CULTBLF 23 Study Guide - Final Guide: Justin Martyr, Jewish Christian, Mishnah
18 Jun 2018
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Hebrew Bible – Final Exam Essay Questions
Non-essay: Entire essay can be bullet points → EXCEPT thesis statement must be stated fully as
a complete statement
General non-essays:
1) Evaluate (provide arguments pro and con) the following thesis: “The Bible is no more a
Jewish book than it is a Christian book. Rather, through creative interpretation, selective
reading, and occasional misreading, it became a Jewish book for Jews just as it became a
Christian book for Christians.”
●The focus of the Hebrew Bible is reward/punishment
oChristian book = belief in afterlife as a reward
●God as a ruling entity v Intermediary
●Relying on texts to interpret Bible
oMishnah v New Testament
●Histrocial influences
oNo more temple for Jews, now there is scriptural studies and communal
temple
oInfluence of Jesus on interpretation
●Religious distinction, how does the Bible become Jewish/Christian?
oThrough interpretation → Study interpretive principles
oAmbiguous claims can go either way
oBasic factors of ancient interpretation = Omnisignificance
oModes of interpretation – prophetic, allegorical, typological (prefiguring
an event)
oWhy is interpretation needed?
●Differences
oCircumcision – differences in the word “sign”
▪What defines the sign of the covenant?
▪Is circumcision one with the covenant?
▪Justin Martyr – negative perception, circumcision as a “marker of
distinction”
▪Deuteronomy 10: circumcision of the heart, Exodus 4
oPsalm 22 meaning
●What essential ideas are found in the Hebrew Bible that already show distinction?
oBelief in one God
oSabbath, Passover, circumcision, etc.
2) It is sometimes said that the debate between Judaism and Christianity is a debate between
a literal reading of the Bible (Judaism) and a figurative (or metaphorical or allegorical)
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reading (Christianity). Without getting hung up on the terms “literal” and “figurative,”
assess the truth of this statement.
●Provide several specific examples from the course:
●What is a literal v figurative interpretation?
●Lecture notes 11 – Deuteronomy 14:21 + Stern’s article
●How do Jews interpret “Boiling kid in mother’s milk?” Probably more figurative
than literal
●How does Philo understand Logos? Literal or figurative reading?
●Melito of Sardis’ On Hoscha
oWhat is the Passover lamb?
oWhen should Easter be celebrated? Lots of figurative inter
●Genesis 9:2-4, Leviticus 7:14, Acts 15:19-21 – prohibition of consumption of
blood → analyze the interpretation
●Prohibited labors in the Mishnah
●Justin Martyr, Dialogue 56, literal or figurative
●Lecture 23+24 → Isaiah text
●Jewish Christian views on circumcision in Genesis 19
oMishnah passage from l.n. 9 and Trypho in l.n. 10
●Look at food laws and Barnabas
●Formulate a thesis: how would you assess, and what are the nuances --- the
statement is not completely right or wrong
3) In the debate over the Hebrew Bible, who wins, Jews or Christians? Pick a side. Which
community can legitimately declare itself to be the heir of the Hebrew Bible? (Or, in the
language of medieval disputations, which community is “the true Israel”?) Propound a
thesis, explain the criteria by which you are constructing an answer, illustrate and defend
your thesis with material drawn from the entire course, and explain why you think your
group has stronger claims than its rival.
●You need to pick a side
●Biblical interpretation is obviously contested
●How to evaluate claims to who has more right to the Bible? (what is the groundwork
for analyzing this?)
●Circumcision, Passover, who is true Israel
●Historical precedence – role of Jesus
oHow does Jesus’ crucifixion illegitimize Jews?
●Which interpretive approach leads to the more valid claims?
●Maybe look at scholarly approaches as well – Trypho and Melito?
Specific non-essay questions:
4) “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God.
He was in the beginning with God, all things were made through him...And the Logos
became flesh and dwelt [lit. “tented”] among us; we have beheld his glory, glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Consider this quote from the
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Non-essay: entire essay can be bullet points except thesis statement must be stated fully as a complete statement. General non-essays: evaluate (provide arguments pro and con) the following thesis: the bible is no more a. Jewish book than it is a christian book. Rather, through creative interpretation, selective reading, and occasional misreading, it became a jewish book for jews just as it became a. The focus of the hebrew bible is reward/punishment: christian book = belief in afterlife as a reward. God as a ruling entity v intermediary. Relying on texts to interpret bible: mishnah v new testament. Histrocial influences: no more temple for jews, now there is scriptural studies and communal temple, influence of jesus on interpretation. Justin martyr negative perception, circumcision as a marker of distinction : deuteronomy 10: circumcision of the heart, exodus 4, psalm 22 meaning.
