These are the multiple-choice questions students should use as a reading guide. Students will submit answers through an open-book, open-note quiz on your Moodle class site.
1.) Which of the gospel writers was careful to set Jesus within the framework of world history, listing the Roman Emperor and the Syrian governor at Jesus' birth?
a) Matthew
b) Mark
c) Luke
d) John
2.) In what sense are the NT documents "historical documents”?
a) They consistently refer to events in the Roman Empire contemporary to events in the life of Jesus and the early church.
b) They reflect the faith and mission of the early Christian movement.
c) They reflect the common concerns of modern historiography.
3.) According to Songer, what two elements form the background of the New Testament? (Mark both)
a) Latin language
b) Persian dualism
c) Palestinian Judaism
d) Hellenistic culture
4.) Which of the following was the most popular party in the time of Jesus?
a) Essenes
b) Pharisees
c) Sadducees
d) Zealots
5.) Which of the following were characteristics of the Pharisees? (Mark all that apply)
a) Emphasis on ritual purity
b) Dedication to the temple and its preservation
c) Advocated rebellion against Rome
d) Developed rules called "the traditions of the elders” and considered them of equal authority to the Law
6) Which of the following was true of the Zealots?
a) Emphasis on ritual purity
b) Dedication to the temple and its preservation
c) Advocated rebellion against Rome
d) Developed rules called "the traditions of the elders” and considered them of equal authority to the Law
7.) Which of the following is true of the Sadducees? (Mark all that apply)
a) Had greater openness to Hellenistic cultural influences than did the Pharisees
b) Dedication to the temple and its preservation
c) Advocated rebellion against Rome
d) Developed rules called "the traditions of the elders” and considered them of equal authority to the Law
e) The priestly party
8.) Which of the Jewish parties felt that cooperation with the priests in Jerusalem was impossible because of their political compromises, and so they moved to the deserted area at the northwest tip of the Dead Sea to await God's coming?
a) Essenes
b) Pharisees
c) Sadducees
d) Zealots
9.) The Hellenistic culture which formed the backdrop for the ministry of Paul was characterized by which of the following characteristics? (Mark all that apply)
a) A unity of provided by Greek language
b) Resistance to new answers to longstanding problems and questions
c) An openness to new ideas and life-styles
d) A tolerance of cultural and religious diversity
9.) The term "Synoptic Gospels” is used to refer to a collection of which gospels? (Mark all that apply)
a) Matthew
b) Mark
c) Luke
d) John
10.) The form of criticism aimed at reconstructing, to the best of our ability, what the biblical authors actually wrote, is called what?
a) Textual criticism
b) Historical criticism
c) Form criticism
d) Redaction criticism
11.) Which form of criticism seeks to learn as much as possible about the political, social, and religious background of the author, audience, and general culture of the time of the document being studied?
a) Textual criticism
b) Historical criticism
c) Form criticism
d) Redaction criticism
12.) Which of the following focuses on the unique emphases of the various gospel writers?
a) Textual criticism
b) Historical criticism
c) Form criticism
d) Redaction criticism
13.) Which scholar in the 18th century argued that the Gospels were the early church's attempt to form Jesus into the Messiah rather than a report of actual historical events?
a) Reimarus
b) Dibelius
c) Strauss
d) Bock
14.) Who wrote The Quest of the Historical Jesus?
a) Marcus Dibelius
b) Rudolf Bultmann
c) C. D. F. Strauss
d) Albert Schweitzer
15.) According to Lamerson, the first Quest for the Historical Jesus was characterized by what three approaches? (Mark all that apply)
a) Rationalism
b) Empiricism
c) Romanticism
d) Liberalism