Deck 3: The Diverse World of First-Century Judaism

Question 1

What about Paul's "radical" gospel was so appalling to the Christian Jews?

A)that even unbelievers could become Christians
B)that Paul was advocating anarchy
C)that the Sabbath was suspended
D)that the Gentiles were not obligated to obey the Torah obligations

Answer 1

D

Question 2

To which two religions did Judaism pass its monotheism?

A)Christianity and Islam
B)Christianity and Hinduism
C)Hinduism and Buddhism
D)Zoroastrianism and Hinduism

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Scholars had almost no Jewish literature dating from the centuries immediately before or during the formative period of Christianity until

A)the discovery of parchment fragments in Syria,which still have not been translated.
B)the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947.
C)Rabbi Shammai's death,and with it the exposure of several scrolls of that period that he had kept secluded.
D)the Mt.Zion Papers were dug up at the base of Mt Zion.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The prophet Jeremiah and the authors of the books of Kings blamed the Babylonian captivity (587-538 BCE)on

A)Babylon's idolatry.
B)Israel's collective failure to honor their covenant vows.
C)Yahweh's fickleness in sticking to his side of the covenant.
D)Israel's misunderstanding of the commandments.

Question 5

"Hallelujah" means

A)"wonderful."
B)"sing praises to heaven."
C)"hail to the king."
D)"praise Jah," where "Jah" is a shortened form of Yahweh.

Question 6

In what way was first-century Judaism unique in religions of antiquity?

A)It demanded various rituals.
B)It involved animal sacrifices.
C)It was fiercely monotheistic.
D)It taught that everyone had God within.

Question 7

The scattering of Jews forced to live outside Palestine among foreign nations was called the

A)Diaspora.
B)Epiphany.
C)Doxology.
D)Midrash.

Question 8

With the Temple destroyed,Jews no longer had the means of making atonement to cleanse people's sin.Ben Zakkai suggested a new ritual to replace the old system of animal sacrifice.What was it?

A)confession of sins to the rabbis
B)On a small scale and on the same time table as the old system,each family would sacrifice a small animal in their own home.
C)Behave correctly in the first place (if you don't commit any sins,then you won't have anything to be forgiven for).
D)"deeds of love" and humanitarian service

Question 9

The "greatest" commandment,given by Yahweh in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament,is to

A)hate sin.
B)love yourself.
C)love others.
D)worship Yahweh exclusively.

Question 10

"Circumcision" means

A)the surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis,done as a physical sign of the covenant between Yahweh and his people.
B)the ritual practice of walking around the Temple seven times before entering.
C)to cover the head when in the presence of the Lord.
D)figuratively,to go around obstacles.

Question 11

The name of Israel's Deity,Yahweh,means

A)"The Alpha and Omega."
B)"I Rule."
C)"I Am."
D)"The Holy One."

Question 12

Together,the Mishnah and the Gemara make up the immense compendium of rabbinic scholarship that serves as a guidebook for daily living.It is called the

A)Torah.
B)Talmud.
C)Hebrew Bible.
D)Apocrypha.

Question 13

Which is not something that Yahweh vowed to Abraham?

A)to make his descendents a source of blessing for all people on earth
B)to multiply his descendants and create a line of kings from them
C)to give his descendents the land of Canaan
D)to make him wealthy

Question 14

Which Jewish group dominated the Sanhedrin?

A)Essenes
B)Pharisees
C)Zealots
D)Sadducees

Question 15

Who is credited with protecting the early Jesus movement from repression by the Jewish authorities?

A)Gamaliel
B)Hillel
C)Shammai
D)Judah ha-Nasi

Question 16

Among the various parties cited in Josephus,which was the only group (apart from what became rabbinical Judaism)to survive to the present day?

A)Pharisees
B)Samaritans
C)Sadducees
D)Zealots

Question 17

Why didn't the Sadducees,as a group,survive beyond the first century?

A)The Romans dispersed them in the Diaspora.
B)Their narrow focus on Temple ritual could no longer be practiced after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
C)They converted to Christianity.
D)They were shown the error of their ways by King Herod,and converted to emperor worship.

Question 18

What was one of the first major issues to divide the early Jewish Christian community?

A)eschatological differences
B)disagreements over which book to include in the canon
C)that under Mosaic Law it was virtually impossible for Christians with a Jewish background to worship,socialize,eat,etc.with Christians with a Gentile background
D)the Roman laws prohibiting integration

Question 19

Who is considered the chief progenitor of the Jewish people?

A)Moses
B)Abraham
C)Melchizedek
D)Adam

Question 20

The one day a year,in the autumn,when Israel's High Priest entered the Temple and presented sin offerings for the people so that their sins could be forgiven was called

A)Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
B)Rosh Hashanah.
C)Passover.
D)Hanukkah.

Question 21

Jews held certain tenets in common that set them apart as a distinctive religious community.

Question 22

The Sicarii were

A)rural,poor Zealots.
B)desert dwellers.
C)devout Jews of the Sadducee group.
D)urban terrorists and assassins.

Question 23

What was the dilemma that Christians faced after the resurrection of Jesus?

A)They were convinced that he was David's predestined heir who was to reestablish David's kingdom,but he failed to reestablish David's kingdom as prophesied.
B)They were convinced that he was the Messiah,but he told his disciples that he wasn't.
C)They were convinced that he was sent by Yahweh,but that Satan also claimed to send him.
D)They were convinced that he was human,but that he performed miracles.

Question 24

Archeologists have recently discovered that Galilee,previously thought to be a rural backwater,had a cosmopolitan city,Sepphoris,located only a few miles from Jesus' hometown of Nazareth.

Question 25

The Pharisees advocated progressive reinterpretation of Scripture.

Question 26

The evidence that early Christianity had its roots in Palestine is provided by

A)the Gospels.
B)the Dead Sea Scrolls.
C)the letters to Paul.
D)the Mishnah.

Question 27

John's Gospel concludes by stating that Jesus' kingdom does not belong to

A)the "unclean."
B)Satan.
C)this world.
D)Yahweh.

Question 28

What is not a reason that the Dead Sea Scrolls are as enormously important to biblical researchers as they are?

A)They reveal seven new revelations that directly contradict later New Testament works.
B)They contain the oldest surviving copies of the Hebrew Bible.
C)They include copies and fragments of apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works.
D)They were written by the Essenes,who were already well-respected commentators.

Question 29

"Omniscient" means all powerful.

Question 30

Jesus grew up in a small backwater village with no large cities for hundreds of miles.

Question 31

What was one way that early Christians refuted the criticism that Jesus had failed to fulfill many scriptural promises?

A)by pointing out that the timeframe for the unfolding of the promises has not been revealed; therefore,it's presumptuous to claim that the promises should have come true already
B)by reinterpreting the promises
C)by saying that quoting Scriptures that do not support their claims is devil's work
D)by reinterpreting Scripture

Question 32

The purity laws in the book of Leviticus prohibited contact with menstruating women.

Question 33

After King Solomon's death,Israel split into two nations called

A)Sodom and Gomorrah.
B)Israel and Judah.
C)Smyrna and Golgoth.
D)Antiochus and Syria.

Question 34

At what point in Jesus' public ministry did anyone call him "the Messiah?"

A)not until he was dying on the cross
B)the beginning
C)halfway
D)at the Last Supper

Question 35

By what means does the "Lord Messiah" achieve dominion?

A)the power of the holy spirit and the strength of wisdom and understanding
B)through the power available to the warrior-king
C)with perseverance and endurance
D)angelic assistance

Question 36

The Jesus movement experienced its most significant growth in Palestine first before spreading to the Greco-Roman world.

Question 37

Who brought Davidic rule to a permanent end,thereby spurring the psalmist to accuse Yahweh of breaking his promise to continue the prosperity of the line of David forever?

A)Titus
B)Solomon
C)Nebuchadnezzar
D)Zerubbabel

Question 38

Which characteristic is not a characteristic of the Messiah in the Psalm of Solomon 17?

A)sinless
B)skeptical
C)powerful
D)human

Question 39

The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the inner most room of the Temple,called the Holy of Holies.

Question 40

New Testament writers expressed differing attitudes toward strict adherence to the Torah.

Question 41

The Zadokite Document outlines the "New Covenant" made in the "land of Damascus" (presumably a code word for the Qumran establishment)under which the Essene group lived.

Question 42

It is widely held that the Dead Sea Scrolls were produced by the Essenes.

Question 43

The Dead Sea Scroll titled "War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness" became what is now known as Revelation.

Question 44

One of Jesus' disciples was a Zealot.

Question 45

Paul's teacher was Gamaliel.

Question 46

John the Baptist seems to echo some of the characteristics of the Essenes.

Question 47

The kingdom of Judah was ruled by the Babylonians,Persians,Greeks,Syrians,and Romans at various times in their history.

Question 48

While the Jerusalem Jews worshiped at the Temple on Mt.Zion,the Essenes worshiped on Mt.Gerizim.

Question 49

The oldest surviving copies of the Hebrew Bible were found in caves in Qumran.

Question 50

"Messiah" means "holy one."

Question 51

The Sicarii were pacifist monks who practiced the true faith in secluded monasteries.

Question 52

The Sadducees did not believe in a judgment day,resurrection,rewards and penalties in the afterlife based on deeds in this life,angels,or demons.