Exam Prep Ch12 Paul the Apostle: The Man and His Mission

Chapter 12

Test Bank

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 01

1. Among his contemporaries, Paul was _____.

a. loved and highly respected by everyone

b. controversial

c. uniformly hated

d. universally acknowledged as an authority

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 02

2. All of the following are late, legendary accounts of Paul’s life and/or teachings except _____.

a. Philemon

b. Acts of Paul

c. 3 Corinthians

d. Paul’s correspondence with Seneca

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 03

3. How many books of the New Testament claim to have been written by Paul?

a. five

b. ten

c. thirteen

d. fifteen

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 04

4. Which book of the New Testament has been attributed to Paul even though it does not claim Pauline authorship?

a. Galatians

b. Ephesians

c. Philemon

d. Hebrews

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 05

5. According to the New Testament, Paul _____.

a. violently opposed Christianity

b. immediately converted to Christianity

c. was indifferent to Christianity

d. immediately believed Jesus was the messiah

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 06

6. Paul preached that salvation _____.

a. was available only to Jews

b. was available only to Gentiles

c. was equally available to Jews and Gentiles

d. was dependent on following the Law

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 07

7. The term “pseudepigrapha” means _____.

a. genuine writings

b. writings under a false name

c. false prophecy

d. revelation

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 08

8. All of the following are categories of Pauline letters except _____.

a. universal

b. Pastoral

c. Deutero-Pauline

d. undisputed

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 09

9. Which of the following is not one of the Pastoral epistles?

a. 1 Timothy

b. 2 Timothy

c. 1 John

d. Titus

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 10

10. Which of the following is not one of the Deutero-Pauline epistles?

a. Ephesians

b. 1 Thessalonians

c. Colossians

d. 2 Thessalonians

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 11

11. The term “Deutero-Pauline” means _____.

a. second Paul

b. second rate

c. a sequel

d. a genuine Pauline letter

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 12

12. Scholars agree that Paul wrote all of the following except _____.

a. Philemon

b. 3 Corinthians

c. Philippians

d. 1 Thessalonians

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 13

13. Many scholars think Paul wrote his letters around _____.

a. 10 BCE

b. 15 CE

c. 35 CE

d. 50 CE

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 14

14. Which of the following books tells stories about Paul’s missions?

a. Revelation

b. Matthew

c. Luke

d. Acts

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 15

15. All of the following are differences between Acts and Paul’s genuine letters except _____.

a. Paul’s itinerary

b. whether Paul went straight to Jerusalem after his conversion

c. whether Paul’s mission was primarily to Gentiles

d. whether Paul ministered first to Jews in the synagogues

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 16

16. Scholars call Paul’s letters _____ to indicate that they address specific problems in actual communities.

a. specific

b. occasional

c. particular

d. special

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 17

17. Paul was a _____.

a. Pharisee

b. Sadducee

c. Essene

d. Zealot

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 18

18. The book of Acts states that Paul was from _____.

a. Jerusalem

b. Bethlehem

c. Rome

d. Tarsus

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 19

19. Paul wrote in _____.

a. Aramaic

b. Hebrew

c. Greek

d. Latin

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 20

20. According to Acts, Paul was on the road to _____ when Jesus appeared to him and he converted.

a. Jerusalem

b. Damascus

c. Bethlehem

d. Tarsus

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 21

21. Paul referred to Jesus as _____.

a. a fraud

b. a charlatan

c. the first fruits of the resurrection

d. the Word

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 22

22. Paul seems to have believed all of the following things about Jesus’ death and resurrection except _____.

a. it was meaningful

b. it was a sacrifice for the sins of others

c. it conquered the power of sin

d. it illustrated the victory of evil

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 23

23. Paul believed all of the following about the Law except _____.

a. it puts a person in a right standing before God

b. it shows that everyone is alienated from God

c. it points out human sinfulness

d. it has been misused

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 24

24. Which of the following do most scholars believe was not written by Paul

a. 1 Thessalonians

b. Galatians

c. 1 Timothy

d. Philemon

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 25

25. Which of the following was definitely not written pseudonymously in Paul’s name?

a. 3 Corinthians

b. 2 Timothy

c. a letter to the church of Laodicea

d. Galatians

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 26

26. A pseudonymous correspondence survives between Paul and which ancient philosopher?

a. Seneca

b. Marcus Aurelius

c. Plato

d. Aristotle

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 27

27. When comparing the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral epistles with those considered genuinely Pauline, which of following is not evidence against Pauline authorship?

a. differences in genre

b. differences in writing style

c. differences in vocabulary

d. differences in theology

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 28

28. Which of the following does not represent a methodological issue for the study of Paul?

a. the occasional nature of the Pauline letters

b. Paul’s dominance in the canon

c. the Pauline traditions in Acts

d. the Pauline pseudepigrapha

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 29

29. Private letters in antiquity typically included all of the following conventions except _____.

a. an opening greeting

b. the name of the writer

c. a prayer or expression of thanks to the gods

d. a thorough description of the writer’s context

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 30

30. According to Acts, Paul studied under which renowned rabbi prior to his conversion?

a. Abraham

b. Peter

c. Gamaliel

d. Seneca

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 01

1. In general terms, what was Paul’s modus operandi? How, in other words, did Paul spread the gospel to Gentiles? What purpose did his letters serve in his ministry?

Feedback: After his conversion, Paul’s missionary activity focused on the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul traveled to cities without churches and preached about God, Jesus, and salvation. He stayed with the new church for some time and left only when he felt it was stable and able to sustain itself. After he left, though, Paul did not abandon these churches. When he heard of problems within a church, he wrote a letter of instruction to it. He reminded the community of his teachings, elaborated on issues of faith, and demanded certain ethical and moral behaviors.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 02

2. Scholars divide Paul’s letters into three groups. What are these three categories, what books do they contain, and how does this categorization relate to the concept of forgery in antiquity? Which books are most relevant for understanding Paul himself?

Feedback: Scholars divide Paul’s letters into three groups on the basis of authorship. First are the seven undisputed Pauline letters (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon). All scholars agree that Paul wrote these letters. Second are the Deutero-Pauline letters (2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, and Colossians). Most scholars agree that Paul did not write these letters, although there is some debate. Third are the Pastoral epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus). With very few exceptions, scholars agree that Paul did not write these epistles. Writings under a false name are called pseudepigrapha. There are a number of writings attributed to Paul that are certainly pseudepigraphic (e.g., 3 Corinthians and the correspondence of Seneca and Paul). It is likely, however, that the New Testament also contains pseudepigraphic writings.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 03

3. What does it mean to refer to Paul’s letters as “occasional”? Why is it important to understand this aspect of Paul’s letters?

Feedback: All of Paul’s letters are occasional, by which scholars mean they were written to specific communities at specific times to address specific issues. They were not, in other words, written as general pieces of advice for Christians everywhere and at all times. Paul’s letters do not contain a systematic theology. Rather, his understandings about issues grew as he confronted them. It is essential to understand why Paul wrote a letter—what issues he addressed—to reach an appropriate interpretation of his message.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 04

4. Discuss how Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus affected his theological views. Which views were confirmed? Which views were adjusted? What were the implications for Paul’s mission?

Feedback: Paul seems to have interpreted his encounter with the resurrected Jesus in light of his existing belief (as a Pharisee) in the resurrection of the dead; Jesus’ resurrection was viewed by Paul as the “first fruit of the resurrection.” Paul also turned to the Jewish Scriptures to determine how Jesus, who suffered and died, could be God’s messiah. God’s resurrection of Jesus vindicated him; it revealed that his death was a meaningful sacrifice for the sins of others. Paul also adapted his view of the Jewish Law and God’s promises to the Jews; in doing so, Paul made the Christian message available to Gentiles.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 01

1. Why is Paul so important for the New Testament and the history of early Christianity?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 02

2. What are the major difficulties in studying the life and teachings of Paul? Why is it difficult, for example, to use the book of Acts to reconstruct an accurate picture of Paul?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 03

3. What does it mean to say that Paul’s letters are occasional, and how does their occasional nature affect their interpretation?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 04

4. What does the term “pseudepigrapha” mean? Do you think it’s likely that some of the New Testament letters are pseudonymous? Why? Why not?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 05

5. What are the three main categories within the Pauline corpus, and which letters belong in each?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 06

6. What do we know about Paul before he became a Christian?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 07

7. What compelled him to convert?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 08

8. How did Paul’s belief in the resurrected Jesus change his theological views? What did it confirm about what he already believed, and what did it force him to reconsider?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 09

9. After his conversion, how did Paul come to understand the significance of the Jewish Law?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 12 Question 10

10. What does the contextual method involve? Why is it a particularly useful approach for understanding Paul’s letters?