Deck 6: The Transformation of Rome

Question 1

By 300 c.e. ,Christians accounted for no more than 10% of the population of the Roman Empire;this low percentage might be due to:

A)eastern mystery religions holding a much greater appeal for ordinary people.
B)the Manicheans who served in the army and persecuted Christians.
C)Diocletian's policy of persecuting any group deemed to be subversive.
D)the emperor converting to Zoroastrianism and outlawing all other religions.
E)the fact that Christianity only appealed to the wealthiest citizens in Rome.

Answer 1

Diocletian's policy of persecuting any group deemed to be subversive.

Question 2

As seen in the life of Perpetua,Christianity challenged the traditional Roman values of:

A)living a life of stoic virtue.
B)obedience to the Roman gods and one's ancestors.
C)independence and antiauthoritarian beliefs.
D)political and social equality for all.
E)hedonism.

Answer 2

obedience to the Roman gods and one's ancestors.

Question 3

Much of our understanding of Jesus comes from the writings of:

A)Muhammad.
B)Paul.
C)Simon.
D)Mary Magdalen.
E)Joseph.

Answer 3

Paul.

Question 4

Which statement best describes the position of the Sadducees in Palestine during the first century c.e.?

A)The Sadducees closely allied themselves with the Roman rulers of Judea.
B)The Sadducees rejected the authority of the Romans and refused their assistance in selecting new high priests for the Temple.
C)The Sadducees believed in life after death and a system of individual rewards and punishments.
D)The Sadducees were among the first and most enthusiastic converts to Christianity.
E)The Sadducees believed all Jewish people had the right to interpret the Torah.

Question 5

The crisis of the early third century was precipitated by:

A)the harmonious state of affairs created by the rule of the Five Good Emperors.
B)none of the Five Good Emperors having a male heir to whom to leave the throne.
C)the economic collapse of the Roman Empire in 180 c.e.caused by the death of Marcus Aurelius.
D)the retreat from the eastern frontier and violent tendencies of Hadrian's successor,Commodus.
E)the retreat from the eastern frontier and the violent tendencies of Marcus Aurelius's son,Commodus.

Question 6

According to historical interpretations,Jesus was crucified because he:

A)was convicted of sedition by a Roman governor.
B)desired to become a martyr for his faith.
C)was convicted of theft.
D)was mistaken for another man who was a criminal.
E)was convicted of preaching publicly against the laws of Judea.

Question 7

To early Christians,the Old Testament:

A)was superseded by the New Testament.
B)was a fraud.
C)was worthy of study but not authoritative.
D)superseded the New Testament.
E)was influenced too much by pagan beliefs.

Question 8

The "barracks emperors" were:

A)emperors who were originally prisoners of war.
B)emperors who had the backing of the military.
C)emperors who got their title through marriage.
D)emperors who fought numerous wars.
E)emperors who were at odds with the Senate.

Question 9

During the third century,Rome underwent a prolonged period that came very close to destroying the empire.This period is known as the time of:

A)the Pax Romana,when the Huns sacked Rome.
B)the quickening,when the bureaucratic changes came rapidly.
C)the Five Bad Emperors,when Rome had the worst emperors in its history.
D)the Augustan decay,when all the reforms of Marcus Aurelius were implemented.
E)the Barracks Emperors,when Rome had no fewer than twenty-six emperors in about fifty years.

Question 10

Many Greek philosophies gained large numbers of Roman adherents and shared several tenets,but the one that was instrumental in influencing Christian theology was:

A)Neoplatonism.
B)Skepticism.
C)Stoicism.
D)Epicureanism.
E)Pythagoreanism.

Question 11

In its very early years,Christianity appears to have been viewed by Roman officials with:

A)acceptance.
B)hatred.
C)indifference.
D)respect.
E)curiosity.

Question 12

Economic reforms introduced by the early fourth-century Roman Empire included:

A)a single paper currency that could be used throughout the empire.
B)legislation allowing agricultural and urban workers to change their jobs.
C)further cutbacks in military spending to meet the budget.
D)wage and price controls fixed by the government.
E)tax cuts for businesses and a rudimentary form of retirement pensions.

Question 13

Which statement best describes the position of the Pharisees in Palestine during the first century c.e.?

A)The Pharisees adopted the radical teachings of the Essenes.
B)The Pharisees rejected the authority of the Romans and denied them a voice in selecting new high priests for the Temple.
C)The Pharisees believed that they possessed special knowledge of an oral Torah told by Moses.
D)The Pharisees were among the first and most enthusiastic converts to Christianity.
E)The Pharisees rejected the possibility of an imminent arrival of the Messiah.

Question 14

The tetrarchy was the split of the Roman Empire into halves and the creation of:

A)a single Augustus who ruled the wealthy East and a caesar who ruled the West.
B)two augustuses who ruled the East and two caesars who ruled the West.
C)an augustus and a caesar in both the East and the West.
D)a single augustus who ruled the troublesome West and a caesar who ruled the East.
E)an augustus to rule the empire,with four caesars to rule the four quadrants of the empire.

Question 15

Marcion,an early Christian scholar,argued that:

A)Jesus was not of the same substance as God.
B)women should have leadership roles in the church.
C)Christianity's Jewish background could be ignored.
D)Christians worshipped a false idol.
E)Jesus posed a threat to Roman rule.

Question 16

Christianity was attractive to cosmopolitan Greeks because:

A)Jesus's teachings were similar to those of Aristotle.
B)many Greek people practiced Eastern mystery religions with which early Christianity shared characteristics.
C)many Greeks were Stoics,a philosophy that shared many characteristics with early Christianity.
D)the stories of Jesus's life were similar to those of the Trojan heroes.
E)it helped the Greeks reconcile themselves to rule by the Romans.

Question 17

When the emperor Commodus was assassinated in 192 c.e. ,civil war engulfed the Roman Empire,with _________ eventually claiming the throne.

A)Septimius Severus
B)Marcus Aurelius
C)Antonius Pius
D)Aramaic Emesa
E)Romulus Augustus

Question 18

In order to ensure that armies no longer had the power to choose emperors,Diocletian:

A)asked soldiers to swear oaths of loyalty directly to the emperor.
B)limited the size of the Roman Army.
C)passed laws stipulating that a commander of an army could never be named emperor.
D)severed military and political chains of command,making it more difficult for armies to influence politics.
E)ensured that emperors would always be elected by the Senate.

Question 19

The emperor Severus is known primarily for:

A)reorganizing the army.
B)abolishing the Senate.
C)allowing slaves to enter public service.
D)converting to Christianity.
E)the conquest of North Africa.

Question 20

The Dead Sea Scrolls have helped historians to understand the religious climate of the first century c.e.by:

A)describing Jewish life after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
B)providing concrete evidence about the life and ministry of Jesus.
C)demonstrating the diversity of Jewish religious practice and belief.
D)proving that most of the first century converts to Christianity were Jews.
E)describing the infighting between the various Jewish sects of the first century c.e.

Question 21

The roots of Rome's leadership of the Western Church partially lie in:

A)the imperial order of Constantine at the Council of Nicaea.
B)a passage from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew.
C)the Greek practice of nominating a patriarch to administer a city.
D)the general agreement among fourth-century bishops that one leader should speak for the Church.
E)the Roman Senate's promotion of the Bishop of Rome as the head of the Church.

Question 22

The traditional date for the "fall" of Rome is:

A)526 c.e. ,when Emperor Theodore died.
B)476 c.e. ,when Odovacer toppled Emperor Romulus Augustus.
C)410 c.e. ,when Alaric sacked the city of Rome.
D)312 c.e. ,when Constantine defeated Emperor Maxentius.
E)284 c.e. ,when Diocletian reorganized the empire.

Question 23

Once the Christian Church gained ascendancy in the Roman Empire,the highest authority in deciding doctrine was:

A)the Bishop of Rome,who was the pope.
B)the emperor,as a newly styled pontifex maximus of the Christian Church.
C)the Christian leader of Christianity's holiest city,the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
D)the leader of the church in Constantinople,the Patriarch of Constantinople.
E)the Christian believers.

Question 24

The Christian label for non-Christians is indicative of its _________ origin.

A)Roman
B)Jewish
C)rural
D)urban
E)Byzantine

Question 25

Under Diocletian,what city replaced Rome as the region's capital?

A)Trieste
B)Ravenna
C)Milan
D)Foggia
E)Venice

Question 26

Romans regarded the Germans as barbarians because:

A)Germans were nomads,who lacked settled agriculture.
B)Germans were foreigners,unknown to the Romans until the fourth century c.e.
C)German society was illiterate,and Germans did not live in cities.
D)Germans had no interest in trade,only in plunder.
E)Germans were warlike and cruel.

Question 27

By the end of the third century,the involvement of women in the Church had:

A)grown to the point that women occupied many of the new bishoprics created in the empire.
B)changed little from the early days of the Church,with women in a few positions of power.
C)changed little from the early days of the Church,but now women could become priests.
D)remained exactly the same,with women continuing as deacons and other positions of power.
E)shrunk to the point that they were completely excluded from all positions of power.

Question 28

Jerome's most lasting contribution to Western Christian culture was:

A)his translation of the Bible into Latin.
B)his support for monasticism.
C)his translations of Greek philosophical works.
D)his support for the authority of the pope.
E)the humble piety he brought to the papacy.

Question 29

Which philosophy,like Zoroastrianism,stressed an ongoing struggle between good and evil?

A)Mithraism
B)Skepticism
C)Epicureanism
D)Manichaeism
E)Stoicism

Question 30

Monasticism appealed to men who wanted to:

A)live an indulgent lifestyle.
B)engage in acts of physical bravery.
C)reject the world and its pleasures.
D)serve both the church and the empire.
E)convert large numbers of people to Christianity.

Question 31

Christianity went from being a persecuted faith in the early fourth century to being the recognized faith of the empire;this last step was the result of the action by the emperor:

A)Theodosius,who prohibited pagan worship.
B)Julian,who earned the title "Apostate" for his great piety.
C)Romulus Augustus,who dismantled the temple to Romana.
D)Theodoric,who destroyed the sacred altar to Victory.
E)Alaric,who persecuted pagans as they had persecuted Christians.

Question 32

What point was in dispute between the Arians and Christian orthodoxy?

A)Whether Jesus was of the same being and substance as God the Father
B)Whether human beings can earn a heavenly reward through good works
C)Whether communion bread and wine really change into Christ's body and blood
D)Whether Jesus died to save all human beings,Christian or not
E)Whether an individual needed to convert to Judaism before converting to Christianity

Question 33

What were the general results of the doctrinal quarrels of the early centuries?

A)Many new churches and sects were started,increasing public understanding.
B)Believers had to be either with the Church or against it on every issue.
C)Regional antagonisms were reduced as people concentrated on big questions.
D)The dogmas of the Christian Church gradually became fixed.
E)The Christian Church was irrevocably split between East and West by 300 c.e.

Question 34

After their defeat of Rome,the Goths split into many different groups and moved on to settle many areas in Europe;those who moved into the area of Spain and southern France were known as the:

A)Visigoths.
B)Vandals.
C)Ostrogoths.
D)Franks.
E)Burgundians.

Question 35

The Great Persecution took place during the reign of:

A)Diocletian.
B)Constantine.
C)Augustus.
D)Marcus Aurelius.
E)Commodus.

Question 36

The fourth-century interest in "orthodoxy" among Christian intellectuals arose from:

A)a belief that Christians could arrive at an absolute understanding of the world and everything in it.
B)an agreement among Christian bishops and leaders that there were core matters of faith that could be acknowledged.
C)a powerful Roman papacy that could finally enforce Christian orthodoxy.
D)a series of pagan emperors who persecuted Christians and attacked their theology and style of worship.
E)the need to show that Christianity could withstand the philosophical scrutiny of Greek and Roman traditions.

Question 37

The differences between the eastern and western parts of the Roman Empire:

A)in culture,economy,and language were great and grew larger over time.
B)became less significant as Constantine and his sons reunited the whole.
C)helped landowners use profits in the West to buy up small farms in the East.
D)did not matter when the capital was in the center,between Europe and Asia.
E)were only superficial and did not affect relations between the citizens of the empire.

Question 38

During the fifth century,

A)the western part of the empire declined in population and wealth.
B)the eastern part of the empire declined in population and wealth.
C)the empire was united by Attila the Hun.
D)the empire was united by a Gothic king.
E)Constantinople was destroyed by frequent invasions.

Question 39

Odovacar's removal of Romulus Augustus resulted in the Eastern Roman Empire:

A)asking Theodoric,a Goth,to lead an imperially equipped army against Odovacar.
B)doing nothing to try and depose Odovacar.
C)acknowledging Odoacer as the rightful ruler of the Western Roman Empire.
D)rescuing the pope and bringing him to Constantinople.
E)moving the capital of the Western Roman Empire to Paris.

Question 40

Before Constantine,Christianity:

A)had a single-faith tradition.
B)was a sect of Judaism.
C)had diffuse and unregulated faith traditions.
D)was not a missionizing faith.
E)was a sect of Zoroastrianism.

Question 41

Augustine's Confessions is a(n):

A)series of explanations of his actions throughout his life.
B)book detailing his actions as a young man and asking his mother for forgiveness.
C)account of Augustine's defense at his trial for heresy.
D)series of autobiographical essays directed toward God.
E)book that set forth the doctrines of the Church.

Question 42

Women played prominent roles in the early Christian Church.

Question 43

The Dead Sea Scrolls emphasize the homogeneity and strict observance of Jewish religious practice around the time of Jesus.

Question 44

Augustine is recognized as one of the greatest early fathers of Christianity and Christian thinkers of all time;he believed that what he did was to:

A)create simple rules for people to follow in order to emulate the life of Jesus.
B)establish broad guidelines within which people could find their own way to faith.
C)draw out the basic truths from the Bible so that people could understand the text.
D)defend the Church against pagan philosophers who tried to show the weaknesses of Christian thought.
E)establish a monastic order teaching that the way to salvation was to remove oneself from the world.

Question 45

Constantine made Christianity the sole religion of the empire in 316 c.e.

Question 46

An early account of Christ's life is attributed to Mary Magdalene.

Question 47

Pharisees believed in strictly observing the rules and requirements of the Jewish faith.

Question 48

One reason for including classical texts in the education of Christians by the fourth century was:

A)the failure of the Church to win new adherents once it had been legalized by the state.
B)the lack of any Christian texts that could allow converts to understand the Christian articles of faith.
C)the lack of any Christian texts on mathematics,ethics,or logic.
D)the desire of Christian intellectuals to be regarded as philosophers and to make classical learning applicable to a Christian way of life.
E)to show that classical pagan beliefs could easily be reconciled with Christian beliefs.

Question 49

The Zealots were a group of Jews who led revolts against the Romans in Judea.

Question 50

Byzantium was of little strategic import when Constantine moved his capital there in 324 c.e.

Question 51

Diocletian took the unusual step of allowing the empire to be governed by four men.

Question 52

The monastic way of life in the West was influenced greatly by establishing a set of rules written by:

A)Basil.
B)Benedict.
C)Boethius.
D)Cassiodorus.
E)Augustine.

Question 53

Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy is a(n):

A)thoroughly non-Christian text that was banned by the early Church.
B)excellent example of the pairing of classical philosophy and the Christian worldview.
C)mystical Christian text of revelation.
D)account of Boethius's conversion to Christianity.
E)account of Boethius's trial for treason.

Question 54

Paul of Tarsus was a contemporary and close follower of Jesus.

Question 55

Under the influence of Cassiodorus,monasteries became:

A)primitive hospitals which treated the sick and dying.
B)fortresses which were often attacked in times of war.
C)repositories of knowledge and ancient texts.
D)the only schools available to women.
E)training grounds for military leaders.

Question 56

Ambrose argued that the Roman emperor was:

A)above the Church.
B)an enemy of the Church.
C)outside the Church.
D)a defender of the Church.
E)within the Church.

Question 57

Benedict's monastic rule differed from Basil's rule because it:

A)required monks to live in communities,not as isolated hermits.
B)required sexual chastity of all monks except the abbot.
C)emphasized the value of work.
D)was less austere and more moderate in its demands for monastic life.
E)mandated that all monasteries be economically self-sufficient.

Question 58

Historians now refer to the period from 284 to 610 c.e.as Late Antiquity because:

A)while the western half of the empire had fallen,the eastern Roman Empire was still flourishing.
B)it is a period with its own themes and developments,not wholly Roman and not yet medieval.
C)all Roman institutions had been abandoned or destroyed.
D)the term Dark Ages refers only to the literature of the period contrasted with classical literature.
E)while the eastern part of the empire had fallen,the Western Roman Empire was still flourishing.

Question 59

Augustine's theological ideas revolved around:

A)the proper powers of rulers in a Christian empire.
B)human sinfulness and divine omnipotence.
C)the sacramental powers of the Church.
D)the fall of Rome.
E)childlike innocence when approaching the divine.

Question 60

In 305 c.e.Diocletian retired to Croatia to raise cabbages.

Question 61

To what extent were the Germanic peoples of early medieval Europe Romanized?

Question 62

Jerome's longest lasting contribution to Western society was his Vulgate translation of the Bible.

Question 63

How was Christianity transformed during the reign of Constantine?

Question 64

Explain to what extent the actions and teachings of Jesus were revolutionary.

Question 65

What was the role of Paul of Tarsus in shaping early Christianity?

Question 66

Constantinople remained the political and economic center of the Roman Empire until 476 c.e. ,when it fell to the Goths.

Question 67

Explain the implications of the Council of Nicaea.

Question 68

Constantine seemed to envision a united Rome after his death as he gave the empire as a whole to his eldest son,disinheriting the younger two in order to prevent civil war.

Question 69

Was the division between the eastern and western empires only geographic? Explain.

Question 70

Augustine believed all Christians would be saved by Jesus' sacrifice.

Question 71

The Goths revolted in 378 c.e.due to Roman interference in the Frankish Church.

Question 72

How did monasticism change in Late Antiquity?

Question 73

In what ways did Diocletian attempt to revitalize Rome?

Question 74

To what extent did Rome fall in 476 c.e.?

Question 75

What role did women play in the early Church? Why did this role change?