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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. To whom does Deuteronomy give jurisdiction in legal matters?

2. How is Baruch mentioned in the book of Jeremiah?

3. What happened after the fall of the kingdom of Israel?

4. What does Friedman classify as a brilliant mistake?

5. What does Friedman show about the Tabernacle and the Temple?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was a fix necessary for the text of Deuteronomy?

2. How is King Josiah eliminated as a possible writer of Deuteronomy?

3. How does writer P interject his ideas about miracles and the authority of the Aaronid priests?

4. Explain how are D and E writers different from J and P authors?

5. What was the brilliant mistake made in regard to discovering the identity of writer P?

6. At what point does the original draft of Deuteronomy stop making sense?

7. How does the work of R leave the door open for why the Bible seems to contradict itself in some places and obviously does in others?

8. During what historical time frame does Friedman place the writer P?

9. Who accompanied Jeremiah into exile in Egypt and how did that affect the texts?

10. How does Friedman identify as writer R, the redactor who stitched together all the various versions into one Torah?

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, The Great Kings of the Israelites. Using the characters of David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and Josiah, detail each in terms of (1) wealth and power, (2) relationship to God, and (3) personal strengths and weaknesses.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten pages on the topic, Ramifications for the Rest of the Bible. Assuming that Friedman, et al, are correct in assigning at least three authors to the Torah, not to mention a redactor who put them all together, speculate on what you think that means for the Bible as a whole. Take into consideration that reproduction of biblical texts was done laboriously by hand for over a thousand years.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten pages on the topic, Why Ezra Could Not Leave Out Certain Passages from the Torah. First (1) define how Ezra had a bias toward the Aaronid priesthood, (2) how he was confronted with writers who disagreed with the centralized location for sacrifices, and (3) then explain how popular familiarity of Bible stories prevented him from simply tossing out writings of those he disagreed with.

(see the answer keys)

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