Pentateuch Midterm Study guide

PENTATEUCH AND HISTORICAL BOOKS MID-TERM EXAM STUDY GUIDE Joseph F. Wimmer, O.S.A. – September 29, 2010

Pentateuch and the Historical Books SS517

1.

Give a brief outline history of archaeological discoveries related to the Bible, give the approximate dates and state the importance of the following discoveries: the Rosetta Stone, the Moabite Stone, the tunnel of Hezekiah and the Siloam inscription, the Tell el-Amarna letters, Ugaritic texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the “House of David” inscription.

• Rosetta Stone – Found in 1799 in Egypt by Napoleon’s troops. Deciphered in 1822 by Jean-Francios Champollion. Text written in three languages Greek, Demotic (a late form of Egyptian) and Hieroglyphics.
• Moabite Stone – Carved for King Mesha of Moab to commemorate his war for freedom against the rule of the Israelite kings in the 9th century B.C. Reveals much about Moabite writing, the worship of its god and its relation to Israel. Has 34 lines, was written about 850 BC in Moabite dialect of Hebrew.
• Tunnel of Hezekiah and the Siloam inscription: From the time of King Hezekiah of Judah in 715-689 BC. Describes in detail how two parties worked from opposite ends, met successfully in the middle. Referenced in 2 Kings 20:20
• Tell el-Amarna letters – Over 300 tablets found; letters from Palestine about 1350 BC; Palestine was under Egyptian domination at this time.
• Ugaritic texts – Found in Syria 1929 by C. Shaeffer. A Canaanite city destroyed in 1200 BC and never rebuilt. An entire library from the royal palace with hundreds of texts in a dialect very close to ancient Hebrew. Many political but some about the Canaanite religion. What had been known only through Israel’s prophets, who fought against its pagan practices, was now revealed in writings by its own believers.
• Dead Sea Scrolls: of the Monks of Qumran. Find included texts of the Bible copied between 275 BC and 50 AD. collection of 972 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1946 and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in the West Bank
• “House of David” inscription: From Abraham Brian Tel Dan found the fragment of a 9th century BC basalt setel with an Aramaic inscription that contains the wordes “bytdwd”, “House of David” paralled to the “King if Israel. The first mention of King David in extra-biblical text.

2.

Briefly describe the three stone ages, with approximate dates, also the Early Bronze Age (EB) and Iron Age I. Give the approximate dates of the following events: Death of King Solomon and formation of the Northern Kingdom of Israel; conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians; Conquest of Jerusalem and beginning of the Babylonian Exile; Conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Persian; Freedom of the Israelites to return home from Babylon; dates of the beginning and completion of the rebuilding of the Temple after the return of the Israelites from Babylon.

• Old Stone Age – Paleolithic Period 790,000 years ago in Israel. Food gathering; earliest controlled use of fire, • Middle Stone Age – 12,000 – 8,000 BC Mesolithic Period, transition from a nomatic to sedentary life; beginning of agriculture, sickles, domestication of animals; stone tools improved. • New Stone Age – 8,000 – 4,000 BC Neolithic period. towns Jerico; potters wheel • Early Bronze Age (EB) – 3,200 – 2,100 B.C. Beginning of writing, hieroglyphic in Egypt, cuneform in Mesopotamia. The first continuous texts about 2600 B.C. • Iron Age I. 1,200 – 900 B.C. Entrance of Israelites and Philistines into Palestine; Period of Judges and early monarchy. King David ca 1,000 B.C. Death of King Solomon, approximate dates of: See Collins pg. 14 • Death of King Solomon ca 930 B.C. • formation of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Judah in the south 922 • conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians 722 • Conquest of Jerusalem and beginning of the Babylonian Exile 587 B.C. • Conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Persian 539 • Freedom of the Israelites to return home from Babylon 538 • Beginning and completion of the rebuilding of the Temple after the return of the Israelites from Babylon. 520-515

3.

What is the documentary hypothesis of the formation of the Pentateuch? Describe what is meant by J, E, D, and P in terms of traditional date, general literary characteristics, and some examples of a text from J, .D, and P in the Old Testament. Be prepared to say how the passage you chose exemplifies the special qualities of the document it illustrates.

• What is DH: The theory that the Pentateuch was composed by combining four main strands or documents. P Priestly, J Yahwistic, E Elohistic, and D Deuteronomy. The classic formulation is credited to the German Julius Wellhausen in the 1870s and 1880s. (Collins)

Source Name for God Characteristics Date Example Priestly Priestly is easiest to recognize. Has a rather dry, formulaic style; marked by a strong interest in genealogies, in dates and in ritual observance. P history id punctuated by a series of covenants, with Noah, Abraham, and finally Moses. P has no angels, dreams, or talking angels Date is very controversial. 6th century during exile Deuteronomist YHWH source is relatively unproblematic. It is found primarily in the book of Deuteronomy. YHWH is said to love Israel, and Israel is commanded to love YHWH “with all of your heart and soul”, to listen to His voice and to do what is right in his sight. YHWH brought Israel out of the Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm. Since the work of W.M.L. de Wette at the beginning of the 19th century, D has been associated with the reform of King Josiah in 621 B.C. . E Elohist Elohim Puts Gods at a distance; associate revelation with dreams; reflect on problems of guilt and innocence and emphasize “fear of God”. There is no primeval history; it begins with Abraham in Genesis 15 721 B.C. J Yahwist Colorful; Anthropomorphic God and talking snake. God described in human terms. He walks in the garden, regrets that he made humanity, is pleased by the odor of sacrifice, gets angry. Abraham argues directly with him on the fate of Sodom. Deity is also represented by “angel of the Lord”. Date is disputed but likely before 721 B.C. There are writers who place it before, during and after the exile.

4.

• What were Joseph Blenkinsopp’s conclusions about the documentary hypothesis according to “Recent Development: The Documentary Hypothesis in Crisis,” in his book, The Pentateuch (NY: Doubleday, 1992), pp.19-28?
  • It is difficult to be sure of dates before the 8th century. Items dated before this time must be demonstrated; If evidence is lacking, it is presupposed to be late (exilic)
  • The Priestly writing has stood up best to scrutiny, because of its more distinctive vocabulary, style and ideology. Date of Babylonian diaspora is still favored [587-538]
  • The existence of the Elohist as a separate, complete source is disputed. There is no longer any enthusiasm for retaining it.
  • The presence of the Deuteronomic redaction in the first four books has been frequently asserted.
  • The dating of the Yahwist (J) is also disputed. The Babylonian exile in the sixth century BC seems to provide the most plausible setting for the tradition.
  • One new approach known as “canonical criticism” represented preeminently by Childs… the basic point seems to be that the appropriate object of theological reflection is the biblical text in its final form rather than hypothetically reconstructed earlier stages of formation.
  • What is needed is the need for coexistence between different interpretive systems with their quite different but not necessarily incompatible agendas. We need an edict of toleration to discourage the tendency of new theories to proscribe their predecessors.
  • The documentary hypothesis although flawed, will survive if at all only in a greatly modified form.
• What were Ernest Nicholson’s conclusions on this issue in The Pentateuch in the Twentieth Century: The Legacy of Julius Wellhausen (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998), pp. 240-248?
  • Nicholson - Traces the history of the documentary hypothesis, discusses newer theories and finds problems with each of them. He concludes with a nuanced acceptance of the more traditional JEDP.
• What reasons does Jean-Louis Ska give in his Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2006), pp.191-196, for denying that a continuous documentary source existed prior to the Exile?
  • Many Doubts about the historicity of the early pre-exilic period have arisen, prior to the 9th century, especially about a powerful kingdom in Jerusalem in the times of David and Solomon, thus making the general background of the traditional understanding of the Yahwist improbable (Wimmer). More in SKA pg. 191-196

5.

What does the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s Document, “Interpretation of the Bible in the Church,” say about the following: The Historical-Critical Method; synchronic and diachronic analysis; fundamentalism; the importance of liberationist and feminist approaches to the study of the Bible.

6.

Discuss briefly inspiration and canonicity as consequences of the Bible as Word of God. Be prepared to state both the Thomistic notion of transcendental and instrumental causality in this regard, as well as Karl Rahner’s theory of divine authorship of the Bible. Define sensus plenior and give an example.

7.

According to the theory of form criticism, what is the relationship between the form of a text and its Sitz im Leben? Explain with at least two examples.

8.

Can the term "myth" have a positive connotation? Explain. What is the importance of "primordial time" in myth? How is it related to the present? Cite an example from Genesis.

9.

Discuss Genesis 1:1-2:4a, and answer the following questions: Who wrote the text? How do you know (that is, what are its literary and theological characteristics?) Why are the sun and moon not named? What is concordism? Is it true? What do you think is the content of the revelation found in Genesis 1 as Word of God, and what would be some examples of the “human words” in which that is expressed. How much of Genesis 1 can we still hold to be true in our evolutionary world? What does it mean to be the “image and likeness of God?” Why does God say in Gen 1:26: “Let us make…” – why the plural? Why does God work 6 days and rest on the seventh? Why do all the wild animals eat vegetation (see Gen 1:29-30)? What does the German expression “Unzeit = Endzeit” imply?

10.

Discuss Genesis 2-3 and answer the following questions: According to the narrative, is the serpent a devil? What was the fruit that Eve and Adam ate? What is meant by knowing “good and evil” according to Gen 3:22? What was the nature of the sin committed by Adam and Eve according to the culture in which the text was written? Why does the text say that they were naked? What is the purpose of the punishments given to the serpent, the woman, and Adam? Describe the efforts of Gilgamesh to live forever, and also the story of Adapa. Why did they fail in their quest to live forever?

11.

What are some of the characteristics of the theological explanation of original sin and how does Genesis 2-3 and evolution fit into it?

• Genesis 1-3 do not present a literal history but rather myth. This means that they present an ahistoric theology of origins that teaches profound truths - neither history or fairy tale, but an affirmaiton about the relation of everything in the world to God as Creator.
• There is within all humans a tendency toward selfishness that is die to their evolutionary origin. This is concupiscence.
• We all need the grace of God (in Christ) to be saved; that grace both "elevates" and "heals"
• The doctrine of original sin points not only to continued concupiscence and to one's integration into (sinful) humanity But also to Christ's redemption, as expressed in Romans 5:12-21 "... where sin increased grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, grace might also reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ"
• ... our birth as individuals into sinful human societies inevitably biases our own free moral choices toward sin. Overcoming this immense negative influence - which is genetic as well as social - requires the grace of God, offered to us in liberating and transforming salvific life of Christ.
• Genesis 2-3 are the story of Temptation, Sin, Judgement and Punishment.
• Genesis 3:15 is Proto-evangelium
• "... Selfish behavior ... is the mainspring of Darwinian evolution.

12.

Did the Flood really happen? Explain. Who was Ziusudra? Utnapishtim? Atrahasis? Describe, at least in general, the flood narratives of Mesopotamia and of cultures not related to the Bible and discuss their relationship to Genesis 6-8. How would you explain the theology of the flood story in the Bible?

13.

What are the main theological points made in Genesis 1-11?