Study Guide THRS 106-01
Mid-term Exam Preparation
Instruction:
The exam shall consist of two sections. The first shall consist of short answer questions
answerable in two to six sentences. Part two comprises five short-essay questions. You
will choose and write short essays of about 500-600 words on any three of them. The
exam will be available from 8:00 am – 6:20 pm on October 1, 2020. You can do the exam
at any time of your choice. All the questions will be set from the study guide, so prepare
accordingly.
1. Mention and explain the characteristics of the ancient Greco-Roman religions, the
difference between Judaism and the modern western perspective on religion?
2. The New Testament is made up of four sections based on genre. Mention and
explain them.
3. Discuss the teaching of the Genesis creation stories on God’s identity and
functions, human beings, and nature?
4. With the help of popular culture, explain how the story of Adam and Eve
demonstrates the relationship between males and females. Discuss the
misinterpretations of the narrative, and it’s teaching regarding relationships
among various sexes.
5. What is etiology? Use any five examples in Genesis 1-11 to explain what etiology
is. What does it tell you about the nature of the questions with which the ancient
society was preoccupied?
6. What is sibling rivalry, and how does it function in the Old Testament? Use two
examples from the Old Testament to explain it. Discuss the relevance of these
stories for humanity today?
7. Describe the role women played in the Exodus story of Israel’s liberation from
slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1-15) and their relevance to society today.
8. Describe any five themes of the Exodus and explain their relevance to society
today. Explain some appropriations of the Exodus story in society today and
explain how the appropriations can be positive and negative. What do
communities today learn from Exodus regarding appropriations? Use examples
to illustrate them.
9. Looking at the four primary sources in the Documentary Hypothesis, we have
identified particular themes. Describe the themes and vocabulary that are
common to each. Why are specific sources hard to identify at times?
10. What is the decalogue? With the help of examples from the Book of Exodus,
explain the difference between apodictic and casuistic laws.
11. What are the characteristic features of a Suzerainty Treaty? How can
understanding this form of the treaty be useful in understanding the Torah?
12. What do “clean” and “unclean” mean in their biblical context? How might these
categories be explained? Describe any two purity laws in the Book of Leviticus
(for example, dietary laws) and explain any four reasons that could be the basis
for what is clean and unclean? Do they have any relevance to contemporary
society?
13. Explain the term “holiness.” Why is it important to the book of Leviticus and the
religious and social organization of ancient Israel?
14. What is the Deuteronomistic History? Mention and briefly explain how history
demonstrates the formation of Israel as a nation in the promised land?
15. How have archaeological data influenced scholarly interpretations of the
conquest of Canaan in the book of Joshua? What are some of the theories about
the origins of Israel? Which do you think is best and why?
16. In what ways are many of the characters in Judges heroic? How are these heroes
different from or the same as others (e.g., Jacob, Moses, Joshua) that we have seen
in earlier biblical texts?
17. Describe the complicated character of Saul. How are we to understand the
Deuteronomistic Historian’s depiction of him? How can we explain his
acceptance and then rejection by God?
18. Who is a biblical prophet? Explain any two reasons why prophets were important
in their societies? What are the major themes found in the books of Amos? How
do these themes reflect the political and social issues of the time? Popular art,
music, politics, etc. demonstrate that contemporary people’s understanding of
prophecy is broader than the ancient religious meaning. Mention any two modern
figures and explain why you consider them prophetic in their society.
19. What are the arguments in 1 Samuel that a king should rule Israel, and what are
the arguments against it? Why do you think you find both sides represented in
the book? Which side, at the end of the day, do you think the author of the story
held?
20. Choose either Saul, David, or Solomon and make an argument that he was the
greatest king of Israel’s history. Does a leader have to be perfect?
Best Wishes,
Dr. Ajer
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