Question 1

Ignatius wrote his letters:

Accepted Answer

A)  In response to letters he received from churches he founded 
B)  On his way to his execution in Rome 
C)  From jail in Rome 
D)  From Antioch 
A)  In response to letters he received from churches he founded 
B)  On his way to his execution in Rome 
C)  From jail in Rome 
D)  From Antioch B

Question 2

Ignatius begged the recipients of his letter not to interfere with his martyrdom, lest they keep him from being executed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 3

All of the following are true of Ignatius except:

Accepted Answer

A)  He was a bishop. 
B)  He was accused of crimes against the state. 
C)  He was an earthly disciple of Paul. 
D)  He was well educated. 
A)  He was a bishop. 
B)  He was accused of crimes against the state. 
C)  He was an earthly disciple of Paul. 
D)  He was well educated. C

Question 4

The following was an insult that pagans used against Christians:

Accepted Answer

A)  "Atheist" 
B)  "Heathen" 
C)  "Antichrist" 
D)  "Saint" 
A)  "Atheist" 
B)  "Heathen" 
C)  "Antichrist" 
D)  "Saint"

Question 5

Governors in the Roman provinces had all of the following responsibilities except:

Accepted Answer

A)  Collecting taxes 
B)  Maintaining order 
C)  Keeping the peace 
D)  Strictly defining Roman law, and proposing standardized Empire-wide punishments 
A)  Collecting taxes 
B)  Maintaining order 
C)  Keeping the peace 
D)  Strictly defining Roman law, and proposing standardized Empire-wide punishments

Question 6

What is apologetic literature? How did apologists like Justin or Origen argue on behalf of Christianity?

Accepted Answer

Apologetic literature makes a defense fo

Question 7

The letters of Ignatius date to approximately:

Accepted Answer

A)  40 C.E. 
B)  80 C.E. 
C)  110 C.E. 
D)  140 C.E. 
A)  40 C.E. 
B)  80 C.E. 
C)  110 C.E. 
D)  140 C.E.

Question 8

Christians were persecuted across the Roman Empire throughout the first century.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

In Ignatius's letters to the churches of Asia Minor, he repeats several themes, such as the importance of unity, the purity of belief, and the acceptance of the clerical hierarchy. Discuss each of these themes, referring to Ignatius's letters whenever possible. How do these letters help scholars reconstruct the rise of proto-orthodox Christianity?

Accepted Answer

Students should refer to the excerpts fr

Question 10

The legendary account of the Acts of John narrates:

Accepted Answer

A)  The apostle John suffering martyrdom at the hands of the pagan priest. 
B)  The apostle John eating with the resurrected Jesus. 
C)  The apostle John raising a pagan from the dead. 
D)  The apostle John receiving a vision of the Lamb of God, seated on a throne of gold and diamonds. 
A)  The apostle John suffering martyrdom at the hands of the pagan priest. 
B)  The apostle John eating with the resurrected Jesus. 
C)  The apostle John raising a pagan from the dead. 
D)  The apostle John receiving a vision of the Lamb of God, seated on a throne of gold and diamonds.

Question 11

Analyze the phrase "resident aliens" as it is used in 1 Peter. Why did this phrase become the figurative designation for Christians? Could it have designated other groups as well?

Accepted Answer

The author of 1 Peter calls his readers

Question 12

Christianity spread rapidly in the early years, quickly converting large groups of people.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The Emperor Nero blamed the Christians for a major fire for which he was most likely responsible.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

When was the first imperial episode of Christian persecution?

Accepted Answer

A)  When Nero falsely accused Christians of starting a fire in Rome 
B)  Immediately after Pilate had Jesus crucified 
C)  After the military assault on Rome by the Maccabees 
D)  Igantius of Antioch's martyrdom 
A)  When Nero falsely accused Christians of starting a fire in Rome 
B)  Immediately after Pilate had Jesus crucified 
C)  After the military assault on Rome by the Maccabees 
D)  Igantius of Antioch's martyrdom

Question 15

Opponents of Christianity claimed Christians held orgies and ate babies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

The growth rate of Christianity in its early years was probably:

Accepted Answer

A)  Steady at 50 percent per year 
B)  Fluctuating at 2 percent some years and 80 percent other years 
C)  Steady at 40 percent per decade 
D)  Exponential 
A)  Steady at 50 percent per year 
B)  Fluctuating at 2 percent some years and 80 percent other years 
C)  Steady at 40 percent per decade 
D)  Exponential

Question 17

The early Christian apologists argued that the Roman government should

Accepted Answer

A)  Support Christianity 
B)  Free all the slaves throughout the empire 
C)  Kill all Jews 
D)  Leave the Christians alone 
A)  Support Christianity 
B)  Free all the slaves throughout the empire 
C)  Kill all Jews 
D)  Leave the Christians alone

Question 18

Which of the following is not a feature of the Martyrdom of Polycarp:

Accepted Answer

A)  The martyr's flesh doesn't burn in the fire, but rather looks like baked bread 
B)  A dove flies out of the martyr's side 
C)  Angelic voices cry out at the death of the martyr 
D)  Enough blood pours out of the martyr's body to douse a fire 
A)  The martyr's flesh doesn't burn in the fire, but rather looks like baked bread 
B)  A dove flies out of the martyr's side 
C)  Angelic voices cry out at the death of the martyr 
D)  Enough blood pours out of the martyr's body to douse a fire

Question 19

We have accounts of the martyrdoms of all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

A)  Barnabas 
B)  Polycarp 
C)  Ignatius 
D)  Perpetua 
A)  Barnabas 
B)  Polycarp 
C)  Ignatius 
D)  Perpetua

Question 20

All of the following are themes in Ignatius's letters except:

Accepted Answer

A)  The church's unity 
B)  The church's purity 
C)  The church's leadership 
D)  The church's spiritual gifts 
A)  The church's unity 
B)  The church's purity 
C)  The church's leadership 
D)  The church's spiritual gifts

Exam 26: Christians and Pagans: 1 Peter, the Letters of Ignatius, the Martyrdom of Polycarp, and Later Apologetic Literature

Ignatius wrote his letters:

Ignatius begged the recipients of his letter not to interfere with his martyrdom, lest they keep him from being executed.

All of the following are true of Ignatius except:

The following was an insult that pagans used against Christians:

Governors in the Roman provinces had all of the following responsibilities except:

What is apologetic literature? How did apologists like Justin or Origen argue on behalf of Christianity?

The letters of Ignatius date to approximately:

Christians were persecuted across the Roman Empire throughout the first century.

The legendary account of the Acts of John narrates:

Analyze the phrase "resident aliens" as it is used in 1 Peter. Why did this phrase become the figurative designation for Christians? Could it have designated other groups as well?

Christianity spread rapidly in the early years, quickly converting large groups of people.

The Emperor Nero blamed the Christians for a major fire for which he was most likely responsible.

When was the first imperial episode of Christian persecution?

Opponents of Christianity claimed Christians held orgies and ate babies.

The growth rate of Christianity in its early years was probably:

The early Christian apologists argued that the Roman government should

Which of the following is not a feature of the Martyrdom of Polycarp:

We have accounts of the martyrdoms of all of the following except:

All of the following are themes in Ignatius's letters except:

What Is the New Testament the Early Christians and Their Literature

Do We Have the Original New Testament

The Greco-Roman World of Early Christian Traditions

The Jewish World of Jesus and His Followers

From Oral Traditions to Written Gospels

Jesus, the Suffering Son of God: the Gospel According to Mark

The Synoptic Problem and Its Significance for Interpretation

Jesus, the Jewish Messiah: the Gospel According to Matthew

Jesus, the Savior of the World: the Gospel According to Luke

Jesus, the Man Sent From Heaven: the Gospel According to John

From Johns Jesus to the Gnostic Christ: the Johannine Epistles and Beyond

Jesus From Different Perspectives: Other Gospels in Early Christianity

The Historical Jesus: Sources, Problems, and Methods

Jesus in Context

Jesus, the Apocalyptic Prophet

From Jesus to the Gospels

Lukes Second Volume: the Acts of the Apostles

Paul the Apostle: the Man and His Mission

Paul and His Apostolic Mission: 1 Thessalonians As a Test Case

Paul and the Crises of His Churches: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon

The Gospel According to Paul: the Letter to the Romans

Does the Tradition Miscarry Paul in Relation to Jesus, James, Thecla, and Theudas

In the Wake of the Apostle: the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles

From Pauls Female Colleagues to the Pastors Intimidated Women: the Oppression of Women in Early Christianity

Christians and Jews: Hebrews, Barnabas, and Later Anti-Jewish Literature

Christians and Christians: James, the Didache, Polycarp, 1 Clement, Jude, and 2 Peter

Christians and the Cosmos: the Revelation of John, the Shepherd of Hermas, and the Apocalypse of Peter

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