RLS 111/1000--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--Study Questions (Summer 2012)

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This page contains the study questions on the material covered up to the date of the most recent posting (see RLS 111/1000 Main Page for that date). The "Next Quiz" link brings you to the beginning of the questions for which you will be responsible at the next quiz; the "Most Recent Posting" link brings you to the questions posted with the most recent update. [The "Final Exam Material" link will be activated after the midterm exam exam.]

Beginning of questions you are responsible for at the midterm exam:

PRELIMINARY "STUFF"

As announced in class, you are to read the textbook's "Preliminary Stuff" segment on your own. There are 17 questions on that material. One of them will be selected as an extra-credit question on the midterm exam. To get to these questions, click the "Extra Credit Questions" link.

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INTERLUDE

(1) In a text segment called “Interlude,” Jake and Beth tell each other about two courses in which they are enrolled. State what these courses are. Further, summarize in one sentence the topic of Beth’s presentation to Jake, and in another sentence the topic of Jake’s presentation to Beth. (Note: Summarizing means here stating what the conversation is about; no details about the content of the conversation need to be provided.)

(2) Did you read the study rules? If not, you might be "putting the cart before the horse" at this very moment. Here is a link: "Study Rules." Read them prior to continuing.

(3) Beth’s astronomy teacher mentioned several things about the universe that made her feel humble and insignificant. State what some of them were.

(4) State what the “static universe theory” is, identify the discovery that shot it down, what theory it was replaced by, and explain what discovery caused a difficulty to be solved by assuming the existence of “dark energy.”

(5) Jake’s philosophy teacher talked about two sailors in Narragansett Bay. Summarize that sailor story and explain what type of person the second sailor represents (= "stands in for").

MONOTHEISM

(6) State what the cause of the universe is according to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Further, explain the considerations your humble instructor outlined with regard to imagining and thinking, using the example with which Descartes illustrates the difference between the two. Finally, explain what is meant by the statement that “creating” goes together with “sustaining.”

(7) The Book of Genesis states that humans are created in God’s image. Explain how this helps, according to Jews and Christians, with regard to our thinking about God. Be sure to build your humble instructor’s map analogy into your explanation.

(8) Explain what is meant when God is called a person. (Remember: Your humble instructor mentioned three central features.)

(9) Muslims are hesitant to call God a person. Summarize your humble instructor's conversation with one of his Muslim students through which that hesitancy was overcome, at least for the case of the student in question.

(10) Identify the chief characteristics of finite human persons which do not apply to the infinite divine person.

(11) Explain the answer Jews, Christians, and Muslims give to the question, “How do we know about God?”

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND HUMANS

(12) State what the Song of Songs is and what it is about. Further, many Jews and Christians hold that it illustrates the manner in which God relates to individual humans. Explain what this relationship is supposed to be (do not forget to include the “in a manner of speaking” qualification).

(13) State how, according to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, human are to relate to God, how the real situation of most humans in this respect compares to how it should be, and what this means for our task on this earth.

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(14) State the literal translation of the words, “Shema Israel,” and formulate the chief commandment that passage contains.

(15) Your humble instructor has used several examples to illustrate the fickleness of the human heart. One concerns meeting someone who is better than you in an area in which you excel, another is the Irving example. Explain both of them.

(16) Explain how the "my heart is unmoved" attitude can be overcome with respect to other peoples' suffering/misfortune although emotions are not under one's direct control.

(17) Judaism, Christianity, and Islam maintain that with regard to God, humans are often dominated by the “my heart is unmoved” attitude. Explain the role which doing God’s will supposedly has with regard to overcoming that attitude.

(18) Explain what doing God’s will involves according to Jews, according to Christians, and according to Muslims.

THE FAITH OF THE JEWS: FROM THE BEGINNING TO A.D. 136

(19) State the name of the “father of the Jewish nation,” and the approximate century of his birth. Further, state what the word “Hebrews” might mean, and what words “Israelites” and “Jews” are derived from.

(20) State the name of the town in which Abraham was born according to Genesis and in what present-day country that town was located. Further, state the name of the town to which he moved with his father and his immediate family, and in what present-day country it is located. Finally, state the biblical as well as the contemporary name of the region into which Abraham moved after his father’s death.

(21) State the line of descent from Abraham to the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

(22) Briefly summarize the sequence of events that lead to Jacob’s son Joseph’s becoming a high government official of the pharaoh (state also what the word “pharaoh” refers to).

(23) Briefly summarize the sequence of events which led Joseph’s brothers, their father, and their families, to Egypt after Joseph had become a high government official there. Further, state the approximate number of years for which the Israelites supposedly stayed in Egypt and what the chief respects were in which their living conditions differed towards the end of their stay from how these conditions had been in the beginning.

(24) Briefly summarize the sequence of events which led the Israelites to leave Egypt and identify the important event that happened in the third month after their departure

(25) Indicate the reason for which the Israelites did not move into their destination, Canaan, right away after having left Egypt and state how long their sojourn in the desert lasted. Also, state the name of the person who led them in their conquest of Canaan.

(26) The history of the Jewish people between their occupation of Canaan and the destruction of the Northern kingdom can be divided into three periods. State what they are. Further, state the name and the title of the leader of the Jewish people under whom Jerusalem was conquered for the Jews,

(27) State the names of the kings who ruled over the unified kingdom of Israel, and indicate under which of them and when and where the first Temple was built.

(28) Name the capital of the Northern kingdom of Israel, state in what year and by what nation that kingdom was destroyed, and what happened to the people who had lived in that area.

(29) Name the capital of the Southern kingdom of Israel, state in what year and by whom that kingdom was destroyed, and indicate what happened to the people who had lived in that area.

(30) State what nation conquered Babylonia, the year in which that conquest took place, and the name of the king who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. Further, identify the important event that took place in 516 b.c.

(31) State the year in which the Jews became politically independent for the final time prior to the founding of the present-day state of Israel, and how the leaders achieving that independence were called. Further, state what political power the Jews began to become dependent on in 63 B.C.

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