Old Testament Unit 1 Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical context, translations, and scriptural interpretation methods from Old Testament Unit 1.

Septuagint

A Greek translation of the books of the Old Testament.

Babylonian Exile

The period during which many Old Testament books were written down to preserve religious identity, memories, and faith after losing everything.

Torah

A Hebrew word referring to the first five books of the Old Testament.

Pentateuch

A Greek word referring to the first five books of the Old Testament.

BCE

Letters often used by scholars instead of Before Christ (BC).

Apocrypha

A word meaning 'hidden' used in Protestant bibles to identify books not found in the Hebrew Bible but still valued and studied by Christians and scholars.

Deuterocanonical

A word meaning 'second canon,' referring to seven books accepted by the early Church as scriptural canon although rejected by Jewish scholars of the time.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Rolls of papyrus found in caves in the Holy Land containing some of the oldest existing copies of many Old Testament books.

Hebrew scriptures

A name for the books of the Old Testament, referencing the main language in which these books were written.

Scripture and Tradition

The two normative and authoritative sources of divine revelation for Catholics.

Canon

The official list of writings that are considered divine revelation.

Criteria for Canon

The four criteria used to determine scriptural canonical books: Origin (Apostles), Universal Acceptance, Liturgical use, and Consistency.

Fundamentalist approach

An approach to scripture that takes all the words and stories of the Old Testament literally.

Contextualist approach

An approach to scripture that takes historical context and literary genres into account when interpreting scripture for religious truth rather than literal historical or scientific explanations.

Exegesis

Using critical thinking and scholarly methods to interpret and explain scripture; also called 'biblical criticism'.

Design pattern

A term for repeating scenes or stories in the bible.

Dualism

A perspective that sees the world as a place of opposing forces, such as good v. evil or light v. darkness.

Geographical journey

In the bible, a physical movement meant to mirror the spiritual journey of the people of God.