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