The Makers and Teachers of Judaism Part 35

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Contemporary Greek history and literature. Goodspeed, _Anc. Hist._, 159-96; Bury, _Hist. of Greece_, 507-90; Jebb, _Greek Lit._, 109-20. 2. The earliest psalms. Briggs, _Psalms_, I, Lx.x.xIX-XCII; Cobb, _Bk. of Pss._, XI-XIV; Driver, _Lit.

of the O.T._, 371-2; McFadyen, _Introd. to O.T._, 238-50. 3. Psalm literature among contemporary peoples. Breasted, _Hist. of Anc.

Egyptians_, 273-7; Jastrow, _Relig. of Bab. and a.s.syr._, 294-327.

Section XCVIII. The Problems and Teachings of the Book of Job.

GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the structure of the book of Job.

2. The different literary units which have entered into it. 3. The probable dates of these different sections. 4. Contents of the original prose story. 5. The theme and contents of the great poem in 3-31, 38:1-42:6. 6. The different lines of progress in Job's thought. 7. The meaning of the speeches of Jehovah. 8. The contribution of the book to the solution of the problem of evil.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Babylonian prototype of Job.

Jastrow, in _Jour. of Bib. Lit._, XXV, Pt. II, 135-91. 2. Comparison of Job with other great skeptical dramas. Owen, _The Five Great Skeptical Dramas of History_. 3. The modern explanations of the problem of evil.

Royce, _Studies of Good and Evil_.

Section XCIX. The Training and Mission of the True Servant of Jehovah.

GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the different characteristics of Jehovah's servant in Isaiah 49-53. 2. What was the prophet's purpose in presenting this vivid portrait of Jehovah's ideal servant? 3. Describe the cla.s.s to whom the prophet appealed. 4. His interpretation of the task of the servant. 5. His training. 6. The different methods whereby he was to accomplish his mission. 7. Did the prophet have in mind an individual, a cla.s.s, or simply an ideal character? 8. In what ways were his predictions fulfilled? 9. In what sense is his ideal of service of present-day application?

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The meaning and history of the different messianic t.i.tles. _St. O.T._, III, 39, 47; _En. Bib._, III, 3057-61. 2. Contents and unity of Isaiah 49-55. _St. O.T._, III, 28-30; Box, _Isaiah_, 238-83. 3. How far was Jesus influenced by the ideal of the suffering servant?

Section C. Nehemiah's Work in Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem.

GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. What is the historical value of Nehemiah's memoirs? 2. In what way was he informed of conditions in Jerusalem?

3. How did he secure permission to go to Jerusalem? 4. Describe the obstacles that there confronted him. 5. His plan of work. 6. His diplomacy in dealing with his opponents. 7. The task of rebuilding the walls. 8. Their dedication. 9. The significance of the rebuilding of the walls.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Contemporary events in Greek history.

Goodspeed, _Anc. Hist._, 141-72; Bury, _Hist, of Greece_, 336-75; Botsford, _Hist, of Greece_, 151-85. 2. The topography of Jerusalem.

Kent, _Sib. Geog. and Hist._, 64-72; Smith, _Jerusalem_, I, I-249; Hastings, _D.B._, II, 591-6. 3. Recent excavations at Jerusalem.

_Jerusalem Vol. of P. E. F. Memoirs_; Bliss and d.i.c.key, _Excavations at Jerusalem_; Smith, _Jerusalem_, I.

Section CI. Nehemiah's Social and Religious Reforms. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the cruel oppression of the leaders of the Jewish community. 2. The effect upon the ma.s.s of the people. 3. The way in which Nehemiah corrected these evils. 4. The evidence for and against the historical accuracy of Nehemiah 13. 5. Nehemiah's measures to improve the temple service. 6. His emphasis upon Sabbath observance. 7. His opposition to foreign marriages. 8. The importance of his work as a whole.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: I. In what respects was Nehemiah a worthy successor of the earlier Hebrew prophets? 2. The later Jewish laws regarding the Sabbath. _St. O.T._, IV, 263-4. 3. Regarding marriage with foreigners. _St. O.T._, IV, 54-5.

Section CII. Traditional Account of the Adoption of the Priestly Law.

GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the present literary form of the tradition regarding Ezra. 2. Its probable history. 3. Its historical value. 4. The facts underlying it. 5. Origin of the later priestly laws.

6. Their general purpose. 7. Their more important regulations. 8. Their transforming influence upon the Jewish community.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The difficulties in accepting the Ezra narrative as strictly historical. Torrey, _Ezra Studies_, 208-78; Smith, _O.T. Hist._, 390-8. 2. History of the later priestly codes. _St.

O.T._, IV, 43-8. 3. Income and duties of the priests and Levites according to the late priestly codes. _St. O.T._, IV, 187-92, 197-202.

Section CIII. The Jewish State during the Last Century of Persian Rule.

GENERAL QUESTIONS: I. Describe the indications that the Judean community enjoyed unusual prosperity during the half-century following the work of Nehemiah. 2. The effect of this prosperity upon the intellectual life of the Jews. 3. The growth of the Psalter during this period. 4. The date of the prophecy of Joel. 5. Its theme. 6. The hopes of the Jews at this time.

7. Nature of the rule of the high priests. 8. The evidence regarding the date of the Samaritan schism. 9. Its causes. 10. Its effect upon Judaism.

SUBJECTS FOB SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. History of the Persian Empire between 400 and 332 B.C. c.o.x, _The Greeks and the Persians_. 2. Contemporary events in Greek history. Goodspeed, _Hist. of Anc. World_, 173-204; Meyer, _Anc. Hist._, 244-74. 3. The history of the Samaritans. _En. Bib._, IV, 4256-64; Montgomery, _The Samaritans_.

THE GREEK AND MACCABEAN AGE

Section CIV. The Jews under Their Greek Rulers. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the character of the Jewish historian, Josephus. 2. The extent of his histories. 3. Their historical value. 4. Alexander's Asiatic conquests. 5. His att.i.tude toward the Jews. 6. The Jews in Alexandria.

7. The general character of the rule of the Ptolemies. 8. Their policy in the treatment of the Jews. 9. Fortunes of the Jews of Palestine during the first century of Greek rule. 10. The Seleucid kingdom with its capital at Antioch. 11. The subjugation of Palestine by the Seleucids.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Josephus's rank as a historian.

Hastings, _D.B._, extra Vol., 461-73. 2. Alexander the Great. Mahaffy, _The Story of Alexander's Empire_, 1-11; Hogarth, _Philip and Alexander of Macedon_; Wheeler, _Alexander the Great_. 3. Character of the Ptolemaic rulers. Bevan, _Jerusalem under the High Priests_, 21-30; Mahaffy, _The Ptolemaic Dynasty_, Vol. IV of Petrie's _Hist. of Egypt_.

Section CV. The Wise and Their Teachings. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the literary structure of the book of Proverbs. 2. The evidence that it is the work of many different wise men. 3. The probable date of the different collections. 4. The references to the wise in the pre-exilic literature. 5. The influence of the Babylonian exile upon their activity. 6. The reasons why they attained their greatest prominence in the Greek period. 7. The character of the wise. 8. Their aims. 9. Their methods. 10. Their important social and moral teachings.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The book of Proverbs. McFadyen, _Introd. to O.T._, 256-63; Driver, _L. O.T._, 392-407; Toy, _Proverbs_, Introd. 2. The sages of Egypt and Greece. The Wisdom of Ptah-hotep, in the _Wisdom of the East Series_; Symonds, _Studies of the Greek Poets_, I, 161-273; Jebb, _Cla.s.sical Greek Poetry_. 3. The social teachings of the book of Proverbs. _St. O. T_., VI, _in loco_; Kent, _The Wise Men of Ancient Israel and Their Proverbs_, 100-14, 158-75; Root, _The Profit of the Many_, 17-126.

Section CVI. The Different Currents of Thought in Judaism during the Greek Period. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Why were there many different currents of thought in Judaism during this period? 2. Describe the character and aims of the ritualists. 3. Of the legalists. 4. Of those who laid especial emphasis upon the teaching of the earlier prophets. 5. The evidence regarding the date of the book of Jonah. 6. The meaning of the story. 7. Its teaching. 8. The history of the book of Ecclesiastes. 9. Its point of view. 10. Its philosophy of life.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Chronicler's conception of the origin of Israel's inst.i.tutions. Curtis, _Chronicles_, Introd.; Torrey, _Ezra Studies_, 208-38; _St. O. T_., II, 22-8. 2. Greek myths parallel to the story of Jonah. _En. Bib_., II, 2568-9; Taylor, _Primitive Culture_, I, 306. 3. A comparison of Koheleth's philosophy and teaching with those of the author of Omar Khayyam.

Section CVII. The Teachings of Jesus the Son of Sirach. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the evidence regarding the date of Jesus the son of Sirach. 2. The character of the man. 3. The history of his writings.

4. The nature of the Greek translation. 5. The recovery of the Hebrew original. 6. Its picture of the Jewish life of the period. 7. Its description of the wise men and scribes. 8. Its social teachings.

9. Its religious teachings.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The Hebrew fragments of Ben Sira.

Cowley and Neubauer, _The Original Heb. of a Portion of Ecclus._; Schechter and Taylor, _The Wisdom of Ben-Sira;_ Hastings, _D.B._, IV, 546-9; _En. Bib._, II, 1166-9. 2. The character of Ben Sira as revealed in his writings. Hastings, _D.B._, IV, 550; _En. Bib._, II, 1175-8; Bevan, _Jerusalem under the High Priests_, 49-51. 3. A comparison of the moral and social teachings of Ben Sira with those of the book of Proverbs.

Bevan, _Jerusalem under the High Priests_, 52-68.

Section CVIII. The Causes of the Maccabean Struggle. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the general character of I Maccabees. 2. Its historical value. 3. II Maccabees. 4. The attractive and aggressive qualities in the contemporary h.e.l.lenic culture. 5. Its superiority to the teachings of Judaism. 6. The elements in which Judaism was superior.

7. The conquest of h.e.l.lenism in the ranks of Judaism. 8. The influence of the apostate Jewish high priests. 9. The history and character of Antiochus Epiphanes. 10. Reasons why he attempted to h.e.l.lenize the Jews.

11. The measures which he adopted.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The characteristics of Greek religion.

Gulick, _Life of the Ancient Greeks_, 262-83; Dyer, _The G.o.ds in Greece_; Goodspeed, _Hist. of Anc. World_, 148-51; Hastings, _D.B._, extra Vol., 109-56. 2. The historical value of II Maccabees. Hastings, _D.B._, III, 189-92; _En. Bib._, III, 2869-79. 2. Contemporary portraits of Antiochus Epiphanes. _Livy_, XLI-XLV; _Polybius_, XXVI-x.x.xI; _Appian, Syr._, 45, 66; _Justin_, XXIV, 3.

Section CIX. The Effect of Persecution on the Jews. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the uprising led by Mattathias. 2. The methods adopted by the rebels. 3. The origin and political principles of the Hasideans or Pious.

4. The evidence regarding the date of the visions in Daniel 7-12. 5. Their literary character. 6. Their meaning and aims. 7. The identification of the four heathen kingdoms. 8. The message of hope presented in these chapters. 9. Its effect upon the persecuted Jews.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The town of Modein. Kent, _Bib. Geog.

and Hist._, 210-2; Smith, _Hist. Geog. of Holy Land_, 212. 2. Contents and literary history of the book of Daniel. McFadyen, _Introd. to O.T._, 316-31; Driver, _L. O.T._, 438-515; Hastings, _D.B._, I, 552-7.

Section CX. The Victories that Gave the Jews Religious Liberty. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the characteristics that fitted Judas to be a great political leader. 2. The odds against which he and the Jews contended. 3. The physical contour of western Palestine. 4. The defeat of Apollonius. 5. Of the Syrian army under Seron. 6. The details of the battle of Emmaus. 7. The significance of the victory at Bethsura. 8. The restoration of the temple service. 9. The effect of the persecutions upon the Jews.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Greek military equipment and methods of warfare. Gulick, _Life of the Anc. Greeks_, 188-205. 2. The western headlands of Judah. Kent, _Bib. Geog. and Hist._, 40-2; Smith, _Hist.

Geog. of Holy Land_, 286-320. 3. Comparison of Judas with other great military commanders. Conder, _Judas Maccabaeus_; Bevan, _Jer. under the High Priests_, 97-9; Smith, _O.T. Hist._, 465.

Section CXI. The Long Contest for Political Independence. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the att.i.tude of the heathen nations toward the Jews. 2. The political problems that confronted them. 3. The Jewish att.i.tude toward the heathen reflected in the book of Esther. 4, Judas's east-Jordan campaign. 5. Results of the battle of Beth-zacharias. 6. The re-establishment of Syrian authority. 7. The victories over Nicanor.

8. The causes which resulted in the death of Judas. 9. Conditions in the Syrian court which gave the Jews their great opportunity. 10. The character and policy of Jonathan. 11. The honors and authority granted him by the rival Syrian kings.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. The history and value of the book of Esther. Paton, _Esther_; Hastings, _D. B., I_, 773-6; _En. Bib._, II, 1400-5. 2. The Syrian history of the period. Bevan, _Jer. under the High Priests_, 100-6; Smith, _O.T. Hist._, 465-9. 3. The scenes of Judas's east-Jordan campaign. Kent, _Bib. Geog. and Hist._, 214-7.

Section CXII. Peace and Prosperity under Simon. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the political intrigues which resulted in the death of Jonathan. 2. The character and rule of Simon. 3. His extension of the Jewish territory. 4. The authority granted him by the Jews. 5. His development of the temple service. 6. The causes that led to the completion of the Psalter. 7. The religious life and faith reflected in the later psalms.

SUBJECTS FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH: 1. Compare the characters of the three brothers, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon. 2. The guilds of temple singers.

Hastings, _D.B._, IV, 92-3; Wellhausen, _The Book of Psalms_ (in _S.B.

O.T._), 217-9. 3. The evidence that many of the psalms come from the Maccabean period. Hastings, _D.B._, IV, 152-3; Cheyne, _Origin of the Psalter_.

Section CXIII. The Rule of John Hyrca.n.u.s and Aristobulus. GENERAL QUESTIONS: 1. Describe the intrigue that resulted in the death of Simon.

2. The Syrian invasion under Antiochus Sidetes. 3. The character of John Hyrca.n.u.s. 4. His military policy. 5. His conquests in the north and south. 6. The reasons why he lost the support of the Pharisees. 7. The significant events in the reign of Aristobulus.