At the conclusion of each unit a series of essay questions are presented. Each participant must write on two of these essays. Use the material presented in this course or any other material that you find helpful in writing the essays. Try to limit each essay to one typed page.

Your essays may either be mailed to the instructor along with a self addressed, stamped return envelope to:

Terry Giles
Gannon University
109 University Square
Erie, PA 16541

or e-mailed to: giles@gannon.edu

Unit 1

1. How has the addition of the New Testament changed the Hebrew Bible into the Old Testament of the Christian Bible?
2. Does the biblical text exert much of an influence on contemporary western society?
3. What is the procedure that you follow in trying to understand the Bible?

Unit 2

1. Describe how the function of ancient Canaan as a "Landbridge" helped shape the historical fortunes of people living in that area.
2. What role does archaeology play in biblical studies?
3. Who is biblical "Israel" and how did they appear in the land of Canaan?

Unit 3

1. How does the statement, "God created" effect the way in which an individual interprets life experiences?
2. The Genesis account presents God as the sovereign creator without making Him responsible for evil. According to the Genesis account, who is responsible for evil and why?
3. What does it mean to be in the "image of God"?

Unit 4

1. What does it mean for God to be YHWH?
2. Can God be hurt by what He has created?
3. Why does God redeem?

Unit 5

1. Support or refute the following statement with evidence gathered from the biblical text: "The exodus event is the demonstration of God's intended fidelity to His covenant."
2. What does it mean for God to be the source of all law?
3. How does the writer of Exodus chapters 1 and 2 make the rest of the story contingent upon God's activity?

Unit 6

1. The Israelite society presented in a somewhat idealized fashion in 1 and 2 Samuel was built upon a common ideology: the Word of the LORD. do political institutions require commonly held ideologies in order for the smooth maintenance of social order?
2. The Deuteronomic History operates upon the principle of just recompense. Is life predictable in this way?
3. Compare Joshua 10-12 with Judges 1. How do you reconcile the differences between these two texts?

Unit 7

1. Chapter 11 of 1 Kings describes the reason for the Israelite civil war differently than does chapter 12. What is the benefit of juxta-positioning these two chapters?
2. Find the story of Athaliah in 2 Kings. Why is her career given so much attention by the biblical writer?
3. In 1 Kings 18, through the dialogue between Ahab and Elijah, the reader is presented with an interesting question. Who is the troubler of Israel?

Unit 8

1. Examine closely Amos 2:6-8. According to the prophet, why was Israel to soon experience God's judgment?
2. Isaiah chapter one has been called by some a summary of the whole book. Examine the chapter carefully. What does the prophet consider the proper relationship between religious ritual and ethical behavior?
3. Is the God of the Old Testament the God of hope?

Unit 9

1. The concept of the "Fear of the LORD" is an important concept in the Hebrew wisdom literature. Does this concept have any relevance to life in the a modern western society?
2. describe and evaluate the relationship developed by the wisdom writers between the sacred and the secular.
3. According to the Song of Songs, what ethic guides ideal human love?

Unit 10

1. What is sin?
2. Why pray?
3. The Old Testament indicates again and again that all of us are susceptible to the intrusive presence of God. Is this a mature way to live?

Unit 11

1. How did the various Jewish sects of the first century attempt to live out their faith in a sometimes hostile culture?
2. How did the process of hellenization change life in first century Palestine?
3. In the centuries between the testaments the literature of the Old Testament gradually received sacred status. How did the formation of a sacred book change the religion of ancient Israel?

Unit 12

1. None of the gospels claim to be biographies of Jesus. Instead, each of the gospel writers have as their goal to persuade the reader. What amount of historicity can be attached to literature that is intended to persuade the reader?
2. How did the writer of Mark envision the Kingdom of God?
3. A great deal of debate has been generated over the Sermon on the Mount. Did Jesus intend that people live out the ethical guidelines contained in the sermon?

Unit 13

1. How does the Ascension Account of Acts 1:6-11 express a change in the understanding of the character of the Kingdom of God?
2. How did the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15 effect the early church?
3. Acts 2:42 describes the characteristic behaviors of the early believing community. Compare these activities with what you observe to be the characteristic behaviors of the contemporary church.

Unit 14

1. What is the theme of the book of Romans and how is that theme developed?
2. How does the writer of the book of Hebrews make use of the New Covenant from Jeremiah 31?
3. According to 1 Corinthians how does a person become part of the "Believing Community"?

Unit 15

1. How does the book of Revelation encourage its readers to persevere?
2. What evidence does the book of Revelation provide for asserting that God is in control of history?
3. Why is Jesus portrayed as a Lamb within the book of Revelation?