Test #2 Possible Question

How is Moses Characterized?

A chosen leader, mediator, reluctant, and God's representative.

What leads up to the 10 Commandments/Why are these given

Israel being oppresed in Egypt, God calls moses to deliver Israel, God delivers Israel from Egypt. God Brings Israel to Mt. Sinai, and God establishes the covenant. They are given to teach israel how to live as God’s people to establish the covenant between the covenant between God and Israel and shape israel into holy nation.

What Preparations are made for the people in receiving the 10 commandment?

The people arrive at Mt. Sinai, Moses goes up the mountain, the people agree to the covenant, the people are consecrated, boundaries are established around the mountain, the people prepare for the third day, thunder, lightning, and Moses instructed to warn the people again.

Lex Talionis

Law of Retaliation

God Hardened the Pharaoh’s Heart. Ok… what does that mean, was God mean, what is this function?

God wants to prove that he is the one and only God and that the egyptian gods have no chance against Yahweh. It is emphasizing God’s power and identity, The Narrative create tension between God’s control over pharaoh and pharaoh’s responsibility for his action.

Red Sea or Reed Sea?

The Original Hebrew does not literally mean “Red.” Some scholars translate it as “Reed Sea” reffering to need growing along the water. Other propose a different vowel arrangement that produce “Uttermost Sea”

The 3 Different 10 Commandments

Sargon Legend vs Moses Story

Difficulty to assign dates, contexts, or settings for the Exodus

The lack of clear Egyptian Records confirming: Joseph, The Israelite enslavement, Moses, The Plagues, and the Exodus.

The Uncertainty about which pharoah was involved. 15 Century BCE - Based on 1 Kings 6:1. 13 Century BCE - Connected with Ramesses ll and the city of Ramesses.

Why both 15th Century BCE and 13th Century BCE have difficulties

Questions about Israel’s Origins: Did Israeli migrate from Egypt? Were they already living in canaan? Was Israel formed through a combination of different group? Was the settlement peaceful, violent, or a mixture.

The Merneptah stele, approximately 1207 BCE, as the earliest known extra-biblical reference to Israel

Baal

Caananite storm and fertility deity. Associated with Mount Zaphon, near Ugarit in northern canaan mountains and were often understood in the ancient near east as places where gods lived.

Sinai

Presented as a place where Yahweh appears to Israel. The smoke, thunder, lightning, and fire surrounding Sinai communicates divine presence. Unlike the ancient gods whose presence was connected to one mountain, Yahweh’s presence travels with Israel through the tabernacle.

Covenant Code and Holiness Code

Casuistic and Apodictic

Moses as a Universal Lawgiver

King: Leads the Israelites out of slavery. Organizes and guides the people. Exercises authority over the community. Makes decisions and directs Israel’s action.

Prophet: Encounters Yahweh. Receives divine revelation. Communicates Yahweh’s commands to Israel. Serves as an intermediary between God and the people.

Priest: Participate in sacred encounters. Is involved in covenant practices. Has access to divine instructions concerning worship.

Scribe: Receives laws from Yahweh. Communicates the laws to Israel. Connects divine revelation with the community’s legal and religious life. Functions as the central transmitter of the Torah.

How “D” Source differs than our preview focused sources of “J” or “P.”

“D” source is the covenant, obedience, exclusive worship, law, blessing, and curse from consequence or result of obedience or disobedience to Yahweh while “P” or “J” is rather more about God’s relationship with his creation.

Suzerainty (as a type of treaty)

A treaty relationship between a powerful superior (The Suzerain) and a weaker dependent ruler or people (The vassal). In Deuteronomy, Yahweh is the suzerain and Israel is the vassal.

Deuteronomistic History (Dtrh) understanding of the texts or books of the Bible. As well as being able to list them when it might have been edited and, more importantly, its primary understading of Israel’s success or failure.

In Scholarly reconstruction, the Deuteronomistic History consist of: Deuteronomy (Maybe) - Joshua - Judges - 1-2 Samuel - 1-2 Kings. The Dtrh is understood as theological history/historical theology. Its Authors use Israel’s history as a stage for theology, evaluating Israel according to covenantal principles found especially in Deuteronomy.

The Dtrh evaluates Israel’s history according to covenant faithfulness Israel’s success is connected to obedience to Yahweh; failure, defeat, and disaster are connected to disobedience, idolatry, and breaking the covenant.

“Shema” and why it is significant

Shema means to “Hear” referring especially to Deuteronomy 6:4-9: “Hear, O Israel.” It declares Yahweh alone and calls Israel to love Yahweh with all heart, soul, and might. With many god’s that existed around Israel, it becomes a central statement of Israel’s relationship with God.

The Basic “Deuteronomistic” pattern

God’s Grace - God establish the covenant

Covenant - Israel is called to loyalty and obedience

Obedience - Blessing, stability, and success

Disobedience - Curse, punishes, defeat, and eventually disaster exile

What Constitutes a right relation with God

Worship Yahweh alone

Keep the commandment

Maintain covenant loyalty

Reject other gods and idolatry

Live according to the law and practice justice

What happens if the right relationship is not sustained?

Disobedience leads to covenant curses and punishment. The Deuteronomistic writers interpret Israel and Judah’s national disasters, including exile. In relation to covenant unfaithfulness, especially idolatry and failure to keep the commandments.

The former prophets and their Jewish divisions

Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings.

Deuteronomy as the Second Law

Deuteronomy is the the final book of the Torah/Pentateuch. It presents as restatement and interpretation of the law for a new generation preparing to enter the promised land. Deuteronomy 12-26 contains many laws that parallel material in exodus and leviticus.

Similarities to the Pentateuch already used

Mosaic traditions and speeches, laws and commandments, Exodus/wilderness and covenant traditions, the decalogue, Israel’s relationship w/ Yahweh.

Differences / Emphases in Deuteronomy

strong emphasis on covenant loyalty, exclusive worship of Yahweh, central sanctuary/worship, blessing and curses, and application of the covenant to a new generation entering the land.

Purity for Ancient Hebrews.

A ritual state of being “clean" and properly prepared to participate in Israel holy life; it was maintained by observed God’s boundaries concerning food, bodies, disease, and contact.

Opposite of Purity

Uncleanness/Impurity

How some states of impurity remedied

Through washing, waiting, separation, priestly examination, purification rituals, and in some cases sacrifices.

What is Holiness, how it was maintained, and what contaminates holiness

Holiness: Being set apart for Yahweh

Maintained: Preserving the boundaries Yahweh has established. Ex: Worship

Contaminate: Things that violate Yahweh’s boundaries. Ex: Idolatry, Sexual Violation, Blood Violation, Profaning Yahweh’s name, and Disobeying Yahweh’s commands

Purity vs Holiness

Cities of Refuge. Distinction from Kalter and Sumney definining it.

Designated cities where a person who committed homicide could flee for protection and receive a fair trail rather than immediately becoming the victim of blood vengeance.

Kaltner tends to emphasize the structure and development of Israelite law

Sumney is more explicit about explaining how ritual purity works conceptually.

Role of Rehab in the Conquest

Rehab is a woman of Jericho who protects the two Israelite spies sent by Joshua. She hides the spires, helps them escape, and recognizes that YHWH is the true God and that Israel’s God has given Israel the land. The spies promise to spare Rahab and her family. When Jericho is destroyed, Rahab and her household are spared.

Formula of Success

God commands - Israel obeys - God fights/gives victory - Israel succeeds

Pattern of Judges

1. Israel does evil

2. Israel abandons YHWH

3. An enemy oppresses Israel

4. Israel cries out to God

5. God raises a judge/deliverer

6. The judge defeats the enemy

7. The land has peace/rest

8. The judge dies

9. Israel falls back into sin

10. The cycle begins again

Story of Samson in relation to theological thought

Samson is impulsive, violates expectations surrounding his Nazirite status, has destructive relationships, and acts violently and selfishly. Yet God's Spirit comes upon him and God uses him against the Philistines.

God can accomplish his purposes through an imperfect and morally complicated person. By the end of Samson's story, the normal cycle has almost completely broken down. The story contributes to the larger message that Israel is becoming increasingly disordered and unfaithful

Formula of Success and Set-Back

Success: Israel/Judge depends upon YHWH - YHWH empowers the deliverer - enemy is defeated.

Setback: Israel abandons YHWH - Israel becomes vulnerable - enemies dominate Israel.

Is “D” Redundant Yet?

D does not really function as a separate, obvious source in Joshua–Judges in the way you might identify a distinct narrative source However, there are very strong Deuteronomic/Deuteronomistic themes: obedience brings success; disobedience brings punishment; God gives Israel the land; Israel must remain faithful to the covenant; idolatry leads to disaster; God raises deliverers when Israel cries out.

Joshua and Moses Similarities (Especially the Water Crossing)

Moses: leads Israel out of Egypt; the Reed Sea is divided; sends spies; the people respect/fear him; encounters holy ground.

Joshua: leads Israel into Canaan; the Jordan River is stopped; sends spies; the people respect Joshua; Joshua removes his sandals on holy ground.

Water crossing: Moses Reed Sea - Israel escapes Egypt. Joshua - Jordan River -Israel enters the Promised Land.

History as a specific depiction of what happened

What actually happened? It attempts to reconstruct events as accurately as possible.

Historiography

Writing about history rather than simply reporting history. The writer selects events, leaves other things out, organizes events, emphasizes themes, and interprets what happened.

Role of archaeology in assessing the conquest reports

Earlier archaeology sometimes appeared to confirm Joshua's conquest through destruction layers at various sites. Later excavations and improved dating methods changed the picture. Some archaeological evidence fits parts of the biblical account, while other evidence does not. Kaltner notes that Ai appears to have been unoccupied in the thirteenth century BCE, creating a problem for a literal reconstruction of Joshua's account. For Jericho, archaeological evidence raises problems because the site apparently did not have the kind of occupation/walled city that Joshua's account would require at the relevant period.

Kaltner's conclusion: The archaeological evidence does not support the idea of a complete and rapid Israelite conquest of all Canaan exactly as Joshua describes it.

This does not mean archaeology proves that nothing happened. Archaeology is used to test the biblical narrative against external evidence