X: The subject I would like to look further into is the Torah or more specifically the story of Moses. This would be across all books that tell his story rather than limiting myself to any specific book as they would be an incomplete section of a larger story. The subject within the Torah I would like to explore is God’s characteristics as a deity. There is often the pointed-out difference between God in the Torah and God as depicted in later Christian texts. The two almost seem to be entirely different Gods based on their temperament toward humans and even those they claim as their people. The God of the Torah has many violent tendencies, not only toward enemies of his people but on many occasions toward his own people. He is often known for smiting and punishing those who have done wrong and constantly reminds the Israelites of his power to perform such violence. The later Christian depiction of God in comparison is far more forgiving and known less for his violent deeds on humanity. He is often considered a symbol of peace even when religion can be taken to extremes.

Y: The question about this subject is “How was the early depiction of God in the Torah influenced by characteristics of Gods from other neighboring religions, especially those of Egypt, in the transition from polytheism to monotheism.

Z: This would help to explain the wide range of characteristics God takes on throughout the Bible as a whole and show the progression of his traits. This question would help to show the transition from Gods with more human-like qualities and faults to the often angelic or heavenly depictions that are present in modern day. This would over course be looking at religion in a strictly literary sense and not taking into account the beliefs behind such texts.

Work Cited

Coogan, Michael David, et al., editors. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Fifth ed., Oxford University Press, 2018.