Unit 1 Exam

The term "history" means to learn by _______.

inquiry

Historical facts are only knowable by the _______.

evidence they leave behind

For the thoughtful citizen, attention to the historical record and to the theological foundations of religion are antidotes to making _______ about the past.

generalities

"Religion" is related to the word _______ , which is a binding and supporting system.

"ligament" (ligare)

Primary sources for the study of religion include: (identify from a list).

either a first-hand account or a first-time account, but—most importantly—it is discipline-specific.

• Augustine's Confessions

• travelogue written by 4th century pilgrim egeria

• architectural plans for a benedictine monastery

• coins

• manuscripts

• artwork

Identify six sources for the academic study of religion.

Rituals, ethics, texts, theology, institutions, sacred spaces

For our class, we will understand the Christian religion as a system that binds its followers together through the following (identify from a list).

theological beliefs, body of literature, and a set of values and expectations

T/F. A secondary source is about history, but it is not proof of history.

True

Identify five disciplinary methods for the academic study of religion.

Gender studies, environmental studies, sociology, anthropology, psychology

T/F. Primary sources are true.

False

Complete this equation: "The subject of religion" + "academic disciplines" = ________________________.

The academic study of religion

Identify the Roman social values that impact our study of early Christian history (and their counterparts if they have one).

Honor/Shame

Purity/Pollution

Patron/Client

Kin/Outsider

Fides

Romulus and Remus were twins whose father was a __________ and whose mother was a _________________.

Mars: Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia

Divine father/God: human mother

T/F. The elite members of society were required to provide benefits for the 'middlings'.

True

Caesar Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, had the title (in English): _____________.

Son of God

T/F. The Romans did not permit the Jews to practice their religion.

False

While in Babylonian captivity, the Israelites came into contact with Zoroastrian religious beliefs, which—in time—influenced the religion of the Israelites. These beliefs included the following: (identify from a list).

Monotheism, Afterlife with final account, resurrection of the dead, immortality for the righteous, divine savior, angels and demonology.

T/F. Alexander the Great spread Roman culture across the Mediterranean.

False

Forced Hellenization brought the following consequences for Jewish life in the two centuries before the common era: (identify from a list).

Jewish sense of separation/superiority intensified, stricter observance of the law of moses, avoidance of gentiles met w/dislike of Jews, Jewish martyrs, Apocalyptic views that God would save Jews from Gentiles

Jewish factions in the first century prior to the Destruction of the Temple were: (identify from a list).

Zealots, Essences, Sadducees, Pharisees and Jewish Peasantry (Jesus Movement/Christians)

T/F. Jews were happy to relinquish their rights and autonomy to pay the Romans their taxes and live quiet, peaceful lives with the Romans in charge.

False

T/F. Judaism had no appeal to Greeks and Romans.

False

T/F. The Essenes were Jewish activist/scholars who engaged in conversation with individuals like Jesus, as they sought to make the Law relevant for Roman-occupied Judah.

False

When the hemorrhaging woman touched Jesus and he acknowledged her, he was engaging with a person who was, by Roman standards: (identify from a list).

ritually unclean/impure

T/F. When Jesus said to "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's" he meant that good citizens were to pay their taxes.

False

The Jewish faction that survived the Jewish revolts against the Romans were the: (identify from a list).

Pharisees

The distinctive belief that set followers of the Jesus Movement apart from other Jews was their claim that Jesus of Nazareth was a __________________.

Messiah

Gentile converts into Christianity were those who did not bring the history and culture of Judaism within them into the community. What core values of Judaism were off-putting to these converts, and therefore had to be altered? Identify from a list.

circumcision, dietary laws, idols, "immoral" behavior

T/F. The destruction of Sepphoris in 4 BCE would likely have had no impact on the life of Jesus.

False

The __________ were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Fill in the blank.

Romans

Paul described the followers of Jesus as faithful to the Mosaic __________. Fill in the blank.

Law

Aspects of Jewish culture that remained intact among the earliest followers of the Jesus Moment include: (identify from a list).

circumcision, observance of Sabbath, dietary laws, Torah study, temple worship in Jerusalem, and observing Jewish holidays

Violence in Palestine between the Jews and the Romans harmed relations between Jews, Jewish Christians, and Gentile Christians; this rift was made all the more permanent by the destruction of the __________ in the year __________. Fill in the blanks.

Second Temple, 70 CE

Identify two conditions that were favorable to Paul's missionary activity.

Roman peace and the Roman road system

T/F. Paul made the theology of the Jesus Movement attractive to Gentiles because he spoke and wrote of the inclusivity (some say universality) of the activity of Jesus.

True

Identify the three criteria for "canon" according to Lynch.

Apostolic, harmonious, universally read

T/F. Gnostic Christians believed that created matter was inherently good.

False

Canon means

an accepted list of scripture

____________ was an important, early Christian thinker who proposed a Christian canon. (Fill in the blank)

Marcion of Sinope

Gnostic Christianity can be (cautiously generalized) as valuing the following (Fill in the blank).

charismatic leaders, value experience, renunciation of material, bias against hebrew scriptures, individualistic, gnostic methods of textual interpretation (did not have a canon)

T/F. The diversity of converts who joined the Jesus Movement enriched the earliest Christian groups and influenced different understandings of leadership, and belief systems.

True

T/F. Christian groups that formed around Christological conversations and definitions were not real Christians.

False

T/F. The Nag Hammadi library were fringe texts, possibly illegal, and were likely hidden during a crackdown on what people were reading.

True

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas—and other texts like it—were written because (identify from a list -multiple choice).

Filling Narrative Gaps:

Entertainment and Imagination:

Highlighting Divinity:

T/F. In the Gospel of Mary, it is clear that women are authoritative figures to be respected in the developing Christian community.

False

T/F. The figure of "Mary" from the Gnostic Christian text the Gospel of Mary is referring to Mary Magdalene, a figure noted in the Gospels; she would have been a controversial leader because she was a prostitute.

False

Be able to label the earliest levels of proto-orthodox hierarchy on a chart provided for you.

bishop=overseer (responsible for theology)

Presbyter=elder (responsible for congregation)

Deacon/Deaconess=servant (male or female)

List the three stabilizing features instituted by proto-orthodox Christians in order to address the variety of diversity in the second century.

Hierarchy/3 level ministry, canon, doctrine (What Christians believe to be true)

Identify the two types of early leaders in Christian communities: ____________ and _______________.

Itinerant/travel and local leaders

T/F. Early Christian groups were highly organized.

False

T/F. Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians all have the same attitude about religious texts

False

T/F. Early Christians were a unified group with clear theology

False

Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by Romans in

70 CE

All Christian groups had to work out how they understood the figure of Jesus, as it relates to the term

Christology

Doctrine is what was taught, which can take different forms:

Creed, theology, or Ritual