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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Ezra claim about his copy of the Torah?
(a) it was a new revelation from God.
(b) it was incomplete.
(c) it was the work of his own hand.
(d) it was completely written by Moses.

2. What does the revision to Deuteronomy explain?
(a) the signs to look for before the exile.
(b) the reason the Davidic Covenant would be broken.
(c) the reason for the exile much later.
(d) the places where the law can be found.

3. What supernatural tales are left out by Author P?
(a) tales of miracles done in Egypt.
(b) tales of Aaron's golden calf.
(c) tales of dreams, talking animals and angels.
(d) tales of God talking directly to Moses.

4. Why is the period 587-400 B.C. difficult to understand?
(a) no writing was done at that time.
(b) Egyptians and Babylonians did not keep records.
(c) secular history glosses over that period.
(d) there is little or no archeological evidence about the exile.

5. How does this change in the writing affect the Davidic Covenant?
(a) it provides a way for it to return on earth.
(b) it opens the way for a messiah.
(c) it changes the Covenant completely.
(d) it makes it null and void.

6. Why does Friedman hold early Biblical scholars in high esteem?
(a) they got everything right about the authors of the Bible.
(b) they studied ancient languages.
(c) what they had done correctly outweighs their mistakes.
(d) they made their judgements from English translations.

7. How do Graf and others see the Tabernacle?
(a) as a stop gap measure.
(b) as a fiction, a pious fraud.
(c) as a metaphor.
(d) as a building formula.

8. To determine if insertions have been made in a text, two or more of what elements must be present?
(a) cross references, credentials, and clear writing style.
(b) vocabulary, annotated references, and historical context.
(c) wording, grammar, syntax, theme, and literary structure.
(d) dates, times, proper names, and subject matter.

9. How is Baruch mentioned in the book of Jeremiah?
(a) as a replacement for Jeremiah.
(b) as a brother of Jeremiah.
(c) as writing for Jeremiah.
(d) as a teacher of Jeremiah.

10. What is an argument against the time of the second Temple for author P?
(a) he never writes about the worship in the Temple.
(b) he never mentions the Temple as having any importance.
(c) he talks exclusively about the first Temple.
(d) he never mentions the Tabernacle.

11. What does Friedman speculate held the exiled Jews together?
(a) the smuggled copies of the Torah.
(b) the blood relationship among them.
(c) the nature of the Jewish religion.
(d) the resistance they put up.

12. Who allows the Jews to return to their home country?
(a) Baltshazzar the Benevolent.
(b) Cyrus the Great.
(c) Alexander the Great.
(d) Ramses the Second.

13. Why does Friedman say that insertions were necessary in Deuteronomy?
(a) to deny the history of the Jews.
(b) to prepare the readers for the new ending.
(c) to broaden the story about the role of priests.
(d) to pave the way for a new covenant.

14. How does Friedman see Julius Wellhausen's summary of the second Temple theory for Author P?
(a) it was logical but ignored major evidence.
(b) it did not hold together logically.
(c) it was illogical, poorly put together, and confusing.
(d) it was logical, coherent, persuasive--and wrong.

15. How does every book in the Pentateuch begin?
(a) with P stories.
(b) with J stories.
(c) with disclaimers.
(d) with genealogies.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the great irony of P's writing that favored the Aaronid priesthood?

2. What is Author P's interpretation of God?

3. What goes against the First Commandment?

4. Why did it take hundreds of years for anyone to suspect there was more than one writer involved in the written Torah?

5. What does Friedman suggest is the only good news about the exile?

(see the answer keys)

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