Sources for Western Society: Printed Page 35
What are some differences or similarities between the Mesopotamian (Document 1-1), Hebrew (Document 2-2), and Zoroastrian (Document 2-6) explanations for creation? How do the tones of each document compare?
What, if any, differences can you find between man as created by God in Genesis (Document 2-1) and man as commanded by God in Exodus and Deuteronomy (Document 2-2)? What kind of God is the God in each document?
How do the “Hymn to Aton” (Document 1-6) and the Hebrew Law (Document 2-2) compare in their attitudes toward foreign peoples?
How could the Hebrew Law (Document 2-2) be used to explain the Hebrews’ deliverance from the Assyrians (Document 2-3)? How could it explain Cyrus’s restoration of Jerusalem to the Hebrews (Document 2-4)?
On what points do the two documents on Cyrus agree? What do their differences suggest about the differences between the Hebrew and Persian peoples (Documents 2-4 and 2-5)?