Deck 14: Jesus in Context

Question 1

Describe the range of responses that Jews in Palestine had to their domination by the Romans.

Answer 1

The range of responses that Jews in Palestine had to Roman domination included silent protests, nonviolent uprisings, proclamations of imminent divine intervention, and violent insurrections, including one that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the Temple. Most protest was nonviolent. Jews celebrated Passover in Jerusalem in part to recognize that God would once again save them from oppression, this time from the Romans.

Question 2

Explain the four major tenets of Jewish apocalypticism: dualism, pessimism, vindication, and imminence.

Answer 2

Apocalypticism has four main tenets:
(1) Dualism: there are two powers in the world, good and evil, and all people must choose between them.
(2) Pessimism: God's people should expect their suffering to escalate. As the forces of evil combat the forces of good, the lives of the righteous will grow more difficult.
(3) Vindication: Apocalypticists believe that God will triumph over evil and his victory will redeem humanity. God will destroy all evil and suffering and create a new heaven and a new earth.
(4) Imminence: God's intervention in history will take place very soon. The righteous who maintain their faith and withstand their suffering will be rewarded.

Question 3

Discuss the differences between prophetic and apocalyptic explanations of suffering. In what settings can you imagine the apocalyptic view arising?

Answer 3

In the prophetic view, suffering is God's punishment for sin; God punishes people in order to get them to repent, and when they do so and turn away from sin, their suffering will end. In the apocalyptic view, suffering is caused by evil forces that oppose God and are bent on hurting God's people; for suffering to end, God must intervene on behalf of his people, so people must remain faithful to God and wait for this intervention.
Both views deal with the suffering experienced by people whose lives are difficult at best, and whose community has been oppressed for generations. The apocalyptic view might arise in any similar situation.

Question 4

Discuss the problem of the Son of Man sayings in the Gospels. How might the historical Jesus criteria be applied to the question of how likely these sayings are to be historical?

Question 5

Apocalypticists were optimistic about the present.

Question 6

John the Baptist preached an apocalyptic message.

Question 7

Apocalypticism tried to make sense of the oppression of God's people.

Question 8

Ancient apocalypticists thought that the end of this world would happen around two thousand years in the future.

Question 9

Jews responded to the persecution under Antiochus with silent protest rather than violent action.

Question 10

Which of the following was not a sect of Judaism?

A) The Pharisees
B) The Centurions
C) The Essenes
D) The Sadducees

Question 11

Who led a large crowd to the Jordan River, claiming he would make the waters part, before he and his followers were slaughtered by the Romans?

A) Matthias
B) Theudas
C) Thaddeus
D) Marcion

Question 12

Which group of Galilean Jews believed in armed resistance against the Romans, leading to the eventual destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans?

A) The Sicarii
B) The Stoics
C) The Zealots
D) The Nazarenes

Question 13

Who was the ruler of the northern part of Palestine (Galilee) during Jesus' ministry?

A) Herod Antipas
B) Antiochus
C) Herod the Great
D) Pontius Pilate

Question 14

Which of the following is not true about the Passover festival?

A) It celebrates Israel's past deliverance from foreign oppression.
B) It lasts two weeks.
C) It served as a silent protest against Roman occupation of Palestine.
D) The Romans sent reinforcements to Jerusalem during the festival.

Question 15

Which emperor ordered that his image be set up in the Temple?

A) Titus
B) Vespasian
C) Caligula
D) Petronius

Question 16

To which period do most scholars date the book of Daniel?

A) The Maccabean revolt
B) The Babylonian exile
C) Jesus' ministry
D) The first century B.C.E.

Question 17

Which book from the Hebrew Bible is an early example of Jewish apocalyptic literature?

A) Isaiah
B) Deuteronomy
C) Qohelet
D) Daniel

Question 18

Which of the following groups was apocalyptic?

A) The Essenes
B) The Sadducees
C) The Sanhedrin
D) The Gnostics

Question 19

Jews used all of the following to resist Roman power except:

A) Silent protests
B) Nonviolent uprisings
C) Insurrection
D) Crucifixion

Question 20

The term "apocalypse" means:

A) Secret
B) Unveiling
C) Knowledge
D) Revolution

Question 21

Apocalypticists adhered to all of the following tenets except:

A) God was unjust.
B) The world was divided into good and evil.
C) The suffering of the righteous would only get worse.
D) God would soon intervene and save his people.

Question 22

The formation of the Jewish sects that existed during the ministry of Jesus occurred

A) After Jacob was reunited with his 12 sons in Egypt
B) During the reign of Constantine
C) When Moses descended from Mount Sinai
D) During period after the Hasmonean struggles against their Syrian overlords

Question 23

A typical Jewish farmer paid approximately how much of his income in total taxes?

A) One-third
B) Two-thirds
C) Half
D) 10 percent

Question 24

Which of the following texts argues against an apocalyptic message?

A) Q
B) Mark
C) M
D) Thomas

Question 25

All of the following were apocalyptic groups/individuals except:

A) The Pharisees
B) The Essenes
C) The Sadducees
D) Theudas

Question 26

Which major Galilean city was only four miles from Nazareth?

A) Decapolis
B) Sepphoris
C) Jerusalem
D) Tiberias

Question 27

Which of the following combinations sometimes only counts as one source?

A) John and Mark
B) Matthew and Luke
C) Paul and Mark
D) Paul and John

Question 28

Which of the following was an apocalyptic group or person?

A) The Romans
B) The Sadducees
C) The Pharisees
D) Herod Antipas

Question 29

The historical Jesus most likely

A) Learned Greek at the city of Sepphoris, where he worked as a carpenter
B) Was an only child
C) Was a peasant that mostly engaged with others in small town settings
D) Proclaimed himself as the Son of Man

Question 30

Based on the criterion of dissimilarity, which tradition likely goes back to Jesus?

A) The Lord's Prayer
B) The Last Supper
C) The Beatitudes
D) The Sheep and Goats Judgment

Question 31

According to this

A) John preached an apocalyptic message
B) They were cousins
C) John needed to be forgiven of his sins
D) Jesus was commanded to do so by God

Question 32

John the Baptist preached a message of:

A) Coming destruction
B) God's love and forgiveness
C) Salvation through baptism
D) Faith in Jesus

Question 33

Sepphoris was rebuilt by:

A) Herod the Great
B) Pontius Pilate
C) Herod Antipas
D) Alexander the Great

Question 34

The population of Sepphoris was approximately:

A) One thousand
B) Five thousand
C) Ten thousand
D) Twenty thousand