Deck 6: Judaism and the Rise of Christianity

Question 1

The Hebrews scored what literary achievement during the reign of Solomon?

A) some of the earliest historical writings
B) the first written tragedies
C) the first written epics
D) the first novels

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following kings of Israel centralized the government and shifted the economy away from herding and toward commerce, trade, and farming?

A) Saul
B) Solomon
C) Moses
D) David

Answer 2

D

Question 3

One of the characteristics that distinguished the Hebrews' deity from other Mesopotamian deities was the way the deity

A) was identified as a human figure.
B) was an ethical god who was committed to justice and righteousness.
C) had minor gods and goddesses to help.
D) claimed to have been born, died, and come back to life.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The Zealots were Jewish

A) revolutionaries who committed mass suicide at Masada rather than be conquered by Romans.
B) exiles taken into captivity in Babylon.
C) leaders who preached the message of social justice.
D) ascetics who retreated into the desert to await the coming of the Messiah.

Question 5

What made Jewish law different from other ancient law codes?

A) It claimed to be received from a deity.
B) It was presented in writing.
C) It made no distinction between religious and secular offenses.
D) It was a vengeance code, an "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".

Question 6

According to tradition, the first patriarch to settle in Canaan was

A) Moses.
B) Abraham.
C) Aaron.
D) Adam.

Question 7

In their early years, the Hebrews can be described as

A) a national people possessed of a homeland.
B) a matriarchal clan.
C) a wandering clan.
D) living in small city-states similar to those of the Greeks.

Question 8

The beliefs of Judaism helped to shape the religion of Christianity and

A) Buddhism.
B) Islam.
C) Zoroastrianism.
D) Shintoism.

Question 9

According to the Bible, Moses

A) led the Hebrews in the exodus from Egypt.
B) received a law code, including the Ten Commandments, from God.
C) molded his followers into a unified people under a strict ethical code.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 10

The outward sign of the covenant between God and the Hebrews was

A) special hair styles for men and women.
B) the circumcision of all male children.
C) distinctive clothing worn by men and women.
D) unique hats for men, and concealing garments for women.

Question 11

The two civilizations that gravely threatened the ancient Jews after 168 BCE were the

A) Hellenic and Persian.
B) Hellenistic and Roman.
C) Canaanite and Egyptian.
D) Hittite and Syrian.

Question 12

How did the Hebrew historians differ from the Greek historians?

A) The Hebrew writers made God the central force in human history, unlike the secular-minded Greek authors.
B) The Hebrew writers composed oral works, unlike the Greek authors, who wrote on scrolls.
C) The Hebrew writers wrote history in poetic forms, unlike the Greek authors, who composed in prose.
D) The Hebrew writers wrote scientific history; the Greek authors wrote religious history.

Question 13

The Second Commandment forbade

A) the killing of a human being.
B) graven images.
C) the worshipping of other deities.
D) theft.

Question 14

Which of the following is a symbol of the plight of the Jewish people?

A) the Temple of Solomon
B) the Diaspora
C) the Ark of the Covenant
D) the Wailing Wall

Question 15

The Ten Commandments were seen as a

A) device to get the Hebrews to form military alliances.
B) social covenant between the tribal leaders and their followers.
C) set of strict dietary rules.
D) renewed contract between the Hebrews and their deity.

Question 16

Christians refer to the Jewish Bible as the

A) Old Testament.
B) New Testament.
C) Torah.
D) Pseudepigrapha.

Question 17

Which of the following was NOT a Hebrew name for God?

A) YHWH
B) Allah
C) Yahweh
D) Adonai

Question 18

A famous episode in Flavius Josephus's History of the Jewish War is the

A) exile of the Hebrews in Egypt.
B) Babylonian Captivity.
C) Maccabean revolt.
D) burning of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Question 19

The ancient Jews borrowed from Zoroastrianism the notion of

A) a cosmic dualism.
B) apocalypse.
C) a chosen people.
D) a universal deity.

Question 20

Which term means concern with the end of the world?

A) apocalypse
B) Messiah
C) eschatology
D) covenant

Question 21

The Gospels of the New Testament can be described as

A) secular histories in the style of Greek historians.
B) the writings of men who heard about Jesus two centuries after he lived.
C) the work of a few who wrote about Jesus around 70 BCE.
D) a collection of works with no central themes, written from many points of view.

Question 22

The word diaspora means

A) promise.
B) dispersion.
C) grief.
D) homeland.

Question 23

Paul's letters constitute

A) a factual account of the life and teachings of Jesus.
B) the first Christian theology.
C) an early attempt to patch up differences between Christians and Jews.
D) an exchange of letters between Jesus and Paul.

Question 24

Which of the following terms identifies the marble tombs used by early Christians?

A) frescoes
B) sarcophagi
C) catacombs
D) vaults

Question 25

What are the earliest writings in the New Testament?

A) the letters of Paul
B) the Gospels
C) the Book of Revelation
D) the Acts of the Apostles

Question 26

An early artistic symbol of the Christian faith was

A) the shepherd with his flock as an image of Jesus and the church.
B) a mother with a child as a representation of Mary and Jesus.
C) thirteen male figures around a table as a symbol of the Last Supper.
D) Jesus hanging on a cross.

Question 27

The Acts of the Apostles described which of the following as a turning point in Christian history?

A) the teaching career of Jesus
B) the opening of Christianity to gentiles
C) the crucifixion of Jesus
D) the shift from Greek to Latin in the church

Question 28

Which of the following was a key teaching of Paul in his letters?

A) the idea that Adam's first sin tainted all humankind
B) the belief that Jesus' death atoned for the sins of humankind
C) the concept that human redemption was dependent on faith in Jesus and his sacrifice
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 29

The New Testament was originally written in

A) Hebrew.
B) Aramaic.
C) Greek.
D) Latin.

Question 30

Which Christian belief was adopted from early Judaism?

A) God is a Trinity with three aspects.
B) God will reward the faithful and punish sinners in an afterlife.
C) God demands social justice for all people.
D) God's covenant is with the human race.

Question 31

Paul's interpretation of the life of Jesus was based on the Jewish scripture about

A) the Suffering Servant.
B) Job.
C) David.
D) Moses.

Question 32

In the early Christian church, who had jurisdiction over territories called dioceses?

A) bishops
B) missionaries
C) priests
D) monks

Question 33

Christianity began in

A) Egypt.
B) Judea.
C) Greece.
D) Italy.

Question 34

The biblical books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy constitute the

A) Torah.
B) Gospels.
C) Prophets.
D) Epistles.

Question 35

A major source for the life of Jesus is

A) the Gospels.
B) his autobiography, called the Confessions.
C) the records of Roman authorities.
D) the records of Jewish authorities.

Question 36

Which Jewish practice or belief was accepted by the early Christians?

A) circumcision
B) the Jewish calendar
C) prohibition against depicting God or any earthly creatures in art
D) the Christian liturgy (prayers, Bible reading, singing of the psalms)

Question 37

Which Jewish religious practice was NOT adopted by the early Christians?

A) the rite of baptism
B) the observance of dietary laws
C) the use of hymns, prayers, and Bible reading as part of the liturgy
D) the idea of the Sabbath

Question 38

What Stoic idea was incorporated into early Christianity?

A) the universal kinship of humanity
B) the salvation of the human race through the sacrifice of a savior
C) the superiority of the spiritual realm to the physical world
D) the stress on duty to family and the demands of the state

Question 39

Zoroastrianism contributed to Christianity the

A) celebration of Easter.
B) belief that Jesus was born of a virgin.
C) concept of Satan as the personification of evil.
D) idea of the resurrection.

Question 40

Rabbinic Judaism evolved out of the tradition of

A) tribal chieftains conducting Jewish religious services.
B) teachers heading up congregations.
C) interpreters of the New Testament deciding ways to worship.
D) women participating in ceremonies.

Question 41

How did St. Paul contribute to early Christian theology?

Question 42

What were the primary differences between Judaism and Christianity?

Question 43

What impact did Greco-Roman religions and philosophy has on early Christianity?

Question 44

Why did early Christianity appeal to women?

A) It offered a refuge from the cruelty of Roman society.
B) It allowed them to become priests.
C) It made divorce legal.
D) It promised sexual equality in church government.

Question 45

In what ways did the Hebrews consider themselves different from the other tribes in the Middle East, and how did these differences affect the Hebrews' religious outlook?

Question 46

The Roman philosopher Celsus ridiculed Christianity because its early membership included

A) many aristocratic men and women.
B) many middle-class traders and merchants and their families.
C) many women and slaves.
D) people drawn from every social class.

Question 47

Vibia Perpetua is remembered in early Christianity as one of the first women

A) writers of philosophical tracts.
B) saints.
C) priests.
D) missionaries.
Essay Questions

Question 48

Define Rabbinic Judaism, and note its impact on the history of Judaic thought and practices.

Question 49

How did Judaism influence early Christianity?

Question 50

Tertullian's attitudes made him

A) a supporter of tolerance toward non-Christians.
B) one of the early advocates of women in the Christian church.
C) the leader of a minor sect that called for co-operation with the Roman government.
D) an outspoken critic of the Greco-Roman humanistic heritage.

Question 51

Discuss the shifting nature of Christian-Roman relationships from the time of Jesus to the late third century, noting attitudes on both sides and their respective responses to each other.

Question 52

Discuss the characteristics of Jewish social and familial relations. How did they change over time?

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT among the churches to which Paul directed one of his letters?

A) Ephesus
B) Alexandria
C) Corinth
D) Thessalonica

Question 54

Discuss the evolving role of women in Hebrew society.

Question 55

Describe the life and career of Jesus as outlined in early Christian writings. What sources provide information about his life, and when and by whom were they written?