# Quiz 1

###  The oldest Mesopotamian inscriptions

The oldest Mesopotamian inscriptions:

- [ ] used syllabic script and documented financial transactions.
- [x] ￼ used pictorial script and documented financial transactions. 
- [ ]  used pictorial script and consisted of diverse literary genres, such as royal inscriptions and wisdom literature.
- [ ] ￼ used syllabic script and consisted of diverse literary genres, such as royal inscriptions and wisdom literature.

### Amorites

The Amorites were: (please check all the correct answers)

- [x] West Semitic in origin
- [x] ￼ Nomadic tribes that gradually penetrated urban Mesopotamia
- [x] ￼ An ethnic group to which King Hammurabi belonged
- [ ] ￼ East Semitic tribes, like native Akkadians
- [ ] ￼ Assyrians


###  Nabonidus

Which of the following describes Nabonidus?

- [x] The last king of the Babylonian empire. correct
- [ ] ￼ An Amorite king from the Old Babylonian period.
- [ ] ￼ Founder of the Babylonian empire.
- [ ] ￼ A Sumerian king.



### Assyrian kings against Judah or Israel

Which of the following Assyrian kings fought against Judah or Israel? Please check all correct answers:

- [x] Shalmanesser III
- [x] ￼ Tiglath Pileser III
- [x] ￼ Sennacherib
- [ ] ￼ Assurbanippal


### Sargon of Akkad
Which of the following statements about Sargon of Akkad is incorrect?

- [x] Sargon used Sumerian as the kingdom's formal language
- [ ] ￼ Sargon referred to himself as King of Sumer and Akkad.
- [ ] ￼ Sargon established uniform year names.
- [ ] ￼ Sargon referred to himself as King of Four Corners of the earth.

### 1.3 Knowledge Check

Which of the following types of texts are known to us from the Early Dynastic period? Please check all the correct answers:

- [x] Economic texts
- [ ] ￼ Diplomatic letters
- [ ] ￼ Omen literature
- [x] ￼ Literary texts
- [ ] ￼ Myths
- [x] ￼ Royal inscriptions
- [ ] ￼ Hymns
- [ ] ￼ Cultic texts



### 1.5 Knowledge Check

Which of the following law codes was composed during the Old Babylonian period? Please check all the correct answers.

- [x] Laws of Hammurabi
- [x] ￼ Laws of Lipit Ishtar
- [ ] ￼ Laws of Ur Nammu
- [ ] ￼ Middle Assyrian laws

### 1.7 Knowledge Check

Which of the following Assyrian kings fought against Judah or Israel? Please check all correct answers:

- [x] Shalmanesser III 
- [x] ￼ Tiglath Pileser III 
- [ ] ￼ Assurbanippal
- [x] ￼ Sennacherib 

### 1.8 Knowledge Check

Which of the following was an important factor in the rise of the Babylonian Empire?

- [ ] An Elamite invasion

- [ ] ￼ The Qarqar Battle

- [x] ￼ The Carchemish Battle

- [ ] ￼ A Hittite invasion

  

# Quiz 2

### The world was created out of...

According to Enûma Eliš, the world was created out of:

- [ ] The body of the god Enki
- [ ] The body of Marduk, after he was defeated by Tiamat
- [x] The body of Tiamat, after she was defeated by Marduk
- [ ] The body of Tiamat's grandchildren



### Enūma Eliš was...

During the  rst millennium BCE, Enūma Eliš was:

- [ ] Read in front of Marduk's statue every day.
- [x] Read in front of Marduk's statue in the New Year Festival. 
- [ ] Not used in cult.
- [ ] All answers are correct.


### Verses with thematic parallels in Enūma Eliš

Below are verses from Genesis 1. Please check the verses which have thematic parallels in Enūma Eliš:

- [x] And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, that it may divide water from water"
- [ ] And the world was unformed and void
- [ ] And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night
- [x] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament
- [x] And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to separate day from night; they shall be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years
- [x] And God said, “Let us make man"



### Ideas in Enūma Eliš and Genesis 1

Which of the following ideas appears both in Enūma Eliš and Genesis 1?

- [ ] At the beginning of history, a wind from God was sweeping over the water
- [x] The existence of a large body of water prior to the creation 
- [ ] The Gods were born before the creation took place
- [ ] At the beginning, the world was unformed and void


### God's battle with the sea
Why is the myth about God's battle with the sea not explicitly related in the Bible?

- [ ] Because it was known only in Canaan and Mesopotamia, but not in Israel.
- [x] Because it does not accord with Monotheism. 
- [ ] Because it was an Akkadian myth, and the Israelites were not familiar with Akkadian.
- [ ] All answers are correct.

### 2.8 Knowledge Check

The verse "(The one) who alone spread out the heavens, and trod on the back of the sea … God does not withdraw His anger; under Him Rahab’s helpers stooped (Job 9:8–13)" teaches us that:

- [ ] The creation story in the Book of Job is identical with the creation story in the Book of Genesis.
- [x] There was probably an ancient Israelite myth about God's battle with the sea. 
- [ ] The Book of Job – unlike Enūma Eliš - describes the sea as a neutral, inanimate creature.
- [ ] The Book of Job demythologizes the Mesopotamian creation story.



# Quiz 3

### Reason for the flood

￼￼According to the Mesopotamian tradition, the reason for the flood was:

- [x] The noise made by human beings, which disturbed the gods’ peace. 
- [ ] The immoral behavior of human beings.
- [ ] Ea’s decision to reduce the number of humankind.
- [ ] A revolt of humankind against the gods.
  
  ￼

### The background of the biblical flood story
Which Mesopotamian flood story stands at the background of the biblical flood story?
- [ ] Atrahasis.
- [ ] Gilgamesh.
- [ ] The Ugaritic Flood story.
- [x] The biblical story does not parallel one specific flood source. 
  
  ￼

### Parallels of the creation and flood stories

￼￼The biblical creation and flood stories both have Mesopotamian parallels. However, the nature of parallelism is different in each case. What is the difference?
- [x] In the case of creation, the parallels are general and not comprehensive, while in the case of the flood the parallels are specific and include many small details.
- [ ] In the case of creation, the parallels are specific and include many small details, while in the case of the flood the parallels are general and not comprehensive. incorrect
- [ ] In the case of creation, Mesopotamia influenced Israel, while in the case of the flood Israel influenced Mesopotamia.
- [ ] No answer is correct.


### Food story in the ark tablet
Which of the following components of the flood story are found in the ark tablet?
- [x] All answers are correct. 
- [ ] The animals entered the ark “two by two”.
- [ ] Instructions regarding how to build the ark.
- [ ] The ark is round in shape.
  
  ￼
### Noah in the Bible
What can we learn from the way in which Noah is portrayed in the Bible?
- [x] Noah is presented as passive. This characteristic stresses the omnipotence of God. 
- [ ] Noah is presented as extremely wise. This characteristic stresses the importance of wisdom in biblical thought.
- [ ] Noah is presented as immortal. This characteristic stresses that the righteous are rewarded by God.
- [ ] All answers are correct.



### 3.8 The Flood in Mesopotamia and the Bible: Differences Part II  

What can we learn from the verse “And the Lord smelled the pleasing odor”?

- [ ] That, like the Mesopotamian gods, the biblical God is dependent upon offerings.

- [x] That, unlike the Mesopotamian gods, the biblical God does not eat the offerings served to Him. 

- [ ] That the biblical God is not threatened by human multiplication.

- [ ] That the biblical God controls the powers of nature.



# Quiz 4

### Flood Protagonist

What can we learn from the characterization of the protagonist of the biblical flood story?

- [x] That there is no apotheosis (=elevation of human beings to divine status) in the Bible.
- [ ] That the biblical God depends on human offerings.
- [ ] That the biblical God is subordinated to Nature.
- [ ] That there is no theogony (=genealogy or birth of the God) in the Bible.


### Polytheism and Monotheism according to Kaufmann
According to Kaufmann, which of the following characterizes polytheism, and which is typical of Monotheism?

#### Deification of natural phenomena

- [ ] Monotheism
- [x] Polytheism

#### God stands above nature

- [x] Monotheism
- [ ] Polytheism

#### Nature is devoid of any divine element

- [x] Monotheism
- [ ] Polytheism

#### Myth is a fundamental component of religion

- [ ] Monotheism
- [x] Polytheism

#### The divine world is characterized by variety and abundance

- [ ] Monotheism
- [x] Polytheism


### Akhenaten's revolution

￼￼What can we learn from Akhenaten's religious revolution?
- [x] That the non-Israelite cultures in the Ancient Near East were not always purely polytheistic.
- [ ] That the Israelite culture was not always purely monotheistic.
- [ ] That Akhenaten knew Moses personally.
- [ ] All answers are correct.


### Myth according to Kaufmann
How does Kaufmann describe the concept of myth?
- [x] All answers are correct. 
- [ ] A story which exemplifies the divine dependence upon fate.
- [ ] A story which describes the gods' life story.
- [ ] A story which describes the gods' exploits.
  
  ￼
### Gods in the Flood
According to Kaufmann, the gods' behavior in the Mesopotamian flood story teaches us that (check all the correct answers):
- [x] The Mesopotamian gods are subordinate to the forces of nature.
- [x] The Mesopotamian gods have human needs.
- [ ] The Mesopotamian gods have absolute control over nature.
- [ ] The Mesopotamian gods were never born or created.



### 4.6 What is the main difference between Kaufmann's theory and Wellhausen's theory regarding the development of Monotheism?

What is the main difference between Kaufmann's theory and Wellhausen's theory regarding the development of Monotheism?

- [ ] Kaufmann believed that theogony (= genealogy or birth of the God) does not exist in the Bible, while Wellhausen suggested that it exists.
- [x] Kaufmann believed that monotheism stands at the basis of Israelite faith from its very beginning, whereas Wellhausen suggested that monotheism developed out of monolatry. 
- [ ] Kaufmann believed that monotheism developed during the eighth century BCE, whereas Wellhausen suggested that it developed during the seventh century BCE.
- [ ] Kaufmann believed that monolatry is only implied in the Bible, while Wellhausen suggested that it explicitly appears in many biblical books.



### 4.2 Knowledge check

True or False?  Please answer the following questions:

- [T] According to Kaufmann, the divine world is characterized by variety and abundance, because it represents the natural world.
- [F] According to the **polytheistic** conception, the gods are omnipotent, and they have always existed.
- [F] Kaufmann believed that Monotheism is not original in Israel, and that it was developed gradually during many centuries.
- [T] According to the polytheistic view, the gods have human needs.



# Quiz 5

### Ziggurats

Which of the following is typical of a ziggurat? (CHECK ALL CORRECT ANSWERS):

- [x] A tower.
- [x] Similar in shape to a pyramid.
- [ ] Had many internal rooms.
- [ ] Served as residence for the temple personnel.
- [ ] Had an altar on every floor.
- [x] Made of bricks.
- [ ] Made of stones.


### Word ḥēmār
The biblical word ḥēmār is:

- [x] Rare in the Bible, because bitumen was rare in the Land of Israel. 
- [ ] Common in the Bible, because bitumen was common in the Land of Israel.
- [ ] Common in the Bible, due to Mesopotamian influence.
- [ ] Rare in the Bible, due to Mesopotamian influence.


### Meaning of the name Babel

According to the Mesopotamian etymology, what was the meaning of the name Babel?
- [x] Gate of the god(s).
- [ ] Spring of the god(s).
- [ ] Ladder between heaven and earth.
- [ ] House of the god(s).


### Brick for Stone and Bitumen for Clay
Which of the following can be learned from the verse "And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for clay"?
- [x] All answers are possible. 
- [ ] The verse presents Mesopotamian building materials as inferior to those used by the Israelites.
- [ ] The verse presents the Mesopotamian building methods from an Israelite point of view. 
- [ ] The verse reflects the author's familiarity with Babylonian building technologies.

  
### True of False?
- [F] The currently best-preserved ziggurat is the Ziggurat of Babylon
- [T] The outer part of a ziggurat was usually made of baked bricks



# Quiz 6

### Law Codes in Court

In lecture 2, we noted that scholars tend to think that law codes were not used in courts as reference books. Which of the following facts supports this scholarly hypothesis?

- [ ] The fact that very few copies of law codes were found.
- [x] The fact that law codes are not mentioned in contemporary contracts. 
- [ ] The fact that law codes were copied in schools.
- [ ] The fact that law codes are similar to each other.


### Against Greenberg’s Argument
Which of the following verses undermines Greenberg’s argument that biblical law regards murder as a crime against God Himself rather than a crime against the family of the victim?

- [x] “The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death.” 
- [ ] “But if the ox gores a slave, male or female, he shall pay thirty shekels of silver to the master, and the ox shall be stoned.”
- [ ] “And God spoke to Moses saying.”
- [ ] “The ox shall be stoned and its owner, too, shall be put to death.”


### Law Codes in Sumerian

Which of the following law codes is written in the Sumerian language?
- [x] Laws of Ur Nammu.
- [ ] Laws of Hammurabi.
- [ ] Middle Assyrian laws.
- [ ] All answers are correct.


### Law Code Named after an Old Babylonian King
Which law code is named after an Old Babylonian king?
- [ ] Laws of Ur Nammu.
- [x] Code of Hammurabi.
- [ ] Middle Assyrian laws.
- [ ] No answer is correct.
### Goring Ox Law: Parallel Details

Which of the following details in the biblical goring ox law parallels details in the Mesopotamian goring ox laws? CHECK ALL THE CORRECT ANSWERS.

- [x] The division of the law into three sub-sections: an “innocent” ox, a “warned” ox, and a “warned” ox that gores a slave.
- [ ] The law applies only to the highest social stratum.
- [x] The warned ox is defined by three criteria.
- [ ] The ox is punished.



### 6.4 Knowledge check

Which of the following verses presents a rule fundamentally different from the rule in the parallel Mesopotamian law?

- [ ] “But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not guarded it.”

- [x] “The ox shall be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten.” 

- [ ] “But if the ox gores a slave, male or female, he shall pay.”

- [ ] “They shall sell the live ox and divide its price, and the dead beast also they shall divide.”



### 6.6 Knowledge check

According to Greenberg, why does the Bible add the emphasis “So, too, if it gores a man’s son or daughter, he (= the owner) shall be dealt with according to the same rule”?

- [ ] The Bible emphasizes this because the ox must be punished.

- [ ] The Bible emphasizes this to stress that men and women are equal.

- [x] The Bible emphasizes this to reject the penal system known as “vicarious punishment.” 

- [ ] All answers are correct.



# Quiz 7

###  Apodictic Law: Alt's Theory

What did Alt conclude from the absence of the apodictic pattern from ancient Near Eastern law collections?

- [ ] That the apodictic pattern originates in contract literature or wisdom instructions, rather than in the genre of law.
- [ ] That unlike in the ancient Near East, in Israel the king is the source of law.
- [x] That the apodictic pattern is an Israelite innovation. 
- [ ] All answers are correct.


### Apodictic Law
Which of the following is an apodictic law? PLEASE CHECK ALL THE CORRECT ANSWERS

- [ ] “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property …” (Exod 22:7–8).
- [x] “Keep far from a false charge” (Exod 23:7).
- [x] “You shall not murder” (Exod 20:13)
- [x] “You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (Exod 22:17).
- [ ] “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him …” (Exod 21:2).
- [ ] “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him ...” (Exod 21:22)


### Obtaining a Slave Girl

Which of the following quotes assumes that obtaining a slave girl is in the interest of the wife? PLEASE CHECK ALL THE CORRECT ANSWERS.
- [x] "It may be that I shall obtain children by her."
- [ ] "If Ištar-lamassi does not behold an infant within 3 years, ==he== will buy a maid-servant and take her"
- [ ] "Kelim-ninu shall acquire a woman… as wife for Shennima"
- [x] "Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may bear upon my knees"



### Dating Patriarchal Stories

Which of the following was used by John Van Seters as evidence for his dating of the patriarchal stories?
- [ ] A marriage contract from Nuzi.
- [ ] Hammurabi law 146.
- [ ] An Old-Assyrian marriage contract.
- [x] A Neo-Assyrian marriage contract from the seventh century BCE. 
### Apodictic Law in Israel

Which of the following was suggested as an argument **against** the theory that apodictic law is an Israelite innovation?

- [ ] Apodictic laws appears in many ancient Near Eastern law collections.
- [x] The apodictic pattern is known from various ancient Near Eastern genres other than law collections.
- [ ] Apodictic law stresses that God is the source of law.
- [ ] There are many casuistic laws in the Bible.



### 7.1 Knowledge check

Which of the following is characteristic of casuistic law?

- [ ] It introduces cases and sub-cases.
- [ ] It focuses on the small detail of each legal case.
- [ ] It uses an “if … then …” formula.
- [x] All the above. 



# Quiz 8

###  The inhabitants of Mari

The inhabitants of Mari were:

- [ ] Babylonians writing in Amorite.
- [x] Amorites writing in Akkadian.
- [ ] Amorites writing in Amorite.
- [ ] All answers are correct.


### Israelite Prophecy and Mari Prophecy
Which of the following is typical of Israelite prophecy and not typical of Mari prophecy?

- [ ] The prophets often address the king.

- [ ] The prophets are often interested in political issues.

- [ ] The prophets may sometimes present the king with moral requirements.

- [x] The prophecies are characterized by a high literary style. 

  


### Mesopotamian Prophecy

What might be the reasons for the fact that Mesopotamian prophecy was only discovered in several specific places?
- [x] Prophecy may have been a broader phenomenon, but its traces are now mostly lost. 
- [ ] Prophecy was a West-Semitic phenomenon, known only amongst West-Semitic populations.
- [ ] Prophetic materials were destroyed by the Mesopotamian kings due to their critical content.
- [ ] All answers are correct.



### Assyrian Prophecy

Which of the following is typical of seventh century Assyrian prophecy and not typical of eighteenth-century Mari prophecy?
- [ ] The prophecies are addressed to the king.
- [ ] The prophecies are written in a simple, prosaic style.
- [ ] The prophecies appear in letters written by royal officials.
- [x] The prophecies appear on the tablets ‘as is’ rather than quoted in letters
### Prophecy and Divination

Which of the following is typical of prophecy and which is typical of divination?

Spontaneous, associated with an ecstatic revelation

- [x] prophecy
- [ ] divination

Conceived by the ancients as a science

- [ ] prophecy
- [x] divination

Its practitioners were often close to the king

- [ ] prophecy
- [x] divination

According to our current knowledge, it was practiced especially at Mari and Nineveh

- [x] prophecy
- [ ] divination

Common across all the ancient Near East

- [ ] prophecy
- [x] divination

### 8.4 Knowledge check

How did the Mari prophets react to the alliance with Eshnunna?

- [x] They opposed the alliance, claiming that the king should have consulted the god in advance. 
- [ ] ￼They supported the alliance, claiming that the local gods support it too.
- [ ] They supported the alliance because they were peace prophets.
- [ ] They opposed the alliance because the Eshnunna king was immoral.

### 8.6 Knowledge check

What are *shulmu* prophecies?

- [ ] Prophecies that criticize the king.
- [ ] Prophecies that were collected and canonized.
- [ ] Prophecies which address the nation rather than the king.
- [x] Prophecies which predict a good future for the king and his kingdom. 

### 8.8 Knowledge check

What can be learned from the following verse: "The prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and see visions of peace (Heb: shalom) for it, when there was no peace, says the Lord God". (Ezek 13:16)?

- [ ] That Ezekiel was critical of the Assyrian prophets.
- [ ] That the Israelite prophets agree with Assyrian prophets regarding the concept of shulmu prophecies.
- [x] That the Israelite *shalom* prophets were regarded as false prophets while the true prophets were generally critical of the king. 
- [ ] All the above.



# Quiz 9

###  Wisdom in the Bible

Which of the following forms of wisdom exist in the Bible?

- [ ] Practical and International.
- [ ] ￼ Contemplative and Philosophical.
- [ ] ￼ Practical and Proverbial.
- [x] ￼ Practical and Contemplative.


### The “man diligent in his work”
In light of the Instruction of Amenemope, the “man diligent in his work” in Prov 22:29 is most likely to be

- [ ] An envoy.
- [x] ￼ A scribe. 
- [ ] ￼ A military officer.
- [ ] ￼ All are possible.


### The parallels between Israelite and Egyptian wisdom

Which of the following support the claim of parallels between Israelite and Egyptian wisdom?
- [ ] The presence in Proverbs of unusual expressions that are common in Egyptian wisdom literature.
- [ ] ￼The description of the ideal sage, king Solomon, as having greater wisdom than all Egypt.
- [ ] Themes and agendas common to both the Egyptian Instructions and Proverbs.
- [x] ￼ All the above. 



### Egyptian and biblical text

In light of the affinities between the Egyptian and biblical text, which is likely to have influenced the other?
- [ ] The biblical text influenced the Egyptian text because the latter contains unusual expressions common in the Bible.
- [x] ￼ The Egyptian text influenced the biblical text, amongst other things because the latter is less clear, being elucidated by the Egyptian text. 
- [ ] ￼ The Egyptian text influenced the biblical text because the latter recalls birds that better fit the Egyptian landscape than the Israelite one.
- [ ] ￼ We cannot know the relationship between the two texts.
### The word šālı̂šı̂m

How does the Egyptian text contribute to our understanding of the word šālı̂šı̂m in the sentence “Have I not written you šālı̂šı̂m of admonition and knowledge?”

- [x] It presents the Instruction of Amenemope as divided into 30 sections, thus suggesting that the Hebrew text was also composed of 30 units. 
- [ ] It presents the student as groomed to serve in the royal court, the word šālı̂šı̂m thus denoting military officers.
- [ ] It presents the student as being required to weigh things in the balance fairly, the word šālı̂šı̂m thus denoting “weights/scales” in the biblical text.
- [ ] None of the above.

### Adaptation of the Egyptian text in the Bible

Which of the following elements hints that the biblical sage adapted the Egyptian text?

- [ ] The replacement of faunal images from the Egyptian landscape with those fitting the Israelite landscape. 
- [ ] The incorporation of distinctive Israelite ideas into the Instructions in their biblical version.
- [ ] The removal of references to Egyptian mythology and/or their replacement with references to Yahweh.
- [x] All the above.

### 9.5 Knowledge check

How can the clause “to give answer to those who sent you” be understood?

- [ ] It relates to the training of royal sons who must judge the people with wisdom.
- [ ] It relates to a scribe who must know how to answer questions quickly.
- [x] ￼ It relates to the training of a youth as a loyal envoy to the king, a theme that occurs in several places in wisdom literature.
- [ ] ￼ It is obscure and the author’s intention cannot be clearly ascertained.


