Intro. to the Hebrew Bible

Study Guide for Quiz #3

Spring 2004

Reading

Bible:
Exodus 1-24
Numbers 21-25
Joshua 1-9
Judges 1-7
Web:
Hammurabi 1-30
Barnabas 10
Akkasian-Hittite Treaty
Balaam's oracle
The Old Testament Story: pp. 73-141

Genesis Apocryphon

Midrash
Story of Lamech
Story of the Watchers (see below)
Story of Abram, Sarai and Pharaoh
contrast with biblical version
what problems are in biblical version?
how does GA solve those problems?

The Story of the Watchers

Nephilim / giants
Enoch / Jubilees / Testament of the 12 Patriarchs
Pre-biblical version of the story or later midrash?

Marriage law

Marriage contracts
dowry
divorce
provisions for infertility
polygyny
polygamy / polyandry
surrogate marriage
Hittite marriage contracts
provisions for infertility
role of the 'first wife'
politics of marriage in ANE
Marriage contracts from the class page

Hierodules (priestesses)

as ritual sex partner in fertility cult
sacred prostitution
invokes the sexual procreative power of the gods
as opposed to normal prostitution
Kadesha ('priestess' or 'holy woman')
Kalub = temple servant
keleb = dog
eunichs as priests
emasculation vs. castration

Exodus

Birth of Moses
parallels to birth of
Sargon
Oedipus
Dating the Exodus (15th or 13th c. BC)
Political evidence (northern and southern capitals)
Avaris & Thebes
Archaeological Evidence (conquest)
invasion of Palestine ~1200 BC
Documentary Evidence
Merneptah Stele
Biblical evidence
Cities of Ramsees & Pithom
480 years before dedication of Temple (~960 BC) = 1440 BC
if 40 yrs = 1 generation, could be 300 yrs = 1260 BC (Ramsees III)
Golden Calf
feast of YHWH
violation of prohibition against images, not worshiping other gods
Bull/calf as symbol of Yahweh
familiar animals associated with most ancient Near Eastern Gods
Ishtar = snake or lion, Marduk = dragon

Law forms

apodictic
decalogue (10 commandments)
causistic
Code of Hammurabi
Examples in the Torah

Treaty and Covenant forms

covenant / contract / treaty / testament
Vassal (suzerain)
structure:
Credentials: identification of parties (preamble)
Story: history of parties' relationship
Stipulations: obligations
of lesser party
of greater party
List of witnesses
usu. gods for treaties
Promulgation and documentation (fate of the document itself)
where deposited and when read
Litany of blessings and curses
Colophon
scribal info. and date
Biblical parallels for each of above
See OTS, pp. 98f
Parity
Marriage contracts (see "Marriage Law")
Adoption

Joshua

Herem war
Jericho vs. Ai
presents conquest as complete and successful

Canaanite pantheon

El
creator, head god but retired
Ba'al
storm god, associated with rain and fertility
spends 6 months per year in underworld
Mesopotamian equivalent: Dumuzi
Anat
consort of Ba'al, fertility goddess
Mesopotamian equivalent: Ishtar