Deck 7: Marks Portrait of Jesus

Question 1

In Mark's Gospel,the only person who recognized the significance of Jesus' death was

A)Mary.
B)an unnamed Roman soldier.
C)Peter.
D)James.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In Mark's Gospel,Jesus' longest speech addressed the topic of

A)the imminent destruction of Jerusalem.
B)moneylenders in the temple.
C)his disciples' betrayal.
D)the necessity of his suffering and death.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What phrase does Mark use to describe Jesus' three essential roles?

A)Son of Man.
B)Son of God.
C)Messiah.
D)Son of the Father.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The eschaton is

A)Jesus' title as the eldest son of the household.
B)the list of miracles Mark attributed to Jesus.
C)the end of history as we know it.
D)the period in which Jesus suffered on the cross.

Question 5

The focus of the Gospel of Mark is

A)Jesus' teachings.
B)Jesus' life story.
C)Jesus' actions.
D)Jesus' relationship to God.

Question 6

Mark implied that Jesus' family

A)attempted to undermine his ministry.
B)attempted to protect him from outside forces as much as possible.
C)strove to preserve his memory after his death.
D)were often the only people who recognized his divinity early in his life.

Question 7

The narrative technique frequently used by Mark,in which one story is inserted inside another,is called

A)parable.
B)simile.
C)intercalation.
D)allegory.

Question 8

The "messianic secret" refers to

A)the knowledge that Jesus was the messiah,which only Peter recognized at the close of the Galilean campaign.
B)Jesus' reluctance to have news of his miracles spread.
C)the fact that Gentiles were more receptive to Jesus' message than Jews.
D)the fact that most of Jesus' disciples' identities remained secret during his lifetime.

Question 9

Significantly,Mark introduced Jesus in his narrative

A)in Bethlehem.
B)at the Jordan River.
C)on the road to Damascus.
D)on the Plain of Gennesaret in Galilee.

Question 10

It is likely that the appearance of devils and demonic possession,as well as the dualism of the universe found in Jewish literature,has its roots in

A)Indian Hinduism.
B)Persian Zoroastrianism.
C)Chinese Buddhism.
D)Celtic paganism.

Question 11

Mark's Gospel was composed

A)during Jesus' lifetime.
B)immediately following Jesus' death,about 35 CE.
C)about 66-70 CE,during the Jewish Revolt against Rome.
D)at least ten generations after Jesus' death.

Question 12

The oldest surviving reference to Mark's authorship of the Gospel comes from

A)Josephus.
B)Eleazar.
C)Simon of Cyrene.
D)Papias.

Question 13

Traditional belief describes the author of the Gospel of Mark as John Mark,

A)one of the earliest Evangelists to travel to Greek-speaking lands.
B)companion of Paul and "interpreter" for Peter in Rome.
C)not an apostle,but an eyewitness to at least one account of Jesus' preaching.
D)half-brother of Paul of Tarsus.

Question 14

Generally,Mark portrayed everyone associated with the historical Jesus

A)negatively.
B)negatively,except for James,"the Lord's brother."
C)negatively,except for Mary.
D)negatively,except for Mary of Magdala.

Question 15

The first half of Mark's narrative of Jesus' life takes place in

A)Samaria.
B)Jerusalem.
C)Judea.
D)Galilee.

Question 16

In the Markan Gospel,who obtained permission to remove Jesus' body from the cross,as well as find a secure tomb?

A)Peter
B)Simon of Cyrene
C)Mary of Madgala
D)Joseph of Arimathea

Question 17

In Mark's version of the Transfiguration,the disciples see Jesus transformed and seated beside

A)Moses and Elijah.
B)Moses and David.
C)Solomon and Isaac.
D)Solomon and David.

Question 18

The most important event in Mark's Gospel is

A)Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin.
B)Jesus' birth.
C)the Crucifixion.
D)the Transfiguration.

Question 19

Mark's Gospel is

A)clearly divided north/south and includes only a single trip to Jerusalem.
B)clearly divided east/west and includes several trips to Jerusalem.
C)almost exclusively focused on Jesus' life in Galilee.
D)apparently the Gospel most faithful to the chronology of Jesus' actual life.

Question 20

Mark's sources were primarily

A)oral traditions.
B)written collections of parables.
C)compilations of apocalyptic prophecies.
D)older accounts of Jesus' arrest,trial,and execution.

Question 21

The Markan depiction and the historical depiction of Pilate are practically identical.

Question 22

Scholars disagree about the basis of the Markan Passion story.

Question 23

Mark's treatment of Jesus' associates and family clearly stems from his wish to disassociate from the Jerusalem community.

Question 24

As Son of Man,the Markan Jesus assumes the authority to prescribe revolutionary changes in Jewish Law and custom.

Question 25

Despite tradition,the author of the Gospel of Mark is anonymous.

Question 26

The audience for which Mark was writing was generally comprised of Jews in Jerusalem.

Question 27

Unhappy with the open-ended finality of Mark's Gospel,later editors added to the story to make it more consistent with Matthew and Luke.

Question 28

Parousia is a Greek word that describes the persecution and martyrdom of Peter.

Question 29

The Gospel of Mark does not refer to the virginal conception or birth.

Question 30

Mark's account of the Last Supper differs greatly from Paul's earlier description.

Question 31

The Gospel of Mark does not include any reference to Jesus exorcising demons.

Question 32

The Markan Gospel consistently reinforces the idea that Christians must suffer for their faith.

Question 33

In a particularly controversial passage,Mark claims that Jesus used parables to prevent the public from understanding his message.

Question 34

Mark is the only Gospel writer who portrays Jesus as explicitly accepting a messianic identity at his trial before the Sanhedrin.

Question 35

Mark did not consult any of Jesus' associates (some of whom were undoubtedly still alive)in writing his Gospel.