Reference no: EM132170523
1. Good King, Bad King: What makes a good king? What makes a bad king? Explore the depiction of the king (in both Israel and Judah) found in 1 and 2 Kings and, if helpful, 1 and 2 Samuel. In particular, focus on a few specific kings, providing examples which prove your idea of the definition of a good and bad kings. What do good kings do? What do bad kings do? Do all good kings do only good things?
Do bad kings always do bad things? Are there any borderline cases? How does the picture of a king in 1 or 2 Kings compare to his depiction in1 and 2 Chronicles?
2. Female Imagery in Prophetic Literature: Several prophets imagine Israel as a woman. Why is the covenant between Israel and God imagined as a marriage? How can this model explain/understand the sins of Israel? Focus your reflection on these issues by comparing and contrasting Hosea 1-3 and Ezekiel 16. Both of these texts envision Israel as a woman, using language of love and restoration.
They also imagine violent acts perpetrated against Israel, describing her as a promiscuous and adulterous wife who is beaten by her husband. How does Ezekiel use the marriage metaphor differently from Hosea? Do you think that the use of this metaphor by these prophets is derogatory towards women? Why did Ezekiel (and to a lesser extent Hosea) feel compelled to use such shocking imagery?
3. Examine a text in the Apocrypha or Pseudepigrapha: There are a lot of texts important to the study of Judaism which are not found in the Hebrew Bible or the Protestant Old Testament, many of which we mentioned in class. Pick one of the following texts (1 Enoch [only The Book of Watchers =1En. 1-36], Jubilees, Tobit, Judith, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon; if you have another you'd like to do, let me know).
Read the composition closely and do research on it in order to understand basic issues of the work, such as its main themes, basic structure and date. In your paper explain what you have learned and express your own understanding of the tex