The Old Testament: Religion Chapters 1-8 Vocab

Key Figures and Events

• Cyrus: Persian king who permitted some Jews to return to Jerusalem after conquering Babylonians in 539 BC, marking the end of the Exile.
• Marduk: Principal deity of the Babylonians, his temple in Babylon housed furnishings from Solomon's Temple after Jerusalem's destruction in 587 BC.
• Hyksos: A group of non-Egyptians that controlled Egypt from 1650 BC to 1500 BC.

Literary Works

• Vineyard Song: Imagery in Isaiah portraying the Chosen People as God's vine; echoes in New Testament teachings of Jesus.
• Lamentations: Hebrew poetry reflecting on the devastation of Jerusalem following the 587 conquest.

Laws and Governance

• Civil Laws: Address daily conflicts in agrarian society, including property disputes and personal injury caused by animals.
• Religious Laws: Regulations for priests, sacrifices, and Temple upkeep.
• Punitive Justice: Legal framework focused on punishment to deter crime.
• Restorative Justice: Seeks to restore community after offenses, emphasizing the importance of collective societal survival.

Societal Practices

• Jubilee: Occurring every 49 years, it mandated debt forgiveness and land restoration to original owners, redistributing wealth to mitigate poverty and inequality.
• Elders: Respected community leaders who resolved local disputes among the Israelite community.

Cultural Context

• Context: Refers to circumstances influencing events, including historical, cultural, social, and political factors.
• Syncretism: The merging of multiple religious traditions.

Historical Concepts

• Diaspora: Migration away from a homeland, where communities maintain their identity in new countries, often of a religious or cultural nature.
• Primeval History: Myths regarding the beginnings of Earth, humanity, and societal constructs.
• Myths: Symbolic narratives expressing spiritual truths or foundational beliefs about the divine.
• Prehistoric: Pertains to periods before documented writing or records.

Writing Systems

• Pictograms: Early writing forms using images to convey concepts.
• Scribes: Trained individuals who wrote before widespread literacy.
• Hieroglyphic Writing: Ancient Egyptian script, more complex than pictograms, not reliant on an alphabet.

Philosophical Concepts

• Natural Law: Human participation in God's eternal law indicating moral obligations.
• Covenant: A solemn commitment between God and humanity or between individuals for specific actions.
• Evolution: Scientific theory suggesting that current life forms evolved gradually from earlier ones.

This quiz focuses on key vocabulary related to Chapters 1 through 8 of 'The Old Testament: Our Call to Faith and Justice.' It summarizes important terms, definitions, and concepts to aid in your understanding and preparation for the midterm. Test your knowledge on central figures and events that shaped the Jewish experience.