Themes, Ethics, and Theology of the Hebrew Bible
Themes, Ethics, and Theology tests your ability to read the Hebrew Bible's ideas in context: monotheism, covenant, justice, holiness, chosenness, repentance, and the problem of suffering.
Core themes
- Monotheism: the Shema (Deut 6:4), 'the Lord is one'; polemic against idolatry throughout.
- Covenant: Abraham (Gen 15, 17), Sinai (Ex 19–24), David (2 Sam 7), and the promised new covenant (Jer 31:31–34).
- Imago Dei: humanity made in God's image (Gen 1:27), grounding the prohibition of murder (Gen 9:6).
- Holiness and ethics: 'Be holy' (Lev 19:2) is spelled out in social commandments.
- Justice: Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:17.
- Repentance: Ezekiel 18:21–23 and 33:11; Deuteronomy 30.
- Theodicy: Job challenges the retribution formula; Proverbs assumes it.
Worked example
Question: 'Who is the neighbor in Leviticus 19:18?' Reasoning: the Hebrew is le-rei'acha, 'your fellow' - in context a member of the covenant community. Verse 34 extends the same love to the ger, the stranger. The tradition (Sifra; R. Akiva) calls v. 18 a great principle of the Torah; Ben Azzai preferred Gen 5:1 because it grounds all humanity in Adam. The exam wants the context and the extension, not a proof-text.
Traps
- Reading later rabbinic or Christian theology back into the biblical text.
- Flattening differences: Proverbs' retribution vs. Job's protest.
- Quoting a verse without its chapter's argument.
- Treating 'chosen' as a claim to superiority; Deut 7:7–8 grounds it in love, not merit.