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The Bible as Literature: The Hebrew Bible

BEN52901

104a Midterm Review

I recommend looking back through the PowerPoint slides and going over the review questions. Also skim back over the passages you read for each week. Know the main characters and main events. Think about what the passages say about God and his character. Consider what writers/redactors may have believed about what they wrote. Try to consider multiple perspectives for the different passages. Pick out verses or short passages that seem to be especially concise or meaningful.

Several of the questions will present quotes that you will be asked to identify. Who said it? What was the context? Why is it important?

Review questions

1. What is the TaNaK? How is it different from the Christian Old Testament?
2. Name the five books of the Bible we have studied so far. What is unique about each one? How is each book divided? (The books of the Law, the books of Moses, The Torah, The Pentateuch: These are four different names for the same five books.)
3. What is the documentary hypothesis? What are the four main sources?
4. What does it mean that the Bible is dialogic? Give an example.
5. What are the primeval narratives? How do they differ from other Bible stories?
6. What are some different perspectives on the same story? For example, how can the story of Noah be interpreted as a nice story for children, but also be interpreted as a story of genocide?
7. What is the meaning of circumcision? What does "circumcision of the heart" mean?
8. How did the nation of Israel come about?
   • Before the patriarchs (the need for a new plan?)
   • The patriarchs?
   • Testing
   • 12 tribes and growth of the nation
   • the Passover
   • Formation of laws
9. Who are redactors? What is their role in producing scripture?
10. Why are there contradictions between different parts of the Hebrew scripture? How does that influence the way it has been, and can be read?
11. What are the features of the cycles that keep repeating?
12. Who are the major figures and what did they do?
13. Explain the idea that the Bible is written subjectively rather than presenting an objective view of history.
14. Look at key passages and explain their significance.
15. Know who said what and why they said it.
16. What do the writers want their ancient readers to think about God/Yahweh? How can these ideas sometimes be interpretted differently?