Andrew Clyde

2.)The first creation story takes place in Genesis 1, while the second takes

place in Genesis 2. The first creation account of man takes place on the sixth

day and is as follows: "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our

likeness.” The second account of creation explains that "the Lord God

formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath

of life, and man became a living being." Another difference is that in the

first story, man is presented as the climax of God's creation. Genesis 1

explains that God created mankind both male and female. The second

creation story does not tell of the creation of other forms of life, but only

tells of how the Lord God created a man. In Genesis 2:7 it states only that

the Lord God "formed man from the dust of the earth." The first creation

story does not give the details of what God used to create man. Another

difference between stories is the names of the creator God in each. Genesis 1

refers to the creator as “God”, or as Elohim, while Genesis 2 refers to the

creator as the Lord God, or Yhwh, which is God's personal name in Hebrew.

Genesis 1 does not use God's personal name. The author of the first creation

story seen in the first verses of the bible was an anonymous 6th

century BCE writer of the priestly writers, the “P” authors. The author of the

second creation story in Genesis 2 is a writer who lived in the 9th century

BCE and is considered to be a “J” author. In the Genesis 1, God created fruit
trees and animals before man and in the second account, God created man,

then the fruit trees and animals, and then woman. Overall, Genesis 1 is a

panoramic view of creation as a whole. While Genesis 2 is more focused on

a particular event.

The Babylonian creation story is called by its first two words

"Enuma” and “Elish." According to archaeologists, it was originally

written in the 12th century BCE.In the Enuma Elish, the primary god

is Marduk, in Genesis, the primary, and only, god is Elohim or Yhwh. The

Enuma Elish is a myth from a polytheistic religion; while genesis is from

a monotheistic religion. The world is formed out of the body of  Tiamat in

the Enuma Elish; after a fierce battle in which Marduk defeated slayed

Tiamat, He sliced the carcass of Tiamat in two and created the space of

heaven with one half and of the other the foundation of the earth. The

world is formed by the Lord God in Genesis 2:7: “And

the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his

nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living  soul.” In the Enuma

Elish the heavenly bodies are deities to be worshipped. Conversely in

Genesis the stars and planets are merely creations, not creators, and were

made to produce light for the earth. In the Enuma Elish the universe came

into existence as the result of a chaotic war among the gods,” To the fight

they came on, to the battle they drew nigh.” The universe was an
unintended byproduct of their battle. In Genesis the world was pre-

planned by God; intended and created in an orderly and thoughtful

fashion.

4.) Apocalyptic literature is the  literary genre that foretells

supernaturally inspired cataclysmic events that will take place at the end

of the world. It is written in symbolism, poetry, and imageries, as well as

in an Old Testament prophecy style. One characteristic of apocalyptic

literature is pseudonymous authors; they would often use a fake name to

sign an apocalyptic work, usually some earlier revered figure such as a

prophet or a saint. The reason why these authors identified their writings

with great persons in Israel’s history probably was to add credibility to

their work. A vision from a famous prophet or saint would be more

popular than if it were from a contemporary writer. A common theme

among apocalyptic literature is expression of a pessimistic view of the

present and the prediction of final events as imminent. Another theme in

apocalyptic literature is contending hierarchies of angels and demons

detailing rank and tasks of each. Also, A Messiah or mediator between

God and humankind appears in most of the apocalyptic writings. He is

described as one who accomplishes the final salvation of the world. The

genre details the Messiah, the son of a man, the chosen one, or a mediator.

The earliest apocalypses are Jewish works that date from about
200 BCE to about 165 BCE. Another characteristic of apocalyptic

literature is symbolism. Some symbols found in apocalyptic literature are

the beast, the antichrist, the mark, 666, and the dragon. The original

Greek definition for the beast refers to a “bestial” man, one who is brutal,

savage, and ferocious. The term  beast has more to do with  “the beasts in

your life.” The only place in scripture the term antichrist appears is in the

first John. This term means  anyone who opposes Christ. It is less about an

ominous personality rising up and tricking us; rather, it is about our

willingness to be tricked.  The mark essentially means ownership and

control. In its context, it also refers to a forgery of the seal and love of

God given to Christians. The “mark of the beast” is about who controls us,

Satan or God. The beast forces people to bear the mark as a way to control

and as a copy of the Holy Spirit that marks a true believer. The  dragon or

red dragon literally means “serpent” or "sea monster" such as

the leviathan. A dragon is also a description of Satan who is the enemy of

God, described as a terrifying and destructive beast who seeks the total

devastation of God's people. The image is not intended to terrify us, but to

show us how he and evil work together so Gods followers can avoid and

defend against evil. Although other types of literature use visions to

communicate apocalyptic literature uses visions as a way of revealing

secrets from heaven about the present and the future of humankind. These
visions are often caused by some upset or major social event. These

visions lead in turn to further explanations about coming events or other

visions and dreams. Some other characteristics of apocalyptic literature

are: revelations, numerology, triumph of God, determinism, dualism, a

rewritten history, ethics, predictions, different historical perspectives,

heavenly viewpoints, resurrection, life beyond, and the judgment of God

upon wicked.

3.) A basic, common, definition for Prophet is "someone who

foretells the future," but prophet is better defined as "one who speaks for

another." A true prophet is a person who speaks for God, delivering a

message that God has ordained him to give. Often, the words a prophet

spoke on God's behalf were foretelling what would happen later. However,

the prophet's main role was to speak for God, regardless of whether he did

any predicting of the future. A prophet expresses the will of God in words.

Early prophets played a prominent role in communal affairs and were often

sought out and consulted for advice and asked to deliver oracles in the

name of God. Moses was the first prophet to see and hear God speak.

Moses held the role of oracle, speaker for God, miracle-worker,

intercessor, leader, and judge. He not only judged disputes by the law but

also proclaimed God’s judgment on those who broke the covenant. The

prophets became politically powerful and greatly influenced the political

Israel. Prophets became so important to the crown that several kings had

their own court prophets. The prophets did not only predict the future to

convey their message they also performed symbolic acts, which dramatized

and concretized the spoken word. The energy of the spoken word is given

further support by this act. From Kings 11:29, “Ahijah rends his garment

into 12 pieces and bids Jeroboam take ten of them for "thus says the Lord

of Israel: 'Behold I will rend this kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and

will give you ten tribes, but he shall take one tribe for my servant David's

sake….” These prophets were also wonder workers. The two most famous

are Elijah and Elisha. Elijah causes a jar of meal and a cruse of oil not to

fail the widow of Zarephath, he also brought her son back to life. He

succeeded in bringing fire down from heaven in a contest with the

Canaanite prophets and was swept up on high into heaven by a whirlwind.

His successor, Elisha, was also successful in performing miracles. He, too,

made a small jug of oil fill many large vessels and brought a child back to

life. The literary prophets often used signs and wonders to authenticate

their prediction of future events. . Prophets frequently convey their

message by puns not intended to be humorous. Sermon-type presentation is

perhaps the best known form of a prophet’s work. The entire book of

Deuteronomy was an oral discourse in which Moses reviewed the previous

their messages orally. In addition to these more formal presentations, the

prophets recorded their sermons given earlier to individual leaders or

groups. Isaiah wrote down his interview with Hezekiah and some of the

book of Jeremiah is a written summary of his public messages. Ezekiel

transcribed his earlier conversations with the leaders of Israel.

1.)The book of Exodus is about God's call to the Israelites to move and

leave their position of slavery in Egypt. The book of Exodus records

more miracles of God than any other book in the Old Testament. God

rescues and guides his people into the unfamiliar desert. There God

institutes his system of laws, gives instruction in worship and establishes

his people as the nation of Israel. The Babylonian Exile and the later

return to Israel were seen as one of the essential events in the biblical

drama between  Yahweh and the Israelites. Just as stated in the bible,

they had been predestined for, and saved from,  slavery in Egypt . The

Babylonian Exile had a number of serious effects on Judaism and the

Jewish culture. For example, the current  Hebrew script was adopted

during this period, replacing the traditional Israelite script.

The Chaldeans , following standard Mesopotamian practice, and deported

the Jews after they had conquered  Jerusalem  in 597 BC. The deportations

were large, but didn't involve the entire nation. Somewhere around
10,000 people were forced to relocate to the city of  Babylon, the capital

of the Chaldean empire. While in the book of Exodus,    God hears the

complaints of the Israelites and tells Moses to intervene, via the burning

bush on Horeb. God states that he will bring Israel to the area of Canaan

out of Egypt; God will do it through Moses. God names Himself "I AM."

Moses is to gather the elders and tell them of God's plan. Moses doubts

his ability, but God gives him some miraculous signs to perform: a rod

that becomes a snake, a leprous, and turning of the river to blood. Moses

is still doubtful, this angers god who then appoints his brother Aaron to

be the main speaker. Moses finally agrees and returns from Midian. God

gives Moses a message for the Pharaoh: if the Pharaoh does not let

Israel, God's firstborn, out of Egypt, then God will kill the Pharaoh's

firstborn son. On the way, Moses meets Aaron and tells him the plan. In

Egypt, they tell their people, who believe after seeing the signs.