Christian Scriptures Exam 2

Samuel

Last judge of Israel before the monarchy is established

Saul

looking for his father’s lost donkeys, seeks advice from Samuel, then becomes king

Saul’s Failures (1)

Saul disobey’s Samuel’s instructions by offering an unauthorized sacrifice when Samuel fails to appear on time

Sauls Failures (2)

Saul fails to carry out here against the Amalekites. God says he regrets making Saul king and Samuel announces that God has rejected Saul as king.

David

youngest son of Jesse, king following Saul

Goliath

giant warrior that David kills

Jerusalem

New capital of Israel after David conquers it

Nathan

prophet that tells David it’s not God’s will for David to build a temple

The Davidic Covenant

God promises David and unending dynasty

Bathsheba

woman David lusts after, summons her to have sex with him, and she becomes pregnant

Uriah

Bathsheba’s husband that David essentially kills by sending him back to war frontlines

Solomon

David and Bathsheba’s son that succeeds him as King

4 W’s of the Reign of Solomon

Wisdom, Worship, Wealth, Wives

Jeroboam

King of Israel, Northern Kingdom

Rehoboam

son of Solomon, King of Judah. Southern Kingdom

When did Israel divide into 2

922 BCE

Ahab and Jezebel

Built a temple of Baal in Samaria and promoted Baal worship in Israel

Elijah

Prophet whose name means “My God is YHWH”

What does God declare through Elijah

He is sending a drought on Israel as a punishment for Ahab’s wickedness

Elijah’s Departure

Elijah is taken up by God in a fiery chariot

Elisha

Elijah’s successor, asks YHWH for a “double helping” of the prophetic authority Elijah possessed

King Jehu

Anointed by Elisha, orchestrates the deaths of Jezebel and Ahab’s family, kills Baal worshippers and destroy’s the temple of Baal, but does not destroy Jeroboam’s golden calves

Assyria begins threatening Israel

700s

Hoshea

pro-Assyrian Israelite that assassinates the king of Israel

Assyria conquers Israel

722 BCE

Kings of Israel (the North) to know

Jeroboam- first

Ahab- worst

Jehu- “best”

Hoshea- last

King Hezekiah

Judah’s best king, destroyed idols and shrines of foreign gods

Isaiah

Prophet who tells Hezekiah not to fear the Assyrians but to trust YHWH, advised Hezekiah’s father and grandfather and was killed by Manasseh

King Manasseh

Son of Hezekiah, reigns 55 years, most wicked king, set up idols in the temple and promoted Baal worship

King Josiah

Manasseh’s grandson, Judah’s greatest king because he leads the people to rededicate themselves to keeping the law and purges Judah of idols

Huldah

prophetess that tells Josiah will destroy Judah for idolatry, but not in his lifetime

The Rise of Babylonia

During Josiah’s reign, Babylonians gradually replaced the Assyrians as the dominant power in the region

The Fall of Judah

587 BCE, Zedekiah, last king of Judah, launches another revolt so the Babylonians besiege Jerusalem, burn the temple and palace, and take the remaining survivors into exile

Kings of Judah (the South) to know

Rehoboam- First

Manasseh- Worst

Hezekiah- co-best

Josiah- co-best

Zedekiah- last

Prophets

delivered YHWH’s messages to people of Israel and Judah concerning their present and future

Amos

Prophesied 750 BCE before Assyrian expansion, delivered warnings of judgment to Israel and Judah

Oracles Against the Nations

divine condemnations of Israel’s enemies and predictions of God’s punishment of them

the day of the Lord

YHWH would deliver Israelites and destroy their enemies, but Amos reveals that it is actually a soon coming day when YHWH will punish His own people for their sins

The Immanuel Prophecy

During an invasion threat in 730s BC, King Ahaz rejected YHWH’s offer of a sign, prompting Isaiah to declare that a child named Immanuel (God is with us) would be born as a sign that Judah’s enemies would be deserted- a message later translated in the LXX and understood by Christians as a prophecy of Jesus’s virgin birth

Jeremiah

Prophesied in Judah 627-587 from Josiah until the fall of Jerusalem, only author of prophetic book who experience final siege of Jerusalem

The Temple Sermon

God tells Jeremiah to prophesy at the temple gate, core message is not only will God not spare the nation for the sake of the temple. God will not even spare the temple

A New Covenant

Jeremiah prophesies that God’s plan for the people’s eventual restoration will involve establishing a new covenant

Ezekiel

exiled to Babylon after the first siege in 597, prophesies to the exiles from 590s-570s. receives several vivid visions from God

The Dry Bones

God shows Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of dry bones, God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, as he does the bones join together, then are covered with flesh then are filled with breath

Parallelism

Conceptual linkages between successive lines of the poem

Synonymous Parallelism

The second line of a verse echoes the basic thought of the first line

Antithetical Parallelism

second line of a verse provides contrast with the first line (often signaled by “but”)

Synthetic Parallelism

The second line of a verse expands on or specifies what is meant by the first line

Praise/Thanksgiving Psalms

Express admiration for God and/ or gratitude for specific blessings

Lament Psalms

Express sorrow to God and Ask for Help

Imprecatory Psalms

Curse Israel’s enemies and call for God to punish them

Royal Psalms

Patriotic songs focused on the king

Didactic/ Wisdom Psalms

Songs designed to teach people God’s will and to encourage them to keep the law

Wisdom Literature

Genre that describes the nature of the world and human existence to make sense of our experiences and provide guidelines for living well

Proverb

short memorable saying that describes the nature of life or gives advice for living well

The Outlook of Proverbs

Most similar to Deuteronomistic “reward and punishment” theology

The Book of Job

Challenges Deuteronomistic theology by insisting that not all suffering is punishment for wickedness, sometimes good people suffer

Theodicy

Justification of God, an attempt to address why evil exists in a world created by a God who is both all-good and all-powerful

The Satan

the adversary/ accuser

Outlook of Ecclesiastes

ultimate futility of human pursuits, author denies that righteous and wisdom always bring blessing, death is the end of existence rather than expecting a blessed afterlife

Daniel

man a part of the first wave of exiles taken to Babylonia, tries to remain loyal to YHWH in the face of pressure to conform to Babylonian religion

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

dreams of a statue composed by a variety of materials which is smashed by a stone that becomes a mountain, Daniel interprets the dream as predicting a series of empires that will eventually be replaced by God’s kingdom

The Idol and the Furnace

Daniel’s three friends don’t bow to the idol and get thrown into the furnace but a heavenly figure appears and they don’t burn up

Writing on the Wall

Belshazzar holds a feast and defiles vessels from the Jerusalem temple, a divine hand appears and writes a message on the wall that Daniel interprets God will end the reign of the Babylonians and the Medes and the Persians will take over

The Lions Den`

Daniel won’t pray to Darius, gets thrown in the lions den, God protects him, Daniel’s enemies are thrown to the lions

Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great)

Persian King, allows exiles from Judah to return home

Zerubbabel

A descendant of David that lead building the new temple

Ezra

Priest that comes from Babylonia to Jerusalem

Nehemiah

Comes from Babylonia to Jerusalem to serve as governor of Judah

Alexander the Great

conquers Persian Empire, including Judah (now known as Judea)

Hellenization

“Greekification”: The intentional spread of Greek language, education philosophy, religion, culture as a means of unifying Alexander’s vast empire

Diaspora

“Dispersion”- The spread of Jews into various regions outside Judea during the Persian and Greek Periods

Synagoges

Local Jewish gathering places for worship/prayer, emerged as the diaspora made it impossible for jews to visit temple regularly

The Gymnasium

Greek educational complex where males received athletic and intellectual training, participants exercised naked which raised issues for jews

Ptolemies

Rules Judea from Egypt (mostly tolerant)

Seleucids

Rule Judea from Syria (mostly harsh)

Antiochus IV

King of Seleucids, pressured jews to adopt greek culture/religion

The Maccabean Revolt

In 167 BCE priest Mattahias and his 5 sons launch a revolt against Antiochus and the Seleucids

Judas Maccabeus

“The Hammer”, becomes the leader of the revolt, him and his brothers seize control of the temple and rededicate it (origin of Hanukkah)

Hasmonean Dynasty

140-63 BCE- The descendants of Matthias rule Judea as the Hasmonean Dynasty, they serve as high priests and princes even though they aren’t descendants of David which creates controversy

Herod the Great

Ruled Judea on Rome’s behalf from 37-4 BCE, partially Jewish ancestry but loyal to Rome, tried to win favor with Jews by renovating and expanding the Temple

Gentiles

Jewish term for all non-jews

Apocalypse

a narrative in which a divine figure reveals visions about the future and/or the supernatural realm, often written in times of crisis

Messiah

anointed one, referring to a specifically appointed servant of YHWH

The Sadducees

Priestly aristocratic group, supported Hasmonean dynasty and later cooperated with Romans to maintain political influence, accepted only 5 books of the torah as authoritative divine commands, did not believe in an afterlife

The Pharisees

Non-priestly, scholarly group, opposed Hasmoneans and resisted Roman influence, developed oral torah, believed in an afterlife

Oral Torah

supplementary religious teachings to clarify what God requires

The Essenes

Priestly group but opposed Hasmoneans and Romans, some abandoned Jerusalem and retreated to the desert, practiced pester interpretation, expected two messiahs (royal and priestly)

Pesher Interpretation

A method of interpreting scriptural prophecies as being fulfilled by events occurring in one’s own time/ community