THEO 132 Unit 1 Quiz
Zealots
A nationalistic anti-Roman party of Jews.
ark of the covenant
A sacred chest that housed the tablets of the Ten Commandments. It was placed within the sanctuary where God would come and dwell. Housed in Solomon's temple.
Herod the Great
A wicked, ambitious king, who took over the government of Palestine with the support of the Romans. He was an Edomite, but he portrayed himself as a Jew returned from exile. He ordered the killing of all newborn male children in an effort to slay the Messiah.
English
After 400 CE, the NT was able to be translated from Greek to __________.
Hasmonean dynasty
Descendants of the Maccabees who ruled in Judea after the ousting of the last of the Syrians in 141 BC until the establishment of Roman authority in 63 BC.
monotheism; different sects with different beliefs. must know most important qualities that united Jews and how they come through in the NT. also need to know differences in order to see through possible biases against groups. need to understand that Jews all had different beliefs, like on Jesus's messiahship and also on Roman occupation. They were a large group with many members and understanding their diversity can also help us understand christianity
Give an example of unity and diversity in Judaism. Explain why that is important for understanding the NT?
Hades
God of the underworld
Dionysus
God of wine and fertility; has many parallels to Jesus
Seleucus
Greek general under Alexander the Great who took most of the old Persian Empire, which became known as the Seleucid kingdom.
Asclepius
Greek god of healing
Epicurus
Greek philosopher who believed that the world is a random combination of atoms and that pleasure is the highest good (341-270 BC)
Socrates
Greek philosopher; socratic method--questioning; sentenced to death for corrupting Athens youth
Septuagint
Greek translation of the Old Testament
Hellenistic
Greek-like; heavily influenced by Greek ideas; period after Alexander's death where Greek language, ideas, and customs spread throughout the world
difficult
It is _________(easy/difficult) to separate the three worlds that the NT was produced in.
genre
It is important to know what _______ of literature you are reading in the Bible. Then, you can understand how to better receive it.
common
It was __________(common/rare) to be called Messiah in ancient Jewish times.
False
T/F: We can blame Church leaders from the past for what was canonized. It was all their decisions when it was decided what texts would be put in the Bible.
True
T/F: Yahweh (the only Jewish God) is a "jealous" God who demands allegiance.
False
T/F: it was easy to get translations of the Bible in other languages, like English, to begin
gospel
The "Good News," the story of the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the inauguration of God's Kingdom.
Alexander the Great
The fact that the NT is written in Greek can be explained by what person?
Pharisees
To the Gospel writers, the _____________ and their associates the scribes are "blind guides" who perversely reject Jesus's message and thereby doom their people to divine punishment.
theodicy
the theological question that tries to connect belief in God's justice with the reality that sometimes good people suffer unjustly and die
canon
things that were accepted and included in Scripture; a measuring stick for our beliefs
Ptolemy I
was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and then took the title of pharaoh, he made Alexandria the center of knowledge of the ancient world by building the Great Library of Alexandria
Palestine
where the Jewish world of Jesus and his first disciples was centered; an area at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea now party occupied by Israel
Son of God, Savior, Gospel; they were words from Roman government propaganda, which was showing mockery
What terms that we use to refer to Jesus are controversial? Why were they?
Maccabean Revolt; Jewish War with Rome; to know if authors were being politically biased or not, or if Jesus's life was political
What two wars surrounded Jesus's life? Why is this important?
apocrypha
What type of literature is the book of Revelation?
monotheistic, followed Torah, worshipped at Temple
What were the three points of unity in Judaism?
30 CE
When did Jesus die?
45-60 CE; 1st Thessalonians
When did Paul write his letters? Which letter was it?
70 CE
When did the Romans destroy the Jewish temple?
ask
When reading the Bible, if we cannot understand a reference we must _____ about it to understand.
4 BCE
When was Jesus born?
69 CE
When was the Gospel of Mark written?
45-100 CE
When was the NT written?
800 BCE
When was the OT written?
Qumran
Where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found
Sadducees
Which Jewish sect believed that power was rooted in the Temple/priestly class?
Sadducees
Which Jewish sect did not believe in the resurrection or afterlife, which was in line with ancient Jewish beliefs?
Pharisees
Which Jewish sect had an unfair depiction in the NT because they were doing the same things as Jesus (reinterpreting the Jewish law)?
Sadducees
Which Jewish sect was conservative and traditional? Stuck to a literal interpretation of the written law?
Mark 16
Which gospel passage includes different endings regarding Jesus's resurrection? This passage causes us to ask how we can trust the Bible if there are different endings?
Paul
Who brought up a point of contention between two Jewish groups and was able to get out of a sticky situation?
Rome
Who ruled the Promised Land during Jesus' lifetime?
Alexander the Great
Who succeeded in subduing virtually all of the known world?
Thomas
Who wrote "the 5th Gospel"
Alexander the Great
Whose conquests united Greeks and Jews?
Paul
Whose letters are the earliest NT texts that we have?
people did not think the first one was good enough; How can we trust Scripture or accept what authors meant if people are allowed to make changes they want?
Why are there alternate endings to the Gospel of Mark? What question does this raise?
we need to be aware of diversity in Judaism, and we can relate it to Christianity
Why is it important to know of different Jewish groups from many years ago, depicted in the NT?
the NT was a product of its time and we have to know that maybe they understood divinity in ways different than us. Jesus existed and did great things but maybe the accounts of his life were not 100% historically accurate
Why is it important to see parallels between Jesus and Dionysus?
the things that he was doing were for the poor, which challenged Roman political (pyramid) and social structures
Why was the Roman government so angry with Jesus's mission?
Mishnah
Written down in about AD 200; contains collected teachings of the rabbis of the preceding four centuries; along with the Talmud, is the most important text of the oral Torah.
huge
________(Small/huge) gap between the time of Jesus's life and the time that Bible stories are written down.
apocalyptic literature
a body of Hellenistic-Jewish writings produced between 300 BCE and 200 CE; want to reveal spiritual realities hidden from ordinary eyes
Hebrew Bible
a collection of Jewish sacred writings originally written in the Hebrew language (although some later books are in Aramaic); known to Christians as the OT. The Hebrew Bible is traditionally divided into three main parts: Torah or Law, Prophets, and the Writings.
manuscript
a handwritten or typed piece of writing, such as a book
Sabbath
a holy day for rest and worship
Pharisees
a member of an ancient Jewish sect, distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity.
Shema
a prayer from the Book of Deuteronomy reminding the Jewish people to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength
Gemara
a rabbinical commentary on the Mishnah, forming the second part of the Talmud.
Caesar
an ancient Roman emperor
Israel
an ancient kingdom of the Hebrew tribes at the southeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea
Marcion
an early Gnostic Christian who attempted to establish a Christian Scripture distinct from the Hebrew Bible, which he rejected. only contained Luke's Gospel and Pauline letters.
Cynicism
an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest; skepticism.
heresy
an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred
monotheism
belief in one God; Jews believed in this, and it was rare in ancient times
apocrypha
body of Jewish religious writings dating from about 200 BCE to 100 CE that were included in Greek editions of the Hebrew Bible but not in the official Hebrew Bible canon. means hidden
orthodoxy
correct opinion; holding beliefs or doctrine established by religious or political authority
Samaritans
distinctive Jewish group; often seen as aliens; one of their people made a hero in NT story
scriptures
documents that groups consider sacred and authoritative
John
earliest surviving manuscript is a tiny piece of what gospel?
testament
either of the two main parts of the Christian Bible; or Latin word for "covenant"
Abraham
founder of the Hebrew nation. supreme example of obedience to Yahweh
Moses
great Hebrew lawgiver, religious reformer, founder of the Israelite nation, central figure of the Pentateuch
Caiaphas
high priest of Jerusalem at time of Titus's rule
Mosaic Covenant
in the Hebrew Bible, the pact between Yahweh and Israel mediated by Moses. Yahweh's support of Israel dependent on their obedience to his will
Gamaliel
leading Pharisee who was Paul's teacher
philosophy
love of wisdom
Alexandria, Egypt
major port city and cultural center founded by Alexander on the Egyptian coast. the home of a large Jewish colony during the Hellenistic period; nourished fusion of Jewish and Greek ideas
codex
manuscript book of ancient biblical text, pioneered by Christians to replace scrolls
Paul
most influential apostle and missionary of the mid first century church and author of 7 or 9 letters
King James
most popular translation of the English Bible
bar Kobcha
name meaning "son of the star" that his supporters applied to the leader of the second Jewish revolt against Rome
evangelist
one who proclaims in word and deed the Good News of Jesus Christ. the writer of a gospel
David
popular king of Israel; model of God's rule on earth, was prototype of divinely appointed monarch whom prophets saw as heir of this leader's throne
Davidic Covenant
promise Yahweh made to King David that his heirs will be on Israel's throne forever
Titus
son and successor of Vespasian and became emperor of Rome
Tiberius
son-in-law of Augustus who became a suspicious tyrannical Emperor of Rome after a brilliant military career (42 BC to AD 37)
eschatology
study of the last things
Antiochus
syrian ruler forced jews to adopt greek customs and ideas of greek gods
discernment
the Bible involved hundreds of years of group _____________
Masoretic Text
the Hebrew text of the Jewish Scriptures established by the Masoretes from medieval times. Reliable.
synagogue
the building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction. It was more local because not everyone could make it to the temple.
koine
the common Greek in which the NT is written; everyday language of Hellenistic world
Diaspora
the dispersion of the Jews outside Israel
True
T/F: Because of the time gap, we often question the accuracy of the Gospels.
Promised Land
Canaan, the land promised to the Hebrews by God
Jesus
Central figure in Christianity and the NT
Nero
First Roman emperor to persecute Christians
Gospels, Letters, Acts, Revelation (apocrypha)
Four sections of the New Testament?
Codex Vaticanus
Fourth-century codex of the Bible housed in the Vatican. It is one of the most reliable manuscripts for books of the New Testament. However, books at both the beginning and the end of the Bible are missing from this codex.
True
T/F: It is very hard for many Christians to critique the Bible, but it is an important skill to have.
False
T/F: Jews believed that Jesus fulfilled their Messiah prophecy correctly.
True
T/F: The Roman people tended to worship the emperor as if he were a god.
True
T/F: The synagogue is arguably more important than the temple.
True
T/F: There were Jewish uprisings against Rome.
Codex Sinaiticus
A fourth-century Alexandrian codex that contains the entire New Testament and most of the Old Testament.
Muratorian Canon
A fragmentary document listing books of the New Testament that its author regarded as canonical
Gnosticism
A group of heretical religious movements that claimed salvation comes from secret knowledge available only to the elite initiated in that religion
Plato
(430-347 BCE) Was a disciple of Socrates whose cornerstone of thought was his theory of Forms, in which there was another world of perfection.
Augustus
(63 BCE - 14 CE) First emperor of Rome (27 BCE - 14 CE) He restored order and prosperity to the Empire after nearly a century of turmoil. Grandnephew to Julius Caesar.
Dead Sea Scrolls
(Old Testament) a collection of written scrolls (containing nearly all of the Old Testament) found in a cave near the Dead Sea in the late 1940s
Solomon
(Old Testament) son of David and king of Israel noted for his wisdom (10th century BC)
Judah
(Old Testament) the fourth son of Jacob who was forebear of one of the tribes of Israel
Essenes
A group of pious, ultraconservative Jews who left the Temple of Jerusalem and began a community by the Dead Sea, known as Qumran.
rabbi
A highly respected teacher of Jewish law or theology
apostles
12 men Jesus had chosen to help Him in his teaching
Pentateuch
A Greek word meaning "five books," referring to the first five books of the Old Testament.
Torah
A Hebrew word meaning "law," referring to the first five books of the Old Testament.
Sadducees
A Jewish sect at the time of Jesus known for its strong commitment to the Temple in Jerusalem.
Sadducees
A Jewish sect at the time of Jesus known for its strong commitment to the Temple in Jerusalem. conservative, rejected prophets and writings and only respected Torah.
Last Supper
A Passover meal which literally became the last meal taken by Christ with his apostles, the night before his Passion. Through this meal, Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood.
Sadducees; Pharisees
After the Temple's destruction in 70 CE, the _____________ disappear from history. The _____________, emphasizing education and progressive reinterpretation of Scripture, became the leaders in formulating post-70s Jerusalem.
Stoicism
An ancient Greek philosophy that became popular amongst many notable Romans. Emphasis on ethics. They considered destructive emotions to be the result of errors in judgment, and that a wise person would repress emotions, especially negative ones and that "virtue is sufficient for happiness." They were also concerned with the conflict between free will and determinism. They were also non-dualists and naturalists.
Academy of Jamnia
An assembly of eminent Palestinian rabbis and Pharisees held about 90 C.E. in the coastal village to define and guide Judaism following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple.
diverse
Ancient Judaism was very __________ and had different groups.
Fourth Gospel
Another name for the Gospel according to John
scrolls
At the time of Jesus, the Hebrew Bible existed only as a collection of separate ________
Torah; Septuagint
Because of Alexander, most Jewish people could not speak Hebrew or read the ________ anymore. So, it was translated into Greek and called the _____________.
polytheism
Belief in many gods; Greeks, Romans
Alexander the Great
Between 334 and 323 B.C.E. he conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East.
yes
Did the Jews ever question God when they were going through rough times, like being conquered and killed for their beliefs?
Vespasian
Emperor of Rome and founder of the Flavian dynasty who consolidated Roman rule in Germany and Britain and reformed the army and brought prosperity to the empire
Letters
Epistles; written from a person to area churches
Roman Empire
Existed from 27 BCE to about 400 CE. Conquered entire Mediterranean coast and most of Europe. Ruled by an emperor. Eventually oversaw the rise and spread of Christianity.
Yahweh
Hebrew name for God
kavod
Hebrew term for Yahweh's "glory" that was believed to be invisibly present in the Jerusalem Temple.
we have to have an element of faith in the process and tradition that gives us the Bible
How can we trust Scripture when things were copied many times and could have errors, and humans choose what is canon?
Babylon destroyed Jerusalem
How did David's line of kings end?
27
How many books are in the New Testament?
popularity and leaders' decisions
How was canon decided?
truth
In the Bible we have to grasp what _______ really means. Is it historical accuracy or something else bigger than that?
New; Old
In the _____ Testament, you will find influence and quotations from the _____ Testament.
80-100 CE
In what span were the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, and Revelation written?
yes; writers were writing to a political agenda, which may affect what we are allowed to think of as the truth. Not everything was factual because they wanted to persuade people of their opinions
Is the New Testament biased? How? Why is this important?
Vulgate
Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible to which Apocrypha was added and became official edition of Roman Catholicism
purity laws
Jewish codes of ritual cleansing as part of daily tasks. also dealt with clean and unclean animals
Flavius Josephus
Jewish general who led the revolt of the Jews against the Romans and then wrote a history of those events (37-100); first century
Judas Maccabeus
Jewish patriot who led the family responsible for spearheading the Maccabean revolt
Pharisees
Jewish sect that believed in the resurrection and afterlife, despite it being a new school of thought
Pharisees
Jewish sect that believed power was based in the synagogue. Gave more power to the people
Pharisees
Jewish sect that was more progressive. Had ongoing interpretation of the Torah and made laws relevant to everyday life.
Pharisees
Jewish sect that was opponent to early Christians
Torah
Jews strictly followed the _______, which is their Scripture.
temple; Jerusalem
Jews worshipped at their _______ located in __________.
Maccabees
Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, leaders of the Jewish revolt against Antiochus IV.
Zeus
King of the gods
Day of Atonement
Known as Yom Kippur, this is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. It is a day when Jews ask forgiveness for both communal and personal sins.
Great Persecution
Last official persecution of Christians, begun by Diocletian in 303 and ended by Constantine's Edict of Milan in 313
True
T/F: We ask many of the same questions about God's justice (where is He in tragedies, why are faithful believers punished) as the Jews did many years ago during the destruction of their Temple.
Revelation
Many churches in Alexandria and Antioch resisted accepting this NT book b/c it was thought to be written by someone other than John the Apostle.
Hasidim
Members of a mystical Jewish movement that emerged in eastern Europe in the eighteenth century which focuses on the love of and a personal relationship with God.
Acts of the Apostles
New Testament book that gives an account of events in the early Church
Gentiles
Non-Jewish people
200-300
Originals of the NT started to become copied in _____-_____ CE.
Mithras
Persian savior god who killed a celestial bull and was worshipped in mystery cults throughout Roman Empire; rival to early Christianity
Constantine I
Roman emperor who converted to Christianity and began period of state support for Christianity
gospels
Section of the NT that discusses stories about Jesus
Acts of the Apostles
Section of the NT that gives stories about the early church.
Revelation
Section of the NT that includes fantasy stories; is apocrypha
letters
Section of the NT that talks about specific communities and how they are functioning. Often written by Paul.
Ptolemaic Dynasty
Series of Greek rulers of ancient Egypt that began after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt
False
T/F: All Jews firmly resisted joining Hellenism.
language
The Greek _____________ was the most important part of the legacy of Alexander the Great that he left on the Jews.
pyramid
The Roman government was structured like a ____________, where the wealthy at the top had a lot and people towards the bottom had barely anything and made up the majority
Pontius Pilate
The Roman governor of Judea. Although he found Jesus guilty of nothing, he sentenced him to death by crucifixion.
Greek
The authors of the NT read the OT in ________.
minor
The belief in a Messiah to come conquer the Romans for the sake of the jews was a ________(major/minor) belief.
fantasy
The book of Revelation can be considered the genre of __________ or fairy tale.
Talmud
The collection of Jewish rabbinic discussion pertaining to law, ethics, and tradition consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara.
Matthias
The disciple chosen to replace Judas as one of the Twelve
125-150
The earliest piece of the NT we have is from _____-_____ CE.
diverse
The early Christian community was very __________(similar/diverse)
400
The first complete NT that we have is from around ______ CE.
Bible
The holy book of Christianity
Temple
The holy place in Jerusalem where Jewish people gathered to worship God
Hellenism
The influence and adoption of Greek language, thought, values, and customs that began with Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire
0-100
The original NT was written in ___-______ CE.
pseudonymity
The practice of writing under a fictitious name, evident in a large number of pagan, Jewish, and Christian writings from antiquity.
temple
To Jews, where did God's presence dwell?
Olympian religion
The religion based on a belief in the Olympian gods as they were described in the Homeric poems. Olympian religion tended to be favored by the privileged classes, whereas peasants, laborers, and slaves tended to favor the more mystical Dionysiac- Orphic religion. (See also Dionysiac-Orphic religion.)
violent
The royal figure Jews were waiting for was supposed to be a __________ king who would start a war against the enemy of the time.
Holy of Holies
The sanctuary inside the tabernacle in the Temple of Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept.
theology
The study of God
Passion
The suffering and death of Jesus
circumcision
The surgical removal of the male foreskin; it was the physical sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.
New Testament
The twenty-seven books of the Bible written in apostolic times, which have the life, teachings, Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ and the beginnings of the Church as their central theme.
gnosticism
What religious movement was Marcion partly influenced by?
invention of movable type and Protestant Reformation
Two historical events that ensured the Bible would have large reading public in English
yes
Was Jesus's life political?
manuscripts
We do not have the original copies of the New Testament. Instead, we have _______________.
Judaism and its Scriptures, Greek culture, Roman political power
What 3 worlds produced the New Testament?
they had differing opinions
What did the Jewish people think of Jesus's coming as Messiah?
to smear with oil; anointed one
What does Messiah mean?
Sadducees
What group acted as chief mediators between Jewish people and occupying Roman forces?
do not know if copies represent author's original work
What is a problem with having a large gap between time texts were originally written and our first actual copies of the NT?
Greek
What language was the New Testament written in?
Hebrew
What language was the Old Testament written in?
his birth and last few years of his life
What parts of Jesus's life are recorded in the Bible?
Socrates
What philosopher had many similarities to Jesus?
Christianity
What religion bases its most characteristic beliefs on the NT?
