REL Test 1 (Judaism & Christianity)

In what way did Martin Luther revolutionize the way Christians approached the Bible?

He believed that Christians should read the Bible for themselves and not rely on the official interpretations of the Catholic Church.

The following describes the Documentary Hypothesis

The Torah was composed of four documents that evolved over hundreds of years and were woven together and written down in a single test around 500 BCE.

In Christianity, who is John the Baptist?

A figure in the New Testament who Baptizes Jews in preparation for the coming of the messianic era.

What did the Roman emperor Constantine do that become a major turning-point for Christianity?

He became Christian

The notion in the Hebrew Bible that human beings are created “in the image of God” means:

That human beings have been given the right to rule over the world that god created.

The war between Catholics and Protestants in Europe in the 1500s and 1600s inspired the following change in European society in subsequent centuries:

Europeans began to support freedom of religion

When the Second Temple was destroyed, the rabbis achieved a prominent role in reconstructing Judaism because:

They were knowledgeable about the Torah and possessed a body of oral traditions that helped them interpret it.

Jewish apocalyptic literature deals with the following topic:

The arrival of the Messiah and the dramatic events surrounding it.

The forms of Judaism that are growing most rapidly in the US in our day are:

Orhtodox Judaism and unaffiliated Judaism

According to Rabbinic Judaism, How do non-Jews establish a relationship with God?

By observing the seven Noachide laws

Which of the following describes the doctrine of predestination?

God has decided whether a person will go to heaven or hell after they die, even before the world was created.

In modern America, the term “nones” refers to:

people who reject instituional religion but still may be vary religious in their private lives.

According to rabbinic Judaism, the best way for Jews to lead a spiritually fulfilling life was to:

Observe Jewish law that regulated every aspect of life.

In Christinaity, mystical experience is focused on:

The experience of one’s soul becoming part of God

Modern Orhtodox Jews differ from ultra-Orthodox Jews in the following way:

Modern Orthodox Jews are open to non-Jewish culture, while ultra-Orthodox are not.

The Talmud can be described as follows:

A multi-volume work that contains the discussions of the rabbis about Jewsih law over several centuries

Maimonides’ major work, the Guide of the Perplexed, can be described as follows:

it provided a rational explanaiton of Judaism with the help of ancient Greek philosophy.

Which of the following provides a description of tefillin?

Black boxes that contain scrolls of Scriptures that Jews wear during morning prayer on weekdays, one on their arm and another on their head.

The bishop of Rome became the pope in early christianity because:

Jesus made a statement to the apostle Peter that was interpreted to mean that Peter was the head of the church, and Peter wasbelieved to be the first bishop of Rome.

When we are told in the Hebrew Bible that Abraham’s descendants are to be God’s chosen people, it means that:

Abraham’s descendants will become a geat nation, inherit the land of Canaan, and prosper if they obey God’s will.

The doctine of the Trinity in Christianity was created by:

The Council of Nicaea in 325 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

Christians developed the ritual of the Eucharist because:

Jesus instructed his disciples on the night of his arrest to eat bread and drink wine in commemoration of him.

When Jews were first given their rights in Europe at the beginning of the modern period, what worried Jews the most about their new situation?

It was not clear how they would become part of non-Jewish society while maintaining their Jewish identity

Which of the following described Paul in the New Testament?

He persecuted Christians until Jesus appeared to him, and he then became a key figure int he development of early Christianity

The concept of grace in Christianity means that:

God forgive you for your sins even though you do not deserve it

What does the term “Abrahmic religon” refer to?

Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, all of which regard Abraham as a revered ancestor

According to modern academic scholars, Christian chose December 25^th as the day to celebrate Christmas because:

In the Roman empire, the Romans celebrated Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture, around this time of year.

In the Hebrew Bible, Saturday became the Sabbath, a day of rest, because:

It was on that day that God rested after creating the world

Most Jews who identify with religious Zionism believe that:

The establishment of the state of Israel is the beginning of the messianic redemption

Orthodox Christianity refers to a form of Christianity that:

Developed in the eastern half of the Roman empire and gradually became separate from Catholic Christianity which was based in Rome