From: pharvey@mipos3.intel.com (Paul Harvey)
Subject: Re: Biblical history: A Quiz
Organization: Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA USA
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 19:47:55 GMT

In article <17h4u3INN9da@cs.utexas.edu> 
turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) writes:
>	What are the oldest surviving religious writings?

Well, you have a definition problem as to what constitutes religious
writings. But, I would think the answer would have to be a text in cuneiform
from Mesopotamia, probably Sumer.

>	What language did Jesus speak?

King James English, right? OK, I guess he didn't even know Hebrew, must have
gone fishing instead of Hebrew school. Actually, at the time of Jesus, the
center of Judaism was in Babylon, so it's more correct to speak of Jesus as
being a Hellenistic Jew, if that much. He spoke Aramaic, of course.

>	What is the Torah? 

That which you call Pentateuch, the first five books or also called the
Mosaic Law or Law of Moses. That which you call OT is Torah, Nevuim, Kevuim 
or something like that.

>	Which book of the Old Testament was partly written in
>	Aramaic?  What is the importance of this?

Well, we have a bit of a problem here, don't we. This book written in Aramaic
is not from Judaism, therefore it should not be in the OT. Just a bit of
a scholary mistake, that's all. Good luck trying to correct KJV though.

>	What is the Septuagint?  Which Ptolemy commissioned it?
>	What tradition explains its name?  Why is it important?

Ah yes, Septuagint. Was it Ptolemy2? This is the thing that made Christianity
possible, the translation of the books of Judaism from Hebrew to Alexandrian
Greek, which was the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean. This was
done in Alexandria, Egypt and legend has it that 72, (Sept), people seperatly
translated the books of Judaism available at that time and came up with
identical translations. If you believe that one, I've got some free gifts for
you. All later translation into other languages made heavy use of the
Septuagint, presumably based on this legend. However, from a scholary 
standpoint, it is not very good. JPS Tanakh was the first, and only, effort to
translate only the Hebrew texts directly into English.

>	From which older culture do some scholars think parts
>	of Levitical law derive?  To what kind of evidence do
>	they appeal?

Probably Mesopotamian with some Egyptian influence.

>	Which was written first, the Pentateuch or the
>	Homeric epics?  (This is a trick question; the goal is
>	to give an answer that makes some kind of sense.)

Well, yes, this is tricky. You are asking which was first put into writting? If
I remember correctly, the Pentateuch is believed to have been written in exile
in Babylon. As for Homer, hmm? Somehow I would guess they we writting in
Babylon before they were writting in Greece, which of course is true, but this
factor of when the Jews were in exile in Babylon throws a monkey wrench
into it. I would suspect the written form of Pentateuch was first, but I
don't know what the current evidence indicates. Even more interesting is
the oral form. I would guess that oral Homer came before oral Pentateuch.

>	Which occurred first, Moses leading the Jews out of
>	Egypt, or the Achaean's war against Troy?  Other than the
>	Homeric epics, what evidence do we have for the latter?
>	Other than the Pentateuch, what evidence do we have
>	for the former?

Well, there is almost no evidence that Moses lead the Jews out of Egypt. The
Semetic tribes were herding people of the Arabian peninsula. They most likely
came from Mesopotamia and probably went back and forth for various reasons,
like drought. They may have gone into northern Egypt, but contact with
Egyptian culture is questionable. Now, as for Troy, there is a good deal of
evidence. Originally, the Homeric Epics were considered to be 100% myth, but
evidence indicates they are based on a good deal of fact. Troy has actually
been found, well maybe. But archeology was founded on exploration of Homeric
Epic and a great deal of evidence has been found. A similar thing goes for
the books of Judaism, but these books seem more mythical than historical.

>	Which country held Judah before Nebuchadnezzar's reign?

Hmm, well according to scripture, what Philostine? In reality, probably some
other Babylonian leader. Hmm, I don't remember, but why don't you tell me
and tell me the meaning. If you don't, well I shall have to turn you and
your people into dung hills. Sorry about that.

>	What century did David live?  Why are we more sure of
>	David's existence than King Arthur's?

Ah, well actually there was a King Arthur, he was a war leader more than a
King. Arthur means bear which is the circumpolar bear, so in a sense it is
similar to Jesus. It becomes difficult to seperate names and actual people.
As for David, is there really any evidence? There is, isn't there. So, let's
see, David was King of Israel. Oh, I'll guess second century BCE.

>	What is a redactor?

It's a legal term for someone who removes words that are deemed to be not
of importance to the central issue or posably of questionable authorship.
Lawyers and Politicians do this all the time.

>	What was special about the tribe of Levi?

Hmm, jeans?

>	Why are multiple sources postulated for the Pentateuch?

Well, this is quite common for old texts. Some people copy, others try to
improve or finish something that was unfinished due to death or trial by
fire. Clearly, for the Pentateuch project, there must have been a great
deal of work in progress material. There may even have been difference of
opinion and different versions, like conservative or liberal. The idea of
only ONE source is a bit, well ... bogus.

>END OF QUIZ

Allright, party time! JAH! Ras TafarI! Oh, my turn to quiz:

1. What is JPS:Tanakh?
2. What is the meaning of Luke 14:26?
3. What is the meaning of Jah?
4. What is the meaning of Ras Tafari?
5. Who first discovered that Heaven is right here, right now, only most
   don't see it and Hell is not seeing it for what it is?
6. From what culture does Lord of the Underworld come from?
7. From where does the idea of light and dark, as in walking into the light,
   come from?
8. What is the average wingspeed of an African sparrow?
9. Who am I, where did I come from and where am I going?