Legend (ch2)
fictional narratives about real or allegedly historical figures told in order to entertain, to teach a moral, and/or to explain why things are as they are. Suggested: ready many of the stories about humans in the HB through this lens
Myth (ch2)
a story about god or the gods and their activities, which tries to make sense of the world, our place in it, and how humans and God/gods interact. They are sometimes created to explain natural or cultural phenomena, such as rainbows, recurring floods, the
Oral Tradition (ch2)
any myth, legend, story, doctrine, idea, practice, or custom that has been handed down by word of mouth from one person to another. Everything in the HB comes from oral tradition, passed along for hundreds of years before being committed to writing
Primeval History (ch2)
the mythic history of the first years of the world's existence. In the Bible, it is contained in Genesis 1-11
Sabbath (ch2)
the seventh day of the week, on which God is said to have rested after having created the heavens and the earth (in the first creation story); the day was set aside as a weekly day of rest in the Mosaic Law
Tetragrammaton (ch2)
four letters"; a reverential reference to the letters YHWH, which are taken to be the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, so holy that eventually Jews were not allowed to pronounce it (many to this day just say ha-Shem, meaning "the name
Yahweh (ch2)
the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, based on the Tetragrammaton. It is from this name that we also get the alternative name, Jehovah, by using different vowel pronouncing
Apodictic Laws (ch3)
laws that make a straightforward and absolute command, such as, "you shall not commit adultery
Ark of the Covenant (ch3)
an elaborate wooden box believed by many to be the throne of God; inside the box were the two tablets that contained the Decalogue (10 commandments). Believed later to have special sacred powers, esp. in times of war
Asherah (ch3)
a goddess worshipped in
Legend (ch2)
fictional narratives about real or allegedly historical figures told in order to entertain, to teach a moral, and/or to explain why things are as they are. Suggested: ready many of the stories about humans in the HB through this lens
Myth (ch2)
a story about god or the gods and their activities, which tries to make sense of the world, our place in it, and how humans and God/gods interact. They are sometimes created to explain natural or cultural phenomena, such as rainbows, recurring floods, the
Oral Tradition (ch2)
any myth, legend, story, doctrine, idea, practice, or custom that has been handed down by word of mouth from one person to another. Everything in the HB comes from oral tradition, passed along for hundreds of years before being committed to writing
Primeval History (ch2)
the mythic history of the first years of the world's existence. In the Bible, it is contained in Genesis 1-11
Sabbath (ch2)
the seventh day of the week, on which God is said to have rested after having created the heavens and the earth (in the first creation story); the day was set aside as a weekly day of rest in the Mosaic Law
Tetragrammaton (ch2)
four letters"; a reverential reference to the letters YHWH, which are taken to be the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, so holy that eventually Jews were not allowed to pronounce it (many to this day just say ha-Shem, meaning "the name
Yahweh (ch2)
the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, based on the Tetragrammaton. It is from this name that we also get the alternative name, Jehovah, by using different vowel pronouncing
Apodictic Laws (ch3)
laws that make a straightforward and absolute command, such as, "you shall not commit adultery
Ark of the Covenant (ch3)
an elaborate wooden box believed by many to be the throne of God; inside the box were the two tablets that contained the Decalogue (10 commandments). Believed later to have special sacred powers, esp. in times of war
Asherah (ch3)
a goddess worshipped in