Reels 3333 3 PDF

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Lecture notes for midterm exam and final exam - key terms ideas concepts etc....

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RELS 3333 – Midterm 2 Study Guide Judaism • How do we know about Ancient Judaism? o Dual Torah means “the law” ▪ Oral Torah – storytelling to remind themselves of their identities ▪ Written Torah (Pentateuch) – the five books • Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy • What is the earliest account of Jewish view of life after death in Torah? o Book of Genesis ▪ Spoken by Jacob, patriarch of the Israelites, who is surrounded by his sons ▪ Burying with kin in a cave ▪ “gathering to his people”, “slept with his ancestors” • What does the passage in the Book of Genesis tell us about their view of death? o There was no philosophical teachings on life after death in Ancient Judaism o Views were provided via stories from the Book of Genesis • Did people have individual fates? o Israelite identity was connected with their group/tribe/family clan o No individual identity or soul • What was the lifestyle of Israelites like?

o Semi-nomadic lifestyle • Who is the figure Abraham in the passage? o Abraham is the patriarch • What is a patriarch? What is a patriarch’s responsibility? o A patriarch is the leader of a tribe, and their responsibility is to protect the tribe and keep it safe • Why was Abraham’s story significant to Jews, Christians, and Muslims? o For Jews, it led to the development of the oral Torah and the covenant with God o For Christians, he was a major figure for the religion and the father to Isaac o For Muslims, he was the father to Ismael and a prophet himself • What were the customs surrounding the family tomb? o The family tomb led to the realm of ancestors, a connection between the dead and the living o Bodies were wrapped in linen and had to be watched for three days to make sure the person was deceased and to protect the body from scavenger animals • Why were caves ideal for burial? o Caves were ideal because bodies could then be buried deep underground where ancestors were believed to have a shadowy existence; block the smell o Caves of the Patriarchs

• What do the passages reveal about the Torah’s attitude toward feeding the dead? o Torah condemned feeding the dead o The dead would be fed by leaving food at the tombs for the person to consume • Why were tombs built with “windows”? o Used to pour wine into the tombs for the dead to feast on • What elements were influenced by Egyptian Religion? o Importance of remembering the bloodline and dreams o Importance of the priesthood o Shrines and temples • Who was Joseph? o Grandson of Abraham, son of Isaac • Why did Joseph go to Egypt? o He is sold to one of the Pharaoh’s Captains, Potiphar, after being betrayed by his brothers • How did Joseph become imprisoned? o Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph, but he declines; she accuses him of rape and Joseph is then imprisoned o He meets the cupbearer and the baker of the Pharaoh in prison ▪ Tells the cupbearer to mention him to the Pharaoh o What was the role of dreams in Egyptian religion? ▪ Dreams offer warnings, advice, and prophecies; gods communicate with humans through dreams

• Why was Joseph released from prison? o After the cupbearer is free from imprisonment, he is reinstated by the Pharaoh; after the Pharaoh dreams of 7 famished cows eating 7 healthy cows, and thin grains eating up healthy grains, the cupbearer gets Joseph released in order to interpret the dream ▪ What was the meaning of this dream? What advice did Joseph give to the Pharaoh? ▪ The dream meant 7 years of abundance will be followed by 7 years of famine; Joseph suggested that the Pharaoh store food for the famine...