047. Appendix III: General Questions And Subjects For Special Research
III GENERAL QUESTIONS AND SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH For readers and students questions are of value either in focussing the attention, while reading, on those subjects which are of vital importance, and in formulating definitely the results of the reading; or else in guiding and inspiring the student to enter new but related fields of research. The following questions have been prepared and classified with these two distinct ends in view. They follow the chapter or general section divisions of the Historical Bible. The biblical text or the accompanying notes furnish the data for answering the General Questions. This first group of questions also aims to suggest in outline a practical order in which the important subjects presented by each chapter may be considered in the class-room or in general discussion. The themes for practical discussion and suggestions regarding the personal application of the teachings contained in each section will be reserved for the teacher’s manual, which will be issued later. The Subjects for Special Research point to the larger horizon with which the teacher should be familiar, and give the detailed references which are most helpful in gaining this wider vision. They also suggest certain related lines of study which are of interest and value to the general reader and student. In class-room work many of these topics may be profitably assigned for personal research and report. The references are to pages, unless otherwise indicated. Ordinarily several parallel references are given, that the student may be able to utilize the book at hand. More detailed classified bibliographies will be found in Sanders and Fowler’s Outlines of Biblical History and Literature and in Appendix I of Student’s Old Testament, Vol. I.
INTRODUCTION
I.TheOldTestamentWorld.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. In what ways did the character of the land in which they lived influence primitive peoples? Cite illustrations. 2. Describe the boundaries and general character of the Old Testament world? 3. The Lower Tigris-Euphra- tes valley, Mesopotamia and Egypt, and the type of civilization which they each produced. 4. The general characteristics of Syria and Palestine. 5. The migrations of the different Semitic peoples from their original home, and their final settlement.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. A detailed comparison of the physical characteristics of the Tigris-Euphrates and the Nile valleys. Goodspeed, Hist. Babs. and Assyrs., 3-13; Erman, Life in Anc. Egypt, 5-28; Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 3-13; Hist, of Egypt, 3-12; Hastings, D.B., I, 214, 653-5; Maspero, Dawn of Civilization, 1-46, 702-84; Articles in standard encyclopaedias. 2. The great zones of Palestine and their physical peculiarities. Kent, Hist. Heb. Peop., United Kgd., 18-26; Smith, Hist. Geog. of the Holy Land, 6-13, 46-59; Hastings, D.B., III, 640-8; Encyc. Bib., III, 3534-44; Stewart, Land of Israel 3. Relation of the Semitic peoples to the other branches of the human race, and the physical and mental characteristics of the Semites. Hastings, D.B., Extra Vol., 72-91; Barton, Sketch of Semitic Origins, Ch. I; Keane, Ethnology, 391-5; Brinton, Cradle of the Semites.
II.The Babylonian Background of Early Hebrew History.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the ancient Babylonian system of writing, and explain why it developed at so early a period in the lower Tigris-Euphrates valley. 2. The more striking characteristics of the ancient Babylonian civilization. 3. The Babylonian conception of the universe. 4. The different classes in early Babylonia. 5. The three or four distinct stages of political development which may be traced in Babylonia. 6. The empire and reign of Sargon I. 7. The character, conquests, policy, building enterprises and code of Hammurabi. 8. The important dates in Babylonian and Assyrian history. 9. Babylonia’s contributions to human civilization.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The records of the earliest Semitic civilization and their discovery. Goodspeed, Hist, of Babs. and Assyrs., 14-36; Hastings, D.B., 1,220-4; Encyc. Bib., I, 425-9; Jastrow, Relig. of Bab. and Assyr., 6-19. 2. The Sumerians. King and Hall, Egypt and Western Asia, 143-50; Hastings, D.B., I, 214-5; Winckler, Hist, of Bab. and Assyr., 12-17. 3. Early Babylonian Chronology. King and Hall, Egypt and Western Asia, 184-90, 246-8; King, Studies in Eastern Hist., II, 76-137. 4. The Early Babylonian Cities. Goodspeed, Hist, of Babs. and Assyrs., 49-54. 5. Code of Hammurabi. Kent, St. O. T., IV, Israel’s Laws and Legal Precedents, 3-7, 291-7; Johns, Bab. and Assyr. Laws, Contracts and Letters; King and Hall, Egypt and Western Asia, 274-316; Cook, The Laws of Moses and the Code of Hammurabi. 6. The Kassites. Goodspeed, Hist, of Babs. and Assyrs. 121-7; Winckler, Hist, of Bab. and Assyr., 71-92.
III.The Egyptian Background.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the beginnings of Egyptian history. 2. Building enterprises of the fourth Egyptian dynasty. 3. Rule of the twelfth dynasty. 4. Origin and rule of the Hyksos. 5. The development of the Egyptian empire and the rule of Ramses II. 6. The great political changes in Old Testament world about 1200 B.C.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The character of the earliest Egyptian civilization. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 29-51; Hist, of Egypt, 25-50. 2. The building of the great pyramids. Encyc. Brit., article “Pyramids”; Breasted, Hist, of Anc. Egyptians, 103-16; Hist, of Egypt, 111-23. 3. The Egyptian mines in the Sinaitic peninsula. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 160; Erman, Life in Anc. Egypt, 468-9; Petrie, Researches in Sinai. 4. Egyptian armies and methods of conquest under the eighteenth dynasty; Erman, Life in Anc. Egypt, 520-34; Breasted, Hist, of Anc. Egyptians, 223-43; Hist, of Egypt, 233-5, 243. 5. Probable origin of the Hittites. Article “Hittites,” in Encyc. Brit.; Hastings, D.B., II, 390-2; Encyc. Bib., II, 2094-2100.
IV.The Early Palestinian Background.GENERAL QUESTIONS:
1. Describe the different sources of information regarding the pre- Hebrew history of Palestine. 2. The dates and ways in which the culture of Babylonia touched Syria and Palestine in the pre-Hebrew period. 3. The Amorite and Canaanite invasions of Palestine. 4. Life in Palestine about 2000 B.C. 5. The nature and effects of Egyptian rule in Palestine. 6. The light thrown upon conditions in Palestine by the el-Amarna letters. 7. The relative date of Israel’s appearance, and the characteristics of the civilization which the Hebrews found in Palestine.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Excavations at Lachish. Hastings, D.B., III, 15, 16; Petrie, Tell-el-Hesy; Bliss, A Mound of Many Cities. 2. At Gezer. Quarterly Statements of the Palestinian Exploration Fund during the years 1905-8; Macalister, Bible Side-lights from the Mound of Gezer. 3. The light shed by the Babylonian and Egyptian inscriptions upon early Palestine. Paton, Early Hist, of Syria and Pal., 49-62; Maspero, Struggle of the Nats., 14-19. 4. The Amorite- Canaanite Period. Paton, Early Hist, of Syria and Pal., 24-46, 63-72; McCurdy, Hist. Prophecy and the Monuments, I, 152-223. 5. The Egyptian Rule in Palestine. Hastings, D.B., I, 660-2; Encyc. Bib., II, 1238-42; Paton, Early Hist, of Syria and Pal., 74-102; Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 251-2; Hist, of Egypt, 233-50. 6. History and contents of the el-Amarna letters. Breasted, Hist, of Egypt, 332-7, 382-9; Winckler, The Tell-El-Amarna Letters; Petrie, Syria and Egypt from the Tell-el-Amarna Letters; Clay, Light on the O. T. from Babel, 251-82. 7. Compare the contemporary Mycenaean civilization with that of the Eastern empires. Goodspeed, Hist, of the Anc. World, 77-80; Bury, Hist, of Greece, 11-53; Morey, Outlines of Greek History, 86-94.
V.Israel’s Religious Heritage.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the different ways in which religion influenced the life and civilization of the ancient Babylonians. 2. The religion of the Sumerians. 3. The gods and cults of the early city states. 4. Political forces that developed the Babylonian pantheon. 5. The religion of the Canaanites. 6. Contributions of these earlier Semitic religions to Israel’s faith.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. A definition of religion, cf. dictionaries and encyclopaedias; Clarke, Outlines of Christian Theol.; Brown, Christian Theol. in Outline; Menzies, Hist, of Relig. 2. A comparison between the growth of the Babylonian and Egyptian religions. Hastings, D.B., I, 215-6, 665-7; Encyc. Bib., I, 431-7, II, 1214-9; Sayce, Babs. and Assyrs., 231-64; Jastrow, Relig. of the Babs. and Assyrs.; Encyc. Brit., VII, 714-8; Budge, The Gods of Egypt; Erman, Life in Anc. Egypt. 3. The history of the temple at Nippur. Peters, Nippur, I, II; Hilprecht, Explorats. in Bible Lands, 289-568. 4. Describe an ancient Canaanite sanctuary and its cultus. Marti, Relig. of the O. T., 80-96; Encyc. Bib., II, 2064-9; Curtiss, Primitive Sem. Relig. To-day, 133-43.
VI.The Oldest History of Israel.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the way in which ancient Semitic histories grew. 2. The four distinct lines of evidence which aid in distinguishing the quotations from the older and later sources. Illustrate. 3. Scope and literary characteristics of the oldest history of the Hebrews 4. Its primary aim and value. 5. The different sources from which its narratives were drawn. 6. Its date and place of composition.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. History of the discovery of the different sources. Carpenter and Harford-Battersby, Hexateuch, I, 1-17, 33-48. 2. Israel’s heritage of oral traditions. Kent, St. O. T., 3-12; Gordon, Early Trads. of Gen., 36-61, 75. 3. The transmission and crystallization of Israel’s traditions into literature. St. O. T., I, 13, 16-20; Gordon, Early Trads. of Gen., 62-74. 4. Their literary characteristics. St. O. T., I, 13-15; Gardiner, The Bible as Eng. Lit., 34-76; Gordon, Early Trads. of Gen., 76-87. 5. The Early Judean Prophetic Narratives. St. O. T., I, 31-7; Carpenter and Harford- Battersby, Hexateuch, 97-110; Driver, Genesis, xii-xxii.
VII.The Later Parallel Histories.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the characteristics of the northern prophetic history. 2. Its aims and contents. 3. Method in which the two prophetic histories were combined. 4. Characteristics and aims of the late priestly history. 5. Result of the final blending of the older and later histories. 6. Practical value of distinguishing and separating the older from the later histories.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The detailed characteristics and origins of the Northern Israelite prophetic history.
[1] In the more technical articles on the sources, the early Judean prophetic narratives are designated by J, and the later additions to it by Js or J2; the Northern Israelite or early Ephraimite prophetic narratives by E, and its supplements by Es or E2; the compiler, who combined J and E by RJE; the late priestly narratives by P, and its supplements by or P2. THE BEGINNINGS OF HEBREW HISTORY
§I.The Story of Man’s Creation.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What evidence is found in the story that it is very old and that its author was a prophet ? 2. What appears to have been the oldest Hebrew tradition regarding the creation of the earth and heavens? 3. Make a table giving in parallel columns the testimony of the Early Judean (§1), the late priestly (Appendix I), the early Babylonian (I, vi) and the later Babylonian (I, vii) accounts of creation, regarding (1) name of the creator; (2) method of creation; (3) order, and (4) aim. 4. What did the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represent? 5. What are the teachings of the story regarding (1) God, (2) man, and (3) the basis of the marriage relation.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Babylonian Creation Stories. St. O. T., I, 360-70; Hastings, D. B., I, 501-7; Encyc. Bib., I, 938-41; Worcester, Genesis, 110-47; Clay, Light on the O. T. from
Babel, 59-76. 2. Parallel stories among other nations. Hastings. D. B., extra vol., 177-81; Encyc. Bib., I, 942-4; Worcester, Genesis, 95-110; Lenormant, The Beginnings of Hist. 3. The modern scientific theory of the origin of man. Peschel, Races of Man, 1-34; Morris’ Man and His Ancestor; Clay, Man, Past and Present.
§ II.Man’s Sin and Its Consequences.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the literary characteristics of this story. 2. Its real theme and object. 3. The role of the serpent. 4. Define (1) temptation, (2) sin. 5. The nature and effects of sin as illustrated by the story.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: l.The ancient parallels to the story. St. O. T., I, 370-3; Driver, Genesis, 44, 51-7, 60-1; Worcester, Genesis, 184-256. 2. The Babylonian and Egyptian idea of sin. Hastings, D. B., extra vol., 566-7; Jastrow, Relig. of the Babs. and Assyrs., 312-27; Breasted, Hist, of Egypt, 173-5. 3. The later Jewish conception of the origin of sin. Porter, in “Biblical and Semitic Studies” (Yale Bi-Centennial Publications), 98-156; Hastings, D. B., IV, 531-2; Tennent, Sources of the Doctrines of the Fall and Original Sin. 4. Milton’s interpretation of the story in Paradise Lost.
§ III.The Story of Cain and Abel.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the state of society reflected in this story. 2. The evidence that Cain and Abel originally represented tribes or nations. 3. The development of Cain’s character. 4. Cain’s attitude toward society, and the cause of his fear. 5. The ancient and modern methods of punishing murder. 6. Jehovah’s choice, as illustrated by the story.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The evidence that the story is of early Hebrew rather than of Babylonian origin. St. O. T., I, 61; Driver, Genesis, 71-2; Worcester, Genesis, 269-77. 2. The-Semitic law of blood-revenge. St. O. T., IV, 91, 114-6; Gordon, Early Trads. of Genesis, 201-6; Smith, Religion of the Semites, 72, 420. 3. Tribal marks, Encyc. Bib., I, 973-4; Gordon, Early Trads. of Genesis, 206-11.
§ IV.The Traditional Origin of Early Semitic Institutions.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the origin and object of the genealogical list. 2. Compare the Hebrew and Phoenician traditions regarding the origin of the arts. 3. Give the probable origin of the story of Enoch. 4. The meaning of the different traditions connected with Lamech. 5. The interpretation of the story of Noah, the first tiller of the soil. 6. Teachings of the story.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Babylonian list of the ten antediluvian kings. St. O. T., I, 58; Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 591-4. 2. Compare the ancient theories of the origin of the arts with those of modern science of society. Peschel, Races of Man; Taylor, Primitive Man; Deniker, Races of Man; Keane, Ethnology. 3. Israel’s popular folk-songs. St. O. T., I, 16; Hastings, D.B., IV, 11-12.
§ V.The Story of the Great Flood.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Give the probable origin and prophetic interpretation of the story regarding the sons of God and the daughters of men. 2. Compare the two biblical versions of the flood story. 3. The early Babylonian and the early Hebrew versions. 4. What was the probable origin of the flood story. 5. By the aid of the Babylonian parallels trace its history. 6. What are the fundamental differences between the biblical and other flood stories. 7. What are the teachings of each of the two biblical accounts of the flood ?
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The history of the Babylonian flood story. St. O. T., I, 373-8; Hastings, D.B., II, 17-18; Worcester, Genesis, 374-411; Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 566-72. 2. Flood stories among other peoples. Worcester, Genesis, 361-73; Hastings, D.B., II, 18-22, extra vol., 181-2. 3. The scientific accuracy of the biblical narratives. Ryle, Early Narratives of Gen., 112-3; Davis, Gen. and Semitic Trads., 130-1; Driver, Genesis, 82-3, 99; Sollas, Age of the Earth, 316ff.; Suss, Race of the Earth, I, 20-40, 63-5, 69, 71-2.
§ VI.The Traditional Origin of the Nations.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What mound probably gave rise to the story of the tower of Babel ? 2. What does the Hebrew story seek to explain ? 3. Indicate the principles of classification followed in the table of the nations. 4. The identification and home of the different nations. 5. The ethnographic, geographic and religious value of the table.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Parallels to the story of the Tower of Babel. Worcester, Genesis, 497-521; Clay, Light fromBabel, 89-124. 2. The modern theory regarding the origin of languages and races. Taylor, Primitive Man; Peschel, Races of Men, 102-14, 12931; Deniker, Races of Man; Keane, Ethnology. 3. Corresponding tables among other nations. Gordon, Early Trads. of Gen., 87-9. 4. Different identifications of Ophir. Hastings, D.B., III, 626-8; Encyc. Bib., Ill, 3513-5; Driver, Genesis, xix; Keane, The Gold of Ophir; Peters, Eldorado of the Ancients. 5. Classify the traditions in §§ I-VI according to their probable Babylonian, Aramean or Hebrew origin. 6. Their value (1) as literature; (2) as historical sources; (3) as illustrations of religious and ethical principles. St. O. T., I, 3-12; Worcester, Genesis, 55-69; Gunkel, Legends of Genesis.
§ VII.Abraham’s Call and Settlement in Canaan.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the probable origin and history of the Abraham stories. 2. The later traditions regarding Abraham. 3. The probable origin of the two names, Abraham and Abram. 4. The original home of the Hebrews 5. Meaning of the divine promises to Abraham. 6. Compare the spirit and ambitions of Abraham and Lot.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The four great divisions of the book of Genesis. St. O. T., I, 21-3; Worcester, Genesis, 55-69; cf. O. T. Introductions. 2. Abraham’s genealogy. Bible dictionary articles, “Nahor,” “Milcah,” “Sarah.” 3. Abraham in late Jewish tradition. Hastings, D. B., I, 16, 17; James, The Testament of Abraham. 4. Sacred trees and the oaks of Mamre. Hastings, D. B., III, 224-5; Smith, Relig. of the Semites, 185-95; Encyc. Bib., Ill, 3352-4; Thomson, Land and the Book, II, 104, 171-2, 222, 474; Curtiss, Primitive Semitic Relig. To-day, 91, 93.
§ VIII. The Promise of a Son to Sarah.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the geographical background of the story of Hagar. 2. The purpose of the story. 3. Does Hagar represent an individual or a tribe ? 4. The character and quality of Abraham’s hospitality. 5. The Greek parallel to the story of the divine guests. 6. Ideas of God reflected in these stories.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. History of the Ishmaelites. Hastings, D. B., II, 502-5; Encyc. Bib., II, 2211-2. 2. The Northern Israelite account of the expulsion of Hagar. St. O. T., I, 93-4. 3. The historical character of Genesis 14. St. O. T., I, 84-6; Driver, Genesis, 156-73; Paton, Early Hist, of Syria and Palestine, 31-46.
§ IX. The Destruction of Sodom.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the scene of the story. 2. Character of the ancient Canaanites. 3. Aim of the story. 4. Abraham’s intercession. 5. Historical value of the story. 6. Its moral and religious teachings.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH:1. Geological history of the Jordan and Dead Sea valley. Smith, Hist. Geography, 467-71. 2. The Dead Sea. Hastings, D. B., I, 575-7; Encyc. Bib., I, 1042-6; Smith, Hist Geography, 499-516. 3. Parallels to the biblical story. Cheyne, in New World, June, 1892. 4. The early history of the Moabites. Hastings, D. B., III, 408-10; Encyc. Bib., Ill, 3175-7. 5. The early history of the Ammonites, Hastings, D. B., I, 82-3; Encyc. Bib., 1,142-4.
§ X. Birth and Sacrifice of Isaac.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What was the meaning of the Semitic rite of human sacrifice? 2. What ancient peoples practised it? 3. When did the Hebrew people begin to condemn it ? 4. What are the aims of the present story ? 5. Describe Abraham’s character as portrayed in the early prophetic stories.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH:1. The original meaning of sacrifice. St. O. T., IV, 238; Hastings, D. B., IV, 329-31; Encyc. Bib., IV, 4216-26; Smith, Religion of the Semites, 213-43, 252-440; Gordon, Early Trads. of Genesis, 212-6. 2. The priestly account of the circumcision of Isaac. St. O. T., I, 82-4, 89; Driver, Genesis, 184-91; Hastings, D. B., I, 442-4. 3. Abraham’s character as portrayed by the late priestly historian. Hastings, D. B., I, 14; Encyc. Bib., 1,25.
§ XI.Securing a Wife for Isaac.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the literary characteristics of the story and its seven distinct scenes. 2. The character of Abraham’s servant. 3. The Semitic marriage customs reflected in the story. 4. Contrast the characters of Abraham and Isaac.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The land of Aram. Hastings, D. B., I, 138-9; Encyc. Bib., I, 276-8. 2. Oriental methods of courtship. Hastings, D. B., Ill, 270-2; Encyc. Bib., III, 2942-6; Smith, Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia. 3. Characteristics of the South Country (Negeb). Hastings, D. B., Ill, 505-6; Encyc. Bib., III, 3374-9. 4. Stories regarding Isaac. St. O. T., I, 76-81; Hastings, D. B., II, 483-5; Encyc. Bib., II, 2174-9.
§ XII.Jacob and HisBrotherEsau.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What two nations traced their descent from Jacob and Esau ? 2. In what sense was Esau the older, and what superior rights did the descendants of Jacob enjoy ? 3. Describe the ancient Semitic idea of the birthright and of a father’s dying blessing. 4. What special promise had been given to the race? 5. What different means did Jacob employ to secure the rights of the eldest? 6. The effect upon Esau and Jacob. 7. Compare the characters of the two brothers, as sketched in this narrative. 8. In what respects is Jacob a true representative of the Hebrew race?
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Compare the two accounts of Jacob’s theft of the birthright. St. O. T., I, 103-7. 2. Trace the early history of the Edomites. Hastings, D. B., I, 644-5; Encyc. Bib., II, 1181-4. 3. Law of inheritance among the early Semites. Encyc., Bib., Ill, 2728-9; Hastings, D. B., II, 470-3; Johns, Bab. and Assyr. Laws, Contracts and Letters, 161-7.
§ XIII.Jacob’s Experiences as a Fugitive.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the situation of Bethel. 2. The meaning and traditional origin of the name. 3. The meaning and fulfilment of the promise to Jacob. 4. Jacob’s wooing of Rachel. 5. The meaning of the traditions regarding the ancestry of the different Hebrew tribes. 6. Indications that Jacob is (1) an individual, or (2) simply the traditional ancestor of the twelve tribes.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Origin and nature of the ancient Hebrew sanctuaries. Peters, Early Heb. Story, 81-116; Hastings, D. B., IV, 395-7, extra vol., 615-8; Libbey and Hoskins, Jordan Valley and Petra, I, 171-207. 2. The meanings of the names of the twelve tribes. Cf. articles in Bible dictionaries. 3. Compare the different portraits of Jacob in the early prophetic and late priestly narratives. St. O. T., I, 103-13; Hastings, D. B., II, 526-35; Encyc. Bib., II, 2306-11.
§ XIV.Jacob’s Return to Canaan.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Give the reasons for Jacob’s flight from Laban. 2. What was the nature and meaning of the struggle beside the Jabbok? 3. Is there a marked contrast between Jacob’s character before and after this experience? 4. Describe Jacob’s faults and virtues. 5. In what respects was he inferior to Esau. 6. Why was Jacob best fitted to be the traditional ancestor of the Hebrew race?
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Arameans. Hastings, D.B., I, 138-9; Encyc. Bib., I, 276-280; Peters, Early Heb. Story, 45-7, 115-6, 133-4; Maspero, Struggle of the Nats., 126. 2. The household gods or teraphim. Hastings, D. B., IV, 718; Encyc. Bib., IV, 4974-5; Moore, Judges, 379-81. 3. Sites of Mizpah, Mahanaim, Penuel and Succoth. Driver, Genesis, 300-2; articles in Bible dictionaries. 4. Contrast the characters of Abraham and Jacob.
§ XV.Joseph Sold by His Brothers.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the literary characteristics of the Joseph stories. 2. Joseph’s early home life and character. 3. The character and attitude of his brothers. 4. Situation of Dothan. 5. The effect of the life in Egypt upon Joseph’s character.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Eastern dress. Hastings, D. B., I, 623-8; Encyc. Bib., I, 1135-41; Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 55-8, 265, 685. 2. The early caravan and trade routes in the ancient Semitic world. Hastings, D. B., extra vol., 368-75. 3. Society and religion in Egypt under the eighteenth dynasty. Breasted, Hist, of the Ancient Egyptians, 193-206; Hist, of Egypt, 233-52; Erman, Life of the Ancient Egyptians, 102-29.
§ XVI.Joseph Made Governor of Egypt.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the dreams of Joseph’s fellow-prisoners and the interpretations. 2. The oriental estimate of dreams. 3. Pharaoh’s dreams. 4. Joseph’s plans for the period of famine. 5. His policy in adapting himself to the peculiar customs of Egypt. 6. The Egyptian system of land tenure. 7. Joseph as an administrator.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The ancient and modern attitude toward dreams. Hastings, D. B., I, 622-3; Encyc. Bib., I, 1118; Driver, Genesis, XXI, 342; cf. modern psychologies. 2. Recorded famines in Egypt. Breasted, Hist, of Egypt, 160-1; Hastings, D. B., 11,773-4; Encyc. Bib., II, 2591; Driver, Genesis, 346-7. 3. The possessions and privileges of the priests in Egypt. Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 124-6, 266, 305; Erman, Life of the Ancient Egyptians, 104-5, 292-3, 298-304; Herodotus, II, 168.
§ XVII.Joseph and His Brothers.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe Joseph’s early interviews with his brothers. 2. Aim and justification of his hiding the money in their sacks. 3. The portrait of the aged Jacob. 4. The character of Judah and his appeal for Benjamin. 5. The final scene between Joseph and his brothers. 6. Qualities in Joseph’s character reflected in the story.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Divination. Driver, Genesis, 358; Hastings, D. B., I, 611-13; Encyc. Bib., 1,1117-21; Strabo, XVI, 39. 2. Effect of famine in the East. Cf. reports of recent famines in India; Kipling, “William the Conqueror,” in The Day’s Work. 3. Egyptian methods of eating. Erman, Life of the Anc. Egyptians, 193, 250-5. 4. Houses of wealthy Egyptians. Erman, Life of the Anc. Egyptians, 153, 177-88; Breasted, Hist of Egypt, 88-90. 5. Oriental methods of showing emotion. Encyc. Bib., Ill, 2694-6; 3220-2; Hastings, D. B., Ill, 453-4.
§ XVIII.Joseph’s Loyalty to His Kinsmen.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Why was Joseph’s treatment of his kinsmen especially noble? 2. Describe the land of Goshen and the life of the Hebrews while there. 3. Interrelations between Egypt and Asia at this period. 4. The meaning of Jacob’s dying blessing. 5. The distinctly Egyptian elements in the Joseph stories. 6. Parallels to the story of Joseph in ancient contemporary literature. 7. The date of Joseph. 8. The literary, historical, archaeological and religious value of the Joseph stories.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Semitic ideas and influences in Egypt during the reigns of Amenhotep III and IV. Breasted, Hist, of Ancient Egyptians, 248-79; Hist, of Egypt, 328-37, 352-79. 2. The Egyptian method of embalming and burial. Maspero, Daivn of Civiliz., 112, 361; Struggle of the Nations, 509-26; Encyc. Bib., II, 1284-5; Herodotus, II, 86-89; Budge, The Mummy, 160 ff. 3. Compare the character, fortunes and services of Joseph and Ulysses. Driver, Genesis, 320-1, 400-1; Hastings, D. B., II, 770. THE BONDAGE AND DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT
§ XIX.The Oppression of the Hebrews in Egypt.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the general characteristics of the three biblical accounts of the bondage and Exodus 2. Effect of the policy of the rulers of the nineteenth dynasty upon the serf class in Egypt. 3. The store cities of Pithom and Ramses. 4. The evidence that Ramses II was the Pharaoh of the oppression. 5. The historical facts underlying the biblical stories of the sojourn in Egypt. 6. Influence of the Egyptian sojourn upon the life and faith of the Hebrews.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Excavations at Pithom. Hastings, D. B., Ill, 886-7; Naville, Store-City of Pithom and the Route of the Exodus; Hogarth, Authority and Archaeology, 54-5, 61, 68. 2. The reign and policy of Ramses II. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 303-26; Hist, of Egypt, 423-63; Maspero, Struggle of the Nats., 385430; Hastings, D. B., I, 662; Encyc. Bib., II, 1241-2. 3. A comparison of modern industrial conditions with those in Egypt under Ramses II. Brown, Social Message of the Modern Pulpit.
§ XX.Moses’s Childhood and Training.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe Moses’s boyhood training. 2. The justification and significance of Moses’s slaying the Egyptian taskmaster. 3. Moses’s adoption into the Midianite clan. 4. Did Moses first learn of Jehovah from the Midianites? 5. Influence of his life in the wilderness upon the character and faith of Moses.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The story of the childhood of Sargon I. Marti, Relig. of the O. T., 18-21; Peters, Early Heb. Story, 192-4; Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 597-8. 2. The Egyptian system of education. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 92-4, 395; Hist, of Egypt, 98-100; Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 288; Erman, Life of the Anc. Egyptians, 328-68. 3. The Midianites. Hastings, D. B.f III, 365-6; Encyc. Bib., III, 3079-81. 4. Origin of the Jehovah religion. Budde, Relig. of Israel, 1-38; Gordon, Early Traditions of Gen., 106-10; Hastings, D. B., extra vol., 626-7.
§ XXI.Moses’s Call to Deliver the Hebrews.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the three different accounts of the way in which the divine revelation came to Moses. 2. The vital points in which they all agree. 3. The causes of Moses’s hesitation, and the different ways in which his objections are met. 4. In the light of the situation and in the language of to-day, describe Moses’s training and call to be a prophet leader. 5. Pharaoh’s defiant refusal to let the Hebrews go.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The magicians of Egypt. Erman, Life in Anc. Egypt, 352-6, 373-4; Hastings, D. B., III, 207. 2. Meaning of the divine names. Driver, Genesis, 402-9; Encyc. Bib., III, 3323-6; Hastings, D. B., extra vol., 625-6. 3. Compare Moses’s call with that of Isaiah (Isaiah 6) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1). 4. The serf class in Egypt. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 236, 254; Hist, of Egypt, 308-9, 339, 496-7; Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 309, 326-7.
§ XXII.The Egyptian Plagues.GENERAL QUESTIONS:1. Describe the form of the plague stories in each of the groups of Hebrew narratives. 2. The early Judean account of each of the seven plagues. 3. The peculiar sanitary conditions in the land of Egypt. 4. The natural and national calamities reflected in the plague stories. 5. The effect of these calamities upon (1) the Egyptians and (2) the Hebrews 6. The origin and new significance of the passover.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Plagues in antiquity and the popular explanations of them. Hastings, D. B., III, 887-92; Encyc. Bib., III, 3784-9. 2. Conditions in Egypt at the end of the nineteenth dynasty. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 333-5; Hist, of Egypt, 464-79. 3. The Pharaoh’s place in the religious hierarchy of Egypt. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 63-4; Hist, of Egypt, 62, 122-3, 456; Maspero, Dawn of Civiliz., 266, 304. 4. History of the Semitic spring festival. St. O. T., IV, 258; Hastings, D. B., III, 688-90; Encyc. Bib., III, 3589-3600; Barton, Semitic Origins, 110-1; Gray, Numbers, 404-7.
§ XXIII. TheExodus.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the escape from Egypt, as recorded in the earliest biblical narrative. 2. Modern parallels. 3. Probable number of the Hebrew fugitives. 4. The direction and manner of the march through the wilderness. 5. Meaning of the song of deliverance. 6. Effect of the great deliverance upon Hebrew character, literature and faith.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Compare the priestly with the early prophetic accounts of the exodus. St. O. T., I, 172-6. 2. Caravan travel through the desert. Palmer, The Desert of the Exodus; Stanley, Sinai and Palestine; Doughty, Wanderings in Arabia. 3. The references to the exodus in later Hebrew literature. Cf. article, “Exodus,” in Bible dictionaries.
§ XXIV.The Revelation and Covenant at Sinai.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe and explain the growing importance of Sinai in Hebrew thought. 2. The probable situation of the sacred mountain. 3. The different accounts of the way in which Jehovah revealed himself to his people, and their meaning. 4. The establishment of the covenant between Jehovah and Israel. 5. The original decalogue defining Israel’s obligations to Jehovah. G. History of this decalogue. 7. Probable origin and early significance of the sabbath.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The recent excavations in the Sinaitic peninsula. Petrie, Researches in Sinai. 2. The late traditions of the march through the wilderness. St. O. T., I, 176-8. 3. The covenant in early Semitic life. Hastings, D. B., I, 509-15; extra vol., 630-2; Encyc. Bib., I, 928-36; Trumbull, The Blood Covenant. 4. The four biblical versions of the revelations and covenant at Sinai. St. O. T., I, 181-8. 5. History of the sabbath. St. O. T., IV, 257-8; Hastings, D. B., IV, 317-19; Encyc. Bib., IV, 4177-9; Gordon, Early Trads. of Genesis, 216-23.
§ XXV.Man’s Individual Duties to God and Man.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Compare the two decalogues given, according to tradition, to Moses. 2. Explain why the prophetic decalogue is assigned the first place in Exodus 3. Describe its probable date and authorship. 4. Its original simple form, and the expanded versions in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. 5. Man’s primary duties (1) to God, (2) to parents and (3) to others. 6. The place of this decalogue in the Jewish and Christian religions.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Different possible divisions of the decalogue. Hastings, D. B., I, 580-2; Encyc. Bib., I, 1049-52. 2. Jesus’s version of the different commands of the prophetic decalogue. Cf.Matthew 5:17-48; Matthew 6:19-21; Matthew 12:1-12; Matthew 12:31-32; Matthew 15:3; Matthew 15:5; Matthew 22:36-39, Matthew 12-31. 3. Similar formulations of primary duties in other literatures.
§ XXVI.Moses’s Work as Judge and Prophet.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the visit of Moses’s father-in-law. 2. Moses’s activity as Judges 3. The way in which laws come into existence among primitive people. 4. In what sense is Moses the father of Hebrew law. 5. Describe the origin and use of the tent of meeting. 6. Moses’s work as a prophet.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The origin and growth of Hebrew law. St. O. T., IV, 8-15; Hastings, D. B., III, 64-7; Encyc. Bib., Ill, 2714-8. 2. The appointment and duties of Babylonian and He brew judges. St. O. T., IV, 86-8; Johns, Bab. and Assyr. Laws, Contracts and Letters, 80-4; Sayce, Babylonians and Assyrians, 195-9. 3. The late priestly tradition of the tent of meeting or dwelling. St. O. T., IV, 149-57; Hastings, D. B., IV, 654-68; Brown, The Tabernacle. 4. Definition of prophet. Cf. § XXI, 3; Hastings, D. B., IV, 108-9; Encyc. Bib., Ill, 3853-9.
§ XXVII.The Life of the Hebrews in the Wilderness.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the scene of the wilderness wanderings. 2. Life in this region. 3. The spring of Kadesh. 4. Traditions regarding the food supply. 5. Contests with native tribes. 6. Form and significance of the ark. 7. Duration of the wilderness sojourn.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Contents of the book of Numbers. St.O. T., I, 24; Hastings, D. B., III, 567-73; Encyc. Bib., III, 3439-49. Cf. also Biblical introductions. 2. Life in the Arabian desert. Palmer, The Desert of the Exodus and Wilderness Wandering; Stanley, Sinai and Palestine; Doughty, Wanderings in Arabia, I, 70159. 3. The late priestly tradition of the ark. St.O. T., IV, 149-51; Hastings, D. B., I, 149-51; Encyc. Bib., I, 300-9.
§ XXVIII.The Attempt to Enter Canaan from the South.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Why did the Hebrews not go at once from Egypt to Canaan? 2. What is the history and the significance of the journey of the spies? 3. The evidence that certain tribes entered Canaan directly from the south. 4. Causes and nature of the rebellions against Moses’s authority. 5. Effect of the wilderness life and of Moses’s activity upon the character and faith of the Hebrews.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The three different accounts of the journey of the spies. St. O. T., I, 215-18. 2. Palestine under the rule of the twentieth Egyptian dynasty. Breasted, Hist, of the Anc. Egyptians, 360-4, 373-4, 375, 378; Paton, Early Hist, of Syria and Palestine, 144-50; Breasted, Hist, of Egypt, 465-6, 470, 512-19; Hastings, D. B., I, 662-3. 3. In the light of the oldest records was Moses’s great work accomplished by natural or miraculous means?
§ XXIX.The Journey from the Wilderness, and Balaam’s Prophecy.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the events in the journey about Edom. 2. The different traditions regarding Balaam. 3. Meaning of his oracles. 4. Their probable date. 5. Trace in early Hebrew life the development of the belief that Israel was a people with an unique destiny.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The territory of Edom and Moab. Smith, Hist. Geog. of the Holy Land, 555-72; Hastings, D. B., I, 644-5, III, 403; Encyc. Bib., II, 1181-4, III, 3166-71; Libbey and Hoskins, Jordan Valley and Petra, I. 2. Ancient oraeles. Smith, Religion of the Semites, 133, 177-81; Hastings, D. B., III, 629; Encyc. Bib., III, 3516; Gray, Numbers, 345-8, 350-7, 300-71. 3. Did other early peoples believe that they were under the especial protection and care of their gods? Cf. St. O. T., II, 495.
§ XXX.East-Jordan Conquests and Moses’s Farewell.GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What was the significance of the victory over the Amorites? 2. Meaning of the ancient song of victory? 3. Nature of the east-Jordan territory. 4. The death of Moses. 5. Moses’s relation to the book of Deuteronomy 6. Moses’s work as prophet, leader and Judges 7. The essence of his message.
SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Literary analysis and contents of Deuteronomy. Hastings, D. B., I, 596-603; Encyc. Bib., I, 107993; St. O. T., IV, 33-4. 2. The variant traditions of Moses’s farewell. St. O. T., I, 250-2. 3. The religion of Moses. Hastings, D. B., extra vol., 631-4; Marti, Religion of the Old Testament, 36-71.