OT+-+Chapters+25,+27

Important Terms:

Purim - The festival commemorating the deliverance of the Jews by Esther & Mordecai from the plot of the Persian official Haman.

Son of Man - Throughout the OT this means a human except in Daniel when it indicates someone who is given universal rule.

The Chronicler- The writer/s of 1 & 2 Chronicles.

Ornan the Jebusite - the owner of the threshing floor that later became the site for the Temple in Jerusalem**.**

Haggai - Prophet writing in 520 BCE only 4 oracles, contemporary of Zechariah, both supported temple reconstruction and the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, hopes to re-establish the Davidic monarchy, one of the shortest prophetic books

Second Temple - Building began slowly in 520 BCE. 515 2nd temple finished and rededicated after being funded by Tattenai (governor “Beyond the River” meaning the Levant)

Aramaic - 1st appeared in Book of Ezra. Due to trading and commerce, it became the familiar language of the region in the late 6th century and was still spoken in Jesus time, although the written language shifted to Greek after the region conquered by Alexander the Great. The Aramaic characters replaced Hebrew script are are the lettering that we are familiar with today in learning Hebrew.


 * 1. How is the perspective of the Chronicler different than DH?(Andrew)**

**From Sally:**
 * Was a revisionist historian.
 * Focused his writings on the So Kingdom even though the Pentateuch and DH would have been available.
 * Chronicles is a genuinely independent work with its own perspective. Has the account of Hezekiah’s tunnel, not found detailed elsewhere for example.
 * The Chronicler is not concerned with inter-marriage by Jews. (Ezra-Nehemiah are.)
 * Much less antagonistic towards the north (Ezra and Nehemiah are.)
 * The Chronicler would like to see all 12 tribes united as Israel.
 * Omits the succession narrative of David (which the DH has in) and offers a flat but polished portrayal of David.
 * Does not write about Solomon’s foreign wives or apostasy.
 * He also really likes Hezekiah (restored the Temple & its worship __according to David’s system.)__

From Andrew: The Chronicles focus on the kingdom of Judah from the kingdom of David to the fall of Jerusalem. The Chronicles omits all the sins and shortcomings of David. There is no Bathsheba, and there is no rape of Tamer. Unlike the DH, the Chronicler attaches great importance to the location of the temple. Rather than looking at the Chronicler as someone who smooths things over, we should think of the Chronicler as someone with a more generous and universal spirituality than the DH.

Basically, Babylonian urged its colonies to follow and to accept their religions but the Persian, the Cyres who allowed Israelites to return to their land and to rebuild the temple, pursued the religious universalism...(I am not sure, i tried to find some from out text, but I couldn't, I am just making out of what I heard in the class and the text that I read)
 * 2. Describe differences between the Persian Empire and Babylonian Empire concerning their colonies.**


 * 3. What do we learn about the Temple from Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra.(Nick)**

**From Sally:** Haggai writes before the Temple has been rebuilt in 520 but the leaders (Jeshua and Zerubbabel have had luxurious houses built but no Temple at the start of Haggai). He encourages the building of the Temple. As he blesses the laying of the foundation, he exclaims that Zerubbabel will be like a signet ring to God. He sees Zerubbabel as a rightful leader from David’s line.

the apocalyptic writers do not speak dir­ ectly in the name of the Lord. In all the Jewish apocalypses, the author's identity is concealed and the revelation is ascribed to an ancient figure such as Enoch or Daq.iel. (The Christian Book of Revelation abandons this convention. but later Christian apocalypses revert to it.) Moreover. the revelation is typicaUy given indirectly. Daniel. for example. has visions that are expressed in dream-like images and have to be interpreted for him by an angel... The genre apocalypse is constituted by the combinatIon of mediated revelation (si,l!ibolic vision or otherworldly journey) and eschatological content. including th_e judgment of the dead (Collins. 1979). 432-433 Collins
 * 4. What are three characteristics of apocalyptic literature according to Collins?**

From Sally: From Class Notes 11/29/11 1. Pseudopigraphy 2. heavy use of symbolisn 3. Predicts the end of the world 4. Angels & Demons 5. Exhortation 6. Determinism

Coogan p. 431

1. Apocalyptic writers do not speak directly in the name of the Lord.

2. Pseudepigraphy: The author’s identity is concealed and the revelation is ascribed to an ancient figure like Enoch or Daniel. (The Christian Book of Revelation doesn’t do this at first. They revert to it later.)

3. Mediated revelation: Symbolic Vision or Otherworldly Journey. (The revelation is typically given indirectly like a dream and interpreted by an angel for example.)Mythology

4. Eschatological content including judgment of the dead. (=Judgment after death.)

5. Pronounced Dualism. The world is divided into good and evil. (later the Dead Sea Scrolls acknowledged some mixed nature in humans.)

6. Resolution outside of history.

7. Pessimism about the present but optimism for the future

8. Imagery that is surreal rather than realistic.

9. End-times resemble the beginnings of the cosmos

 It is represented in the Hebrew Bible only by the Book of Daniel. but there was a flourishing Jewish apocalyptic lit~raturethat was not included in the canon. Much of this literature purported to describe revelations received by the ante-diluvian patriarch Enoch. but there were also apocalypses in the names of other ancient worthies, such as Abraham, Ezra and Baruch.
 * 5. Where is apocalyptic literature found in the Old Testament according to Collins?**