HUMS 102 REVIEWER
and in which his friend Enkidu travels to the Netherworld.
The Dead Man Ariseth and Singeth a Hymn to the Sun
Anonymous (3500 BCE) EGYPT
The source of these texts is what is left of schoolboy exercises,
laboriously transcribed in the intricate hieroglyphics of Egyptian, on
scraps of papyri that have been found in the coffins of their owners.
Their poetic power is undeniable and had some influence upon
Hebrew poetry.
Literary Term Focus: HYMN
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for
the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity
or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. Hymns are a
fixture of Christianity and other world religions, especially from
Egyptian and Greek cultures.
Amun Ra – a God known to the Egyptians as titles such as the
“Supreme God”. Amun-Ra, translated to "the hidden one", is the
god of the air, the sun, and creation. He was seen as the god of
obscurity or the mysteriousness of life.
Ra's role - Ra was the king of the deities and the father of all
creation. He was the patron of the sun, heaven, kingship, power,
and light. He was not only the deity who governed the actions of the
sun, he could also be the physical sun itself, as well as the day.
Mention three qualities of Amun Ra referred to in this excerpt.
Perfect, Eternal, Tremendous
The Story of the Flood
from The Epic of Gilgamesh (2700 BCE) MESOPOTAMIA
Gilgamesh - was a historical king of Uruk in Babylonia
Utnapishtim was a mortal man
Shurrupak, it stands on the banks of Euphrates, son of Ubara-Tutu
Anu, lord of the firmament,
Ninurta the helper,
Ennugi watcher over canals; and with them also was Ea. Enlil
heard the clamour
Shamash
Puzur-Amurri the steersman,
Adad, lord of the storm was riding.
Shullat and Hanish, heralds of the storm, led on.
Nergal pulled out the dams of the nether waters,
Ninurta the war-lord threw down the dykes, and the seven judges of
hell
Annunaki, raised their torches, lighting the land with their livid
flame.
Anu the highest heaven, the firmament of
Ishtar the sweet-voiced Queen of Heaven cried out like a woman in
travail
on the mountain of Nisir the boat held fast
Ea alone who knows all things."
Gilgamesh (2700 BCE)
Gilgamesh was a historical king of Uruk in Babylonia, on the
river Euphrates in modern Iraq; he lived about 2700 B.C.E. The
ancients loved to tell tales about Gilgamesh, tales in which he
successfully bested his kingdom's enemy, king Agga, in which he
defeats the Bull of Heaven, in which he slays the monster Huwawa,
Literary Term Focus: EPIC
An epic is a long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of a
hero or group of heroes often in the context of events that shaped
a nations' history. Elements that typically distinguish epics include
superhuman deeds, fabulous adventures, highly stylized
language, and a blending of lyrical and dramatic traditions.
Some of the most famous examples of epic poetry include:
the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's The Iliad and The
Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, Vyasa's Mahabharata, Valmiki's
Ramayana, the Old English Beowulf, Dante's Divine Comedy,
the Persian Shahnameh, John Milton's Paradise Lost, the
French Song of Roland, the Finnish Kalevala, and the German
Nibelungenlied.
Why was there a great flood, according to the epic? Who or what
caused it? the highest god, Enlil, decides to destroy the world
with a flood because humans have become too noisy.
Compare the account of the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh with that
described in Genesis. How are they similar? How are they different?
Genesis is monotheistic. The reason for sending the flood is not
explained in Gilgamesh (excessive violence in Genesis) The flood
is ultimately condemned as a murderous mistake in Gilgamesh.
What does the story of the flood reveal about Mesopotamian gods
and people's attitudes toward them? In the narrative, the gods
decide to flood the world to punish humanity for its sins,
showing their ability to manipulate natural forces. This reflects
the Mesopotamian belief in the whimsical nature of deities who
could bring both blessings and calamities
What do you think the epic talks about the Mesopotamian view of
life? Epic of Gilgamesh reveals that Mesopotamian civilization
was based on values of fair and non-oppressive rulership and
homosocial bonding. Gilgamesh begins his kingship by
abusing both men and women in his realm, causing his people
to despise him.
Voice Out of the Whirlwind
from The Book of Job (6th century BCE) ISRAEL
Job, Chapter 38
1: Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
2: Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
3: Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and
answer thou me.
4: Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
declare, if thou hast understanding.
5: Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath
stretched the line upon it?
6: Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the
corner stone thereof;
7: When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy? 8
: Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had
issued out of the womb?
9. When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a
swaddling band for it,
10: And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,
11: And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall
thy proud waves be stayed?
12: Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused
the dayspring to know his place;
13: That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked
might be shaken out of
it? 14: It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment..
15: And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm
shall be broken.
16: Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou
walked in the search of the depth?
17: Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou
seen the doors of the shadow of death? 18: Hast thou perceived the
breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.
19: Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness,
where is the place thereof,
20: That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou
shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?
21: Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the
number of thy days is great?
22: Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou
seen the treasures of the hail,
23: Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the
day of battle and war? 24
: By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind
upon the earth?
25: Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or
a way for the lightning of thunder;
26: To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the
wilderness, wherein there is no
man; 27: To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the
bud of the tender herb to
spring forth? 28 : Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the
drops of dew?
29: Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of
heaven, who hath gendered it?
30: The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is
frozen.
31: Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the
bands of Orion?
32: Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou
guide Arcturus with his sons?
33: Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the
dominion thereof in the earth?
34: Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of
waters may cover thee?
35: Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee,
Here we are?
36: Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given
understanding to the heart?
37: Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the
bottles of heaven,
38: When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast
together?
39: Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the
young lions, 40: When they couch in their dens, and abide in the
covert to lie in wait?
41: Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young one’s cry
unto God, they wander for lack of meat.
Job, Chapter 42
1: Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
2:1 know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be
withholden from thee.
3: Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore,
have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me,
which I knew not.
4: Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and
declare thou unto me.
5: I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye
seeth thee.
6: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
7. And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto
Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled
against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of
me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath,
8: Therefore, take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams,
and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt
offering, and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept:
lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me
the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
9: So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the
Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded
them: the LORD also accepted Job.
10: And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for
his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had
before. 11: Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his
sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and
did eat bread with him in his house and they bemoaned him, and
comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him:
every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an
earring of gold.
12: So, the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his
beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand
camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
13: He had also seven sons and three daughters.
14: And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the
second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.
15: And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters
of Job; and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
16: After this lived Job a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons,
and his sons sons, even four generations.
17: So Job died, being old and full of days.
The Book of Job (6th century BCE)
The Book of Job is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible . It
relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his
theological discussions with friends on the origins and nature
of his suffering, and finally a response from God. A study of the
book of Job, which is considered the oldest book in the Bible,
will show that it is much more than mere literature, for it reveals
secrets that no man could find out without special revelation
from God.
Psalm 23
from the Book of Psalms by David (1010-965 BCE) ISRAEL
1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters. 3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me.
5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.
6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
David (1010-965 BCE)
The psalms were written over a period of five hundred years,
beginning with the time of King David, and ending before the
destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the subsequent
Babylonian exile. The word "psalm" derives from a Greek word
that means "to pluck at string," indicating that some of the psalms
were chanted to the accompaniment of a small harp-like Instrument
called the lyre. "Psalm 23" is the best-known psalm in the Bible.
Literary Term Focus: PSALM
A psalm is a sacred song or lyric poem. Most psalms were
originally set to music and performed during worship services in the
temples of ancient Israel. In the Bible, the Book of Psalms contains
150 sacred psalms.
Sermon on the Mount
from Matthew Chapter 5: 1-20 Matthew (1st century CE) ISRAEL
1: And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when
he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4.Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.
5: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
7: Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8: Blessed
are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God.
10: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in
heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to
be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hid.
15: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17: Think but to fulfill. Fort tefte il say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
18:not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19. Whse
pover therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20: For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew (1 century CE)
Matthew also called Levi, apostle and once a tax collector,
composed the Gospel of Christ. It was first published in Judea in
Hebrew for Hebrew Christians. "Beatitudes," (Latin beatitudo,
"blessedness"), in the Bible, are expressions of praise for those
who are considered exemplars of piety and who may consequently
expect a reward from God.
Literary Term Focus: SCRIPTURE
A scripture, also called sacred scripture, the revered texts, or
Holy Writ, of the world's religions, comprises a large part of the
literature of the world. Scriptures vary greatly in form, volume,
age, and degree of sacredness; but their common attribute is that
their words are regarded by the devout as sacred. Sacred words
differ from ordinary words in that they are believed either to
convey spiritual and magical powers or to be the means through
which a divine being or other sacred reality is revealed in phrases
and sentences full of power and truth.
Matthew 5:1–12 is known as the Beatitudes, which comes from a
Latin word meaning “blessed” or “happy”
1. Where did Jesus choose to teach? He delivered it on a hill
north of the Sea of Galilee, which was later named 'Mount of
Beatitudes' to commemorate these events. Who was he
teaching? disciples and a large crowd of listeners Why did He
start teaching? corrects false teachings perpetuated by other
religious leaders of his day
2. With whom does the Sermon on the Mount begin? Why? The
Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes,
4. To whom was the Sermon on the Mount directed? Are the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount for all of us, or just the most
religious? The sermon was addressed to disciples and a large
crowd of listeners to guide them in a life of discipline based on
a new law of love, even to enemies, as opposed to the old law
of retribution.
6. What is the supreme goal of life as given by Jesus in the Sermon
on the Mount? The chief purpose of the sermon is to reveal to us
the supreme authority of Jesus over all other teachers (Matt.
7:28) and to drive us to faith in Him as the One who fulfills the law of
God on behalf of His people.