This paper should 6 pages long. If you quote from the Bible, please put textual reference in parenthesis after the quote.
Paper Prompt: I have argued that a crisis occurred for the
Israelites/Hebrews in the years 598-587 BCE when Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, captured, sacked, and destroyed Jerusalem. The Temple was looted,
leveled; many were killed or exiled; the land was incorporated into the provincial
system of the Babylonian empire; and in these events the historical life of ancient
Israel as a nation of one God, one land, and one people ended. Out of this crisis
arose Judaism.
Questions that arose that gave rise to Judaism included: What now of the deity
who had formed and preserved Israel? What of the conditional covenant that
bound the people and their God? What now of the chosen people, scattered and
scared? Was Yahweh dead? Was Yahweh impotent before the might of Babylon
and its gods? Did Yahweh not care, or was Yahweh angry? If so, what had
caused such anger? And what about the land of promise, the gift of Yahweh?
For those remaining in exile as well as for those remaining in the ruins of the lost
homeland, there were questions about after the initial shock had passed and the
weeping subsided. What now? How shall we live? Can we worship without a
temple? How can we retain our identity and unity? What institutions and
structures can we build for this? What is to be our relationship with the people
among whom we now find ourselves? It took eventful centuries to respond to this
crisis, and the responses were many. Ultimately Judaism emerged as the answer
to these questions, although there were different ways this question was
answered. Although some undoubtedly rejected the God of Israel, the Bible
preserves new directions for the present and the future.
Write an essay in which you discuss the responses to this crisis and the
rise of Judaism in light of the issues raised above. Consider Ezekiel, Psalm
137, Second Isaiah, and discuss the unique message of Jeremiah 31:31-34.
You must discuss all of these texts!!!!
Your paper must be written from the academic study of the Hebrew Bible and should NOT reflect your own personal theology (if you
choose to include your personal perspectives, please be sure that you first
address the issues from the perspective of the academic study of ancient
Israelite history, religion and literature). You must discuss all of the texts listed
above and should arrange them as an essay that flows from one text to the next,
rather than as a list of texts.
