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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the dates Friedman puts on the two writers?

2. How long has the Bible been in existence?

3. What does Friedman say is not his purpose in writing the book?

4. Who was the last judge before Saul became King of Israel?

5. What was the book priest Hilkiah said he found in the Temple?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the pendulum swing of Jewish religion after King Josiah, Hezekiah's great grandson, came to power.

2. What is some other evidence for the book of Deuteronomy having been of fairly recent writing?

3. What do scholars use to determine the different writers?

4. How does the story of Moses smashing the tablets of stone tend to discredit the southern kingdom of Judah?

5. What were some of the major reforms initiated by King Hezekiah?

6. What evidence is there that Author J might have been female?

7. What is the difference in the accounts of J and E regarding the Ark of the Covenant?

8. Explain Friedman's reason for writing WHO WROTE THE BIBLE?.

9. What is evidence that Moses did not write the Pentateuch--Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy?

10. What does the phrase "to this day" suggest in the book of Deuteronomy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of at least two typewritten pages on the topic, I Would (or Would Not) Like to Be a Biblical Scholar. This essay is your personal opinion about doing scholarly research into the Bible. It involves linguistics of ancient languages, knowledge of history, archeological discoveries, and long hours of research. You should express your opinion about your personal interest or lack thereof in those areas.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten pages on the topic, The Importance of Language. Your essay should center around (1) the way languages change with popular use, (2) the historical use of languages at various times during the writing of the Bible, and (3) how these linguistic changes help to identify approximate dates certain passages were written.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten pages on the topic, How Friedman's Book Changed My Ideas About the Bible. First, (1) explain your mind set about the Bible before reading Friedman's book, then (2) discuss the great lengths scholars such as Friedman have gone to in discovering the existence of various writers, and finally, (3) discuss whether the evidence presented seems plausible to you and whether it altered your interpretation of the Bible in any way.

(see the answer keys)

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