INTRODUCTION TO THEOLOGY

FINAL EXAM
Discuss the basic theological differences between the Creation Accounts of: (a) Genesis 1; (b) Genesis 2;
and (c) Mesopotamian Enuma Elish. How is the earth created? How is man created? Why is man
created? How are the gods portrayed? What is the genre of these accounts?
1. Discuss the basic theological differences in the Flood Accounts of: (a) Genesis 5-11 and (b)
Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. Why do the gods send the flood? What is the genre of these
accounts?
2. What is an etiology?
3. Who is the father of the three major monotheistic religions, with whom God makes a covenant
in Genesis 12?
4. What is the earliest extra-biblical reference to the people of Israel?
5. What are three significant numbers that are seen over and over in the biblical text?
6. How many tribes make up the people of Israel?
7. Who is the eponymous ancestor/patriarch/father of these tribes?
8. To whom / where does God first reveal his name as Yahweh?
9. What is the basis for Yahwehs deliverance of the Israelite tribes from slavery in Egypt?
10. What is the central theme / main story of the Israelites that is referred to over and over
throughout the Bible? This story is the basis for the renewed covenant between Yahweh and
the Israelites. What major Jewish holiday commemorates this event?
11. In what genre is the story of this event written?
12. Is there a difference between civil and religious law in the ancient Near East?
13. What two types of laws are contained in the Hebrew Bible law codes? List the formula used in
each one.
14. What is a theophany? What are the typical signs of a theophany?
15. List the 6 major parts of an ancient Near Eastern suzerain and vassal treaty.
16. What two major texts referencing holy war and genocide did we study in this class? One is
biblical. The other is extra-biblical.
17. Who is the first king of Israel? In approximately what century does he come to power?
18. Who is the most famous king of Israel, who is promised an eternal dynasty?
19. Who builds the first temple of Yahweh? Where is this temple located?
20. Under whose reign does the kingdom of Israel divide?
21. What is the name of the northern kingdom and what is its capital? How many tribes are
associated with this kingdom?
22. What is the name of the southern kingdom and what is its capital? How many tribes are
associated with this kingdom?
23. Who sacks the northern kingdom and leads its people into exile? In what year does this
happen?
24. What term is sometimes used to identify these northern tribes after they are taken into exile?
25. Who sacks the southern kingdom, burns down the temple and city walls, and leads its elites into
exile? In what year does this happen?
26. What is the theological message present in the books of 1-2 Kings and the prophets? What are
the two major reasons given for the fall of the nation of Israel?
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27. This type of theology is often called Retribution Theology. How is Retribution Theology defined?
28. What extra-biblical inscription also contains Retribution Theology?
29. What biblical book argues that righteous people also suffer and provides an explanation for
suffering that is an alternative to Retribution Theology?
30. Around the time of the exiles, the prophets speak of a portion of the Israelites that will be
redeemed. What is the term that they use to refer to this portion? Draw the upside-down
triangle diagram and label it.
31. Trace the Development of Monotheism in the Hebrew Bible. Be able to list and discuss the
following texts give the name of the book and the chapter (you do not have to list the verse)
and then be able to list briefly what is discussed in this passage, and then state whether it shows
polytheism, henotheism, or monotheism.
a. Genesis 6:1-4. (Hint: discuss the sons of God/heavenly beings, the daughters of men,
and the nephilim.)
b. Exodus 15:11; Psalm 86:8. (Hint: Are there other gods? Who is the greatest god?)
c. Exodus 20:1-6. (Hint: Are there other gods? What is Yahwehs attitude toward being
worshipped with a statue or image?)
d. Deuteronomy 32:8-9. (Hint: Who is the head of the pantheon? Discuss the sons of
God/heavenly beings. To whom is Jacob (Israel) allotted?)
e. Job 1-2. (Hint: Who is the head of the pantheon? Discuss the divine council/heavenly
beings/sons of God).
f. Isaiah 44:9-20; 45:20-25. (Hint: What theological development has taken place by the
time these verses are written? How are images discussed?)
32. Discuss the development of the understanding of evil portrayed in the Hebrew Bible, especially
in the following texts.
a. Genesis 3. What does the serpent represent? Is this serpent called the devil?
b. 2 Samuel 24:1-2. 1 Chronicles 21:1-2. Who incites David to take the census in each text?
c. Job 1-2. Who is the hasatan figure? What is his role?
d. Zechariah 3:1-5. Who is the hasatan figure? What is his role?
e. Isaiah 14, especially verses 12-15. Those these texts are later reinterpreted in some
traditions to refer to satan, to whom do they originally refer? Why were these texts
likely later reinterpreted to refer to satan? Furthermore, what is Mt. Zaphon? Who is
the head of the pantheon?
33. What intertestamental book (found in the Pseudepigrapha) refers to a rebellion among the
angels in heaven? In this book, Genesis 6:1-4 is reinterpreted.
34. Discuss the portrayal and role of evil and Satan in the New Testament, especially in the following
texts: Luke 10:17-20; Mark 1:12-13/Luke 4:4-12/Matthew 4:4-11; James 1:13; Revelation 12:710.
35. What is Sheol? Who goes there?
36. When is the second temple of Yahweh built? Under whose patronage is it built and the exiles
returned from Babylon (by then the Persian Empire)? Because of this he is referred to as a
__________.
37. What does the term Messiah (Christos in Greek) mean? What is the historical role of a
Messiah as portrayed in the Hebrew Bible? How does Jesus reinterpret/flip this term on its
head in the New Testament gospels?
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38. List two negative and two positive portrayals of women in the Bible.
39. In what language is the majority of the Hebrew Bible written?
40. What is the lingua franca of the ancient Near Eastern world after the Assyrian Empire takes
over? This is the language of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah and Daniel. This is the language
that would have been commonly spoken through the New Testament period.
41. What is the lingua franca of the ancient Near Eastern world after Alexander the Great takes
over? This is the language in which the New Testament was written.
42. Who overthrows the Greek Empire in Judah and cleanses and rededicates the temple in 164
BCE? What Jewish holiday commemorates this event?
43. What general leads the Roman Empire to take over Judah (afterward called Judea) in c.60 BCE?
44. What is the name of the puppet king that Rome places on the throne of Judea?
45. What is the pax Romana?
46. What is the meaning of the word gospel? How is this term used in Greco-Roman culture?
How does Jesus reinterpret this term?
47. What does the term repent mean?
48. Who is Jesus portrayed in Mark?
49. Who is Jesus portrayed in Matthew?
50. Who is Jesus portrayed in Luke?
51. Who is Jesus portrayed in John?
52. Into what two points does Jesus summarize the law?
53. Compare the two major reasons given for the fall of the nation of Israel with Jesuss summary of
the the law.
54. Compare Jesuss summary of the law to Pauls statement in 1 Corinthians 6:12:
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful for me, but I
will not be dominated by anything.
55. How many main apostles does Jesus have?
56. Who considered himself an apostle by special revelation on the road to Damascus?
57. What are the three major ways he carries out his ministry?
58. What does the term apocalypse mean?
59. In what situation is the genre of apocalyptic often employed?
60. List five major characteristics of the apocalyptic genre?
61. To what does the abomination of desolation / the desolating sacrilege refer?
62. In the book of Revelation, what does 666 represent?
63. How is the term Babylon reinterpreted in Revelation?
64. In Revelation, what does it mean to take the mark of the Beast?
65. What three major themes found in the writings of St. Augustine are very influential in later
Christian theology? (Ive listed the answer below).
a. Original sin Augustine traces the roots of selfishness into infancy.
b. Providence Augustine believes that God guided him throughout his life even when he
was unaware of it.
c. A strong dichotomy between the material/corporeal and the spiritual Augustine is
heavily influenced by and shares this with Neo-Platonist philosophers.