RELIGION SQs MIDTERM

What message is conveyed about humans’ relationship to the earth through the similarities and differences expressed in the two creations stories of Gen 1-2

• Humans are rulers and caretakers of the earth

• Earth was made for humans

Similarities and Differences in Gen 1-2

• Similarities:

  • The world was made first

  • God stopped on the 7th day

  • Humans were made to take care of the land

  • Humans’ were meant to be vegan

• Differences:

  • Man was created first

  • Man helped creation (naming)

  • 2 trees, could only eat one

  • Rivers specifically mentioned

  • Woman was made from Man

    • Humans made from soil + divine breath (vs. in the image of God)

• Summary: Gen1 is the creation of the universe and earth, Gen2 is the creation of society and hierarchy of humans

Why did God flood the earth and why did he stop?

God flooded the earth because the humans’ were having children with divine beings, creating immortal demi-gods. He stopped the flood once all living beings (minus the Arc) were killed.

What is the significance of the birds gauging the lvl of the water?

It shows that the water covered all of earth, even the highest mountain tops. There were no points to land, until the water had subsided enough for the bird to bring back an olive branch, showing life had returned to the earth.

What cultic act does Noah preform at the end of the flood and why?

Noah makes an alter and sacrifices pure animals to God to show thanks. This begins his covenant with God

What are the differences and similarities between the flood of Gen and the flood in the epic?

Similarities

• flood

• gods causing the flood

• an evil snake in a garden that damns the MC/removes their longevity

• morel of the story: some people/you can’t be like god

Differences

• some humans can be immortal (E)

• no relationship with the gods (E)

• only humans are killed (E)

An example in Gen where a name change occurs and the meaning

Abram becomes Abraham after making his covenant w/ God, and it’s a symbol of the covenant by meaning “exalted father”, related to the promise of decendants

The difference between the Noah covenant and the Abraham covenant

Noah:

• A promise to never flood the world again and kill all life

• Symbol is the rainbow

• A reminder of God’s strength

• Applies to all humanity

Abraham:

• A promise of descendants/fertility to Abraham’s family and land

• Symbol is a physical mark onto the genitals (a very personal sacrifice/marking)

• Only applies to Abraham’s family

What is the Amorite hypothesis of Albright? What are the two main criteria of it and how are they challenged by scholars?

The hypothesis is that Abraham and his family were nomadic Amorites who migrated to Caanan.

Gen 37-38 relating themes and literary motifs

• primogensisis

  • Jacob (is saved and becomes the leader of edgypt), and Judah (the brother who saves Jacob and becomes the leader of the brothers)

• going down tot egypt

  • leaving the promise land and going to the land of trouble

• The sheep is used to cover the sin

  • tricking someone to believe something in your interest

  • wealth

• bad parenting = tricked by kids

How is the Manetho narrative of the Exodus a counter narrative of the Biblical story? What is it’s aim?

• Shows the Israelites as violent unwanted losers who were cast out and took over empty land. There is no miracle to it, no godly intervention

• Shepards: nomads who are not modernized/urbanized like the egyptians

  • The Jews

• The Lepers/Maimed people: individuals with leprosy, sick and contagious, not wanted

• Said the Israelites committed arson, basphamy, and murder

• The narrative focuses on their ethnicity rather than religion because it wanted to remove the idea that God helped them/allowed the miracles

• The change from Israelites (the 12 tribes) to Jews (The one trube, Juada tribe) was a change/limiting of their personhood

• The narrative was a stab at the national ethos of the Jews

  • The Jews make friends with Lepers = they are all sickly unclean people

• Is it a negative statement about the physical body of the Jews a racist statement?**

• Does it mobilize anti-Jewish sentiments concerning Jewish bodies in order to attack Jewish religion? **

How do the literary motifs and elements of Moses’s biography indicate that the story represents a literary convention rather than a historical document?

The beginning of ecodous starts with borth and growth of moses

• not the first born from a levite family

  the younger son does not become leader

  • primogensis reversal

• struggle with water

  • hides moses in arc, the arc to save one baby boy

  • miraculous saving of children

    • the danger water usually creates was overcome by the arc/by God

What are the differences between the 3 covenants?

Noah:

• A promise that God will never flood the earth

• Symbol: Rainbow (a reminder of the promise)

• Applies to humanity

• Began after the flood

Abraham:

• A promise of descendants/fertility and land to the Abraham family line

• Symbol: circumcision (a very personal physical sacrifice on the genitals)

• Applies to Abraham’s descendants

Sinai:

• A promise to never abandon the Israelites as long as they agree to follow God’s laws

• Symbol: Mount Sinai

• Applies to all Israelites in all places at all times

• Began at an event that transcends time and space

What is the theological importance of casuistic laws in the Covenantal idea within the bible?

• a practical way for the Israelites to maintain/enforce God’s moral laws

• gives a plan/punishment for the crime

• deals with the relationship between people and maintains social wellness

• also flexible and can change as the society changes

What is the different scholarly opinions concerning the meaning and role of the ancient Israelite notion of ritual impurity?

• Ritual impurity = physical uncleanliness

  • ie. period, birth, semen, touching a corpse, lepresy, etc

• Temporary and can be removed through ritual w/ sacrificial lamb

  • blood does not go on the person, it goes on the ark and the horns

• Consistently unclean people (ie. women on period, lepresy/sick people) can not enter the temple until the are clean

  • maintains the holiness of the temple

  • highlights social and health concerns

• Distinguishes the pure/cleaner Israelites who are held to these standards as holier/different from a non-Israelite