Final Exam Page 8 Flashcards
What is the approximate date for the conquest of Canaan?
c. 1250 BCE
The conquest and settlement of Canaan was a struggle by the Hebrew people for what two things?
fidelity and identity
What is the cyclical interpretation of history as found in the book of Judges? List and describe the four-fold cycle.
Apostasy- the people fell away from faithfulness
punishment- God punished them through subjection and loss of independence
repentance- the people called upon God for deliverance
deliverance- God acted to raise up for them a “judge” who brought independence
What was a “shophet”?
Usually translated “judge” in English, a shophet was a gifted or charismatic leader raised up by God to deliver the people of Israel from bondage to foreign rule.
Why was the covenant renewal under Joshua so important?
The generation present at Mt. Sinai when the covenant was established had died off. Others had been incorporated into Israel. There was the need to renew the covenant with a new generation of Israelites, who would live together in the land.
What was the nature of the cultural conflict with the Canaanites?
It was a struggle for political and religious identity, as well as for religious fidelity (faithfulness)
Describe the nature of Canaanite religion or Baalism. Who were El, Asherah, Baal, Anath? What is the importance of the Res Sharma texts? Why did the Canaanite religion prove to be such a problem for the Israelites?
Canaanite religion was a fertility religion, characterized by polytheism, eroticism, and sympathetic magic. EL was the father god, ASHERAH the mother goddess. They had 70 sons and daughters, most prominent of which was BAAL, a storm god, and his sister ANATH, who was BAAL’s sexual consort.
Agricultural seasons and forces of reproduction were seen to be related. Sympathetic magic and sacred prostitution were thought to stimulate BAAL, which in turn stimulated the fertility of the earth.
Canaanite religion was a problem for the Israelites as they settled in the land and learned agriculture.
What changes occurred in the religion of the Hebrews as a result of settlement in the land of Canaan?
The Hebrews sought to practice a form of religion which was characterized by a syncretism of Mosaic religion and Canaanite religion. In military crisis, they looked to Yahweh. For agricultural success, they looked to BAAL.
The first commandment says, “You shall not have other gods before Me”. Keeping covenant with YHWH was tied to the gift of the land. To break covenant meant to lose the gift of the land. Religious fidelity was a constant struggle.
