multiple choice chs 1-8

Why did God instruct Moses to have every Israelite family sacrifice a lamb and paint their doorframes with its blood? a. So the angel of death would pass over those houses b. So that the Pharaoh would be afraid to send his soldiers to those houses for fear of infection c. To show the world how the Jews have suffered d. As a sacrificial offering to the pharaoh

A

Oral cultures tend to: a. Maintain verbal accuracy of stories b. Understand stories as changeable c. Produce accurate historical writings d. Have a high literacy rate

B

Pagan religions that required initiation were: a. Magic b. Mystery cults c. Auspices d. Illegal

B

The Christian mission was conducted primarily: a. Through public preaching to large numbers of people b. Person to person c. In revivals d. By distributing copies of the New Testament

B

The Jewish response to Antiochus Epiphanes' actions was: a. A silent protest b. The Maccabean revolt c. Disregard for his laws d. Acceptance of his regulations

B

The Marcionites believed Jesus came to save people from a. Sin b. The Jewish God c. Rome d. Paul

B

The sect of Judaism that wielded the most political power at the time of Jesus was the: a. Pharisees b. Sadducees c. Essenes d. Zealots

B

The spread of Greek culture and language is known as: a. Paganism b. Hellenization c. The Greco-Roman process d. Daimonia

B

The word "epistle" means: a. Biography b. Letter c. Conversation d. Right choice

B

What does the term "heresy" mean? a. Evil b. To choose c. To reject d. To agree with

B

What framework were ancient biographies often crafted within? a. Importance of events b. Chronological c. Relational d. Hierarchy of authorship

B

What is the style of writing called that leaves out punctuation, capitalization, paragraph divisions, sentence divisions, and spaces between words? a. Scriptio ad absurdum b. Scriptio continua c. Grammatica elimination d. Grammatica ad absurdum

B

Which of the following would an ancient reader of a biography not expect to find in the text? a. Miracles b. Character development c. Factual events d. Humor

B

Which traditional symbol is the Gospel author Mark associated with? a. The ox b. The lion c. The swan d. The eagle

B

"Diaspora" means: a. Palestine b. The spread of Greek culture c. Dispersion d. Law

C

"Synoptic" means: a. Three b. Gospel c. Seen together d. Editor

C

An alternative place of worship (to the Temple in Jerusalem) where Jews came together in the community to discuss the sacred traditions of the Torah was called a(n): a. Ashram b. Congregation c. Synagogue d. Church

C

How many original copies of books of the New Testament do we have? a. Three fragments b. One entire book and one fragment of another c. None d. All of them

C

In Mark, the Temple curtain rips: a. At Jesus' birth b. At Jesus' trial c. At Jesus' death d. At Jesus' resurrection

C

Which of the following was thought to be the most powerful of the gods? a. Genius b. Lares c. Daimonia d. Zeus

D

How did pagan literature of the first century refer to the events surrounding Jesus? a. As miraculous b. There were numerous references; however, they always depicted Jesus as a lunatic or fanatic. c. There weren't any references made to him. d. As another cult leader

C

In Rome, the priestly art of reading the entrails of sacrificed animals was called: a. Apocalypticism b. The contextual method c. Extispicy d. Circumcision

C

Missionary movements in the Greco-Roman world were advanced mostly by: a. The established religions b. Pagan cults c. Schools of philosophy d. Jewish sects

C

Redaction criticism is: a. A study of how an author changes his source b. A study of the end of times c. A criticism of historical constructions of Jesus d. A critical inquiry into the nature of miracles

A

State priesthoods in the Roman Empire were: a. Political appointments b. Nonexistent c. Appointed with the blessings of the Jewish high priest d. Not filled by people of Greek ancestry

A

"Torah" means: a. Guidance b. "Bible" in Greek c. Judaism d. Dispersion

A

According to Mark, the messiah must: a. Suffer and die b. Preach and baptize c. Become the high priest d. Take control of Israel

A

Although we cannot know for certain, many scholars believe Q probably did not contain: a. A Passion narrative b. A command to love your enemies c. The Lord's Prayer d. The Beatitudes

A

Ancient biographies were usually written for what main purpose? a. To give instruction on proper behavior b. To provide history lessons c. To record lineages d. To clarify current issues

A

Stoicism, Platonism, and Epicureanism all involved the exercise of: a. Reason b. The body c. Political power d. Magic

A

The "Four-Source Hypothesis" relies on the idea that: a. Mark was written first. b. Q was written first. c. There were four distinct sources that were employed in the writing of Mark. d. Scholars have recently discredited

A

The New Testament was written in what language? a. Greek b. Hebrew c. Aramaic d. Latin

A

The Pentateuch is: a. The first five books of the Bible b. The dispersion of Jews c. An early sect of Judaism d. A household god

A

The Roman Empire began as a(n): a. Small farming village b. Small fishing village c. Large metropolis within the Mediterranean Federation of States d. Aristocratic oligarchy

A

The emphasis placed on Jesus' death classifies the Gospels as: a. A subgenre of the genre of ancient Greco-Roman biography b. A unique genre c. A subclass of Ming Dynasty literature d. A phylum

A

By what means have early Christian truth claims been handed down from one generation to the next? a. Orally b. Written texts c. Lifestyles d. All of the above

D

New Testament manuscripts do not: a. Contain many mistakes b. Have many centuries separating the events written about and the events themselves c. Have any inaccuracies d. Show a lack of passion for their topics

D

The Gospel of Mark begins with: a. John the Baptist's birth b. Jesus' birth c. The angel Gabriel appearing to Mary d. Jesus' baptism by John

D

What genre do the Gospels most closely fit? a. Apocalyptic literature b. Greco-Roman autobiography c. Short story d. Greco-Roman biography

D

What is the earliest surviving manuscript of the New Testament to date? a. The entirety of Revelation b. A fragment of the Gospel of Mark c. The last five chapters of 1 Peter d. A fragment of the Gospel of John

D

What is the name of the academic discipline devoted to the study of ancient manuscripts to determine the most likely earliest readings? a. Historical criticism b. Redaction criticism c. Literary criticism d. Textual criticism

D

Who was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies? a. Essenes b. Josephus c. Jesus d. The high priest

D

All of the following figures recognize Jesus in Mark except: a. The demons b. John the Baptist c. The Gentile soldier at the cross d. The reader of the Gospel

B

Both Matthew and Luke used _____________ as a literary source. a. John b. Peter c. Jesus d. Mark

D

Which early Christian group believed in two Gods: the just God of the Old Testament and the merciful God of Jesus? a. Gnostics b. Proto-orthodox Christians c. Jewish-Christian adoptionists d. Marcionites

D

What does the term "gnosis" mean? a. Knowledge b. Salvation c. Savior d. Choice

A

What is the term for a category of literature in which texts share a range of conventions? a. A genre b. Prose c. An editorial d. A collective

A

What ritual was necessary for new converts to Christianity to undergo? a. Baptism b. Circumcision c. Spiritual cleansing d. Confession

A

When Jesus is baptized, the Spirit of God descends on him in the shape of: a. A dove b. Flames c. Angels d. A sunbeam

A

Which of the following represents an intentional scribal error? a. Changing the text to fit doctrine b. Misspelling words c. Repeating words, verses, or pages d. Skipping words, verses, or pages

A

Who assembled all the miracle stories dispersed throughout Mark into one large collection? a. Matthew b. Luke c. John d. Thomas

A

Who created the verse divisions that we have today? a. Robert Stephanus b. Thucydides c. Steven Langton d. Valentinus

A

Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls so valuable? a. Because they are nearly a thousand years older than the oldest copies of the Hebrew Scriptures that we previously had b. Because they constitute proof that the other Scriptures are inauthentic c. Because they discredit the idea that Jesus was the messiah d. Because they were written on platinum

A

At Jesus' trial in Mark, the Sanhedrin charges him with: a. Theft b. Blasphemy c. Being empowered by Satan d. Not observing Sabbath laws

B

At the end of what century did Christians begin to call Jesus' words Scripture? a. The first century B.C.E. b. The first century C.E. c. The second century C.E. d. The fifth century C.E.

B

Biographies written by Christians put a significant amount of emphasis on what event in Jesus' life, which was very unusual for ancient biographies? a. His birth b. His death c. His childhood d. His ministry

B

Did the authors of the Gospels claim to be eyewitnesses to the events that they narrated? a. Yes b. No c. Some did, some didn't d. No one knows

B

One of the most popular pagan authors of the second century, Plutarch, wrote fifty biographies of prominent Greek and Roman men. His main aim in these accounts was to: a. Accurately record the events in their lives b. Reveal their characters c. Damage their reputations d. Entertain

B

Polytheism is the: a. Worship of one god b. Worship of nature c. Worship of many gods d. Worship of the emperor

C

The most popular scholarly resolution to the Synoptic Problem is: a. Markan priority b. Q c. The Four-Source Hypothesis d. Redaction criticism

C

When Mark and Matthew tell the same story, Mark's story is: a. Less detailed b. Shorter c. Longer d. Closer to the facts

C

Which of the following groups thought it was blasphemy to call Jesus God? a. Marcionites b. Gnostics c. Jewish-Christian adoptionists d. Proto-orthodox Christians

C

The Maccabean revolt began around the year: a. 167 B.C.E. b. 167 C.E. c. 586 B.C.E. d. 721 B.C.E.

A

In the story of Jesus in the last minutes before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43-44), the account of his "sweating blood" while contemplating his imminent suffering is most likely: a. An original part of the Gospel of Luke b. An original part of the Gospel of Mark that was later inserted into the Gospel of Luke by the author of Luke c. Not an original part of any Gospel d. An insertion from a letter of Paul.

C

In what year did Athanasius name the current twenty-seven books of the New Testament as authoritative? a. 150 C.E. b. 288 C.E. c. 367 C.E. d. 432 C.E.

C

Which was probably the first book of the New Testament to be written? a. Matthew b. Romans c. First Thessalonians d. Mark

C

Why, in the Gospel of John, does Pontius Pilate have to conduct the trial of Jesus through lengthy conversations between the prosecution and the defendant? a. Because they speak different languages b. Because Jesus refuses to be in the same room with the prosecutor c. Because the Jewish leaders refuse to go into Pilate's residence, so they send Jesus in alone, leaving Pilate to go back and forth between them d. Because Pilate refuses to let the Jewish leaders into his residence

C

The Gospel of Mark was probably written around: a. 35-40 C.E. b. 45-50 C.E. c. 55-60 C.E. d. 65-70 C.E.

D

The phrase "Jesus' Passion" refers to: a. Jesus' birth b. Jesus' violent actions in the Temple c. Jesus' love for humanity d. Jesus' suffering

D

The term "canon" means: a. Orthodox b. Heretical c. Authoritative d. Ruler

D

How did the ancient Jews feel about keeping the Law embodied in the Torah? a. They considered it a great joy. b. They considered it harsh and difficult. c. They considered it complicated and confusing. d. They considered it so onerous that few of them actually tried.

A

Most copies of New Testament manuscripts come from what time period? a. The Middle Ages b. The Age of Enlightenment c. The Golden Age d. The Bronze Age

A

Identify one discrepancy in the Gospel accounts of Jesus' crucifixion. a. The account in Luke has it occurring at midnight, while Matthew's takes place at 10:00 a.m. b. The account in Mark has it occurring at 9:00 a.m., while John's takes place after noon. c. The account in Mark details Jesus' spirit leaving his body before the crucifixion, while John's details his suffering on the cross. d. The account in Mark describes Jesus' position on the cross as being upside-down, while in John's it is right-side-up.

B

If genre criticism uncovers the same points uncovered by redaction criticism, then why use the redactional approach? a. To compare the two texts in an attempt to find any differences in the points made b. Editorial activity provides more empirical evidence for the aim of the text. c. To show that the Gospels stand up to any method of scrutiny d. As a means of interpretation

B

In first-century apocalyptic Judaism, the term "Son of Man" referred to: a. God's son b. A cosmic figure c. The king d. The high priest

B

John, the forerunner of Jesus, proclaims forgiveness of sins and performs: a. Circumcisions b. Baptisms c. Weddings d. Miracles

B

Most scholars believe that Q contains mostly: a. Jesus' birth narrative b. Jesus' sayings c. Jesus' death narrative d. Stories of Jesus' resurrection appearances

B

Name one of the people Plutarch wrote about. a. Constantine b. Alexander the Great c. John the Baptist d. Caesar Augustus

B

Scholars estimate literacy in antiquity to have been: a. 1-5 percent. b. 10-15 percent c. 20-25 percent d. 40-45 percent

B

Scholars think Jesus died around: a. 30 B.C.E. b. 30 C.E. c. 50 C.E. d. 70 C.E.

B