Bronze Age
In the Crash Course, "Sea People" were mentioned taking over land, one reason why they are not mentioned in Genesis could be
What is the covenant between God and Abraham?
The "Sea People" used to explain the destruction of empires in the Bronze Age is a metaphor that is used to talk about a foreign invasion. God tells Abraham "I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding" (Genesis 17:8), if the "Sea People" were mentioned at all in this chapter it would have been contradictory to the covenant of the land to Abraham's descendants. In order to further the power of God, the foreigners who probably were living in the land of Canaan were not mentioned, only the peoples of the neighboring Empires.
The similarity between Indo-Europeans and Lot and Abram
Lot and Abram were both herdsmen, hence the reason why they split the land of Canaan, so they would not have to fight over it and their cattle could graze wherever in their land that they wanted. The Indo-Europeans were mentioned as herding cattle and domesticated horses during the same time as Lot and Abram. Even though both groups of men were separated by land, their similarities of their own background gives them a common interest and perspective to view their lives through.
The God talked about in the Canaanite Mythology section that is very similar to the God Abraham speaks to
What is El?
The God that Abraham speaks to throughout Genesis, influences Abraham's actions, God instructs Abraham on how to be the father to the land of Canaan where all of his descendants are promised to live in, all of these are inside the covenant between Abraham and God. El is one of the gods that is in the Ugaritic tablets, "In the Ugaritic pantheon, El was king and father of the gods. Hs decree is wise and his wisdom eternal. The word El is familiar from Hebrew, where it is both the common noun for "god" and a designation for the God of Israel. El is said to live in a tent on a mountain that is the source of two rivers" (27-28). The description of El relates to the God that Abraham speaks of throughout Genesis because Abraham lived in between two rivers just like El and similar to El, the God that speaks to Abraham
The promise for Ishmael in the covenant with Abraham and God
What is father of 12 chieftains?
This promise that God makes for Ishmael means that he will have 12 children who will each make a tribe of their own, God states, "As for Ishmael, I have heeded you. I hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and exceedingly numerous. He shall be the father of twelve chieftains and I will make of him a great nation" (Genesis 17:20). The promise that Ishmael too will have his own descendants, and many of them, helps Abraham to believe the awe-inspiring works of God, even with the known favoring of Isaac. God has enough space in his heart for anyone who follows him and his covenant. God establishes that all descendants of Abraham have to get circumsized, which Ishmael gets right after the covenant was established and all 12 of his children will too since they are boys.
The harshest sentencing for having two incestual relationships in the United States
What is life in prison?
The reason I believe as a society we have this disgust of incest is because you are with someone who is very genetically similar to you, which is disgusting and you have had a close relationship with for your entire life.
When Lot has sexual intercourse with both of his daughter to further their line, Lot is not the one who initiated the relationship since his daughters were the ones who gave him the wine and slept with him. The situation was mentioned by, "Thus the two daughters of Lot came to be with child by their father. The older one bore a son and named him Moab, he is the father of Moabites of today. And the younger also bore a son, and she can him Ben-ammi, he is the father of the Ammonites today" (Genesis 19:36-38), the writers of Genesis say that they are the rulers of the Moab and Ammonite people because the writers dislike those people very much and incest is looked down upon.
When Sarah dies Abraham buys a plot of land from
What are the Hittite people?
Sarah died at the age of 127 years old, Abraham was looking for a piece of land to buy in order to rest his wife when he came across a piece of Hittite land that seemed perfect to lay her to rest in. Abraham talked to Ephron in order to buy the land, who said "No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and I give you the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead" (Genesis 23:11) showing the common respect and beliefs between both groups of people, with both Canaanites and Hittites both believing in the power of Abraham and both having a good trade relationship because of their common belief.
Shamash the Sun God and the God presented in Genesis both giving
What is the law code or covenant?
Shamash the Sun God gave the law code to the Mesopotamian people called the code of Hammurabi who was the king of Mesopotamia at the time. Shamash was the Sun God who gave justice to the people shown with his law code and had power over darkness and evil. The God mentioned in Genesis whom chose Abram as his prophet, gave the covenant to Abram which changed to Abraham and the covenant explained the way that God instructs the descendants of Abraham to live by or else the covenant will be broken and the promises will go to another group of people.
The dividing of the land between Lot and Abram compares to which Mesopotamian mythological story
What is Atrahasis Gods casting lots and dividing the world?
In the mythological story of Atrahasis, after creation the Gods split up the sea, land and sky and in Genesis once Abram and his brother Lot arrive to the land of Canaan, they seperate it in order to have no conflict. The similarities in the story in Genesis and the mythological story from the Mesopotamian's are not uncommon because they were very close in proximity many of the stories were shared over time, making the beliefs very similar.
The child Abraham almost offers to God after being commanded to do so
What is Isaac?
God instructs Abraham to prove himself and offer his favorite son, Isaac. Abraham dressed Isaac in the proper way to offer an animal and almost kills his son when he hears the voice of the lord. The lord said, "Do not raise your hand against this boy, or do anything to him" (Genesis 22:12), showing that the Lord understands Abraham's devotion because the only thing that he would question that Abraham loved more than God, was his most favorite son which was proven false when he almost slaughtered Isaac.
The sentencing for attempted murder in the United States
What is 4 years to life?
I believe that attempted murder deserves a charge longer than 4 years but not life. Whom ever attempts to take another's life, needs to be helped therapeutically while away from items that could help them kill others. The structure that they are supposed to receive in jail is needed, by having a designated schedule and tasks that will help them further themselves.
When God tells Abraham to offer his favorite son, Isaac, Abraham acted following the word of God, "angel of the Lord called to him from heaven: "Abraham! Abraham!" And he answered, "Here I am" And he said, "Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me" (Genesis 22:11-12). Abraham devotes himself to God and in return receives God's protection.
The evidence of disruption and warfare in the Sodom civilization
What is exclusion of strangers?
The disruption present in Sodom is shown when Lot's neighbors treat him like an outsider even after he has been there for around 3 years. Their actions cause God to destroy their town, since they don't treat guests with the respect that they deserve and they put the other members in their society in danger. The men state, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may be intimate with them" (Genesis 19:5), the men who were from Sodom wanted to hurt the men in the deepest way possible, rape. Lot protects the men who were under his roof and proves to God that there were people that were good enough to be spared from the evil people who were soon about to die. The disruption in the town was ended by the destruction of the town by God, but the other empires who were destructed was by warfare between other empires.
The Bronze Age furthered what type of human development
What is agriculture?
In the Bronze Age, the tools were furthered because the bronze was harder and better to use. Without the bronze, there would have been less food for Abraham and the entire Near East. Abraham lived in between two river valleys which are useful with irrigation which is more productive with the bronze tools made in this era. The irrigation helped allowed for more people to have more food, Lot giving the two angels thanksgiving, Abraham's followers and visitors needing food and even sustaining the animals that they travel throughout the land with.
Another reason for trade disruption that is a story in Canaanite mythology
What is Aquat and Anat?
Aquat and Anat have a difference in currency making it harder to trade, in Genesis Abraham pays for a plot of land with silver, so it shows that some people get over the trade barrier between lands.
The children of Lot and his daughters are father to blank and blank
What is Moabites and Ammoties?
The writers of Genesis show a dislike to these people and then say that the incestual children are the leaders of these groups of people. Abraham is not involved in either of these groups, since he is better than them because of his parents not being father and daughter.
The birth and conceiving of Ishmael with someone other than Abraham's wife
What is an affair?
I believe that this specific stray from marital oath does not align with the definition that society gives the word affair. Sarai instructs her husband Abram to sleep with her maid, Hagar in order to further his line since Sarai has not given him any children.
Once the baby, Ishmael is conceived, God and Abram make a new covenant changing him and his wife's names to Abraham and Sarah, also he tells Abraham to circumsize all of his followers, and lastly that his children will be enslaved until freed with great wealth in their futures. Sarah has Isaac as God had promised and says to Abraham, "Cast out that slave-woman and her son, for the son of that slave shall not share in the inheritance with my son Isaac" (Genesis 21:10). Sarah is jealous and regretful of insisting that her husband should sleep with another in order to have a son when she should have put her faith in God.
In their ancient society, Bruce Feiler in his book Abraham, states that, "having a child with a handmaid, were legal and well known at the time" (20) giving readers of Genesis another perspective since Abraham was doing no wrong by his wife, God or the laws at the time.
The disruption of trade that God brings to the earth
What are language barriers?
Even though this example is before our assigned reading in Genesis, it is prevalent to the story of Abraham because it shows the power of the God that is spoken about throughout Abraham's story. In the Bronze Age Crash Course Video, John Green explains how connection between empires is increased because of trade which is lessened because of the language barrier God implements when the people on Earth attempt to prove themselves more worthy than himself by building a tower symbolizing their own power.
Unlike the social status of the goddesses spoke about in Mythos 1 this example in Genesis shows the offering of young women
What is Lot's 2 daughters?
In his house in Sodom, Lot opens the door to see 2 angels at his doorstep, taking them inside for the rest of the people to not be able to see them and so he could give them a proper feast. Once inside the men asked for the men to be released from the house when Lot offers 2 of his unmarried daughters instead. This is a big difference between the way that Goddesses and women in general were spoken about in Mythos 1. Lot, their own father was offering the men an opportunity to rape his daughters which would be harshly looked down upon and almost unheard of in today's society.
The Atrahasis Gods wanted thanksgiving but they
What is wiped off humanity with the crops with them?
The people whom followed Abraham, celebrated the festival of Shabbat while Isaac took the relationship with God. This is very similar because the Gods want thanksgiving and God wants Shabbat.
Isaac gets appointed to be the same position as his father and then does what with Abimelech
What is Shabbat?
In Genesis 26:30-31, it explains the festival of shabbat, having a feast at night and then at the morning they exchanged oaths. Isaac just gt appointed by God to be the same position as his father, Abraham. Shabbat is a festival that is still carried on to present day.
Abraham commands his followers to follow him around Canaan because of the word of God similar to which cult leader convinces his followers to follow him to South America
What is Jim Jones?
Jim Jones, the cult leader who convinced members of his People's Temple to move around the United States and finally to Guyana, so he could found his own town named, Jonestown. Jim had many devoted followers whom all believed that he had a higher power and connection. The followers of both Abraham and Jones both had no evidence of the connection with God or the higher power yet followed them blindly. Jim Jones convinced almost 1,000 people to commit suicide by drinking laced Kool-aid, so they could have a brave and revolutionaries. Abraham convinced his followers and descendants to get circumsized in order to follow the way of God that was decided in the covenant between Abraham and God. Jim Jones and Abraham's lives seem very different yet both were believed by different groups of people to be prophets and each highly influenced their followers to do what they were instructed without any evidence. Abraham obviously did not instruct almost 1,000 people to kill themselves, but he almost killed his favorite son in order to please the Lord. Without evidence it is hard to believe that any actions committed by these men were correct or not but, neither of them could be proved wrong even with what society shapes us to believe.
*FUN QUESTION*
This is an alloy consisting of tin and copper
What is bronze?
*FUN QUESTION*
This goddess is mentioned in The Near Eastern Context as being the one goddess whom didn't decline
What is Ishtar?
*FUN QUESTION*
The location of Israel on the map in the Bronze Age
What is nonexistent?
*FUN QUESTION*
This jewish prayer states the patriarchs and matriarchs
What is the Amidah?
*FUN QUESTION*
This place is considered the capital to the United States, who also moved the Embassy there
What is Jerusalem?