Christian Letters NT Epistles Complete Test Bank Ch.20

Chapter 20

Test Bank

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 01

1. The epistle of James _____.

a. was written by Paul

b. is a collection of pieces of good advice

c. is addressed to the bishop, James

d. was probably written by Jesus’ twin

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 02

2. In the epistle of James _____.

a. Jesus is the central character

b. Jesus’ teachings are explicitly quoted

c. Jesus is rarely mentioned

d. Jesus reveals secret teachings to James

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 03

3. The epistle of James seeks to do all of the following except _____.

a. warn against false prophets

b. clarify Paul’s teachings on faith

c. teach that faith is apparent in action

d. teach communal ethics

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 04

4. The Didache is _____.

a. a gospel

b. an epistle

c. a church manual

d. an apocalypse

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 05

5. The Didache includes all of the following except _____.

a. descriptions of the ritual of baptism

b. descriptions of Eucharistic practice

c. indications of fast days

d. descriptions of the activities of the twelve disciples

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 06

6. The third part of the Didache contains _____.

a. ethical instructions

b. instructions about itinerant apostles and prophets

c. an apocalyptic discourse

d. reminders of Jesus’ teachings

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 07

7. The author of the epistle of Jude _____.

a. is anonymous

b. claims to be James’ brother

c. claims to be a disciple of Paul

d. is probably the bishop in Rome

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 08

8. The author of 2 Peter probably _____.

a. was Jesus’ disciple

b. used 1 Timothy

c. knew the New Testament

d. used Jude

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 09

9. The adversaries in 2 Peter believe that _____.

a. Jesus did not come in the flesh

b. the apocalypse is not imminent

c. only the bishop can interpret scripture

d. Paul’s writings have no value

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 10

10. For the author of James, “works” refers to _____.

a. the requirements of the Jewish Law

b. one’s daily job

c. good deeds

d. other epistles

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 11

11. Many of the admonitions in James are similar to _____.

a. parts of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount

b. parts of the Gospel of John

c. the views of the Johannine secessionists

d. warnings in Revelation

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 12

12. The author of James draws most of his examples of ethical behavior from _____.

a. the Didache

b. the Gospels

c. Paul’s letters

d. the Hebrew Bible

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 13

13. James’ ethical advice emphasizes all of the following except _____.

a. the danger of wealth

b. the importance of controlling one’s speech

c. the examples set by the apostles

d. the need for patience in the midst of suffering

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 14

14. The author of Jude’s familiarity of apocryphal Jewish literature is indicated by his reference to which text?

a. Exodus

b. 1 Enoch

c. Revelation

d. the Gospel of Matthew

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 15

15. A large portion of Jude is occupied with _____.

a. invective against the opposition

b. praise of his audience

c. the author discussing himself

d. references to Paul

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 16

16. Scholars typically date Jude near the _____.

a. middle of the first century

b. end of the first century

c. middle of the second century

d. end of the second century

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 17

17. Which text is not referenced by another Christian until 220 CE?

a. the Didache

b. Jude

c. 2 Peter

d. 1 John

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 18

18. The reference to the opponents’ “cleverly devised myths” in 2 Peter suggests _____.

a. the opponents are likely Gnostic Christians

b. the opponents are likely pagans

c. the opponents are making use of the Homeric epics

d. the opponents are relying on one of the canonical Gospels

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 19

19. The Acts of Peter recounts numerous confrontations between Peter and _____.

a. Paul

b. James

c. Simon Magus

d. Judas

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 20

20. Which of the following texts depicts Peter resurrecting a tuna?

a. 2 Peter

b. the Acts of Peter

c. the Apocalypse of Paul

d. the Didache

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 21

21. The Johannine epistles were probably written _____.

a. after the Gospel of John

b. before the Gospel of John

c. by the same author as the Gospel

d. by the disciple John

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 22

22. According to the Didache, the best way to baptize is _____.

a. in cold running water.

b. in warm running water.

c. in cold still water.

d. in warm still water.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 23

23. The author of the Johannine epistles was _____.

a. currently living in the community

b. Gaius

c. a secessionist

d. writing from some distance

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 24

24. The Johannine epistles _____.

a. are all about the same length

b. address the same leader

c. were written by the same person

d. all contain the typical parts of a Greco-Roman letter

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 25

25. 1 John is best understood as a _____.

a. biography

b. history of the community

c. letter

d. persuasive essay

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 26

26. 2 John is best understood as _____.

a. a persuasive essay

b. a letter to the entire church

c. a letter to an individual in the church

d. a letter directed to the secessionists

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 27

27. What part of the human body does James say needs the most controlling?

a. the genitals

b. the tongue

c the hands

d. the mind

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 28

28. What was the most important event that had occurred within the Johannine community at the time the epistles were written?

a. Jesus’ death

b. the death of the beloved disciple

c. a schism in the community

d. false prophets coming to town

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 29

29. The Christians that left the Johannine community were probably _____.

a. Docetists

b. proto-Orthodox

c. Montanists

d. Jews

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 30

30. The term “docetic” means _____.

a. heresy

b. to seem or appear

c. knowledge

d. denial

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 01

1. RESOLVED: The Epistle of James fundamentally opposes Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith. Pick one side of the debate and present the most compelling arguments for it. Keep in mind that the most persuasive arguments anticipate (and answer) counterarguments.

Feedback: The question turns on James 2:24, which says “a person is justified by works, not by faith alone.” Students who take the affirmative side might argue that Paul believes that justification is not by works but comes through faith. Students who take the negative side should point out that Paul never says that a person is justified by faith alone and that he refers not to the unimportance of “works” in general but rather “works of Law,” which refer to a more specific set of works, while James means “actions” in general.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 02

2. Why do almost all critical scholars doubt the authenticity of the authorial ascription of 2 Peter? What evidence is there within the book itself that calls its authorship into question? What sources did this author use, and when was it circulated? How do these issues add to the problems of the authorial claims?

Feedback: Although 2 Peter explicitly claims to have been written by Jesus’ disciple, most scholars believe the book is pseudonymous. First, Jesus’ disciple Peter was mostly likely uneducated, while the author of this letter is a sophisticated and literate Greek writer. Second, a large portion of this letter is taken from the book of Jude. If Peter wrote this letter, why would he rely on another source for information? Jude, moreover, was probably written toward the end of the first century, well after Peter’s martyrdom in 64 CE. Third, there is no mention of this book until around 220 CE, and even then it does not seem to have been widely circulated.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 03

3. Discuss the relationship between the Gospel of John and the Johannine epistles. Be sure to consider issues of authorship and content.

Feedback: The author of the Gospel of John did not write the Johannine epistles; the writing styles are not the same and the community issues are different (e.g., the relationship with the synagogue is not a concern for the author of the epistles). But, the Johannine epistles do seem to be written by someone who is very familiar with the community behind John’s Gospel. This is suggested by similar themes in the epistles and the Gospel. They address issues that arise later in the community, specifically a schism; apparently a group who advocated a docetic Christology left the Johannine community and tensions remain.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 04

4. What do 1, 2, and 3 John reveal about the community situation that prompts the epistles? What problems does the community face and how does the author address these problems? What are the limitations of reconstructing the context based on the letters?

Feedback: 1 John states that the community had experienced a schism and that the individuals who left were “antichrists” and “liars” and did not truly belong to the church. The author claims that these people denied that Jesus was the Christ. 1 John 2:22, 4:2–3, and 2 John 7 imply that these Christians denied the incarnation. The opening statement of 1 John underscores the author’s belief in the reality of Jesus’ human existence: “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched wit our hands, concerning the word of life . . . .” (1 our hands, concerning the word of life . . . .” (1.1). The epistles thus advocate the author’s view of Christ and denigrate the docetic Christology of the opposition; they also include accusations about the moral bankruptcy of the secessionists. While the epistles offer some clues about context, we are still limited in what we can know about conflict within the community without any literature from the secessionist camp.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 01

1. Is the epistle of James a “Christian” book? Which of its teachings seem to be uniquely Christian?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 02

2. Do you think the views of Paul and James on faith and works can be reconciled? How?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 03

3. How do the authors of Jude and 2 Peter characterize their opposition? What are the major themes of the letters?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 04

4. Does it appear that Jesus’ brother wrote the book of Jude? Why or why not?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 05

5. Does it seem that Peter wrote 2 Peter? Why or why not?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 06

6. Who wrote the Johannine epistles? What do the letters reveal about their author?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 07

7. By looking at the letters for clues about context, what can we learn about the social community behind the Johannine epistles? How do these letters respond to this context?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 08

8. What is Docetism and how was it perceived as a threat to the Johannine community’s Christology?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 09

9. How do the accusations of immorality made against the secessionists relate to their ideas about Christ?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 20 Question 10

10. What do the conflicts illustrated by this chapter reveal about the nature of early Christianity? How does an awareness of intra-Christian conflict relate to the study of the New Testament?