Christian Scriptures Exam 2

-Mr. Nessler's Christian Scriptures Exam #2

United Monarchy (ca. 10th cent. BCE)

The first period of the Kingdom of Israel in which all 12 tribes are united under a single king

The temple

The first temple of Jerusalem that reinforces Jerusalem as a center of YHWH worship.

The schism

The Northern tribes secede from the souther tribes, two kingdoms form Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judah

Divided Monarchy (ca. 9th-6th cent. BCE)

The second period of the monarchy post schism.

Kingdom of Israel

-Northern kingdom that consisted of seceded northern tribes (10/12)

-First king: Jeroboam

-Capital: Samaria (eventually)

Kingdom of Judah

-Southern kingdom that consisted of non-secede southern tribes (2/12)

-First king Rehoboam, son of Solomon

-Capital: Jerusalem

Jeroboam (22y)

-rebel → first northern kingdom king

-promoted idolatry by setting up two golden calves, one in Bethel, one in dan

King Omri / Omride Dynasty (12y)

Biblical Depiction:

-establishes Samaria as capital 

-rampant apostasy (Baal worship) 

-exceedingly evil lacked + lacked redeemable qualities

Ane Depiction:

-establishes samaria as capital

-ensures major economic prosperity 

-wields political influence (relatively) through alliances

-”Land/House of Omri

-geopolitical golden age

King Ahab/Queen Jezebel )22y)

-Son of Omri married to Sidonian princess

-murdered legit prophets of YHWH

-synonymous w/ evil + idolatry

worshippers of Baal

-The seizure of Naboth’s Vineyard- watnted to buy his vineyard, said no, killed him + accused of b;ashphemy

prophet

a figure who interprets an/or communicates the will of a diety (e.g., judgement, direction)

Elijah

-Prototypical prophet

-pronounces divine will concerning direction + judgement to power : condemns Ahab+Jezebel

-At Mt. Horeb: theophany of silence 

-Miraculous acts performed (revives child)

-Challenges Baal prophets to call down fire on Mt. Carmel

-never dies: taken into heavens by chariot of fire

Elisha

-Successor of Elijah

-receives “double portion” of Elijah’s “spirit”

-takes up Elijah’s mantle (literally)

-miracles of healing and resurrection

-sic’s “she-bears” on kids for mocking baldness

King Jehu (28y)

-Elisha sent young prophet to anoint him

-Eliminates the Omrides 

-Kills all Ahab’s 70 sons + emissaries from Judah

-Kills all Baal worshipers 

Assyrian Empire

-Surged in ca 9th-7th cent BCE

-The first true empire of the world

-Expansionistic intent

-propagated divine right to civilize the world

-overwhelming military force 

-heavy taxation on vassal states

-reputation for brutality

-Israel under Assyrian rule as a vassal for many years prior to destruction

-Obedience=imperial infrastructure

-Disobedience= annihilation

Syro-Ephraimite Crisis (2 Kgs, ca. 730 BCE)

-Aram (Syria) + Israel try to form defensive coalition against Assyria, but Judah refuses to help

-Aram + Israel attack Judah → Judah calls on Assyria for help

-Assyrians stomp Aram; Israel survives for now

Fall of Israel (722 BCE)

Assyrian invasion of Israel, capture of Samaria, deportation of Israelites

-Explicit rationale: Assyrians fed up w/ Levant region (includes Israel+Judah)

-Implicit Rationale: “This occurred bc the people of Israel; had sinned against YHWH their God..they had worshipped other gods.” (2 Kgs 17:7) among other things, “cast images of 2 calves".” (2 Kgs 17:16)

King Rehoboam (17y)

-Son of Solomon

-First king of Judah

-Commits apostasy just like Israel

-built “high places, pillars, +sacred poles”

Shishak’s Invasion

Shishak (Egyptian king) attacks/plunders Jerusalem

-Egyptian records corroborate the attack 

-explicit rationale: Egypt expanding influence in response to Assyria (i.e., creating a buffer zone)

-implicit rationale: punishment for YHWH idolatry

King Hezekiah (29y)

-Overall righteous king

-removes/destroys high places, pillars, + sacred poles

-Initially non-compliant w/ Assyrian Empire

-N. Kingdom of Israel Falls during his reign

-starts paying off Assyria with temple gold for time

-but many cities of Judah begin to fall

Sennacherib’s siege (ca. 701 BCE)

-Assyrian army besieges Jerusalem under leadership of Sennacherib (Assyrian King)

-Assyrian official (Rabshekah) shouts insults over the wall in the language of Judah

-Hezekiah consults prophet Isaiah, Isaiah says YHWH will turn Assyrians away

-Hezekiah prays + angels strike down on thousands of Assyrians (trusts YHWH + Jerusalem survives)

Sennacherib’s Prism (ca. 690 BCE)

-An Assyrian record that includes statements concerning Sennacherib’s Siege of Jerusalem

-Comparison w/ biblical account

• Agree: Assyria failed other capture Jerusalem

• Disagree: Why Assyria failed to capture Jerusalem (payoff vs. angel)

King Manasseh (55y)

-Longest reign of Judah’s kings

-Assyrian records mentions him as a loyal vassal (pays tributes on time, Judahite army helped Assyria conquer Egypt)

-Most EVIL king in history of Israel/Judah

-rebuilt everything Hezekiah tore down

-built altars to illicit gods in the temple precinct

-made his sons “pass through fire”

-”blood of the innocent” could fill Jerusalem from one end to another

-For YHWH heis the last straw a.k.a will bring Jerusalem/Judah lots of calamity 

King Josiah (31y)

-torah found during his reign

-had reforms in response to finding the “book of the law” (Josiah’s Reforms)j

Josiah’s reforms 

sweeping religious reforms instituted in response to finding the “book of the law”

-removes/destroys high places, pillars, sacred poles

-reaffirms Mosaic Covenant

-cleanses Jerusalem Temple of illicit affairs

-”defiles” altars spread across all the land

-includes Jeroboam’s altar (golden calves)

adresses:

-worship centralization, strict(er) monotheism, covenant theology

“book of the law”

early version of Deuteronomy, the Torah

Huldah

prophetess consulted to authenticate the “book of the law”

Fall of Judah/Jerusalem 

Jerusalem reduced to rubble and temple destroyed in 587 BCE

Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III 

9th-century BC black limestone monument from ancient Assyria that commemorates King Shalmaneser III's military conquests and displays his power

Babylonian Empire

-Babylon defeats Assyria and Egypt in one battle at the end of the 7^th cent BCE (Carchemish)

-Besieges Jerusalem

Babylonian Exile

Large number of people from Judah, usually VIP’s, deported (exiled) Develto the capital of Babylon (hoarding resources)

Developments and Emphases of Exilic/Post exilic texts

Central questions that need to be addressed

-Who was/is/will “Israel” now that this has happened?

-Where is God?

-Did God lose to the Babylonian Gods?

-Does/did God care?

-How should the exilic communities relate to foreign peoples/neighbors?

1) Israel as a people of the written word

2) YHWH as God of the world

3) Expanded imagery of YHWH as king

4) Family units as a chief concern

5) Wisdom traditions begin to develop

6) Foreign idols/images characterized as empty statues

7) Persian Cosmology influences

Post Colonial Studies

gives attention to how texts reflect ongoing negotiations between 1) reality of imperial oppression 2) the desire to maintain indigenous identity (e.g., colonial mimicry)

Trauma studies

Gives attention to how texts portray, are shaped by, and originate from traumatic experiences (e.g., war, abuse)

Scribes 

Writers/readers in the ANE (royal, religious, etc.)

Prophecy

the subject mater of divine words, omens/signs, or symbols that commentate on present circumstances + near future consequences 

The Latter Prophets/Prophetic Literature

anthologies of oracles recorded, organized, + preserved in the biblical canon

Oracle

short poetic speeches (spoken or written) communicating divine words

Retributive Justice 

Principle illustrated in the Former + Latter prophets; YHWH’s response to Israel corresponds with their conduct 

-Adhere to YHWH’s covenant → blessing and prosperity

-Break YHWH’s covenant →cursing/struggle

OT oracles in the NT Option 1 - Far Future

OT oracles cited in the NT only refer to Jesus’ ministry

-Issue: not helpful when Israelis are struggling w/trauma, raises difficult questions concerning God’s care for present suffering 

OT oracles only pertain to NT world (either/or)

OT oracles in the NT Option 2 - Near Future

OT oracles cited in NT in error- only applied to the immediate context of the Exile (not Jesus)

-Issue: Nt writers clearly interpreted world through lens of OT oracles, including Jesus, Assumes that later interpreters treated their own oracles inappropriately 

Ot oracles pertain to OT world (either/or)

OT oracles in the NT Option 3 - Near + Far Future

OT oracles primarily/first applied to the near-future and then Jesus later embodied those oracles as signs of divinity

-i.e., prophetic oracles successfully benefited pre exilic, exilic, and post exilic community as well as the later jewish + christian communities 

OT oracles pertain to OT then new NT (both/and)

Literary Appropriation

taking a text from one context and applying it to another (usually for sake interpreting later events)

Isaiah (prophet)

Called by God through a visions where a seraphim cleanses his lips with a hot coal

Isaiah (book)

-spans the pre exilic, exilic, and post exilic periods

1. Proto-Isaiah: Chs 1-39

-Pre-exilic oracles + later edits 

-Historical references: Assyrian → Babylonian threat 

2. Deutero-Isaiah Chs 40-55

-Exilic oracles + later edits 

-Historical references: experiences during Babylon Exile; hope for return to Judah

3. Trito-Isaiah Chs 56-66

-Post-exilic oracles 

-Historical References: Post-return challenges; Jerusalem as the hope for the world, references to Temple rebuilt 

Themes of Isaiah (Book)

-Judgement against Israel/Judah + others

-The servant songs

-YWHS’s supremacy over all nations

-Zion theology

Zion Theology

Belief that Jerusalem is indestructible + center of the world w/ YHWH’s blessing

Colonial Mimicry

The practice of claiming + reframing imperial forms/propaganda as an expression of idealogical resistance

Jeremiah (prophet)

-son of a priestly family

-Appointed as a “prophet to the nations”

-consecrated pre-birth

-”weeping prophet”

-witnessed destruction first hand 

-not sent to Babylon

-writes to the exilic community

-remainder of life spent in Egypt (kidnapped) 

Jeremiah (book)

Three sections:

1. oracles regarding Israel/Judah (1-25)

2. Scribal Anthology (26-45)

3. Oracles against the nations 

Themes of Jeremiah (book)

-Judgement concerning idolatry + social injustice 

-Lament as a prophetic expression

-Deuteronoministic-like sermons

-YHWH’s supremacy over all nations 

Object lessons or  (sign acts)

physical dramatizations of prophetic oracles 

Ezekiel (prophet)

-priest → prophet

-visions of scroll full or woe and mourning, instructed to eat scroll (“sweet as honey”)

-taken to Babylon w/ early group of deportees

-experienced intense, extremely detailed, extremely vivid visions 

-engaged in many object lessons

-FIRST BIBLICAL FIGURE REGARDED AS TRAUMATIZED

Ezekiel (book)

Three part structure

1. judgement against Israel/judah (1-24) - mostly narrative

2. oracles against the nations (25-32) - mostly poetry

3. restoration for Israel (33-48) - mostly narrative 

Themes of Ezekiel (book)

-Holiness of the Temple (and its defilement)

-vivid imager of marriage + adultery/prosecution

-shift to individual responsibility/accountability for sins

-judgement/restoration…but do-over?

-finale: visions of a new temple

The book of the twelve

the twelve so-called “minor prophets”; theorizes that all twelve books were compiled and transmitted on a single scroll

Day of YHWH

day of reckoning 

Remnant Theology

YHWH has social purposes for those who survive exilic punishment

Jonah (character)

-unique among latter prophets, mostly narrative

-YHWH sends Jonah to prophesy to the Assyrians in Ninevah (capital)

-narrative setting: pre exilic

Ninevah 

capital of Assyria

The writings

-last to become canon + recognized as scripture

-3 subsections 

1. Sifrei Emet: ps, prov, job

2. Hamesh meailot: song, 5th, lam, ecclesiastical, esth

3. Other writings: Ezra-neh, chronicles 

yehud 

persian imperial province of Jerusalem + surroundings 

diaspora

the scattering of people beyond their homeland

Persian Empire

allowed the Jewish people to return from Babylonian exile and rebuild their temple in Jerusalem, a policy initiated by Cyrus the Great and continued by subsequent rulers

Cyrus the Great

-persian imperial founder; releases exiled community

-only non-israelite messiah

Cyrus cylinder

an official Persian document declaring victory over Babylon and releases of exiled peoples to homelands

Ezra-Nehemiah

-recounts return + rebuilding of temple + Jerusalem walls

Ezra-Nehemiah Themes

-rebuilding Jerusalem + the temple with Persian authorization

-emphasis on family units

-lots of genealogical records

-positive/negative reactions w/foreign people

-Mass divorces as finale

-Extreme measure to maintain Yehud identity as “Israel” 

Ezra (character)

priest/scribe “skilled in law of Moses”; oversees religious laws

Nehemiah (Character)

a governor; leads reconstruction effort of Jerusalem walls

Chronicles

-written down during late persian/early-hellenistic period

-retells story of the monarchy

-quotes many passages from sam-kgs verbatim 

-incorporates numerous unique passages into preexisting material 

-beings w/ 9 chapters of genealogies 

-only recounts story of Judah 

-presents David as nearly perfect

-presents Solomon as nearly perfect 

The Psalms/Psalter

5 books ending w/ a benediction

-Book I (1-41): mostly individual laments

-Book II (42-72): Mostly individual laments 

-Book III (73-89): Mostly laments 

-Book IV (90-106): Mostly communal praises

-Book V: (107-150): Mostly communal praises

Form criticism

an approach to biblical analysis that focuses on categorizing formal patterns and structures of texts

Genre

formal category regarding literary style + structure

Resilience studies

an interdisciplinary appraoch that considers how texts derive from + encourage resilience

Resilience

one’c capacity to withstand or overcome adversity

Parallelism

the structure of parallel words, lines, +sections ised at the basis of virtually all Hebrew poetry

Lament Psalms

psalms that mourn a circumstance, the success of the wicked, and/or the percieved absence (or enmity) of God

Praise psalms

psalms that celebrate a circumstance, successes of the righteous, and/or the perceived presence (or favor) of God

superscription

a descriptive verse/line at the beginning of a psalm

-descriptions may 1)associate psalms with/ historical figures 2)attribute usage to performance groups 3)provide musical instructions

Davidic collections

several collections are associated with David through their superscriptions

psalmists

terms used to refer to the writer of a given psalm, since that are virtually anonymous apart from (later?) superscriptions

Ruth (book)

-Setting: period of the judges

-ANE statuses available to women 1)virgin daughter in father’s house 2)childbearing wife in husband’s house

Themes:

-interethnic familial bonds (esp. among women)

-survival amid a preexisting social order (patriarchal) 

-covenant faithfulness 

-implications of YHWH’s authority 

Ruth (character)

-Moabite widow → follows MIL Naomi to Israel

-initiates “meet-cute” → marriage process (survival)

-successfully navigates Israelite culture + laws 

Moabite

neighboring ethic group east of Israel; no group more hated

Naomi

Israelite widow + MIL of ruth; encourages ruth to “find favor” and “seek security” 

Boaz

Naomi’s kin; operates as “kinsman redeemer”

Levirate marriage

next of kin’s legal obligation to marry the widow of one’s brother

Esther (character)

-persian queen

-yehudite woman made queen in Persia 

Esther (book)

-setting: Persian period at Susa (capital)

Themes:

-how to use power in diaspora

-fickleness of imperial powers

-satire of the Persians

-YHWH absent from MT version

Mordecai

uncle/father of Esther, trusted advisor; informs Esther of danger (plot to kill all yehudites)

Haman

Persian official + architect of genocide plot

Daniel (character)

-trusted visionary

-deported → trained in Babylon culture + language 

-refused King’s rations → goes vegetarian → still “fattens” 

-interprets dreams + spooky grafitti 

-survives murder plot under Persians: lion’s den 

Daniel (book)

Two part structure

1. Narratives abt Daniel (1-6)

2. Apocalyptic visions (7-12) 

Themes

-How to use power in diaspora

-Fickleness of imperial powers 

-satire of imperial powers 

-God depicted as very active/present 

-Apocalyptic visions 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 

refused to bow to golden statue; survive in blazing furnace alongside “messenger/angel”

Hellenistic Period

a time of Greek influence following Alexander the Great's conquests

Antiochus IV Epiphanes 

outlawed jewish worship, converted temple to worship Zeus

Apocalypse

“revealing”

literature pertaining to celestial warfare, cosmic upheaval, + eschatology

Gabriel

interpreter of Daniel’s visions

Michael

-protector of God’s people; at war w/opposing forces; reappears in revelation

Wisdom Literature

poetic genre concerned w/discernment of what may be known (order of things) + what should be done (conduct)