TOT 349-369 and Jeremiah

• What "loyal vassal states of Babylon" joined the 586 attack on Jerusalem?
• What does the most important "nonbiblical text" tell us about the seige of Jerusalem?
• What archeological confirmation do we have of the seige of Jerusalem (give an example)?
• Why might Jehoiachin, rather than Zedekiah, have been remembered as the last Davidic king of Judah?
• Jeremiah was considered to be part of the Deuteronomist School (see the explanation starting at the bottom if TOT 179 and continuing to the end of the second column). What does that mean, and how does it shape his interpretation of events?
• What is a superscription and what is its purpose in Jeremiah?
• Late books and apocrypha talk about the fate of the ark of the covenant. What are some ideas about what happened to it?
• Explain some of Jeremiah's "prophetic gestures."
• Describe some of the metaphors Jeremiah uses to characterize the prophet's relationship with Yahweh.
• Describe the possible significance of the small statues in Figure 22.3 to Jeremiah's message.
• What can we learn about ancient bookmaking from Jeremiah?

Jeremiah 1-3, 7, 11:14, 14:11, 27-33

• What does the superscription (1.1-3) tell us about Jeremiah's ancestry and position?
• What does 1.10 tell us about the relative importance of prophets and kings?
• Why, according to Yahweh, will he "call the tribes of the north. . . against Judah" (1.15-16)
• To what objects does Yahweh compare Jeremiah in 1:18? Why?
• In chapter 7, Jeremiah complains about the activity of the women of Jerusalem. What are they doing that he objects to?
• What is the symbolism of the yoke, according to Yahweh?
• Describe Jeremiah's dispute with the prophet Hananiah in chapter 28.
• What advice does Jeremiah give the "King, the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah...the artisans, and the smiths" in Chapter 29? Why?
• To what, in chapter 30, does Yahweh compare the men of Israel and Judah? why?
• To what is "Ephraim" (the power base of the northern territory of Israel that fell to the Assyrians) compared in 31:18?
• Describe the "new covenant" described in 31:31-34.
• With whom is Yahweh's new covenant, according to 33:23-26.

Class questions

• What is an acrostic? Give an example from the bible.
• What is the megillot (megilla)?

Essay questions (pick one)

• Why is Ruth about women so exclusively, and why are there so few books about women in the bible?
• Talk about some motifs, either in Ruth or in today's reading.