World Religions Fall 2001 Quiz #2 makeup 10/11/01Name:______________________

Respond to the following essay questions. Be succinct -- information is much more important than volume. This is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, Oct. 18.

In the first part of the premier volume of the Mishna, we read, "Build a fence around the Torah (Law)." What does this quotation mean? What is the Mishna and when was it written? Which of the sects of Judaism present in the first century CE does it represent? Give an example of a problem it seeks to resolve and how it goes about dealing with it.

What are the roles of women in the various branches of modern Judaism? How do the different branches differ in that regard? How were women presented in traditional Judaism, especially the Mishna and Talmud? Give specific examples.

How did the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC impact the development of Judaism? Why do many scholars say that Judaism as we know it had its origins in the period immediately following that (the Babylonian Captivity and the Restoration)? How was the Judaism that emerged from this period different from Ancient Israelite Religion that preceded it?