Terms

Question 1

Ham, Shem, Japhet

Answer 1

Children of Noah. All human descendants traced to these three individuals.

Question 2

Laben

Answer 2

Uncle of Jacob. Tricks Jacob into serving him for a total of 14 years in order to wed his younger daughter Rachel. Aramean.

Question 3

Miriam

Answer 3

Sister of Moses. Sing’s a song of victory after Pharoah’s army is drowned in the Red Sea.

Question 4

On the Emergence of Ancient Israel:Conquest/ Settlement

Answer 4

Traditional account of Israelites entering the Land is through conquest- Joshua leads the people in lightning invasion that conquers the whole of the land. Not necessarily supported by archaeological evidence.

Question 5

Herman Gunkle

Answer 5

Founder of Form Criticism. J and E not sources, but schools collecting Israel’s oral traditions.

Question 6

Joel Baden

Answer 6

J E and P are representative of segments of Israelite society (monarchic, prophetic, priestly), not any unified view at a given time. D is the only source that consider’s its writing authoritative, and knew of J and E when writing.

Question 7

YHWH

Answer 7

Tetragramaton. Name of God associated with the J source. Appears to be the personal name of the God of Israel.

Question 8

The Table of Nations

Answer 8

A list of the decendants of Noah which appears in Genesis 10

Question 9

Rachel

Answer 9

Matriarch. Favorite wife of Jacob. Mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Daughter of Laban and younger sister of Jacob’s first wife, Leah.

Question 10

Moriah

Answer 10

Traditionally considered as the mountain range where the sacrifice of Isaac story played out. Modern scholars believe it to mean “land of the amorites.” The Mountain of God.

Question 11

Jethro

Answer 11

Father-in-law of Moses. Midian Priest. In Exodus 2:18 Jethro is also referred to as Reuel[2] and referred to as Hobab in the Book of Numbers. J sources call Moses’ Father in Law Jethro, E sources call him Ru’el.

Question 12

On the Emergence of Ancient Israel:Peaceful infiltration

Answer 12

the infiltration theory relegates clashes with the Canaanites to a later stage in the process of Israel’s formation. In the view of A. Alt, who originated the theory in 1925, the first phase was totally peaceful. It involved semi-nomadic pastoralists, who spent their winters in the desert fringes beyond Canaan, gradually making the transition to a settled agricultural existence in the hills where they were accustomed to graze their flocks each summer. The central highlands of Canaan were thinly populated, so their settlement involved little or no conflict with the existing inhabitants of Canaan. Only when these settlers had become somewhat established, united and more numerous, did they attempt to wrest territory from the Canannites.

Question 13

Gerhard Von Rad

Answer 13

German Scholar. He identified traditions in the pentateuch that were separate (Sinai vs Exodus etc.). For Von Rad, J combined them together working as an author to create J during the monarchal period. The theme of “salvation history” is the overarching message (that God saves his people) he attribtues this as the theological message that J puts forth. The Creeds about the Exodus experience tie the pentateuch together.

Question 14

R. E. Friedman

Answer 14

Traditonal source criticism. E was representative of the Northern Kingdom. J was Judah in the South. E/J are combined to create a national literature. J reflects the Davidic monarchy and E reflects the Priesthood in Shiloh.

Question 15

Form Criticism

Answer 15

Hermann Gunkel originally developed form criticism to analyze the Hebrew Bible. It is a method of biblical criticism that classifies units of scripture by literary pattern and attempts to trace each type to its period of oral transmission. Form criticism seeks to determine a unit’s original form and the historical context of the literary tradition.

Question 16

Ba’al

Answer 16

1st Millenium Canaanite god of storm. Rival of El

Question 17

The Patriarchs

Answer 17

Abrahham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thought by some scholars to be heads of distinct groups with distinct deities. Later, the patriarchal accounts combined to unite people to one group or family. Jacob considered by some as the real patriarch, as God’s name is in his name, Yisra-el, and his descendants are the 12 tribes. Abraham often associated with Hevron, Isaac with Beersheva, and Jacob with the North.

Question 18

“Doublets:”

Answer 18

Doublets are pairs of parallel narratives or stories of the same event, which source critics believe
is one story told by two different authors. They believe
that this explains the differences and contradictions of each account. For example, in Genesis, the 2 accounts of creation or the 2 flood accounts.

Question 19

Ramses II

Answer 19

Referred to as Ramses the Great, was the 3rd Egyptian Pharaoh of the 19th dynasty (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC). He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. He led several military expeditions into the Levant, reasserting Egyptian control over Canaan.

Question 20

Israel Finkelstein

Answer 20

He is an Israeli archaeologist and academic and a professor of the archaeology of Israel in the Bronze Age and Iron Ages at Tel Aviv University. He is also the co-director of excavations at Megiddo in northern Israel. He is critical of scholars who read the results of their excavations as confirming the biblical narratives of conquest. One of his most controversial theories is his description of 10th century BCE Jerusalem, the period associated with the biblical kings David and Solomon, as a mere ‘village’ or tribal center. He argues that much of the Bible was written from the seventh through the 5th century BCE.

Question 21

Erhard Blum

Answer 21

A Protestant theologian and Old Testament scholar.

Question 22

Joseph

Answer 22

One of Jacob’s sons from Rachel. Thrown in a pit by his jealous brothers and later taken to Egypt as a slave in Pharaoh’s court. Distinguishes himself and moves his way up to high position. Is responsible for Jacob and his sons, b’nei Yisrael, coming to Egypt. Joseph forms a bridge between the end of Genesis to the beginning of Exodus.

Question 23

Tetrateuch; Pentateuch; Hexateuch

Answer 23

The Torah as we know it is the Pentateuch. The Tetrateuch is the first 4 books of the Bible/Torah, and doesn’t include Deuteronomy. Hexateuch is the 5 books of the Torah plus the book of Joshua.

Question 24

Asherah

Answer 24

Asherah is known as the Cannanite Goddess of fertility, wife to El. Through archelogical findings, it has become known that she was widely worshiped, even by men, during a time when the ancient Israelites should have been practicing monotheism. Dever suggests that she is the wife of YHWH, the God that the Israelites made theirs- redactors have tried to blot her out of history, as we can see her in the Hebrew text many times - ‘cut down the asherahs’

Question 25

Ishmael

Answer 25

Abraham’s first son, born to him and Sarah’s servant Hagar. Abraham later sent Ishmael and Hagar away due to Sarah’s command. God promised Ishmael’s decedents would also be made into a great nation. Theory that characters like Ishmael were placed in the Patriarchal accounts to link the Israelites with their neighbors (Ishmaelites). While connecting them to their geographic neighbors, the negative light that they are depicted with in the Genesis stories served as political propaganda for the present relationship between them.

Question 26

Reuben

Answer 26

Eldest son of Jacob and name of a Northern tribe. His depiction displays tensions between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Negative stories like when he loses his birthright for sleeping with Jacob’s concubines serve to portray the ancestors of the Northern tribes in a bad light. On the other hand, after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom in 722 and their exile, many of the Northern Israelites moved to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The version of the Joseph story where Reuben is the brother who tried to save Joseph’s life, was included to unify the Northern and Souther Israelites living together in Judah.

Question 27

Mereneptah Stela:

Answer 27

“Victory Stele of Merenptah” He was an Egyptian King, 1213-1203 B.C.E., a line from the inscription describing a military campaign in Canaan reads “Israel is laid waste and his seed is not.” It is the earliest known extra-biblical source that mentions of the people of Israel.

Question 28

Albrecht Alt: “God of the Fathers”

Answer 28

Exodus 3 key text = “I am that I am”

Alt’s theory that the patriarchal narrative contains evidence that each of the patriarchs originally had their own tribal god. According to him the Canaanite deities “Elim” were linked to local shrines (geographic areas) as opposed to the “El” religion (the original religion of the patriarchs) which was linked to clans.There are remnants of them left in the text (like- פחד יצחק- Gen 31:53) and that examples like this are proof that there was a separate God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that were later united into YHVH by the biblical authors. These earlier traditions were used by the biblical to unify the religious practices of these various tribes into Israelite religion. Ex. 3 (the story of Moses and God “I am what I am”) is the key text that justified the syncretism of the old Patriarchal religion and the cult of YHVH.

Question 29

Dan

Answer 29

Canaanite city mentioned in the patriarchal narratives and one of the 12 tribes. It was a city in Northern Israel where, along with the city of Bethel, during the Divided Monarchy Jeroboam built an altar with a golden calf because, unlike the Kingdom of Judah, the Northern Kingdom of Israel did not have any centralized cultic worship sites.

Question 30

Tower of Babel

Answer 30

Tower built to the sky by people who all spoke the same language. God confuses the builders by making them speak different languages.

Question 31

Israel vs. Judah

Answer 31

Israel to north, Judah to south. Based on archeology, Israel was more developed society, but the Tanakh ascribes more valor to Judah.

Question 32

William Dever

Answer 32

American archeologist, supports idea of folk religion in ancient Israel, Asherah as consort to YHWH.

Question 33

Machpelah

Answer 33

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca, Sarah, Leah all buried there

Question 34

Primeval History

Answer 34

Found in Genesis 1-11- narratives concnerning the origins of human life. Pre patriarchal. Helps us understand why things are the way they are. (stories of creation, flood and babel)

Question 35

Rebekah

Answer 35

She first appears in Genesis 24. She is married to Isaac and is the mother of Jacob and Essau. She comforted Isaac and plays a huge role in the birthright story which is a very political message.

Question 36

Ephraim

Answer 36

Tribe named for song of Joseph in central hill country of Israel- Jeroboam ecame first northen king of israel descended from ephraim

Question 37

Tel Dan inscription:

Answer 37

inscription from 9th century BCE mentioning the house of david- this is one the greatest archetological discoveries- ineresting that it was found in the north!

Question 38

Jean Astruc

Answer 38

• 18th century
• 1st to theorize that Genisis was wove together from two different sources. based on the two names of God- Elohim and YAHWEH

Question 39

Fragmentary Theory:

Answer 39

Asserts that the Pentateuch was compiled from a mass of fragmentary sources. It focuses on the redactor and stories.

Question 40

William Dever :“folk” vs. “book” religion

Answer 40

Folk relgion was the practice of the people in Ancient Israel. They built shrines, prayed to other gods and had private home ceremonies. Book relgion came about once documenation became available. Stories, traditions and practices were written down, but only from the perspective that the Priests and the monoarchy wanted our history to be displayed as (complete monotheism). Book religion is what we practice today, with it’s rituals, customs, law and theology. Dever is critical of this notion and believes that the “establishment” has used this and challenges this through the investigation of the folk religion.

Question 41

Hebron

Answer 41

Was where Abraham purchased the grave for Sarah- a pretty important piece of the narrative… also was a city at that time.

Question 42

Esau

Answer 42

Son of Isaac. His offspring become the Edomites. Text speaks about Esau in a perjorative manner (gullible, strong, dumb, despizes his birthrigh) reflects political tensions between Israel & Edom.

Question 43

Leah

Answer 43

1st wife of Jacob, gives birth to 6 sons and one daughter. The 6 sons become 6 of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Question 44

Bethel

Answer 44

Jacob falls asleep here & has his famous dream. Cultic-center in the Northern Kingdom. An “alternate” Beit HaMikdash is set up here.

Question 45

Reuel

Answer 45

Alternative name given to Moses Father In Law. E sources use Reuel “friend of God” J sources call him Jethro

Question 46

On the Emergence of Ancient Israel:Peasant revolt

Answer 46

Theory developed by GE Mendenhall in the 1960’s. He claims ancient Israelites were Apirus, native pesantry in Caanan who withdrew from society and rebelled against Caanite city-states. A seperate band of escaped slaves came from Egypt. The escaped slaves worshiped YHWH. Apirus identify with their story of social revolution and adopt the slaves story as their own. Kind of a Marxist Ideology. N.K. Gottwald is a biblical scholar who adopts Mendenhall’s theory with an important change. Mendenhall says the revolt happened overnight (Pesant Revolt) Gottwald says it happened over the course of 200 years (Social Revolution)

Question 47

Tradition Criticism (Redaction Criticism):

Answer 47

We do not have sources or authors, but theologically motivated redactors. Unlike Form criticism, which looks at the author of different sources. Here, we look at who redacted the stories.

Question 48

El

Answer 48

Father God figure of the Caanite Patntheon.