Reference no: EM133261864

Assignment:

Prompt: "Origins and Origin Stories"

The Hebrew Bible tells a story of a singular people that originates in the selection of a single family/genealogy (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and collectively (as "Israel") goes through a series of ordeals-from the Exodus to the Conquest, to the United and Divided Monarchies, to Exile. This people is distinct in its genealogical origins, its cultic practices, covenant, and religious Law (given complete, at one point in time, in a particular interaction with God), and its culture from neighboring peoples (Canaanites, Hittites, Egyptians, Arameans, Edomites, Babylonians, etc.), and must continually guard that distinctness from corruption by these outside influences. While the stories in the Hebrew Bible represent the people of Israel as being more and less successful at maintaining such separation at different points in time, the narrative of the material (in its present form) presents the core of that tradition (as represented in the Law, the stories of the faithful, and the prophets) as succeeding in maintaining that separation throughout the history of Israel.

Over the first half of the semester, we have seen that the history and development of "Israel" and its sacred texts is much more complicated than it is represented in this simple picture. Pick two specific examples of how this historical development is more complicated than the biblical narrative suggests, describe these two cases using detailed evidence from the course material, and explain what significance these examples have for how we think about the development of Israelite history and/or religion.

Assignment Requirements:

· Describe and compare two distinct examples

· Use detailed evidence from the course material

· Discuss the significance of these examples for understanding the development of Israelite history and religion.