Pentateuch is not the work of one author but the result of many generations of anonymous writers, revisers, and editors who produced the four main literary stands or components found in these five books: J (the Yahwist); E (the Elohist);D (the Deuteronomist); and P(the Priestly component).

Question 29

Dualism

Answer 29

A philosophic or religious system that posits the existence of two parallel worlds, one of physical matter and the other of invisible spirit. Moral dualism views the universe as divided between powers of good and evil, light and dark, which contend for human allegiance.

Question 30

Ecclesiastes

Answer 30

an Old Testament book consisting of reflections on the vanity of human life.

Question 31

Ecclesiasticus:

Answer 31

Book of Joshua

Question 32

Egypt

Answer 32

Ancient nation centered along the Nile River southwest of Palestine, visited by Abraham and settled in by his Israelite descendants for a reputed 430 years. Moses, raised at the Egyptian court, led the enslaved Israelites from Egypt in about 1280-1250 BCE. Many of Israel’s classical prophets advised against turning to Egypt for political or military help, although King Solomon had once made an alliance with the pharaohs. Egyptian attempts to restores its hegemony in Palestine were finally ended at the Battle of Carchemish, when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Pharaoh Necho’s troops.

Question 33

El/Elohim

Answer 33

a sematic term for a divine being

Question 34

Elijah

Answer 34

prophet in the book of kings. Defended Yahweh over the worship of Baal, under the reign of Ahab

Question 35

Enoch

Answer 35

A son of Cain or of Jared and father of Methuselah. P’s statement that “God took him” apparently to heaven and without death strongly influenced later Hebrew notions of immortality and gave rise to a whole body of pseudepigraphal literature in which Enoch is a model of divine wisdom.

Question 36

Epicureanism:

Answer 36

a greco-roman philosophy founded by Epicurus that advocated avoiding pain and pursuing intellectual rather than sensual pleasure.

Question 37

Esther

Answer 37

Heroine of the canonical book bearing her name, cousin and adopted daughter of Mordecai. Esther became a national heroine by delivering her people from a mass slaughter planned by Haman

Question 38

Exodus

Answer 38

A Greek term meaning “a going out” or “departure.” In the Hebrew Bible, it refers to the escape of Israelite slaves from Egypt under Moses’ leadership, an event the Hebrews regarded as Yahweh’s crucial saving act in their history. Expresses the core of Israelite faith more than any other book in the Hebrew Bible.

Question 39

Ezikeiel

Answer 39

A major prophet of the sixth century BCE, exiled to Babylon, who was distinguished by his strange visions and priestly concern. The name means “ God strengthens”

Question 40

Ezra

Answer 40

A postexilic Jewish priest who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon during the reign of the Persian emperor Artaxerxes to promulgate the Mosaic Torah and supervise a reformation of the Jewish religion.

Question 41

Festival of Booths

Answer 41

Ecclesiastes: Feast of Tabernacles- Autumn agricultural feast of thanksgiving

Question 42

Feminist criticism

Answer 42

Hermeneutics (interpretation) different people interpret the Bible differently or what they are looking for

Question 43

Form Criticism

Answer 43

Focuses on oral aspects of stories. Society created these words of that time. ( most stories are passed down from word of mouth)

Question 44

Genre Criticism

Answer 44

Form and style written and read different ways (ex. we read poetry different than narrative)

Question 45

Gideon

Answer 45

Also called Jerubbaal, a military judge who delivered Israel from the Midianites. Although Gideon refused to accept a crown, his son Abimelech reigned for three years at Shechem.

Question 46

Gilgamesh:

Answer 46

legendary king of Uruk, hero of the Sumero- Babylonian. His narrative of the flood parallels that of the story of Noah.

Question 47

Golden Calf:

Answer 47

An image that the apostate Israelites fashioned out of gold jewelry and other treasures taken from Egypt and that, under Aaron’s direction, they worshipped as their deliverer from slavery

Question 48

Hellenism:

Answer 48

The influence and adoption of Greek thought, language, values, and culture that began with Alexander the Great’s conquest of the eastern Mediterranean world and intensified under his Hellenistic successors and various Roman emperors

Question 49

Hesed

Answer 49

Hebrew word for kindness, God’s kindness and love

Question 50

Hezekiah

Answer 50

Son of Ahaz and fourteenth king of Judah, Hezekiah ruled during the Assyrian crisis when Sargon II and then Sennacherib overran Palestine. His reign was notable for the prophetic careers of Isaiah and Micah and for sweeping religious reforms, which included purging the Jerusalem Temple of non-Yahwistic elements.

Question 51

Hosea

Answer 51

An eighth- century prophet active in the northern kingdom from before the death of Jeroboam II. God told him to take a prostitute as a wife to symbolize the relationship of God and his people.

Question 52

Hyksos:

Answer 52

The Egyptian name for a racially mixed but largely Semitic group that infiltrated and overran Egypt about 1720-1570 BCE, establishing the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Dynasties, and were themselves expelled by the Theban kings Kamose and Ahmose I, who founded the native Egyptian Eighteenth Dynasty. Some scholars believe that the Hebrews entered Egypt during the friendly rule of the Semitic Hyksos and were enslaved when the native Egyptians returned to power.