REL 126 Religions of the West
Review for Exams I and II

Introductory Concepts (Exam I)

Religion (in comparison and contrast to Theology)
Religio
Theos
Monotheism
Pantheism
Polytheism
Anthropomorphism
Structuralism
Functionalism
Phenomenalism
Aetiology (Etiology)
Teleology
Myth/Mythology
Ritual
Sign
Symbol
The "Protestant Bias"
Bibliomancy
Bibliolatry
Canon
"Sitz Im Leben"
The three-stage development of scriptural scholarship
Primary uses of scriptural texts
Advantages and disadvantages of scriptural texts

Egyptian Religion (Exam I)

Upper/Lower Egypt
Characteristics of ancient Egyptian sculptural form
Characteristics of the ancient Egyptian priestly class
Aten
Isis
Osirus
Ka
Architectural development of the ancient Egyptian burial tomb
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Akhenaten
"The Hymn to Aten"

Mesopotamian Religion (Exam I)

Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent
Paleo / Neolithic culture
Ziggurat
Anthropomorphism
Epic of Gilgamesh
Code of Hammurabi
Apodictic Law
Casuistic Law

Canaanite Religion (Exam I)

Ugarit
El
Baal
Ashera
Anat

Zoroastrianism (Exam I)

Dualism
Ahura Mazda
Ahrimam
Avesta
Death rituals
Doctrines on the afterlife
Magi
Mithra

Judaism (Exam II)

Historical memory
Linear time
Ethical monotheism
Yahweh/YHWH/Tetragrammaton
Adonai
Covenant (horizontal/vertical paths)
Israel
Judah
Assyria (722 BCE)
Babylon (586 BCE)
Prophet, Prophetic Tradition
Suffering, Lament
Tanakh
Torah ( the Teaching, Instruction)
Nevi'im (the Prophets)
Khetuvim (the Writings)
Wellhausen/Documentary Hypothesis ("J," "E," "D," and "P")
Meshiach/Messiah
Shabbat
Shema
Diaspora
Midrash
Mishnah
Talmud
Written/Oral Torah
Rabbinic Judaism
Synagogue
Reform Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Zionism
Moses de Leon
Martin Buber
Elie Wiesel
Kabbalah
Zohar
Shekhinah
Sefirot
Hasidic/Hasidim
Baal Shem Tov
Kosher

Midterm Essay Question Pool

Exam I questions:

1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of reliance on scriptural texts in the study of Western religions?  Is textuality in itself a good or a bad thing?  Why?

2. What is meant by the "Protestant Bias" in the history and development of religious scholarship?  Beyond simply defining the term, explain its effect upon the traditional Western approach to the study of world religions and their texts (or lack thereof).

3. What is a “phenomenology of religion?”  What is its position on determining what we can know and/or understand about religious experience?  In the field of religious inquiry, how does phenomenalism differ from reductionism?

4.  What is the primary "message" or worldview that is reflected in Egyptian art and religious beliefs?  Compare and contrast this worldview with other ancient Near Eastern religious traditions that we have discussed in class.

5. How did the beliefs and rituals of a) ancient Canaanite religion, and b) Zoroastrianism influence subsequent Near Eastern traditions such as Judaism and Christianity?  Provide and explain some specific examples.

Exam II questions:

1. Why is history so important to a proper understanding of Judaism?  How does the Hebrew conception of the nature of God reflect the centrality of historical consciousness?

2. Explain the dynamics of the Hebrew covenant.  What are the two primary elements that are necessary to make it work in the spirit of what we call “ethical monotheism?”  How do the “Ten Commandments” reflect the covenantal idea? 

3. Explain the nature of Rabbinic Judaism.  What historical event(s) led to it?  Why does rabbinic authority seem to be favored over divine authority?

4. Compare and contrast Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Zionist Judaism.  Support your answer with the rationales given by those who created and promoted these movements.

5. Define and explain some of the fundamentals of the Jewish mystical tradition known as Kabbalah.  What seems to be the fundamental principle through which divine presence is discerned?  Why is this principle so central?  Is there biblical support for such a principle?

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