Deck 20: Outside the Canon: Other Early Christian Literature

Question 1

Which Gospel refers to Jesus' postmortem activities in the Underworld?

A)the Secret Gospel of Mark
B)the Gospel of Peter
C)the Gospel of Thomas
D)the Infancy Gospel of James

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Thomas' Jesus is portrayed as

A)a savior.
B)a human sacrifice given in atonement for sin.
C)a Jewish Messiah.
D)a teacher.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Some scholars believe that the Gospel of Peter contains the first Passion story.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Many Christians held beliefs that diverged considerably from those that eventually became the official orthodox beliefs.

Question 5

The only noncanonical Gospel to survive complete is the

A)Gospel of Thomas.
B)Gospel of Peter.
C)Secret Gospel of Mark.
D)Infancy Gospel of James.

Question 6

The Infancy Gospel of James focuses on

A)incidents in young Jesus' life.
B)the history of Joseph.
C)the history of Mary.
D)the history of Jesus.

Question 7

The surviving portions of the Gospel of Peter contain a dramatic narration of

A)the birth of Jesus.
B)the baptism of Jesus.
C)Peter being named the head of the Church.
D)the resurrection of Jesus.

Question 8

The Gospel of Thomas had been translated from its original Greek into _______,a form of the Egyptian language written in Greek letters.

A)Aramaic
B)Farsi
C)Sanskrit
D)Coptic

Question 9

There were other narratives of Jesus' life probably written as early as the Gospel of Mark.

Question 10

According to the Didache,what is one way to distinguish a false prophet from a real one?

A)by the individual's refusal to work,or greed (asking for money)
B)by the untidiness of the individual's appearance
C)by the frequency of the individual's prayers
D)by the individual's heritage (lineage)

Question 11

According to whom must there be a direct line of succession from God to Jesus to the apostles to current church supervisors for those leaders to be seen as truly legitimate?

A)the Pastor
B)Clement
C)Timothy
D)Paul

Question 12

This non-canonical work described its main character as miraculously escaping a burning-at-the-stake as well as facing down lions and bears and flesh-eating seals:

A)The Acts of Paul and Thecla
B)The Epistle of Barnabas
C)The Didache
D)1 Clement

Question 13

The ritual of commemorating Jesus' final meal with his disciples by eating bread and drinking wine is called

A)the Last Supper.
B)Passover.
C)the Eucharist.
D)the liturgy.

Question 14

The following is a tradition unique to the Gospel of Peter.

A)the speaking cross
B)Jesus' resurrection
C)a stone in front of the tomb
D)a Passion account

Question 15

In the Infancy Gospel of Thomas,Jesus does all of the following except

A)kill a boy in his village.
B)raise a playmate from the dead.
C)blind his critics.
D)permanently curse his teachers.

Question 16

The noncanoncial works contain traditions about Jesus that are all younger than those in the Synoptic Gospels.That is why they are not a part of the canon.

Question 17

Perhaps the most important New Testament archaeological find in the modern era is the discovery of the

A)Secret Gospel of Mark.
B)Gospel of Peter.
C)Gospel of Thomas.
D)Infancy Gospel of James.

Question 18

The Gospel of Thomas consists of

A)sayings attributed to Jesus.
B)a birth narrative and history of young Jesus.
C)the story of Jesus' ministry to the Underworld and visitations to the apostles after his resurrection.
D)a history of Jesus' family.

Question 19

_________ was a church leader in Alexandria in about 200 CE whose letter contains a quotation from the otherwise unknown Secret Mark.

A)Origen
B)Marcion
C)Clement
D)Tatian

Question 20

The Infancy Gospel of James relates all of the following except

A)Mary's parents' names.
B)the manner of Mary's birth and upbringing.
C)Mary's life with a young Jesus.
D)the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity.

Question 21

Thomas' Gospel indicates that some groups of early Christians were more concerned with Jesus' teaching as an integral part of his legacy than his life story.

Question 22

In the Infancy Gospel of Thomas,Jesus grows in maturity to use his powers more responsibly.

Question 23

The Didache concludes with the eschatological warning that Christ will return unexpectedly.

Question 24

The Matthean formula for baptizing a new convert involves saying "in the name of the Father,and the Son,and the Holy Spirit."

Question 25

According to the Didache,loving others means to refrain from lying,stealing,cheating,killing,etc.,and also to give freely to the poor and to share possessions with believers.

Question 26

The teachings of the twelve apostles were called the Apocrypha.

Question 27

Secret Mark contains a passage that has similarities to the raising of Lazarus from the dead in the Gospel of John.

Question 28

Very few of the statements in the Gospel of Thomas closely resemble passages in the Synoptics,but those that do are remarkably similar.

Question 29

The Gospel of Thomas refers to its content as "secret" because only the initiated who have been baptized are allowed to read it.

Question 30

The Epistle of Barnabas included an anti-Jewish tirade and was included in the Codex Sinaiticus,a fourth-century CE Greek edition of the Old and New Testament.

Question 31

Many of Thomas' parables represent later,more developed forms of Jesus' teachings.

Question 32

According to the Didache,baptisms must be conducted in still,cold water.

Question 33

Many scholars believe that the author of the Gospel of Thomas was a brother of Jesus and possibly even his twin.