Monday, March 28, 2022

An Old Testament Exam That I Used to Give

 

1. Which Old Testament books are included in the Deuteronomic History? (be specific)

 

 

 

2. Which material is included in the Priestly Source? (be specific)

 

 

3. The name “Deuteronomy” means _______________  ______________.

 

4. The kings who sat upon the throne of David in Jerusalem were not supposed to have multiple wives. T or F

 

6. Which books comprise the Chronicler’s History? (be specific)

 

 

 

7. What is the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41)?

 

 

8. The primary theme of Joshua is _________ ____________________ ______ _____________________ under Joshua (four words).

 

 

9. According to Laurin, the book of Joshua is an unhistorical theological document. T or F

 

10. Define the word “Torah.”

 

11. Define the term “judge” as it is used in the Old Testament (three possible meanings).

 

 

12. An Israelite judge could function in two capacities. What were these functions or capacities? (this is not the same question as number 12)

 

 

13. Name some of the judges mentioned in the Old Testament (besides Samuel).

 


 

14. Briefly discuss the life of Judge Samuel.

 

 

15. Explain how the ruach (spirit) of YHWH is depicted by the writer of 1 Samuel in relation to King Saul.

 

 

 

16. Discuss the life and reign of King David. Write about the gradual development of his rulership, and then discuss the low points of his kingly reign (essay question).

 

 

 

17. Discuss how the ancient Jews ritually observed Atonement Day. Explain the procedures in detail (essay question).

 

 

 

 


10 comments:

Duncan said...

For a number of these questions I see no cut and dried answers?

Edgar Foster said...

Keep in mind that students had a textbook for the course with the answers, but most of the answers can be found in intro textbooks for the OT. But some of the questions are open-ended.

Edgar Foster said...

The answer to number 17 is in Leviticus 16:1-34.

Duncan said...

What was the text book answer for 8?

Edgar Foster said...

"the conquest of Palestine"

Edgar Foster said...

Two caveats:

Of course, there are "themes" (plural) in Joshua, but the question was dealing with the main theme of the book, as discussed by the textbook. Secondly, like anything else, one can dispute what the main theme of a text is. But this was an introductory course that tried to expose students to the OT. I no longer teach the course, but I think whoever teaches it now uses a different textbook like the one by Michael Coogan.

Duncan said...

That's fair enough. Just wondered.

Would that be Coogan's very short introduction?

Not a bad start.

One thing that seems to be disputed, is Joshua deuteronomistic.

Edgar Foster said...

I believe they use Coogan's larger intro to the OT: when the school switched over, they gave me a copy of the book. He's okay but I disagree with his "critical" tendencies. You're also right that the historical issues are highly disputed.; some intros take up numerous pages discussing such matters.

Duncan said...

Is that the 4th edition? Pricey!

Edgar Foster said...

I've had my copy for a number of years, so mine is the 2nd edition, but Amazon is still selling it "new" for a high price.