RELI 220 Early Christian History Exam 2

T/F. Christians were unified in their response to the Roman Empire's request for fidelity to the Imperial Cult.

False

While the Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas includes several Roman social values we have discussed, it effectively highlights the transformation of familial bonds, which is the Roman social value of _________

Kin

Unlike other cults, Christianity differed from other religions in that Christians attempted to ___________ other people to Christianity.

Convert

Under Emperor _________, Christians were killed because they were blamed for the burning of Rome.

Nero

Persecutions—when they happened—were:

A. Local

B. Random

C. Violent

D. Public

Identify below how—according to Lynch—martyrdom contributed to early Christian identity.

A. United Christians together

B. Created role models/heroes of faith

C. Strengthened Christian identity

D. Inspired new converts

E. Showed commitment to the faith

F. Helped preserve Christian stories & traditions

T/F. Throughout the first few centuries in which Christianity existed as a cult, there was a systematic attempt to kill or persecute Christians.

False

T/F. Christianity was not a legal cult, but it was not illegal to be a Christian.

True

T/F. As a result of the death of significant Christians, the core of the movement was weakened.

False

Identify below how—according to Stark—rational choice theory helps explain why some Christians would be willing to suffer a significantly violent, public death, thus contributing to Christian identity.

A. Christians believed the reward after death was worth suffering

B. Martyrdom showed strong commitment & sincerity

C. Public Martyrdom altered attention & inspired others to join Christianity

What problems—according to Stark—does martyrdom solve for Christians?

a) Commitment problem

b) Free rider problem

T/F. Some early Christian philosophers and theologians argued for Universal Salvation, which meant a restoration and salvation for everyone.

True

T/F. In the Roman Empire, slavery was a component of the economy, and built into the system.

True

T/F. Racism among Christians in North America is lower than among non-religious individuals.

False

The anonymous Letter to Diognetus is intended to address concerns that individuals have about Christianity as it is emerging, and the author is anxious to distinguish Christians from ____________________, ____________________, and ____________________.

Jews, Pagans, & Philosophers

T/F. The author of the Letter to Diognetus finds allegiance between Christianity, pagan philosophy, and ancestral religions.

False

In late antiquity, when an individual 'opted in' to various forms of human difference (hair style, name, clothing, etc.), that is a form of race or ethnic mutability known as __________. Fill in the blank.

Code Switching

T/F. According to some Late Antique texts, the adoption or rejection of religious practices, laws, customs, or languages could signal to others that a person had transcended or changed their ethnicity or racial identity.

True

T/F. Slavery in the classical and late antique eras is comparable to (or equal to) the enslavement of persons during the colonization of Central and South America and the Mid-Atlantic slave trade.

False

T/F. After Christianity became legal and expanded into Europe, the "universal human community" of Jesus became identified with gentile, European (white) identity.

True

T/F. In time, the "whiteness" of European Christianity came to represent the religion of Christianity as a whole, and skin-color a marker of those outside the faith.

True

The scientific study of genetics that resulted in a science-based racism is called

Eugenics