MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE
for
RELC/RELJ 1210 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
Fall 2017
The Midterm
The midterm will take up the full 50-minute class period on Wednesday, October 4, and will cover the material that was discussed in lectures,sections, and all assigned readings (primary and secondary, whether or not they were discussed in lectures and sections).
Please bring an exam booklet to the test. No books or notes may be used during the midterm.
Students with disabilities that require adjustments in the format or requirements of the midterm should send an email (addressed to both their teaching assistant and the professor) to confirm those arrangements by Friday, September 29. If you are entitled to take extra time, then you must reserve space at SDAC to take the midterm there starting at our regular class time.
Its Parts
The midterm will have several parts; you will have some choice within each. The sections include:
Identifications: You will be asked to identify and comment briefly on the significance of several names and terms. Please be sure to both define and give the significance of the name or term for biblical scholarship, the biblical text, ancient Israel, etc. Rather than resorting to Google and Wikipedia, consult your Harper Collins Study Bible, the textbook, and your lecture notes for reliable definitions.
Quotations: Quotations will be drawn from primary sources, which include not only the Hebrew Bible, but also the EnumaElish and the Haggadah. Name the book (or source), the speaker, and the person or persons being addressed (where applicable), mention where the quotation occurs in the document, and comment on its significance. For quotations from the Hebrew Bible, you should provide the book and the circumstances of the quotation but not the chapter and verse.
A short essay: You will be asked to write a short critical essay on a major theme in the Hebrew Bible or on a major issue in biblical scholarship. Your essays should include an introduction with a clear thesis statement, arguments with textual evidence, and a conclusion.
A memorized passage: You should be prepared to reproduce a short passage from the Hebrew Bible (from the NRSV translation, of course) that you have memorized. Please see the syllabus for more information. Some suggested passages are: Genesis 2:1–3, Exodus 3:1–6, Exodus 6:2–8, or Job 38:1–7. The passage you select must be coherent and must be at least three verses long (as in the examples above).
How to Prepare
- Read over your notes from the lecture and section and try to summarize the major themes and issues that we have discussed. Note any important terms. Talking through the major issues with other students may help you to synthesize them.
- Re-read those portions of the biblical text that we covered in class or that were highlighted in the assigned secondary readings if you feel that your recall is weak.
- Read over any notes you may have made on the assigned secondary readings. Be able to identify and explain the authors’ theses.
- Memorize your passage. Practice writing it out.
- Prepare and think through the terms and essay topics on this study sheet; the strongest exams will show evidence of your knowledge of the biblical readings, your lecture notes, the Coogan textbook, and the other secondary readings.
Possible topicsto review for the short essay:
The short essay may or may not be limited to these topics; these are only intended to provide a basis for review. In each case, your class notes and the assigned readings should be sufficient.
How have the works of such modern biblical scholars as Julius Wellhausen, Robert Alter, Jon Levenson, and Mary Douglas contributed to our understanding of the Bible and its formation?Be able to identify the methods that each scholar uses, their assumptions about the biblical text, and the strengths and weaknesses of their approaches. What issues do they address most effectively? What questions do they leave unanswered?
How do the writings of the ancient Near East shed light on our understanding of the Hebrew Bible? Consider, for example, the EnumaElish and biblical creation stories; consider, too,ancient Near Eastern treaties and the biblical concept of covenant. How do these materials help us to better understand the biblical text? What are the advantages of this comparative method? Are there any disadvantages?
Consider how the various sources within the Pentateuch reflect different perspectives (and views on such issues as the nature of God, the definition and function of covenant, and the appropriate places and conditions for sacrifice.) How are they similar? How are they different? How might the varying contexts of the sources account for some or all of the differences?
What was the relationship between ancient Israelite religion and the religions of the Canaanites and the Babylonians? What role does archaeology play in this question? What were the various ways in which the divine-human relationship was conceived in ancient Israel? What was the role of covenant in ancient Israel?
What role(s) do women play in the Hebrew Bible? Do their roles differ from those of men? In what sphere(s) do women operate? Be sure you are able to refer to specific biblical characters and narratives in order to support your claims.
In lectures, discussions, and readings, we have encountered several literary themes (favored younger son, sibling rivalry, exile, trickery, barrenness, and initiative to fulfill God’s promises, to name a few) that recur in the biblical narratives. Choosing one literary motif, discuss several (three or more) specific occurrences of the motif in the Bible. What literary function(s) does the recurring motif serve in the story, and what is its significance for interpreting the biblical passages?
Terms for Identifications
The terms on the midterm will be taken from this list of terms.Reviewing the terms on this list will also help you to prepare for the quotations and essays portions of the test.
586 b.c.e.
Aaron
Abel
“Abominations of Leviticus”
Abram/Abraham
Robert Alter
Anthropomorphism
Apocrypha
Apodictic Law
Aqedah
Apsu
Ark of the Covenant
Baal
Babylonian Exile
Benjamin
Berit
Book of the Covenant
Canaan
Canaanite Religion
Canon
Casuistic Law
Circumcision
Clean/Unclean
Code of Hammurapi
Collective Memory
Cosmology
Creatio ex nihilo
D, E, J, and P sources
Day of Atonement/
Yom Kippur
Decalogue
Deuterocanonical Books
Deuteronomic Code
Deuteronomy
Dinah
Divine council
Documentary Hypothesis
Doublet
Mary Douglas
Edom
El/el
El Shadday
Elohim
EnumaElish
Ephraim/Manasseh
Eponymous ancestor
Esau
Etiology
Tigris & Euphrates
The exodus
Exogamy
Feast of Unleavened Bread
Four Questions
Genealogies in P
Golden calf
Hagar
Haggadah
Hexateuch
Historical (or Source) Criticism
Hittite treaties
Holiness Code
Isaac
Ishmael
Israel
Jacob
Judah
Joshua
Joseph
Ketuvim
Laban
Law of talion
Leah
Levant
Jon Levenson
Levi/Levites
“Bible as Literature”
Marduk
Matzah
Masoretic Text
Mesopotamia
Midian
Midrash
Mitsvah/mitsvot
Monolatry/monolatrous
Monotheism
Myth
Nevi’im
Noah
Noahide Covenant
Parity treaty/Suzerainty treaty
Passover
Pentateuch
Primeval History
Primogeniture
Pseudepigrapha
Rachel
Rameses II
Rebekah
Reed Sea
Ritual Decalogue
Sabbath
Sarah/Sarai
Scapegoat
Seder
Septuagint
Shechem
Shema
Simeon
Sinai Covenant
Sinai/Horeb
Slave laws
Song of the Sea/Song of Moses
Tabernacle
Table of Nations
Tanakh
Tetragrammaton
Theophany
Tiamat
Tithe
Torah
Type-scenes/Literary Conventions
Ugarit/Ugaritic texts
Julius Wellhausen
Yhwh
Zipporah