Christianity Review Questions

Which group brought the Byzantine Empire to an end?

Ottoman Turks

During what Jewish feast was Jesus executed?

Passover

The Christian celebration of Easter was once associated with which Jewish festival?

Passover

What is the chief religious leader in Eastern Orthodox churches called?

Patriarch

From what group did the Protestant movement arise?

Roman Catholic

What is the monastic rule used by western Christendom?

Rule of Benedict

According to the gospels, what aspect of Jewish religion did Jesus not criticize?

circumcision

What aspect of Jewish religion was not borrowed by Christians?

circumcision

What element was NOT a key in the early church's ability to create and maintain unity?

confessional

What does the word "catholic" mean?

universal

What is another name for the "Eastern Orthodox" or "Eastern Rite" church?

Byzantine

Who was the major theologian of early Protestantism?

Calvin

What is the age of Charlemagne the Great called?

Carolingian

The two major divisions within Christianity are:

Catholic and Orthodox

What is the distinctive belief of the Monophysites?

Christ had one nature, the divine

What belief did the Chalcedon Definition of Faith maintain?

Christ with two natures: fully human and divine

What does the term "chi-rho" identify?

Christian symbol popularized by Constantine

What are native Egyptian Christian churches called?

Coptic

Early Christians claimed Jesus was the son of what prominent character in the Hebrew Bible?

David

What is the dominant Christian view of God called?

trinitarianism

When was the abbreviation BC first used in dating schemes?

1600s

Stories of Jesus's exploits as a boy are found primarily in what writings?

2nd and 3rd century "infancy" gospels

In what period did the Roman Empire become Christian?

300s CE

How many sacraments does the Roman Catholic Church affirm?

7

Which early Protestant group rejected church/state ties?

Anabaptist

Henry VIII was responsible for the founding of what church?

Anglican

What church attempted to create a "middle way" between Catholicism and the main churches of the Protestant reform?

Anglican

Most of Catholic theology in the last 700 years has been heavily influenced by:

Aquinas

Who is considered the most influential theologian of Scholasticism?

Aquinas

Who wrote the Summa Theologica?

Aquinas

What was the main "heretical" belief in the western church?

Arianism

Which early Christian theologian is responsible for the developed belief in original sin?

Augustine

What is the largest Protestant group in the United States?

Baptist

Where was Jesus born according to early Christian tradition?

Bethlehem

Who opposed the use of the term "Mother of God" for Mary?

Nestorians

What kind of church government and hierarchy is identified by the term "autocephalous"?

Eastern Orthodox

Which early bishop wrote a history of the church from the time of Jesus to the reign of Constantine?

Eusebius

What Germanic tribe helped Christianize western Europe?

Franks

What was the primary language of the eastern areas of the Roman Empire at the beginning of Christianity?

Greek

Who was primarily responsible for developing Palestine into the Christian "Holy Land"?

Helena

What was the term for the struggle between popes and monarchs over the control over ecclesiastical appointments?

Investiture Controversy

What period do the four gospels primarily cover?

Jesus's life as a religious reformer

Under what Christian emperor did the Eastern Roman Empire revive?

Justinian

What was the popular name of the most famous translation of the Bible in English (officially known as the "Authorized Version")

King James Version

Jerome's translation of the Bible (the Vulgate) was written in what language?

Latin

What do the letters INRI refer to?

Latin: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews

In early Christian debates, what was the "Son" often identified as?

Logos

What Protestant group became the state church of the Scandinavian countries?

Lutheran

Christians have generally accepted the "Old Testament." What early Christian leader rejected the Old Testament?

Marcion

Which Christian group rejected the use of the Hebrew Bible?

Marcionites

Which term is not a synonym for the Eucharist?

Matzah

What church did John Wesley found?

Methodist

Which Christian group below did not begin in North America?

Methodist

What area took over the leadership of Eastern Orthodoxy after Constantinople fell to the Muslims?

Moscow

What is the center of eastern Christian monasticism?

Mount Athos

What are the main parts of the distinctive Christian canon?

Paul's writings and the Gospels

What feast celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the first Christians?

Pentecost

The "Charismatic Movement" is related to which North American religion?

Pentecostal

What is the largest Protestant movement?

Pentecostal

For early Christians, what was their favorite part of the Hebrew Bible?

Prophets

The Apocrypha is a collection of books that appear in some Christian Bibles but are rejected by which group?

Protestants

What was the name of the Bible widely used by the earliest Christians?

Septuagint

The Catholics tried to check the force of early Protestantism at:

The Council of Trent

What "religious" war devastated Germany in the 1600s?

The Thirty Years' War

What is the term for an Eastern rite church in communion with the Roman Catholic church?

Uniate

Where does the Pope reside?

Vatican City

Twentieth-century catholic reform came out of:

Vatican II

What is a major practice during the season of Lent?

a 40 day fast

What is the Hagia Sophia?

a church in Istanbul

Who are the Anabaptists?

adult baptizers of the Protestant Reformation

What does the word "Christ" mean?

anointed

What was not one of the charges brought by pagans against the early Christian movement?

anti-slavery

What ideas dominated much of the religious speculation in Palestine during the lifetime of Jesus?

apocalyptic

When did Augustine write "The City of God"?

as the western Roman empire was collapsing

What is the primary rite of initiation into the Christian church?

baptism

The chief office in the early Christian church was

bishop

What two groups are linked by the doctrine of "apostolic succession"?

bishops to apostles

What are the elements usually used in the Christian Eucharist?

bread and wine

Which theological belief emphasized the rule of natural law?

deism

What was the primary emphasis of gnosticism?

dualism

Which term would the Arians not apply to the Logos?

eternal

To what does the term "Beatitudes" refer?

ethical teachings of Jesus

What does the word "pope" mean?

father

What do the letters "IHC" stand for?

first 3 letters in Latin word for Jesus

What is the symbol based on the acrostic IXTHUS (Jesus Christ, son of God, savior)?

fish

What was the theme of much of the writings of Augustine?

grace of God and original sin

What issue is most prominent in Luther's Ninety-Five Theses?

indulgences

From what group of people did Christianity originally draw for their saints?

martyrs

What was the bishop of the chief city of a Roman province called?

metropolitan

What does the word "medieval" mean?

middle

In efforts to reconstruct the "Historical Jesus," what elements of the stories in the gospels have been generally treated as unhistorical?

miracles

What traditional Christian belief was not challenged by Deism?

monotheism

What word best describes the movement of which the Methodists were a part?

pietism

The office of priest is rooted in what early church office?

presbyter

What type of church structure does the Reformed church promote?

presbyterian

What is the significance of the year 1054 CE?

schism between eastern and western Christianity

What term is used for the first three gospels?

synoptic

What is another name for "The Lord's Prayer"?

the "Our Father"

Who were the "magi"?

the "wise men" of the Christmas story

Over what part of Christianity is the pope the head?

the Latin West

What is the prominent message of Jesus in most of the gospels?

the kingdom of God

To what does the term "Holy Roman Empire" refer?

the medieval Christian empire in western Europe

What does the Feast of Epiphany celebrate in the western Christian church?

the visit of the magi

Where was Roman Catholicisim largely located prior to the 1500s?

western Europe

What was the main debate regarding baptism during the Protestant Reformation?

whether children should be baptized