Sharifa Al-Turki
RELIGION 101:
EXAM 2 STUDY
GUIDE
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Sharifa Al-Turki
Vocabulary Lists
Vocabulary 4
–Cycle:
•The term refers to a collection of stories centered on or cycling around one person
•E.g. Abraham cycle and Jacob Cycles
–The Akedah:
•The binding of Isaac as related in Genesis 22
•Abraham bound his son Isaac on an altar at Moriah, as he had been instructed by God – it
wasn’t a sacrifice
–Jehovah Jireh:
•A place in the land of Moriah
•Location of the binding of Isaac
•Related to the idea that the Lord will provide
–Hesed:
•Loving-kindness
•A term connected to covenantal loyalty
–Primogeniture:
•The state of being the firstborn of the children of the same parents with the exclusive right
of inheritance belonging to the eldest son
•Relates to culture of how the eldest son inherits everything after father dies
–Abimelech:
•Father/leader of a king
•The name of multiple Philistine kings mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
•God comes to Abimelech in a dream
–Covenant:
•An agreement between God and his people in which God makes promises to his people and,
usually, requires certain conduct from them
•A covenant is unilaterally established but mutually accomplished
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•Treaty covenant: defined and regulated a relationship between nations – parties can be of
equal power = parity covenant
•Charter Covenant consisted of a grant of property which was usually made to reward
faithfulness or service, aka a royal land grant covenant
–Eponym:
•One who gives his name to a people, place, or thing after whom or after which something is
named, or believed to be named
•E.g. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and his sons bore the names of Israel’s tribes
–Theophany:
•A visible manifestation to humankind of God
•Usually in smoke and fire
Vocabulary 5
–Cult:
•The formal organization and practice of involving a regular cycle of sacrifices, prayers, and
hymns under the direction of priests and other leaders
•Israelites had a cult of their own
–Balaam:
•A Mesopotamian seer-prophet who was hired by Balaak of Moab to curse the Israelites but
ended up blessing them instead
•Numbers 22-24
–Suzerain/Vassal Covenant:
•A master of overlord who ruled and protected his vassal clients and to whom they owed
allegiance
•Un-equal status within the covenant
•This is the type of covenant that God made with Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai
–Holy and Holiness:
•To be set apart for God; to belong to God; to be pure
•Applies to deity and God being different
•Portrayed God in the Hebrew Bible as a God with his ear to the ground
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–Aaronic Priesthood:
•The brother of Moses and Israel’s first high priest
•the lesser of the two (or sometimes three) orders of priesthood recognized in the Latter Day
Saint movement
–Kosher:
•Hebrew for ‘proper and ritually correct’; ritually correct Hebrew dietary practices; only land
animals that chew the cud and have split hooves (no pork)
•Example of cult, particularly of those in the OT
–Nadab and Abihu:
•Two sons of Aaron who offered “strange fire” to God, for which they both died
–Holy War:
•War authorized by God and led by him; OT holy war called for the complete slaughter of
the enemy and the dedication of all spoils to God
•God is the warrior
–Torat Kohanim:
•The book of Leviticus
•Instruction for priests
–Manna:
•Hebrew for “what is it?”; the food that God provided to the Hebrew’s while they sojourned
in the wilderness for forty years
•Shows the miracle of God
–Balak:
•King of Moab who opposed Moses and the Israelites
–Bamidbar:
•Hebrew for in the desert of Sinai; 4th book of Torah
•When used as a noun, Bamidbar might refer to: The Hebrew title of the biblical Book of
Numbers.
–Elyon:
•“God most high”
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•Melchizedek = the Priest of El Elyon
Vocabulary 6
–Henotheism:
•Adherence to one particular God out of many
–Monotheism:
•The belief that there is only one God and that no other Gods even exist
•It is unlikely that Israel early in is history construed reality in this way
–Atonement:
•To make right with God by satisfying the penalty for having broken a relationship
•In the OT this was done through offering sacrifices to God e.g. Day of Atonement
–Nazarite Vow:
•A pledge to live under a special set of restrictions as an act of dedication to God
•Detailed in Numbers 6
–Deuteronomistic History:
•The body of material that consists of the introduction to Deuteronomy (chapters 1-4).
•It is an extended review of Israel’s history from the conquest under Joshua through the
destruction of 587 BCE written from the perspective of principles found in the book of
Deuteronomy
–Shema:
•Title of the Great Commandment. The fundamental, monotheistic statement of Judaism,
found in Deuteronomy 6:4.
•This statement affirms the unity of God and is recited daily in the liturgy and customarily
before sleep at night. Hebrew word for “hear!”.
–Tzava’s:
•Translated as ethical will; expresses a person’s wishes about how his/her descendants
should conduct their lives after s/he dies.
•The book of Deuteronomy can be understood as Moses’ ethical will.
–Holy War:
•War authorized by God and led by Him
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•OT holy war called for the complete slaughter of the enemy and the dedication of all spoils
to God.
–The Ban:
•Refers to the mass destruction of a target of Holy War
•For example in the OT when God ordered the destruction of the Canaanites
–Theocracy:
•Greek for the “rule of God”
•A constitution in which God is regarded as ruler or sovereign
–Prophet (Navi):
•Navi, terms for “prophet” in ancient Israel; accepted spokesperson of God. A person who
speaks in the name of God.
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Genesis
Covenants:
–A covenant is an oath-bound relationship with defined expectations and obligations
–Covenants originated in politics and international law – treaty covenants and charter covenants
were the two main types.
–A treaty covenant defined and regulated a relationship between nations/peoples:
•Parties could be of equal power and status (parity covenant)
•Can also be of unequal status (suzerain-vassal covenant) – e.g. the covenant that God made
with Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai
–A charter covenant consists of a grant of property in return for faithfulness
•Sometimes called a royal land grant covenant because kings would give land to loyal
military officers
•In Genesis 15, the Yahwist uses the charter covenant to give shape to God’s commitment to
Abraham. It is a unilateral divine premise in which God binds himself by oath to provide
land to Abraham and his offspring in perpetuity.
–Covenants were made in the Old Testament with God and the biblical Israelites
–Specifics of a suzerain covenant:
•Preamble
•Historical prologue