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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. Why does Friedman conclude that P was written during King Hezekiah's reign?

2. Which group of priests do the writers J and P favor?

3. Who is most likely the redactor for the entire Pentateuch?

4. Who does Friedman identify as the writer of Deuteronomy?

5. Where are there references to the guilt and pain of the exile?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is problematic about the mistake in locating writer P in history?

2. Why does Friedman finally identify Jeremiah as the author of Deuteronomy?

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

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

5. What does Friedman speculate held the Jewish people together, even during the exile?

6. Why is identifying the time of writer P of significance?

7. How did Cyrus the Great figure into the history of the Jewish exile?

8. How does Friedman react to the idea that the prophets did not know about writer P?

9. Where does Friedman place the Tabernacle at the time of the First Temple?

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

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 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 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten pages on the topic, Comparing Biblical Research with Secular Research. (1) Discuss the criteria for all good research. (2) Mention archeological research practices and conclusions. (3) Delve into research on evolution of species. Conclude with a comparison of biblical research to all these other schools of thought and conjecture.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten pages on the topic, Why It Is Important to Know Who Wrote the Bible. Your essay should contain (1) examples of contradictory opinions written into the text, (2) how knowing something about the various writers sheds light on those contradictions, and (3) whether the honest inclusion of those opposing ideas add or detract from the validity of the Bible.

(see the answer keys)

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