Question 1

Which of these was not a charge of the Romans against the Christians:&#10;A) atheists&#10;B) cannibals&#10;C) anti-family&#10;D) terrorists.

Accepted Answer

The charge of terrorism was not leveled against the Christians by the Romans. The other charges (atheism, cannibalism, and anti-family) were commonly used by the Romans against early Christians.

Question 2

Which of the following is not representative of Christian attitudes toward martyrdom in the early centuries of the church?&#10;A) They saw their struggle as being against Satan and not merely Roman persecutors&#10;B) It was a conscious continuation of the attitude of Jesus and Paul&#10;C) They understood their martyrdom to be guaranteeing their place in heaven&#10;D) They believed that revenge would be taken on their enemies

Accepted Answer

Christian attitudes toward martyrdom did not include a belief in seeking revenge against their persecutors, as forgiveness and non-violence were central teachings of Jesus and the early church.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the meaning of &#34;The Apostolic Fathers?&#34;&#10;A) All those who were present and Jesus' crucifixion&#10;B) A collection of writings by those presumed to have had personal contact with the original apostles&#10;C) The generation of men prior to the Apostles of Jesus&#10;D) Any writing before the Council of Chalcedon that expresses orthodox teachings of the Church

Accepted Answer

"The Apostolic Fathers" refers to a collection of writings believed to have been written by those who had personal contact with the original apostles, such as Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Polycarp of Smyrna.

Question 4

Perpetua is noteworthy for which of the following?&#10;A) A successful appeal to the Emperor for halting martyrdom&#10;B) For penning the oldest surviving Christian writing by a female&#10;C) Founding the oldest surviving monastery in Carthage&#10;D) All of the above.

Accepted Answer

Perpetua is known for penning the oldest surviving Christian writing by a female, her diary chronicling her martyrdom in the arena. There is no historical evidence to suggest that she made an appeal to the Emperor or founded a monastery.

Question 5

Cyprian argued all of the following except which of the following?&#10;A) That there is no salvation outside the Christian church&#10;B) God's mercy is wide and reaches all people, even non-Christians&#10;C) Heretics who broke away from the Church through schism should be excommunicated&#10;D) Those who lapsed during persecution could be admitted back into the church.

Accepted Answer

Cyprian believed in the necessity of Christian baptism for salvation and the excommunication of heretics, schismatics, and apostates from the Church. He did not argue that God's mercy reaches all people, even non-Christians.

Question 6

What brought the problem of &#34;lapsed Christians&#34; to a head?&#10;A) The Christological and Trinitarian controversies of the third century&#10;B) The persecution of Christians during the reign of Emperor Decius in 250-251 and the plague in 252&#10;C) Baptism and conformation of infants&#10;D) The issue of Apostolic succession and the authority of the Pope in the Church

Accepted Answer

The persecution of Christians during the reign of Emperor Decius in 250-251 and the plague in 252 led many Christians to renounce their faith in order to avoid persecution or death. This created a problem of "lapsed Christians" who wanted to return to the Church but were not welcomed back by some members who believed they should have persevered in their faith during times of persecution. This issue led to debates and discussions within the Church about the nature of forgiveness and penance, and ultimately led to the development of the sacrament of penance and the idea of a "second chance" for lapsed Christians to return to the Church.

Question 7

What did Christians understand by the parousia?&#10;A) The Second Coming of Christ&#10;B) The arrival of the Holy Spirit&#10;C) The final judgment of unbelievers&#10;D) The ultimate defeat of Satan.

Accepted Answer

Parousia is a Greek word that literally means "presence" or "arrival." In Christian theology, the parousia refers to the Second Coming of Christ, which is believed to be a future event when Jesus will return to Earth to judge the living and the dead and establish his eternal kingdom. This idea is based on passages in the New Testament, such as Matthew 24:3-31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which describe the coming of the Son of Man in glory and power. Christians have various interpretations of the precise details of this event and its timing but generally believe in its inevitability and significance for their faith.

Question 8

Which of the following was not a teaching of Montanism?&#10;A) A strict moral code in the church&#10;B) All Christians were encouraged to seek martyrdom&#10;C) Christians needed to develop a more formal church hierarchy.&#10;D) The return of Christ was at hand.

Accepted Answer

One of the main teachings of Montanism was that the established church hierarchy was corrupt and that a new spiritual order was needed. Therefore, Montanists did not advocate for a more formal church hierarchy. Instead, they believed in a more charismatic leadership where direct revelation from the Holy Spirit was valued over traditional church authority.

Question 9

What phrase best explains the church's attitude toward eschatology in the third century?&#10;A) All has been accomplished&#10;B) The end is near&#10;C) Already but not yet&#10;D) For here and for eternity.

Accepted Answer

The phrase "already but not yet" best explains the church's attitude toward eschatology in the third century, as they believed that some aspects of the end times had already occurred (such as Christ's resurrection and ascension), but that others were still to come (such as the final judgment and the establishment of God's kingdom on earth). This idea is reflected in the theology of many third-century Christian writers, such as Tertullian and Origen.

Question 10

Who was an important Christian defender of the faith of the Western Roman Empire who wrote the Apology?&#10;A) Philo&#10;B) Trajan&#10;C) Tertullian&#10;D) Cyprian

Accepted Answer

Tertullian was an important Christian defender of the faith in the Western Roman Empire who wrote the Apology, a defense of Christianity against the accusations and persecution by the Roman authorities. The other options - Philo, Trajan, and Cyprian - were not directly involved in the defense of Christianity during this period.

Deck 5: Persecution of Christians