Religions of the Middle East
Thursday 4/18/2002

1st Monotheist-
conservative=Akenaten
liberal=Moses

Gibionites-
-Israel makes treaty with them

Cities devoted to destruction
"under the Ban"
- Ban on taking loot for yourself
- destroy everything except gold, silver,
other valuables- goes to Yahweh's
treasury
- kill everything (ethnic cleansing)

Achan - takes loot in violation of the Ban
- God's reaction - Israel has sinned
- Achan and family stoned to death
- Israel punished through military defeat
when fighting Ai

Judges - military, political, and spiritual leaders who deliver:
Israel from their oppressors and rule
Israel is a loose confederation of tribes
Israel forgets God, worships other Gods
God sends foreign invaders to Israel
Israel cries for deliverance, repent
God sends a judge
The judge defeats the oppressors
Judge rules and dies
Israel forgets God once again

Samson
Nazarite vow (numbers 6)
no haircuts
no alcohol
no touching corpses

The woman of Timnah
Samson sees her and wants to marry her
Philistine City
part of God's plan to get Samson to fight
the Philistines
Bet on Samson riddle with Philistine
wedding guests= 30 changes of clothes
Samson betrayed by fiance'
Samson jilted by best man
Samson starts one man war against
philistines
Samson is captured, blinded and made a
spectacle in Temple of Dagon