About the Bible
What is the Septuagint?
The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that was made as a result of Hellenization.
What are the primary ancient languages that the Bible was written in or translated into?
Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
How many creation stories are there in Genesis?
2
Who is sold into slavery and then rises to become an official to the Pharaoh in Egypt?
Joseph
What body of water did Moses part to allow the Israelites to escape the Egyptians?
Red Sea
What is the Apocrypha?
Biblical or Christian writings that are not considered genuine or important enough to be accepted canon.
What is the Documentary Hypothesis?
Religious hypothesis that the Torah was written by four authors, the Yahwehist (J) Author, Elohim (E) Author, Deuteronomist (D) author, and Priestly (P) author.
What is the story of Babel?
God's people tried to create a tower that would reach heaven. But God didn't approve of their pride, so we made them all speak different languages so they couldn't finish the tower.
Abraham is given a covenant by God that we will be the father of all nations. He then has two sons, one with his wife and one with their servant. What are the names of his wife, her son, his servant, and his servant's son.
Sarah and her son Isaac,
Hagar and her son Ishmael
After the Israelites are freed from Egypt, some of them complain and wish they want to go back to Egypt. What were they doing that made them feel this way?
Wandering in the desert
The ____________ is an ancient Mesopotamian text that contains parallels to the Biblical creation stories, while the __________ is an ancient Mesopotamian text that includes parallels to the flood story.
Why do we now believe that Moses did not write the Torah?
- Moses is never referred to in the first person.
- There is an account of Moses' own death and burial.
- There are discrepancies and contradiction that suggest multiple authors.
How many tribes of Israel are there?
12
Isaac and Rebekah had two sons. What are their names and who stole his older brother's birthright?
Jacob and Esau. Jacob stole Esau's birthright.
The laws given to them by God were intended to do what?
A __________ is a type of literature. It is important to understand the different types of these in the Bible because it should influence how we read each text.
Genre
What were the three criteria for Canonization of the Hebrew Bible?
Language - only books written primarily in Hebrew or Aramaic
Antiquity - Books must be attributed to authors who lived before 4th century BCE
Usage - Books most widely used in Jewish communities.
In Genesis chapter 32, Jacob wrestles with God on his way back to his family. Afterwards his people are given the name _________ which means "wrestling with God."
Israel
Jacob falls in love with __________, but gets tricked into marrying _____ by their father. Jacob then has to work for 7 years to pay off his debt for this marriage.
Rachel, Leah
Who puts Moses in a basket as a baby to protect him from being killed by Pharoah? Who finds Moses and take him in as her own?
Moses' sister Miriam puts him in the basket.
Pharoah's daughter picks up Moses
Name the three sections of the Old Testament and give me an example of a book within each section.
Torah - Gensis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Nevi'im - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, etc.
Ketubim - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ezra, Ruth, etc.
The Septuagint includes the prefix "sept," which means 70. Why does this name include 70?
In Genesis chapter 15, God makes a covenant with Abraham that he will be blessed with a great nation. Afterwards, God orders Abraham to get animals and cut them in half. What does this signify?
In ancient times, high kings would make their lower kings walk through cut animals to show them what would happen to them if they didn't listen to the high kings. This act shows God's commitment to his covenant.
What early historical church figure was deemed a heretic by the church for believing that the Jewish God in the Old Testament was different than the God that sent Jesus.
Marcion of Sinope
Name the 10 Plagues of Egypt. What is the last plague?
1. Water turns to blood
2. Frogs
3. Gnats
4. Flies
5. Mad Cow Disease
6. Boils
7. Hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Death to firstborn