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Religion
Judaism questions
1. Discuss the impact of the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE on the development of
Judaism. How did the Rabbis change Judaism at that time so it could survive? (Hint: What
replaced the temple, priests, and daily sacrifice?)
The destruction of the Temple in 70 CE had a profuse impact on the development of Judaism. It
was with the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE that e period of second exile began for the Jews
and this destruction actually forced the Jews to scatter throughout the earth. A major shift took
place in respect of the religious life of the Jews after the destruction of the Temple and the entire
system of priesthood, and daily sacrifices was changed. The destruction of the Temple in 70 CE
actually marked the shift of the Jews from temple to Torah and instead of temple the worship
venue moved to synagogues and homes.
2. Define Zionism, and describe how the goals of Zionism created conflict between Jews and
Palestinians. Compare the significance of the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 from the
Israeli and Palestinian perspective and discuss the situation on the ground today. What do
you think could help resolve the conflict?
The Jewish national movement of rebirth and renewal in the land of Israel is actually termed as
Zionism. The goals of Zionism created conflict between Jews and the Palestinians. The goals of
Zionism actually created a state within a state. Moreover, the drive for a Jewish statehood
actually ignored the presence of a Palestinian majority which had its own national aspirations and
the objective to gain an autonomous Jewish state overriding the Palestinian counterclaims
actually marked the beginning of the conflict.
The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 changed the political history of the region forever.
From the Israeli perspective it was the legitimate foundation of their dominance over the land
from which they originated and from the Palestinian point of view it was an intrusion. As the
hope of establishing a dual Israeli and Palestinian state in Palestine was shattered Israel was
placed at the verge of a war just along with its foundation. Moreover, from the perspective of the
Israelis, the formation of Israel directly put their life in jeopardy by making them dire enemies of
the Arab world. And the conflicting situations in Israel/Palestine has been gradually aggravated
as presently Israeli forces are continuing their invasion over the Palestinian territories devastating
the lives of innumerable innocents and it is pathetic that nearly over five thousand Palestinian
men, women and children are being captivated in Israeli prisons. And all such situations could
have been checked if Israel would not have got the foreign aids and if international community
would have rendered effort to set up a dual state policy within the concerned territory.
3. Compare Orthodox Judaism (13 Articles) with Reform Judaism (Pittsburgh Platform).
Discuss differences in beliefs, especially: Torah, Law, Messiah, Heaven, Hell, and
Resurrection.
Some primary differences can be observed between Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism.
According to the Orthodox Judaism there is only One Creator and therefore there is no chance of
the presence of multiple Gods as there is only one God to be worshipped. But Reform Judaism
incorporated some liberal concepts within the realm of this religion by recognizing in every
religion an attempt to attain the infinite and moreover, Reform Judaism identified the indwelling
of God in every man. Moreover, unlike the Orthodox Judaism which insisted on waiting for the
Messiah who will be liberating the Jews by handing them over their land of origin, Reform
Judaism speaks of being a religious community that does not expect to return to Palestine. But
just like the Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism asserts the doctrine of Judaism that the soul is
immortal.
4. Write the Shema in English and in Hebrew transliteration (Shema Yisrael, Adonai
Eloheynu, Adonai Ehad.)
Hebrew transliteration: Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
English translation: Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Christianity questions
1. Explain the synoptic problem, and how the “four source hypothesis” answers the problem.
Be able to draw a diagram of the “four source hypothesis.”
The synoptic problem is about the three gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. A comparison of
the three gospels reveals that the accounts are similar to one another both in content and
expression and that is the reason why Matthew, Mark, and Luke are denoted as the synoptic
gospels. The problem lies in the fact that if the three views of the three authors are similar then it
should be considered that they have extracted the information from a common source and the
problem lies in ascertaining this common source. To solve this problem the four source
hypothesis has been put forward and to answer to this problem the four source hypothesis
augments the two source hypothesis to convey the fact that Matthew’s and Luke’s own special
resources are each assumed to be distinct...