| A | B |
|---|
| The historical, cultural, social, or political circumstances surrounding an event or record. | Context |
| The earliest forms of writing in which pictures represent words or ideas/ | Pictograms |
| People trained to write using the earliest forms of writing before literacy was widespread. | Scribes |
| An ancient form of Egyptian writing, more stylized than pictograms but not based on an alphabet. | Hieroglyphic writing |
| Refers to events or objects that date to a time before writing developed and written records exist. | Prehistoric |
| A group migration or flight away from the homeland into one or more other countries. The word can also refer to people who maintained their separate identity (often religious, but occasionally ethnic, racial, or cultural) while living in those other countries after the migration. | Diaspora |
| To truly understand Moses' reception of the Ten Commandments, one must view them in the context of the Hebrews' _____ from Egypt. | Exodus |
| What years are the approximate beginning of the OT "Biblical Era?" | 1300-1100 B.C. |
| What years are the approximate end of the OT "Biblical Era?" | 333-64 B.C. |
| What do the years 1300-1100 B.C. represent? | Decline of the Egyptian and Hittite eras |
| What do the years 333-64 B.C. represent? | Time of Alexander the Great's conquests. |
| The events that the Hebrew Bible (OT) describe are almost entirely contained to what time period? | 1300-100 B.C. |
| Modern archaeologists provide clues about the land, known as Canaan or _____, where the Israelites settled after the Exodus. | Palestine |
| Most scholars date the origins of Ancient Near East writing systems to the years _____. | 3500-3000 B.C. |
| Writing first emerged in _____ and _____ (modern Irag) at about the same time, likely as pictograms. | Egypt, Mesopotamia |
| The Phoenicians (a.k.a Canaanites) invented symbols that came ot be known as an _____. | Alphabet |
| Because scribes were expensive to train and maintain, much of the earliest preserved documents are _____, _____, and occasionally _____. | Royal, Business, Military |
| OT biblical archaeologists would consider it a great find to unearth documents from a wealthy temple which could afford to write its _____ ideas down. | Religious |
| Ancient Egypt's hieroglyphic writing was deciphered in _____ (year) with the discovery of the _____. | 1822, Rosetta Stone |
| What was crucial about the Rosetta Stone for translators was that it included the text of two _____ languages alongside Greek, allowing Greek readers to work out the translation. | Egyptian |
| From the time of the Rosetta Stone forward, Biblical scholars could compare Egyptian writings to the writings of the Bible, which was written predominately in _____ and _____. | Hebrew, Greek |
| By about 1850 the two most dominant dominant civilizations of the Biblical era, _____ and _____ were beginning to be understood due to the ability to translate ancient languages. | Egypt, Mesopotamia |
| Ancient Mesopotamia existed in the region today covered by the countries of _____ and _____. | Iraq, Iran |
| The ancient writing known as the _____ was deciphered in 1868. | Mesha Inscription |
| The Mesha Inscription originated in _____, a rival state to Israel located across the Jordan River. | Moab |
| The Mesha Inscription mentions an _____ king named Omri. | Israelite |
| The _____ , deciphered and first published in 1897, tells of the Eyptian Pharoah, Merneptah, and his defeat of a people names Israel. | Merneptah Stele |
| To what year can the Merneptah Stele roughly be dated, and what is its significance? | 1207 B.C., It is the oldest available reference to the Israelites' existence |
| In addition to the writings found by archaeologists, is there other archaelogical evidence showing that humans lived in region the Israelites said they lived in, Canaan or Palestine? | Yes, especially stone tools |
| What are the locations of two important prehistoric sites for understanding the biblical era? | Jericho (in modern Palestine); Ain Gazal (in modern Jordan) |
| Archaeological finds have revealed that the Israelites settled in the _____ of Palestine, rather than on the coastal plains where larger cities were located. | Hills |
| Where was Canaan located relative to the two great centers of ancient civilization, Egypt and Mesopotamia? | Along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, really a "land bridge" between the two (easy to see on the map on page 41). |
| In OT times what was the name of the "land bridge" connecting Egypt and Mesopotamia? | Canaan |
| Canaan (a.k.a. Palestine, The Holy Land) of the OT lies in what countries/regions today? | Parts of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine. |
| How many regions or "zones" of geography does Canaan contain? | Four |
| Moving from east to west, what are the four regions of geography of Canaan? | Coastal plains, Hill country, Jordan valley, Transjordan plataeu |
| In the ancient world the Transjordan Plateau was also known as what? And why? | "King's Highway"; it was the major North-South trade route of the ancient world. |
| What lies beyond the four geographical regions which make up Canaan? | Syrian Desert, which extends into Arabia |
| What is the likely reason why the Israelites settled in the hills? | Natural protection from enemies; little competition for land |
| What was the major difficulty the Israelites had to overcome living in the hills? | Difficulty farming |
| Why is it accurate to say that the the nation of Israel was literally "caught in the middle" in the ancient world? | It inhabited the "land bridge" between the ancient Greek and Mesopotamian (Assyrian, Babylonian) civilizations, both of which were struggling for control of this passageway. |
| Why is it unsurprising that the OT records violence and warfare in ancient Canaan? | The nation Israel's occupation of the "land bridge" between the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations meant it got caught in a lot of "crossfire." |
| Why is it not surprising that the ancient Israelites thought of God as a warrior to protect them? | They were incapable of doing much military damage themselves against Egypt and Mesopotamia and had faith in God to protect them. |
| What is known of the Canaanites who inhabited Canaan before the Israelites settled there? | Had a historically contentious relationship with Egypt, with control sometimes going to Canaan and sometimes going to Egypt; they established strong cities, worshipped a variety of gods in temples administered by priests in a through a religion that supported the dominance of the rich and powerful over the majority who were peasants and did not own land. |
| Who was the main god of the Canaanites? | El |
| Who was the most popular god of the Canaanites? | Baal, the god of rain, portrayed in the OT as the most significant rival to Yahweh |
| The book of Genesis traces the origins of the Israelite patriarchs, beginning with the first patriarch, _____. | Abraham |
| The story of Abraham begins in Genesis chapter _____ (number). | 12 |
| Genesis 1-11 is referred to as _____ history, and is about the origins of the world, humans, and culture. | Primeval |
| Why is it difficult to trace a reliable history of the Israelites using Genesis? | Genesis was written many years after the events described |
| Rather than looking to Genesis for specific historical detail, the author oy your textbook suggests what approach? | To view Genesis as a religiously-motivated story of the origin of the Hebrew people. |
| Is it possible to use the OT to determine the precise date and circumstances of the Exodus from Egypt? | No, because, for example, Ex 10:28 talks of an "escape" from Egypt while Ex 11-12 talks of an "expulsion." There are also other discrepancies. |
| What is a likely scenario for the Exodus? | That a group of former slaves from Egypt and led by Moses arrived in Canaan about 1250-1230 B.C with a religion based in the experience of a God who liberated them from Egyptian slavery. |
| What was early Israelite faith based on? | Three things: a relationship with a God by the name "Yahweh"; worship in a movable shrine or tent; basic moral expectations ("laws"). |
| Were there many conversions of Canaanites to the religion of the new settlers, Israel? | Yes, but the transition was not always smooth, with evidence of persistant syncretism. |
| What were the three key features of the Judaism practiced at the time of Jesus? | Belief that God would provide; belief that God would save the people from their enemies; faith meant obedience to God wherever they lived throughout the region. |
| What is a working estimation of the date of the Exodus from Egypt. | 1260 (timeline) |
| Israeilte kings began ruling ruling around what year? | 1030 (timeline) |
| Who was the first king of Israel? | Saul |
| Who was the second king of Israel? | David |
| Who was the third king of Israel? | Solomon |
| For what is King David best remembered? | Unifiing a diverse people against the immediate threat of the coastal invaders, the Philistines; establishing the capital at Jerusalem; extending Israelite political influence across the Jordan River into the territories of Ammon, Moab, Edom (modern-day Jordan) |
| For what is King Solomon best remembered? | Construction of a national Temple modeled on Canaanite temple architecture and the social problems that his massive building campaigns brought |
| What happened to the kingdom of Israel when Solomon died in 922 (timeline)? | It split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. |
| How many tribes made up the new Israel? | 10 |
| How many tribes made up the new Judah? | 2 |
| By what names did the citizens of Judah eventually become known? | Judeans or Jews |
| When was the northern kingdom of Israel destroyed and by whom? | 722, Assyrians (timeline) |
| In what year and by whom was the southern kingdom of Judah exiled? | 587, Babylonians (timeline) |
| In between the destruction of Israel and the exile of Judah, who was the king in Judah who instituted deuteronomic reforms? | King Josiah |
| What happened in 539 (timeline) that resulted in the end of the Babylonian exile? | King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and allowed many Judeans to return to Palestine. |
| What does the term post-exilic Judean society mean? | Society in Judah after the Babylonian exile. |
| When does the Hellenistic (Greek) period of Jewish history begin? | 333 (timeline) |
| What leaders took the place of kings for the Jews after the exile? | Priests |
| After the exile there continued to be a hope for a messianic king to emerge from the family of _____. | David |
| How did Jews living in the diaspora (outside of Palestine) maintain their faith? | Through spiritual identity, family practices and diet, and with through their abiliity to resist cultural assimilation |
| The core of the Old Testament is the _____, which means "five books." | Pentateuch |
| _____ is the most prominent feature of the Pentateuch. | Law |
| In the Hebrew Bible, the Pentateuch is known as the _____, a word which means Law. | Torah |
| How many collections of laws are contained in the Law/Torah/Pentateuch? | Three |
| What is the name of the earliest code of law in the Law/Torah/Pentateuch | Covenant Code |
| Where in the Bible is the Covenant Code located? | Exodus (the book) |
| What is the name of the second "code" recorded? | Deuteronomic Code |
| Where in the bible is the Deuteronomic Code recorded? | Deuteronomy |
| Where is the third code, consisting of priestly and religious laws, recorded? | Leviticus |
| When was the Covenant Code written?e wrwitten | Earliest, before 7th century B.C. |
| When was the Deuteronomic Code written? | 7th century B.C. |
| When was the priestly/religious code written? | Post-Exile |
| What does post-exile mean? | After the Babylonian exile |
| When did the Babylonian exile end? | Approximately 539 B.C. (timeline) |
| Was is the value of having three different sets of laws contained within the OT? | One can see the progression of thought on matters of Jewish life. |
| What books follow after the Pentateuch in the OT? | Historical books |
| What do the Historical Books provide? | A history of Israel, first as a collection of tribes, then a monarchy, then a divided monarchy, then into exile and back home again. |
| What books follow the after Historical Books in the OT? | Wisdom Books and Psalms |
| What do the Wisdom Books consist of? | Poetic religious hymns, stories, wise advice |
| What do the Wisdom Books provide? | Guidance in learning the lessons of human life. |
| What is the largest body of religious poetry in the Bible? | Psalms |
| What do the Psalms provide? | A sourcebook for devotion (prayer) |
| What books follow after the Wisdom Books and Psalms in the OT? | Prophetic Books |
| What are the main activities of the OT prophets? | To be messengers of God, delivering messages; to be God's prosecutor, delivering judgment of sinful acts; to act as tireless advocates for the less fortunate of Israelite society |
