Introduction to the Old Testament
Bill T. Arnold
Study Questions
Chapter One: What is the Old Testament?
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4.
What is Israel’s “gift to the world?”
What are the three so-called monotheistic religions?
What is the Old Testament?
Explain the names for the Old Testament used by the three monotheistic
religions.
5. What are the shortcomings of using the term “Hebrew Bible” to refer to the
Old Testament?
6. Define atheism, polytheism, henotheism, monolatry and monotheism.
7. Explain the claim “the expression of monotheism in the whole of the OT is
greater than the sum of its parts.”
8. Describe the two basic schools of thought explaining the development of
monotheism in ancient Israel.
9. Explain the claim “the OT is not a uniformly monotheistic book, but rather a
monotheizing document.”
10. What beliefs do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam hold in common?
Chapter Two: Word of Truth – Word of God
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Provide one example of the perceived power of words in the ancient world.
When did literacy, written texts and monotheism likely develop in Israel?
Describe the Hebrew concept of a “book.”
List and describe the four types of thinkers or scholars who produced the OT
books.
When were the major components of the OT likely compiled?
Define canon and explain the major idea behind its development.
Briefly explain the differences between the Jewish and Christian
arrangements of the Old Testament.
What is textual criticism?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
9. Define the Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Targumim, Vulgate, Mishnah and
Talmud.
Chapter Three: The Old Testament World
1. What were the two revolutionary developments in the Axial Age and where
did they develop?
2. Familiarize yourself with the maps in this chapter. Pay particular attention to
the major regions, rivers and roads.
3. Familiarize yourself with the basic chronology of ancient Near Eastern
history.
4. Familiarize yourself with the important figures in ancient Near Eastern
history.
5. Familiarize yourself with the highlights of Israel’s story.
6. What are the various names used for the land of the Bible.
Chapter Four: The Primary History
1. What are the four features of history-writing first included in Israel’s history?
2. Describe the three large narrative histories that were incorporated in the OT.
Include when and why each was most likely originally composed and note
any distinctive features.
3. How did scholars discovery the older histories that were interwoven into the
OT?
4. According to Spinoza, what is the theme that holds the Primary History
together?
5. The four major covenants of the Old Testament were made with or through
which individuals?
6. Provide a basic outline of each book in the Enneateuch.
7. How are Joshua and Judges related to each other?
8. What kind of monarchy do the books of Samuel promote?
9. What is source criticism?
10. What is the Documentary Hypothesis?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
Chapter Five: Beginnings
1. Which narratives in the primeval history were originally in the Yahwistic
history?
2. Provide a basic outline of the Primeval History.
3. Explain the role and significance of genealogies and genealogical notations in
Genesis.
4. What is the difference between a theogony and a cosmogony? How are
these evidenced in most ancient Near Eastern creation accounts?
5. What are the significant differences between ancient Near Eastern creation
accounts and Genesis 1?
6. Familiarize yourself with the most important ancient Near Eastern creation
accounts
7. Explain why “mytho-historical” is an apt description for Genesis 1-11.
8. What are the most important themes developed in Israel’s primeval history?
9. What is a covenant? What is significant about an “enduring covenant”?
10. What priestly concerns are present in Genesis 1?
11. How does monotheism relate to gender equity?
Chapter Six: Ancestors
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Who are Israel’s three patriarchs? What does their story center on?
What is the basic outline of the ancestral narratives?
What are the three central pieces of Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham?
Why is Joseph not considered a patriarch? What is his story primarily about?
What is archaeology and why is it of little help in tracing Israel’s ancestors?
What are the two extreme positions regarding the historical reality behind
Israel’s ancestral narratives?
7. What clues in the OT may suggest that the ancestral stories derive from
genuine memories of the past?
8. How was ancient Israelite society structured?
9. What were the functions of tribes in ancient Israelite society?
10. What are some of the surprising features of the ancestors’ religious
practices?
11. Briefly describe the ways Jews, Christians and Muslims relate to Abraham.
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
Chapter Seven: Torah Story
1. Provide a basic outline or summary of the Torah story.
2. What is the basic problem that concludes the book of Genesis and opens the
book of Exodus?
3. Explain the major development from the covenants in Genesis to the
covenant in Exodus.
4. Explain the label “docudrama” as a description for the narratives in Exodus
and Numbers
5. What major discovery remarkably changed scholarly opinion about the
historicity of the Exodus covenant?
6. What evidence exists to support the historicity of the tabernacle?
7. According to the Torah narratives, what kind of God is Yahweh?
8. Explain the relationship between Israel’s covenant theology and the
development of monotheism.
9. What does the Merneptah Stela tell us about early Israel?
Chapter Eight: Torah Instruction
1. Familiarize yourself with the seven portions of law in the OT.
2. Briefly describe the differences between Israel’s sacrificial system and most
ancient cultures.
3. What is the Day of Atonement and what does it accomplish?
4. The Torah laws are described as descriptive and revelatory. What do these
terms mean?
5. How does the literary form of the Ten Commandments support the claim
that “they encapsulate the moral vision of the Old Testament for all time”?
6. How does the Tabernacle organize space?
7. What are the four law codes written in early Israel and where are they now
found in the Old Testament?
Chapter Nine: Torah Revisited
1. What is Moses’ role in Deuteronomy? How is he portrayed after his death?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
2. What is the Shema? Why is it significant?
3. How are the speeches of Moses in Deuteronomy held together? Why is this
significant?
4. What does Deuteronomy teach about the Israel’s sanctuary? How does this
differ from the previous books in the Pentateuch?
5. What is Retribution Theology?
6. How are Deuteronomy’s statements about the singularity of God different
than those of the priestly material in Exodus – Numbers?
7. What is the relationship between Deuteronomy and the Torah?
8. What is the “double-redaction” theory?
Chapter Ten: The Religion of Moses
1. Briefly describe the main features of the religion of Moses.
2. How does the religion of Moses compare to the religion of Abraham?
3. Yahweh first revealed himself as Yahweh to Moses, but the name Yahweh is
used in Genesis. How might this discrepancy be explained?
4. How does the religion of Moses relate to other religions in the ancient Near
East at approximately the same time?
5. What hints does the Old Testament provide about the origins of Yahwism?
6. Who are the Shasu and how might they relate to Yahweh?
7. Describe the two basic theories about the development of monotheism in
Israel.
Chapter Eleven: Was there an “Ancient Israel”?
1. Briefly discuss the three different approaches to answering the question,
“Was there an ‘Ancient Israel’?”
2. What did the pioneers of Biblical Archaeology hope and why was
archaeology unable to meet these expectations?
3. How is Jericho a textbook example of the need to balance text and tell?
4. Summarize the history of ancient Israel according to the seven-point outline
you learned in Chapter Three. Reference the relative chronology
5. What is the “low chronology”?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
6. Summarize the history of Israelite religion according to the same seven-point
outline. Reference the three levels of religion.
7. What is a tell? How is a tell excavated?
Chapter Twelve: Land
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How does the Torah describe the land of Caanan?
How is the book of Joshua arranged? What does each section detail?
What is “Yahweh war” in the OT? Why was it necessary theologically?
How are the stories of the judges held together? What are its components?
What do the final chapters of Judges illustrate? Why is this significant?
What happened in the Central Highlands of Canaan in Iron I? Include any
significant archaeological evidence for what occurred.
7. Summarize the three theories about Israel’s emergence in the land.
8. What evidence supports the theory that the Israelites were likely outsiders?
9. To whom do Jews, Christians and Muslims believe the land belongs? Why?
Chapter Thirteen: Kings
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What were the two basic perspectives regarding kingship in ancient Israel?
What is the “law of the king”? How is it developed in the books of Samuel?
Provide a basic outline or summary of the books of 1-2 Samuel.
What makes Saul an inadequate king for Israel?
What makes David an ideal king for Israel?
What are David’s great crimes and what are their consequences?
What archaeologist evidence exists that supports the presence of a United
Monarchy in Iron I?
8. What are theophoric names and what do they tell us about ancient Israelite
religion?
Chapter Fourteen: More Kings
1. What were Solomon’s greatest accomplishments and failures?
2. What is the literary formula utilized to introduce the kings in 1-2 Kings?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
3. What are the most significant ancient Near Eastern sources for
reconstructing the history of Israel and Judah? What do events do they attest
to?
4. How is King Omri a showcase example of the theological agenda of the
authors of 1-2 Kings?
5. How are Solomon’s speeches at the temple dedication an example of
orthodox faith?
6. Who are the quintessential bad kings of Israel? What were their sins?
7. How do the Elijah and Elisha cycles function in 1-2 Kings?
8. Who is the quintessential bad king of Judah? What were his sins?
9. What is Josiah’s role in Israel’s history and in OT literature?
Chapter Fifteen: History Updated
1. What is the Chronistic History and why was it written?
2. What are the similarities and differences between 1-2 Chronicles and EzraNehemiah?
3. What is the edict of King Cyrus of Persian? How is it used in the Chronistic
History?
4. Provide a basic outline of the Chronistic History.
5. What is the Moabite Stone? Why is it important for the study of the OT? .
6. In what ways do the accounts of the kings in the Chronistic History differ
from the accounts in Samuel and Kings?
7. Who are Ezra and Nehemiah? How are they related to each other in EzraNehemiah?
8. Describe the Persian Empire and its relationship to the post-exilic community
in Judah?
9. What is Zion Theology?
Chapter Sixteen: More Books
1. How are the remaining books of the Old Testament library different from the
books of the Primary and Chronistic histories?
2. How are each of the remaining books specifically connected to the historical
books?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
3. What is parallelism and what are the three basic types found in the OT?
4. Define the other literary techniques used by the OT poets.
5. In what ways is poetry a distinct literary category?
Chapter Seventeen: Israel’s Wisdom
1. What is wisdom? How does wisdom literature function in the ancient world?
2. What are the differences between standard and speculative wisdom
literature?
3. What is ma’at?
4. What is question of theodicy? How and where is this question addressed in
the OT?
5. Briefly summarize the book of Job.
6. What is the book of Proverbs? What is its purpose or function in ancient
Israelite society?
7. What is the relationship between wisdom literature and monotheism?
Chapter Eighteen: Israel’s Hymnal
1. How is the book of Psalms organized? What other organizing principles may
have been used in the collections history?
2. What roles do Psalms 1, 2 and 150 serve in the collection?
3. What do the Psalm’s superscriptions indicate?
4. Briefly describe the different types of critical approaches use in OT study?
5. How has form criticism been used in the study of Psalms?
6. Briefly describe the different types of psalms?
7. What are the basic components of a lament psalm?
8. How is monotheism developed in the Psalms?
Chapter Nineteen: Israel’s Prophets: The Maturing Period
1. What is prophecy? How is it distinct from other forms of divination?
2. How is Israelite prophecy different than other ancient Near Eastern
prophecy?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
3. Describe the three basic types of prophetic speeches.
4. Describe the prophetic announcements of judgment and salvation
5. How did prophecy develop in Israel? Be sure to consider both history and
writing.
6. Briefly summarize or outline the books of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Micah?
7. What are prophecies “against the nations”? How do they function in a
prophetic book? How did they influence the development of monotheism?
8. What is the Syro-Ephraimite War?
Chapter Twenty: Israel’s Prophets: The Crisis and Beyond
1. In what ways, are the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian exile
“the center point of the OT canon?”
2. Briefly describe the prophet Jeremiah and outline the book attributed to him.
3. What is the crisis prophets’ response to Zion Theology?
4. What might Jeremiah 36 teach about the production of prophetic books?
5. Briefly summarize or outline the books of Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk and
Zephaniah.
6. What is the “day of Yahweh?”
7. Briefly describe the prophet Ezekiel and outline the book attributed to him.
8. Who was “Isaiah of the exile” and what did he do? What did Third Isaiah do
with the material credited to Second Isaiah?
9. What are the “Servant Songs?”
10. How did the prophets of the crisis expand upon the theology of the prophets
of the maturing period?
Chapter Twenty-One: Israel’s Prophets - The Restoration
1. Briefly outline or summarize the defining events of the post-exilic period
from Cyrus through Nehemiah.
2. What was Haggai’s response to the economic arguments against rebuilding
the Temple?
3. Who was Zerubbabel? How did Haggai and “proto-Zechariah” differ in their
expectations for Zerubabbel?
4. How does Deutero-Zechariah differ from “proto-Zechariah?”
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
5. How do the final verses of Malachi function in the Jewish and Christian
canons?
6. How are the two portions of Joel different? How do they work together?
7. What are the major lessons taught by the book of Jonah?
8. What three things must modern readers consider when reading the OT
prophets?
Chapter Twenty-Two: Israel’s Apocalyptic Message
1. What is “apocalypse?”
2. What are the stylistic features of apocalyptic literature?
3. What are the characteristics of the two subcategories of apocalyptic
literature?
4. Explain the theories for the origins of apocalyptic literature.
5. Briefly outline or summarize the book of Daniel.
6. What is the purpose of the book of Daniel? How do the visions and narratives
work together to serve this purpose?
7. Who is Antiochus IV Epiphanes? What is the “abomination that makes
desolate?”
8. What is vaticinium ex eventu? Where and how is it demonstrated in the
Daniel?
9. How and why is bilingualism used in Daniel?
10. Summarize the development of Yahwism to monotheism.
11. Summarize the Maccabean period history.
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Scrolls
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What are the five scrolls and what is their relationship to the synagogue?
What is the Song of Songs?
Who is Ruth? What is her relationship to David? Why is this significant?
Who is Boaz? What role does he play in the book of Ruth?
What is the book of Lamentations? How and why does it use acrostic poems?
What is the message of the book of Ecclesiastes? How does it differ from The
Dialogue of Pessimism? How does this contribute to the message of the Old
Testament?
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Introduction to the Old Testament by Bill T. Arnold
7. What is the Feast of Purim?
8. What is Deus absconditus? How is this portrayed in the book of Esther?
9. What do the scrolls contribute to OT faith?
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Old Testament
1. Why is the skeleton system an appropriate analogy for the Primary History?
2. Why is the nervous system an appropriate analogy for the OT creeds and
assertions about the character of Yahweh?
3. Why is the cardiovascular system an appropriate analogy for Moses’
speeches in Deuteronomy?
4. Why is the muscular system an appropriate analogy for the rest of the OT?
5. How and why is the OT’s message more than a philosophical formulation of
monotheism?
6. Explain the historical relationship between science and monotheism.
7. Explain the historical relationship between civic values and monotheism.
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