Deck 16: Jewish Apocalyptic Literature and the Apocrypha

Question 1

1. What characteristics do apocalyptic literature and prophetic works share? How are they different?

Answer 1

Both apocalyptic and prophetic works present themselves as direct communications from the divine, and both often feature highly symbolic visionary material. But there are significant differences. Prophetic material tends to come from a perspective warning the disobedient of the consequences of that disobedience-for example, Israel will be punished for breaking covenant with YHWH and the wealthy will be punished for their abuse of the poor. A typical prophetic message is that the wicked may be prospering in the present, but they will get their comeuppance in the future. Apocalyptic material, by contrast, is directed at the righteous who are suffering in the present, at the poor who are being oppressed by the wealthy. Apocalyptic literature therefore presents the opposite side of the coin: those who are doing right at present may be suffering in the present, but they will receive their reward (and their oppressors their comeuppance) in the future. Apocalyptic literature also tends to feature a dualistic framework as a part of this explanation.

Question 2

2. What are the typical features of an apocalypse and how do they apply to the book of Daniel?

Answer 2

Apocalypses tend to feature the worldview of apocalypticism, which includes (i) dualism, (ii) pessimism about the present, (iii) vindication, and (iv) imminence. Typical features of the genre include (i) prose narrative revelations, (ii) pseudonymous seers, (iii) bizarre visions, (iv) angelic interpreters, (v) two types of visions (heavenly journeys and historical visions), and (vi) triumphalist movement. Daniel features all of the above. Students may provide examples for each.

Question 3

3. How did the political events of the Hellenistic period affect the political climate of Judea? How did Hellenistic rule drastically change the religious life of Judea?

Answer 3

The political climate of Judea was massively influenced by the rivalry between the Seleucids and Ptolemies, resulting in varied loyalties among the Judean leadership. Seleucid attempts to establish Hellenistic culture and supersede the Torah and traditional Jewish practices resulted in the Maccabean Revolt and also precipitated a distinction between religious piety and state government. As will be seen in the next chapter, this decentralization led to the proliferation of various Jewish sects and the further growth of individual piety as a concern.

Question 4

1. Apocalyptic literature apparently developed out of pre-exilic prophetic literature.

Question 5

5. Most scholars believe that Daniel is a prophetic work.

Question 6

6. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional books that Protestant Bibles do not.

Question 7

7. The book of Tobieatures a fish with magical properties.

Question 8

8. The book of Judith is set during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, the king over the Assyrians.

Question 9

9. God is never mentioned in the Septuagintal additions to Esther.

Question 10

10. Sirach is also called Ecclesiasticus and Ben Sira.

Question 11

11. The book of Tobit was originally written in Greek.

Question 12

12. Third Maccabees gives another account of the Maccabean revolt.

Question 13

15. The Wisdom of Solomon was likely written in the third century BC.E.

Question 14

16. Sirach is an example of an early Jewish apocalypse.

Question 15

17. Sirach was originally composed in Hebrew and translated into Greek by the original author's grandson.

Question 16

18. 1 Maccabees is our primary source for the historical events surrounding the Maccabean Revolt.

Question 17

19. 2 Maccabees is actually an abridgement of a much longer work.

Question 18

1) All apocalyptic passages in the Hebrew Bible occur in the prophets and the book of

A) Psalms.
B) Nehemiah.
C) Daniel.
D) Esther.

Question 19

2) All are features of apocalyptic literature except

A) dualism.
B) pessimism about the future.
C) coded language.
D) description of the end-time.

Question 20

4) All of the following are thrown into the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel except

A) Belteshazzar.
B) Shadrach.
C) Meshach.
D) Abednego.

Question 21

7) Sirach was written in approximately ____________ BC.E.

A) 180
B) 164
C) 117
D) 63

Question 22

8) 2 Maccabees discusses the origins of the Jewish holiday of

A) Purim.
B) Hanukkah.
C) Rosh Hashanah.
D) Passover.

Question 23

11) This book prominently features the expectation of a resurrection of the dead.

A) 1 Maccabees
B) 2 Maccabees
C) Sirach
D) Baruch

Question 24

12) Which of the following books are Deuterocanonical in the Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox Bibles but not the Roman Catholic version?

A) 1 Esdras, The Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, 3 Maccabees
B) Sirach, Susanna, Judith, and the Letter of Jeremiah
C) Additions to Daniel, Additions to Esther, Baruch, and the Wisdom of Solomon
D) None of the above (The Deuterocanonical works of each are the same.)

Question 25

15) The book of ____________ features an Israelite heroine who seduces and beheads an Assyrian general.

A) Susanna
B) Judith
C) Sirach
D) Tobit

Question 26

16) The angel who provides assistance in the book of Tobit is named

A) Michael.
B) Gabriel.
C) Raphael.
D) Lucifer.

Question 27

17) Which of the following books is set in Judea?

A) Tobit
B) Daniel
C) Judith
D) Esther

Question 28

18) The name of the general killed in the book of Judith is

A) Nebuchadnezzar.
B) Rabshakeh.
C) Nicias.
D) Holofernes.

Question 29

19) The principal source of our historical knowledge of the events surrounding the Maccabean Revolt is

A) 1 Maccabees.
B) 2 Maccabees.
C) Flavius Josephus.
D) Sirach.

Question 30

20) Unlike the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible, the Wisdom of Solomon

A) mentions the history of Israel.
B) argues that God is completely just.
C) does not take a covenantal perspective.
D) was written in Aramaic.

Question 31

21) The book of Baruch ends with a(n)

A) poem of encouragement for those in exile.
B) lament for Jerusalem's destruction.
C) appeal to God for Israel's restoration.
D) oracle against the nations.

Question 32

22) The first Jewish book to mention the hope of an individual resurrection from the dead is probably

A) Daniel.
B) Wisdom of Solomon.
C) 1 Maccabees.
D) Amos.

Question 33

23) To Sirach, the most important profession was that of a(n)

A) priest.
B) scribe.
C) farmer.
D) mother.

Question 34

24) 3 Maccabees takes place during the reign of

A) Seleucus I.
B) Alexander the Great.
C) Ptolemy IV.
D) Antiochus I.