New Testament 1

A set of symbols that shapes how people understand the world and creates meaning in human interactions and daily life.

What is a symbolic world?

Cities, the Greek language, and religious syncretism.

What were the three major tools of Hellenization?

It became the primary language of commerce and public life throughout much of the empire.

Why was Greek important in the Roman Empire?

The blending of local religions and deities into the larger Greek and Roman religious system.

What is syncretism?

They featured Greek architecture, city planning, and extensive Roman road systems.

: How did Roman cities reflect Hellenization?

The practice of honoring Roman emperors as divine beings within the religious system.

What was the Imperial Cult?

Through images of the emperor on coins, portraits, and public displays, and through Roman cities and roads found throughout the empire.

How would ordinary citizens be reminded of Roman imperial power?

The emphasis on performing correct religious rituals rather than having correct beliefs.

What is orthopraxy?

Secret religious groups centered on specific deities that promised hidden knowledge and personal salvation.

What were mystery cults?

Roman religion focused more on ritual practice and included many gods, while monotheistic religions focus on the worship of one God and often emphasize correct belief.

How was religion in the Roman Empire different from modern monotheistic religions?

to maintain continuity with tradition while adapting to new cultural and political realities

Why did people reinterpret old symbols instead of creating new ones?

The belief that a text's true meaning is hidden beneath its literal meaning and can be discovered through study or revelation

What is allegorical interpretation?

It connected people and ideas but also caused some to feel disconnected from local traditions and identities

Why was the expanding Roman world both positive and challenging?

Honor and shame versus self-control (sophrosyne)

What are the two competing ideas of masculinity in the Greco-Roman world?

A Greek ideal emphasizing self-control, moderation, and mastery over one's emotions and desires.

What is sophrosyne?

Protecting social status, avenging wrongs, and defending personal honor

What values were associated with honor and shame culture?

Committing injustice is worse because it harms the soul.

According to Socrates, which is worse: suffering injustice or committing injustice?

Both the first section of the Hebrew Bible and a term for Jewish Scripture and instruction as a whole.

What is the Torah?

It was shared by all Jews, but different groups interpreted it differently.

How did the Torah unite and divide Jews?

It contributed to the development of ideas such as messianism, martyrdom, resurrection, individual judgment, and apocalypticism

How did Roman rule influence Jewish theology?

The Zealots (or Sicarii).

Which Jewish group advocated violent resistance against Rome?

The Sadducees.

Which group focused heavily on Temple rituals and sacrifices?

The Pharisees.

Which group became the foundation for Rabbinic Judaism?

An ascetic separatist group that rejected the authority of Jerusalem's Temple priests

Who were the Essenes?

A community associated with an Essene offshoot and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What is Qumran?

They worshipped at Shechem rather than Jerusalem and accepted only the Torah as Scripture

How were the Samaritans different from other Jews?

That Torah interpretation continues across generations and can reveal deeper meanings within the text.

What does the story of Rabbi Akiva in Menachot 29b demonstrate?

Jesus states that he came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.

What does Matthew 5:17-20 say about the Law?

They will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.

According to Matthew 5:17-20, what happens to those who keep and teach God's commandments?

Worship, community gathering, learning, prayer, and Torah study

What were the primary functions of a synagogue?

To allow Jews to worship and remain connected as a community without the Temple

Why may synagogues have developed during the Babylonian Exile?

Written translations and interpretations of Hebrew Scripture

What are Targums?

A collection of texts discovered between 1946 and 1956 near Qumran, dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

They provide firsthand evidence of Jewish groups and beliefs during the Second Temple period

Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls important?

They showed the diversity of Jewish thought and allowed scholars to hear sectarian voices directly rather than through outside sources

How did the Dead Sea Scrolls change our understanding of Judaism?

Dualistic language contrasting light/darkness and truth/falsehood.

What kind of language found in the Dead Sea Scrolls surprised scholars?

Both contain examples of intra-religious debates and criticism among Jewish groups

What similarity exists between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament?