The Sacred Journey:
Religions of the World

Core Discovery Course 166

Study Guide for the First Exam

(tentative, corresponding to what we were able to cover during class sessions between the start of the semester and February 1st)

The specific study guide questions for the First Exam are based upon the materials covered during class presentations and in the assigned readings.

• Eye Juggling

  • Define a "symbol," "value," and "story text," offering your own examples for each.

  • KEY QUESTION: Be able to apply the "eye juggling" method of interpretation to a specific "religious text."

  • Be able to Eye Juggle Genesis 1 - 4.

  • What are the differences between literal, metaphoric, and anagogic ways of knowing, offering your own examples?

  • What are the advantages, as well as limitations of the "eye juggling method"?

  • KEY QUESTION: What is the key differences between a theological and an academic interpretation of a spiritual text?

• Abraham

  • Why is Abraham credited as the first person to understand that there is only one God?  What are the implications of such a position, especially in light of this claim when compared with other religions, such as Hinduism and American Indian traditions?

  • KEY QUESTION: Who was Abraham?  Outline the main events of his life.  Who were Sarah, Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael?  

  • KEY QUESTION: What is the nature and significance of a "Call" and a "covenant"?  How do you know when God Calls?  What is Abraham's First Calling?

  • In light of  the Second Calling (the Offering, the Binding), how do each of the three monotheistic religions understand Abraham, and his willingness to sacrifice his son?

    • How has the Abraham story contributed to the willingness of monotheistic religions to "kill for God"?

• Job

  • What is the significance and meaning behind the story of Job, and what does it reflect about key issues in Judaism?

  • From a Jewish perspective, how would you respond to the question, "why do bad things sometimes happen to good people?"

• Jewish Tradition

  • Who was Asherah and what was her significance and implications in early Judaism?

  • Who was Ezra and what was his significance and implications in early Judaism?

  • What were the main points emphasized in our guest speaker, Myron Schreck?  Specifically, what defines being a Jew?  What is the importance of "conduct" vs. "faith" in Judaism?  What is the meaning of "sin" and "the Messiah" in Judaism? 

  • What are the essential components of any rite of passage, and how does the Bat Mitzvah reflect these components?

  • As articulated in Smith and for Rabbi Shapiro, what are the key attributes of the Jewish "meaning of god"?  Compare and contrast Smith's and Shapiro's interpretations.  What are the implications of these attributes for Judaism, as well as for other monotheistic religions?  

  • As articulated in Smith, what are the key attributes and implications of the Jewish "meaning of creation"?  How might they have contributed to the foundational origins of the Scientific Revolution?

  • How does Judaism describe and attempt to address the differences between role of human agency and responsibility vs. divine intervention and revelation in their history?  What are the Judaic conceptual origins of these two roles, and provide specific examples from Judaism of how both roles are expressed.

  • What do the Jewish notions of "history" and of a Messiah mean, and what are there implications for Judaism?

  • What does it mean in the Jewish tradition to be a "chosen people"?  Consider this meaning or meanings in light of the issue of "human agency" vs. "divine intervention" in Judaism.

  • What does Smith mean when he characterizes Judaism as "less an orthodoxy than an orthopraxis"?

  • What key insights did you garner into the Jewish traditions from your reading the Passover?  Be able to "eye juggle" these verses.  

  • KEY: According to Smith, what most defines Judaism?  What are the implications of that understanding?

  • KEY:  As suggested by Smith and developed in class, what are some of the essential foundational themes, first brought forth in Judaism, that have contributed to Western Civilization and its institutions, such as capitalism and the scientific revolution?

  • Who is Matisyahu and how doe he reflect Hasidic Judaism?

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