Study Guide for Exam 1 - Introduction to Western Religions | RELS 2101, Exams of World Religions

Download Study Guide for Exam 1 - Introduction to Western Religions | RELS 2101 and more Exams World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! Study Guide Test # 1 – Ancient Near East: Order out of Chaos Question is blue are short answers; they require critical thinking. 1. Name the 2 texts sacred to Jews. Name the 2 sacred scriptures that Muslims study. 2. Ancient Israelites are the same as modern day Israelis. T or F? 3. Assuming that a culture’s symbols function like maps, Carey argues that the symbolic maps that a culture uses to navigate the world also create that culture’s world. Take an example we have studied, and explain his point. 4. Ancient Israel lacked knowledge of other ancient Near Eastern cultures. T or F? 5. The religion of ancient Israel revolved around what two social institutions? 6. What empire conquers Judah—and when? 7. Explain the pros and cons of ancient Israel’s position as a land bridge. 8. Where was ancient Israel’s Temple located? What did the ancient Israelites understand the Temple to be? Who destroyed the Second Temple-and why? 9. Use the three equations (cosmic order = human order = religious order) to explain why Jews experienced the events of 70 CE as a 1) political crisis, 2) a religious crisis and 3) a cosmic crisis. 10. In Judaism, who stepped in to solve the problem of how to keep the covenant? 11. How does Kushner explain the purpose of keeping the mitzvoth? Relate Kushner’s analysis of keeping the mitzvoth to our class theme that one of the things religion does is help create order out of chaos. (You might also want to keep in mind the ‘outsider’s perception that the mitzvoth are ‘pickyune.’) 12. Name the 4 major branches of contemporary Judaism. Which was formed first? Which last? Explain the way each denomination understands keeping the mitzvoth in the modern world. 13. Explain the notion of law at work in the Talmud. 14. Given that the Talmud includes different answers to (for example) when to recite the Shema, one might argue that the Talmud creates chaos, not order. This suggests that there might be a particular understanding of order at work here: explain how the Talmud helps Jews create order out of chaos. 15. The religion practiced by Israelites is the same as what Jews practice today. T/ F? 16. When do scholars think Jesus lived? 17. Christianity began as part of Judaism. T or F? 18. Scholars tend to understand Christianity as a religion that focuses on doctrine, whereas they tend to understand Judaism and Islam as religions that focus on practices. T or F? 19. When and where was Muhammad born? When did he die? When does Muhammad begin receiving messages from Allah? 20. Summarize the core of Muhammad’s message; then explain why it was not well received at the time. 21. Why did Muhammad go to Medina? Why does the Muslim calendar start then? 22. Islam believes that Muhammad is the last of many, many prophets that God sent to give people guidance. T or F? 23. Most Muslims in the world today speak Arabic or are of Arabic descent. T or F? 1 24. Explain how Muslims locate themselves within the same family of religions as Judaism and Christianity. 25. The central refrain in Judaism is: a. believing in Jesus as Messiah b. rejecting Jesus as Messiah c. keeping the covenant d. keeping the 5 pillars 26. In Judaism, study is holy. T or F? 27. One common symbolic map by which Ancient Near Eastern cultures understood creation was: a. the big bang b. genes c. ritual communication d. Jerusalem Temple e. the creation of order out of chaos f. mysterium tremendum 28. In class I argued that in the ANE, creation of cosmos = creation of the human = religious order. Discuss one text from the ANE that illustrates this claim. 29. Develop a reading of Exodus 15 as a creation narrative. 30. Compare and contrast Psalm 104 and Psalm 74. Be sure to use history to explain the differences between Psalm 104 and Psalm 74. 31. Analyze orthodox Jewish prayer as ritual communication that creates order out of chaos by creating (at least one) idea, motivation for acting in the world, and mood. Be sure to tell me HOW each idea, motivation, and mood are created. 32. Analyze the Sabbath as a ritual communication that creates order out of chaos. Be sure to address an idea, a motivation for acting in the world, and a mood that it creates. Be sure to tell me HOW each idea, motivation, and mood are created. 33. Analyze studying Talmud as ritual communication that creates order out of chaos. Be sure to address an idea, a motivation for acting in the world, and a mood that it creates. Be sure to tell me HOW each idea, motivation, and mood are created. 34. Analyze salat as ritual communication that creates order out of chaos. Be sure to address at least one idea, motivation for acting in the world, and mood. Be sure to tell HOW EACH idea, motivation, and mood is ritually communicated. 35. Analyze the hajj as ritual communication that creates order out of chaos. Be sure to address an idea, a motivation for acting in the world, and a mood. Also be sure to explain HOW each idea, MO and mood is communicated. 36. When was the Quran gathered into an official collection? 37. Name the 5 pillars of Islam. 38. In class I argued that Muslims believe that the aesthetic nature of the Quran is part of its truth. Argue for my claim. 39. Compare and contrast Genesis 2 with the Muslim account. 40. The Quran occupies for believing Muslims a similar status as that which Jesus occupies for Christians. T/F? 41. Explain what Muslims mean by “the straight path.” 42. Pick ONE ritual we studied – Jewish prayer, studying Talmud, Sabbath, salat, hajj. Use the Deleuze handout from our first day (“The Refrain”) to analyze that ritual. Hint: think about what he says re marking a territory, sound, and repetition. 43. Draw a map of the Ancient Near East, identifying: the Mediterranean, Nile, Tigris and Euphrates, Jordan River, Egypt, Babylon/ Mesopotamia, Israel, Greece, Rome, Mecca, Medina, the Fertile Crescent. 44. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all revere the Bible. T/F? Christians, Jews, and Muslims all revere the exact same Bible, where “exact same Bible” means the same contents. T/F? Christians, Muslims & Jews understand the Bible’s sacredness in the same way. T/F? 2