Deck 2: The Rise of Christianity

Question 1

Why is the New Testament a problematic source for understanding the historical Jesus?

A) It is more concerned with the meaning of his ministry than fact
B) It is an objective biography of Jesus that omits important symbolism
C) The Gospels were not written until several centuries after Jesus' death
D) The Gospels are aimed exclusively at a Roman audience

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the growth of Christianity in the West?

A) Immediately popular among Jews only
B) State-supported from the start
C) Slow, uncertain, and subject to persecution
D) Driven by violence

Answer 2

C

Question 3

_________ is the term for a divinely appointed savior in the Jewish tradition.

Answer 3

Messiah

Question 4

Which of the following Jewish sects refers to spiritual reformers who sought mystical union with the divine?

A) Pharisees
B) Sadducees
C) Zealots
D) Essenes

Question 5

How did the Roman religion typically treat other polytheisms?

A) It rejected them as enemy religions
B) It accommodated and incorporated them
C) It replaced its own deities with new ones
D) It paid no attention to them

Question 6

Which of the following are properties of mystery religions? (Select all that apply)

A) A priesthood that held spiritual power
B) Veneration of the Lares
C) State-based rituals
D) Belief in sacred and eternal mysteries

Question 7

__________ was the individual primarily responsible for spreading Christianity widely and highlighting its distinction from Judaism.

Question 8

Which of the following contributed to Roman persecution of Christians? (Select all that apply)

A) Christian belief in a god other than those the Romans worshipped
B) Christian tendencies to worship privately
C) Christian refusal to serve in the Roman army
D) Christian denunciation of state gods

Question 9

__________ was the emperor who inflicted the worst persecution on Christians.

Question 10

__________ means a system of rational thought that elucidates divine mysteries, serving as the cornerstone of religion.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes the state of early Christianity around the age of persecutions?

A) A clear, central authority that dictated doctrine
B) A series of authorities that all agreed on doctrine
C) A single community that misinterpreted Jesus' teachings
D) A fractured series of communities that struggled to define doctrine

Question 12

Which heresies threatened the doctrinal unity of early Christianity? (Select all that apply)

A) Catharism
B) Donatism
C) Gnosticism
D) Arianism

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a contribution Constantine made to the growth of Christianity in the fourth century?

A) Requiring all Roman citizens to convert to Christianity
B) Building basilicas like St Peter's
C) Legally ending imperial persecution
D) Educating and providing resources for priests

Question 14

What purpose did the Nicene Creed serve?

A) It placed the emperor in charge of the Christian Church
B) It established a precedent of flexibility regarding Christian doctrine
C) It laid out a formal declaration of orthodox Christian beliefs
D) It reconciled Arian and orthodox Christian beliefs

Question 15

What event of 391 CE decisively cleared a path for Christianity's growth?

A) Theodosius declared Christianity the official religion of the empire
B) Theodosius declared Christianity one of the official religions of the empire
C) Constantine converted to Christianity
D) Constantine passed the Edict of Milan

Question 16

What is true about the church councils called before 450 CE?

A) They are geographically centered around Rome
B) They are geographically diverse, from Western Europe to the Near East
C) They all occur in Western Europe
D) They all occur in the Near East

Question 17

What figures does this painting depict?

A) Saints martyred by Diocletian
B) Emperors who supported Christianity
C) The leaders of heresies
D) The Latin Doctors

Question 18

___________ refers to St Jerome's translation of the Bible into Latin.

Question 19

What philosophy inspired St Augustine to focus on the difference between the material and spiritual worlds?

A) Manichaeism
B) Neo-Platonism
C) Donatism
D) Aristotelianism

Question 20

The sack of __________ heralded the end of the world for many fifth-century people.