Chapter 1
● Israel = Hill country of Ephraim/ Israel with Shechem at its center
● Judah = southern highlights, hill country of Judah and Hebron is a Judean city
● Israel = a narrow sense of referring to the ancient tribal groups set in the northern
highlands and a broader meaning referring to Judah along with other tribal groups
● Israelite = refers to ancient inhabitants on the land of Israel, and the word Israeli is
a modern term referring to citizens of the contemporary state of Israel
● Palestine = refers tp the same area from the Roman period onward
● Palestinians = used term by them and others to refer the same land area that Jews
and others refer to as Israel
○ Israelites likely descended from the Canaanite
○ Israel occupied a strategic location along the fertile crescent extending from
Egypt in the southwest to the Mesopotamian empires of Assyria and Babylonia in
the northeast
Major Period in the biblical drama
● The Egyptian empire dominated the area of ancient Israel from 1450-1200 BCE
● Settled in the hill country of Judah and Israel during the pre-state tribal period (
1250-1000)
■ Pre-state tribal period = 1250-1000 BCE including the time of
chieftain, Saul
■ Proto-monarchy = David and Solomon established this for several
decades in the rules of Israelite tribes ( 1000-930 BCE )
■ Neighboring monarchies = where there are two kingdoms in the
broader Israel: a kingdom of Israel in the north and a kingdom of
Judah in the south ) 930-722 BCE )
● Persian ruler Cyrus conquered the Babylonian
● ^ Persian rule of Judah 538-332 BCE ( the Persian period )
■ post-exilic period: once the Persian rule occurred, helps exiles of Babylonia
rebuild the temple and rebuild their community
■ Hellenistic period: alexander the great conquered the area, and continued
Persian policies in support of Jerusalem and its leadership during their rule
of Judah and Jerusalem
■ Hasmoneans ( also known as the Maccabees). Continued from 142-63 when
the Romans took control of the area and named it palestine and put the area
under control
■ Destruction of the second temple : earlier rebuilt by the persians , complete
destruction of jewish and Jerusalem
■ Yahweh : Israels God in Hewbrew
, ■ HISTORICAL CRISICISM : a family of historical methods that analyze
how and where the biblical texts were composed
■ Tradition criticism : ex - biblical scholars attempt to identify early oral
traditions standing behind the biblical text
■ Literary criticism : drawn on methods in the study of modern literature to
study the plot, characterization, pacing and shape of biblical texts
■ History of interpretation : study of poetic and narrative dynamics of biblical
texts is distinct from study of how such texts have been interpreted by later
readers
■ Ideological criticism : analyze ways that the exodus story can be
■ Feminist criticism : lifted up the importance of the story of the midwives in
the lead-up to the exodus
"Know the meaning and significance of the following terms discussed in this chapter:
Israel [two meanings] - the jewish peopl e, people chosen by god
Israelite (know the difference from <Israeli=) - refers to ancient inhabitants on the land of
Israel, and the word Israeli is a modern term referring to citizens of the contemporary state
of Israel
Yahweh - Israels God in Hebrew
literary criticism
tradition criticism
historical criticism
Know the dates and basic significance of the following overall periods of history:
pre‐state tribal period
proto‐monarchy
neighboring monarchies
Judah alone
destruction of Jerusalem
Babylonian exile
Persian period
post‐exilic period
Hellenistic period
Hasmonean (Maccabean) monarchy
beginning of the Roman period
destruction of the Second Temple
Know the order in which the following empires dominated Israel and Judah:
Assyrian
Babylonian
● Israel = Hill country of Ephraim/ Israel with Shechem at its center
● Judah = southern highlights, hill country of Judah and Hebron is a Judean city
● Israel = a narrow sense of referring to the ancient tribal groups set in the northern
highlands and a broader meaning referring to Judah along with other tribal groups
● Israelite = refers to ancient inhabitants on the land of Israel, and the word Israeli is
a modern term referring to citizens of the contemporary state of Israel
● Palestine = refers tp the same area from the Roman period onward
● Palestinians = used term by them and others to refer the same land area that Jews
and others refer to as Israel
○ Israelites likely descended from the Canaanite
○ Israel occupied a strategic location along the fertile crescent extending from
Egypt in the southwest to the Mesopotamian empires of Assyria and Babylonia in
the northeast
Major Period in the biblical drama
● The Egyptian empire dominated the area of ancient Israel from 1450-1200 BCE
● Settled in the hill country of Judah and Israel during the pre-state tribal period (
1250-1000)
■ Pre-state tribal period = 1250-1000 BCE including the time of
chieftain, Saul
■ Proto-monarchy = David and Solomon established this for several
decades in the rules of Israelite tribes ( 1000-930 BCE )
■ Neighboring monarchies = where there are two kingdoms in the
broader Israel: a kingdom of Israel in the north and a kingdom of
Judah in the south ) 930-722 BCE )
● Persian ruler Cyrus conquered the Babylonian
● ^ Persian rule of Judah 538-332 BCE ( the Persian period )
■ post-exilic period: once the Persian rule occurred, helps exiles of Babylonia
rebuild the temple and rebuild their community
■ Hellenistic period: alexander the great conquered the area, and continued
Persian policies in support of Jerusalem and its leadership during their rule
of Judah and Jerusalem
■ Hasmoneans ( also known as the Maccabees). Continued from 142-63 when
the Romans took control of the area and named it palestine and put the area
under control
■ Destruction of the second temple : earlier rebuilt by the persians , complete
destruction of jewish and Jerusalem
■ Yahweh : Israels God in Hewbrew
, ■ HISTORICAL CRISICISM : a family of historical methods that analyze
how and where the biblical texts were composed
■ Tradition criticism : ex - biblical scholars attempt to identify early oral
traditions standing behind the biblical text
■ Literary criticism : drawn on methods in the study of modern literature to
study the plot, characterization, pacing and shape of biblical texts
■ History of interpretation : study of poetic and narrative dynamics of biblical
texts is distinct from study of how such texts have been interpreted by later
readers
■ Ideological criticism : analyze ways that the exodus story can be
■ Feminist criticism : lifted up the importance of the story of the midwives in
the lead-up to the exodus
"Know the meaning and significance of the following terms discussed in this chapter:
Israel [two meanings] - the jewish peopl e, people chosen by god
Israelite (know the difference from <Israeli=) - refers to ancient inhabitants on the land of
Israel, and the word Israeli is a modern term referring to citizens of the contemporary state
of Israel
Yahweh - Israels God in Hebrew
literary criticism
tradition criticism
historical criticism
Know the dates and basic significance of the following overall periods of history:
pre‐state tribal period
proto‐monarchy
neighboring monarchies
Judah alone
destruction of Jerusalem
Babylonian exile
Persian period
post‐exilic period
Hellenistic period
Hasmonean (Maccabean) monarchy
beginning of the Roman period
destruction of the Second Temple
Know the order in which the following empires dominated Israel and Judah:
Assyrian
Babylonian
