Unit 1

Question 1

Ancestral Narratives

Answer 1

(Genesis 12-50) section giving accounts of the ancestors of the Israelite people, starting woth Abraham

Question 2

Ancient Near East (ANE)

Answer 2

the region of antiquity that roughly corresponds to what today we call the Middle East, from Egypt over to the Mesopotamian countries, ancient Assyria, Babylonia and Persia. The cultural setting of the OT narratives

Question 3

Apostolicity

Answer 3

A criterion early Christians used in determining the books of the New Testament canon. It means a text had apostolic connections, whether: written by an apostle, written in the time of the apostles, or written in agreement with apostolic teaching

Question 4

Archaeology

Answer 4

the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of material remains. A critical tool for interpreters, because it gives insights into the culture and lives of the people the biblical texts portray.

Question 5

Ark of the Covenant

Answer 5

Most important symbol of God’s divine presence with the Israelites. A golden box decorated with winged cherubs that contained the Decalogue, Aaron’s blossomed rod, and manna. Rested first in the tabernacle (mobile sanctuary), and later in the holy of Holies within the temple.

Question 6

Assyria

Answer 6

One of the great empires of ancient Mesopotamia; capital city was Nineveh. Assyria conquered the N. Kingdom of Israel in 722/721 BCE and sieged Jerusalem in 701 BCE. The Assyrian empire fell to Babylon in the late 7th cent, BCE

Question 7

Babylon

Answer 7

One of greatest empires of ANE; rose to power after defeating the Assyrians. Sacked Jerusalem first in 598/597 BCE and took many inhabitants into exile. Took Jerusalem completely in 586.

Question 8

Scripture

Answer 8

writings that function authoritatively for the faith and practice of a religious group

Question 9

Canon

Answer 9

Normative list of authoritative texts that function as scripture for a particular religious community

Question 10

Hebrew Bible

Answer 10

The collection of documents of the Jewish scriptures. consists of three sections: the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). Also known as Tanakh, an acronym based on the three parts.

Question 11

Torah

Answer 11

A Hebrew word meaning “law,” referring to the first five books of the Old Testament. See also Pentateuch

Question 12

Prophets

Answer 12

One of 3 major divisions of the Hebrew Bible (also Nevi’im, in Hebrew). Includes Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Book of the 12 (“minor prophets”)

Question 13

Writings (Ketuvim)

Answer 13

One of 3 major divisions of Hebrew Bible. Includes Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1-2 Chronicles.

Question 14

Septuagint (LXX)

Answer 14

the Greek translation of the Old Testament. “LXX” serves as its abbreviation.

Question 15

Pentateuch

Answer 15

A Greek word meaning “five books,” referring to the first five books of the Old Testament. See also Torah

Question 16

Palestine (Ancient Region)

Answer 16

Historic region on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, comprising parts of modern Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.

Question 17

Apocrypha

Answer 17

A word that means “hidden.” The term describes the extra section of Protestant Bibles where the additional Old Testament books of the Greek Septuagint are placed. In Catholic Bibles they are included as a “second canon” (deuterocanonical)

Question 18

manuscript

Answer 18

A handwritten document; in biblical studies, refers to copies of the biblical text produced before the invention of the printing press

Question 19

Textual Criticism

Answer 19

An academic discipline; reconstructing the earliest forms of a text through analyzing and comparing diverse manuscripts

Question 20

variant readings

Answer 20

discrepancies among manuscripts. Can occur unintentionally or intentionally

Question 21

Dead Sea Scrolls

Answer 21

(Old Testament) a collection of written scrolls found in a cave near the Dead Sea in the late 1940s. Includes biblical manuscripts from 3rd century BCE to 1st century CE. Oldest known OT manuscripts

Question 22

Vulgate

Answer 22

fourth-century Latin translation of the Christian Scriptures, which served as the Bible for Western Christianity for almost 1,000 years. “Vulgate” means “common,” recognizing that it was the shared text of the western church. It was the official canon of the Bible named at the Council of Trent (1545-63) by the Roman Catholic Church.

Question 23

Formal correspondence

Answer 23

a translation method that takes a literal approach by staying as close as possible to the form of the original language in both grammar and word order. Often described as “word for word” translation

Question 24

Dynamic equivalence

Answer 24

a translation method that focuses on the function of the original language and attempts to recreate the reading experience in the target language; a “meaning for meaning” translation strategy.

Question 25

Hermeneutics

Answer 25

the art and process of interpretation

Question 26

Covenant

Answer 26

a formal agreement binding two parties together in a relationship, often formed between parties of unequal power. The stronger party often promises to provide security, and the weaker party promises to provide loyalty. Biblical covenants often emphasize either God's promises, or Israel's obligations

Question 27

Enuma Elish

Answer 27

the Babylonian creation epic. It dates back to the Akkadians in the third millennium BCE; describes creation as a result among gods and goddesses. The earth is shaped from the defeated body of the goddess Tiamat, and humanity's nature is violent

Question 28

Canaan

Answer 28

the region along the eastern Mediterranean coast consisting of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan

Question 29

primeval history

Answer 29

the material that narrates the history of the first age, beginning with creation and concluding with the tower of Babel. Genesis 1-11.

Question 30

Etiology

Answer 30

an explanation of current reality by narrating a story of origins

Question 31

Circumcision

Answer 31

the procedure of removing the foreskin from male genitals. A sign of God's covenant with Abraham (Gen 17). Became a major Jewish identity marker

Question 32

Babylonian Exile

Answer 32

the period from 587/586 BCE, when Jerusalem fell to Babylon, to 538 BCE (edict by Cyrus of Persia, Babylon's conqueror, to let the exiles return to their homeland). Large numbers of Judeans were in exile in Babylon. The period prompted significant theological reflection and religio-political shifts due to the destruction of the temple and the end of the monarchy

Question 33

Documentary Hypothesis

Answer 33

theory that the Pentateuch developed from the combination of several documents, known as the Jahwist (J; german for "Yahwist"), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D) and Priestly material (P). JEDP is sometimes used to refer to the theory. (see box on p. 48 ECS for examples)

Question 34

Source criticism

Answer 34

analysis of a biblical text to determine what sources (usually written) were used in its composition

Question 35

Redaction criticism

Answer 35

analysis of how a text's sources have been adapted an edited, so that an author's literary and theological emphases can be detected (see box on p. 20 ECS for examples)

Question 36

Tradition history

Answer 36

study of the development and reconfiguration of key events, institutions, and ideas in the Old and New Testaments (see box on p. 20 ECS for examples)

Question 37

Canonical criticism

Answer 37

approaches that emphasize the final form of a biblical book and how it has been received and interpreted as authoritative by believing communities

Question 38

Holy

Answer 38

the state of being distinct, set apart. Holiness in scripture is based on God's holiness; not a way to separate from the world but a way to relate to it based on a covenant relationship with God

Question 39

Passover

Answer 39

combined with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, this special one-day feast in the worship of ancient Israel was celebrated in the spring as a reminder of God's deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt

Question 40

Red Sea

Answer 40

traditionally the sea across which Moses led the Hebrews as they were leaving Egypt in the Exodus. A more accurate translation of Hebrew is Sea of Reeds, ironically

Question 41

Prophet

Answer 41

a messenger from a deity, speaks on behalf of the deity. Israelite prophets apply the faith, interpreting life for the people of faith and indicating how the faith traditions should be observed in relationship to YHWH in their time

Question 42

Mount Sinai

Answer 42

place where Moses encountered YHWH in a burning bush, and where he and Israel returned to receive the Torah and enter the Mosaic covenant. Sometimes also known as Mount Horeb

Question 43

Ten Commandments

Answer 43

the "ten words" (Decalogue) of commandments that YHWH gave to Moses on Mount Sinai following the exodus (Exod 20). Central to OT faith, but not the only laws given on that day, or intended to order Israelite life

Question 44

Lex talionis

Answer 44

law of retaliation. A principle in ancient laws (Pentateuch and others) that the punishment should match the crime; an "eye for an eye" and so on. While seen as problematic now, they limited retribution then

Question 45

Tabernacle

Answer 45

the mobile wilderness sanctuary that the Israelites built after the exodus. The tabernacle served as the site of worship and sacrifice and the home of the ark of the covenant

Question 46

priest

Answer 46

religious figure whose role centered on worship and sacrifice in the tabernacle or temple (or high place in earliest times).

Question 47

Manual of Sacrifice (Leviticus)

Answer 47

material in Leviticus 1-7 that presents the ritual for five sacrifices for both lay people and priests that constitute a large part of ancient Israel's worship

Question 48

Manual of Holiness (Leviticus)

Answer 48

material in Leviticus 11-16 that addresses preparation for worship in terms of clean (a state acceptable for worship) and unclean (a contagious state unacceptable for worship.

Question 49

Nazirites

Answer 49

a segment of the Hebrew community that embodied the community's holiness by following vows: not cutting their hair, avoiding strong (alcoholic/fermented) drink, and avoiding the uncleanness of corpses. The initial taking of the vow was usually paired with cutting off hair

Question 50

Deuteronomistic History

Answer 50

a name for the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings which tells the history of Israel up until the exile from a Deuteronomistic perspective