Deck 5: The Empire and Christianity

Question 1

Which is NOT true of cities in the first centuries of the Roman Empire?

A)Many citizens lived in poor housing.
B)Good systems of water supply and waste disposal existed.
C)People could not rely on the protection of the law outside the urban areas.
D)Many cities also had suburbs.
E)Rome's working classes did not have access to the system of aqueducts.

Answer 1

People could not rely on the protection of the law outside the urban areas.

Question 2

Slavery in the Roman Empire was

A)based on race.
B)unproductive in the long term because it gave little incentive for hard work.
C)a factor leading to technological innovation in agriculture, because slaves were so expensive.
D)confined to workers in agriculture.
E)responsible for the overpopulation of the Empire.

Answer 2

unproductive in the long term because it gave little incentive for hard work.

Question 3

The Roman legal system

A)distinguished between citizens and non-citizens.
B)allowed subjects of the Empire to maintain their own customs.
C)served as a model for many subsequent law codes in Western Europe.
D)did all of these: distinguished between citizens and non-citizens; allowed subjects of the Empire to maintain their own customs; and served as a model for many subsequent law codes in Western Europe.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Answer 3

did all of these: distinguished between citizens and non-citizens; allowed subjects of the Empire to maintain their own customs; and served as a model for many subsequent law codes in Western Europe.

Question 4

Which statement is NOT true of the Jewish experience under Roman rule?

A)The Jewish religion was outlawed by the Romans.
B)Some Jews believed in the coming of a Messiah.
C)Several Jewish rebellions against Roman rule soured relations between Jews and Rome.
D)There were conflicts among the Jews over whether gentiles could convert to Judaism.
E)A Jewish force came to the aid of Julius Caesar.

Question 5

In his writings, Augustine of Hippo addressed issues of

A)sexual morality.
B)celibacy for all Christians.
C)the work of grace.
D)the nature of God and salvation.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 6

The breakdown of the Pax Romana led to a shift in power favoring

A)the plebeians.
B)the Senate.
C)the patricians.
D)the emperor.
E)the consuls.

Question 7

Which best describes Roman literature during the centuries of the Pax Romana?

A)It frequently used Greek works as models.
B)It seldom criticized politicians or people in authority.
C)It dealt with escapist themes rather than everyday life.
D)It was reluctant to study the era of the Roman Republic.
E)It was mostly consumed by Rome's working class citizens.

Question 8

At a conference held in Milan in 313 A.D., Constantine

A)made Christianity the official state religion.
B)legalized Christianity in Italy alone.
C)extended freedom of worship to Christians and ended the age of persecutions.
D)ordered all pagans to convert to Christianity and closed pagan temples.
E)ordered the confiscation of Christian property.

Question 9

During the period of the Pax Romana,

A)agriculture in Italy was carried out on small peasant farms.
B)cities in the western part of the Empire were larger and wealthier than those in the east.
C)Italian manufactures surpassed those of other provinces.
D)deforestation and over-grazing may have harmed the Italian economy.
E)the Empire experienced a recession.

Question 10

Regarding the issue of conversion, Paul advocated

A)circumcision as a condition of conversion.
B)conversion on the basis of personal faith.
C)conversion based on observation of Mosaic law.
D)conversion on the basis of ethnic identity.
E)violent resistance against Roman persecution.

Question 11

Diocletian's reforms included

A)the creation of the Tetrarchy.
B)the elimination of taxes on land.
C)the reduction of taxes on trade.
D)the elimination of the Tetrarchy.
E)the creation of a more democratic system.

Question 12

Women in early Christianity

A)were given ever-greater roles in church affairs over time.
B)were often viewed in a contradictory light.
C)played an important role in conversion.
D)All of these are correct: Women were often viewed in a contradictory light; they were given ever-greater roles in church affairs over time; and they played an important role in conversion.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 13

The three unifying elements that allowed the Roman Empire to survive and work were

A)the Senate, the consuls, and the assemblies.
B)the emperor, the family, and the army.
C)the emperor, the Senate, and the army.
D)the emperor, the army, and civil servants and town councils.
E)the emperor, the army, and the assemblies.

Question 14

Which factors did NOT contribute to the disintegration of Roman control in Western Europe?

A)The area was less defensible.
B)The area was less populous.
C)The emperors opposed the explosion of Christianity in the West.
D)Local elites undermined the policies of the imperial administration.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 15

In the third century A.D., the Roman Empire suffered from

A)reluctance on the part of citizens to perform unpaid civic duties.
B)heavier defense costs.
C)a series of long-term and capable emperors.
D)both reluctance on the part of citizens to perform unpaid civic duties and heavier defense costs.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 16

The period of the "five good emperors" was characterized by

A)dynastic succession within the royal line.
B)stability and prosperity.
C)the establishment of Christianity as the state religion.
D)more democratic institutions.
E)violent succession.

Question 17

Christianity became the only religion tolerated in the Roman Empire by approximately

A)100 A.D.
B)200 A.D.
C)300 A.D.
D)400 A.D.
E)500 A.D.

Question 18

The Donatist heresy was repudiated when the Orthodox Church declared that

A)Jesus was of the same substance as God.
B)Jesus was the son of a virgin.
C)the sacraments confer grace regardless of the spiritual state of the priest administering them.
D)any true believer may receive revelations from God.
E)all churches and sacred books must be destroyed.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a correct match?

A)St.Paul: inclusion of gentiles in the Christian religion
B)St.Ambrose: assertion that emperors control the church
C)St.Jerome: translation of the Old and New Testaments into the Latin version of the Bible called the Vulgate
D)St.Augustine: argument that humans are predestined to salvation or damnation
E)Eusebius: a history of the church

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT true of the military during the Julio-Claudian period?

A)The military interfered more and more with civil authority.
B)The military supported their own candidates for emperor.
C)The military became increasingly subject to the emperor's wishes.
D)The military became increasingly subject to the dictates of the Senate.
E)The military played a part in the succession of emperors.

Question 21

How important do you think the anti-Christian attitude of Edward Gibbon was in shaping his arguments about the decline of Rome because of the influence of Christianity? Does this negate Gibbon's contributions to the study of Rome?

Question 22

Consider map 5.4.How could historians use such a map to justify the claim that huge military expenses contributed to the "fall" of the Roman Empire?

Question 23

Review the "Tacitus on the Powers of Augustus" feature in this chapter.How would you interpret the measures of Augustus? Did he intend to enhance his own power or restore the Republic?

Question 24

Review the "Tacitus on the Powers of Augustus" feature in this chapter.Can the historian trust Tacitus' account of Augustus given his disillusionment with Rome? Or should the historian consider the Annals a critical but objective commentary?

Question 25

Early Christianity has often been characterized as an urban religion.Use maps 5.5 and 5.6 to argue for or against this assessment.

Question 26

Discuss the various explanations for the "decline" of the Roman Empire.Which one do you find most compelling?

Question 27

How did the reforms undertaken by Diocletian and his successors possibly lead to the collapse of the Empire rather than its salvation?

Question 28

Did Christianity pose a challenge to the Roman state? How?

Question 29

Explain the link between the decline of Rome and the rise of persecution of Christians up to and especially during the emperorship of Diocletian.

Question 30

Most observers now agree that in the first and second centuries
A.D., the Roman Empire faced serious economic and social problems.What were these weaknesses, and why might they have taken two centuries to become apparent?
Answers will vary

Question 31

How does the Sacred Way, pictured in this chapter, reflect the culture of early Imperial Rome?

Question 32

It is certainly true that the Romans borrowed much of their philosophy and artistic forms from the Greeks.What were the major contributions of the Romans themselves to the heritage of the West?

Question 33

How does the column pictured in this chapter communicate the power and magnificence of Rome over the barbarians? How does the monumental column glorify Rome? Compare it to the arch also found within the chapter.

Question 34

Describe social conditions in the Roman Empire.What class divisions existed? How did these divisions manifest themselves in daily life?

Question 35

How does the statue of Gaius Octavius shown in this chapter convey leadership and military prowess, but also the paternalism of the paterfamilias? What devices are used in the statue to portray this image?

Question 36

Review the "Augustine Is Brought to His Faith" feature in this chapter.What examples of pagan views on morality and chastity appear in this selection? How did these pagan views influence Augustine's Christian theology?

Question 37

What aspects distinguish Christianity and Judaism from the "mystery religions," and how do these distinctions help explain the survival of these two religions and the disappearance of the "mystery religions"?

Question 38

Review the "Augustine Is Brought to His Faith" feature in this chapter.How might Augustine's pre-conversion search for spirituality have predisposed him to convert to Christianity? Do you find this account of his conversion convincing?

Question 39

When Diocletian decided that the Empire was too large to be ruled by one individual, the Empire had been effectively ruled by one emperor for almost two centuries.What factors explain Diocletian's decision to share rule? What had changed internally and externally between the time of the "five good emperors" and the time of Diocletian?

Question 40

How does map 5.2 reveal the engineering and architectural sophistication of ancient Rome? What provisions for commercial success and social pleasures can you find?

Question 41

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: latifundia.

Question 42

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Jerome.

Question 43

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Constantine.

Question 44

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: the Vulgate.

Question 45

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Trajan.

Question 46

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Virgil.

Question 47

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: the pope.

Question 48

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: the Aeneid.

Question 49

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Horace.

Question 50

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: curia.

Question 51

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Arianism.

Question 52

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Donatus.

Question 53

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: St.Perpetua.

Question 54

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Hadrian's Wall.

Question 55

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Pax Romana.

Question 56

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Colosseum.

Question 57

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Ambrose of Milan.

Question 58

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: bishops.

Question 59

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: ius gentium.

Question 60

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Augustine.

Question 61

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Origen.

Question 62

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Pharisees.

Question 63

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Paul.

Question 64

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Diocletian.

Question 65

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Essenes.

Question 66

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Jewish War.

Question 67

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Nicene Creed.

Question 68

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Mithraism.

Question 69

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Byzantine Empire.

Question 70

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Livy.

Question 71

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: colonus/coloni.

Question 72

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Juvenal.

Question 73

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Edward Gibbon.

Question 74

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Sadducees.

Question 75

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Theodosius.

Question 76

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Julio-Claudians.

Question 77

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Sermon on the Mount.

Question 78

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Tacitus.

Question 79

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: Herod the Great.

Question 80

Identify/define and explain the significance of the following: eucharist.