A Biblical Quiz - 10 questions

[Agit8r]

1) How would you define your religious beliefs? (Be as specific as possible: atheist, pagan, Christian Methodist, Christian Southern Baptist, Satanist, etc)

Secular humanist


2) Is the Bible a historical and/or literal document or should it be taken allegorically looking for overall lessons and messages as opposed to historical events?

Collection of legend and lore


3) Describe the difference according to 1st century CE Jews and Christians between the Son of God and the Son of Man.

Christians believed that the messiah had already come. The OTHER Jews did not. "Son of Man" referred to a prophet (or teacher of Rabbinical Judaism) like Jeremiah or Isaiah.


4) The 1st century CE Zealots had their roots to what character from the Maccabeean Revolt? What did that character do that provided their inspiration?

Maccabees? Idk


5) Who did Jesus have the most in common with between the Zealots, Essenes, Pharisees, and Sadducees? Explain why.

His teachings borrow from Hillel the Elder (founder of the Pharasees), but some claim that he was inspired by the more ascetic Essenes.


6) List the order in which scholars believe the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written and match each gospel to the depiction of Jesus from the following list: teacher, God, the new Moses, philosopher and theologian.

Mark was the earliest. If I recall, Luke was next. I think that John was last, but not entirely sure.

John is the only gospel that alludes to the Divinity of Jesus. Logically I must assume that Matthew would be the "New Moses" because it is so anti-Jewish. I'm guessing that Mark is "teacher" and luke is "theologian/philosopher"


7) True or false. Coins minted in Judea during the praetorship of Pontius Pilate had the image of the Roman Emperor on them. Why is that important?

True

It relates to when Jesus says "Give unto Caesar..."

8) What is the hypothetical Q-gospel?

IDK

9) What writing from the Biblical apocrypha is usually credited with the concept that thinking about sin is just as bad as committing the sin?

Idk about from apocrypha, but Matthew and Mark contain similar ideas.

10) According to tradition, what symbol did Constantine I place on his soldiers' shields before the Battle of Milvian Bridge? (Hint...it was NOT a cross)

A tree?

 

[BluePhantom]

1) How would you define your religious beliefs? (Be as specific as possible: atheist, pagan, Christian Methodist, Christian Southern Baptist, Satanist, etc)

Secular humanist


2) Is the Bible a historical and/or literal document or should it be taken allegorically looking for overall lessons and messages as opposed to historical events?

Collection of legend and lore


3) Describe the difference according to 1st century CE Jews and Christians between the Son of God and the Son of Man.

Christians believed that the messiah had already come. The OTHER Jews did not. "Son of Man" referred to a prophet (or teacher of Rabbinical Judaism) like Jeremiah or Isaiah.


4) The 1st century CE Zealots had their roots to what character from the Maccabeean Revolt? What did that character do that provided their inspiration?

Maccabees? Idk


5) Who did Jesus have the most in common with between the Zealots, Essenes, Pharisees, and Sadducees? Explain why.

His teachings borrow from Hillel the Elder (founder of the Pharasees), but some claim that he was inspired by the more ascetic Essenes.


6) List the order in which scholars believe the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written and match each gospel to the depiction of Jesus from the following list: teacher, God, the new Moses, philosopher and theologian.

Mark was the earliest. If I recall, Luke was next. I think that John was last, but not entirely sure.

John is the only gospel that alludes to the Divinity of Jesus. Logically I must assume that Matthew would be the "New Moses" because it is so anti-Jewish. I'm guessing that Mark is "teacher" and luke is "theologian/philosopher"


7) True or false. Coins minted in Judea during the praetorship of Pontius Pilate had the image of the Roman Emperor on them. Why is that important?

True

It relates to when Jesus says "Give unto Caesar..."

8) What is the hypothetical Q-gospel?

IDK

9) What writing from the Biblical apocrypha is usually credited with the concept that thinking about sin is just as bad as committing the sin?

Idk about from apocrypha, but Matthew and Mark contain similar ideas.

10) According to tradition, what symbol did Constantine I place on his soldiers' shields before the Battle of Milvian Bridge? (Hint...it was NOT a cross)

A tree?

Thank you for your response. I appreciate your input. I posted my responses/answers on page 2 so you can refer to those for most of your answers. I just want to respond quickly to your answer on question #6. The gospel of John was not the only gospel that alludes to the divinity of Jesus but it is the gospel that does it most often and in the most powerful way. Mark made reference to the divinity of Jesus but only sparingly at the end. Matthew and Luke did moreso than Mark, but the gospel of John made His divinity a main theme. Also I disagree that Matthew is anti-Jewish. In many ways Matthew is the most Jewish as it is the most Pharisaic of all the canonical gospels. Mark would be an obvious challenge to that but I would actually contend that John is the most anti-Jewish while Matthew's fixation with cross-referencing scripture and connecting the life of Jesus to prophecy makes it VERY Jewish

 

[Agit8r]

I don't mean that Matthew is antisemitic (after all, it was written by Semites). I mean against the organized Jewish religion. The gospel attributed to Yohannan was least similar to Jewish theology, if that is what you mean.

 

[Agit8r]

3) Describe the difference according to 1st century CE Jews and Christians between the Son of God and the Son of Man. The Son of God, according to ancient Jews, was a human figure who was a wise man who lived a very holy life. He had much to say, great advice, but was simply a man. There could be many Sons of God. The Son of Man was referenced in Daniel 7 and the Revelation as well as the gospels. He was the divine figure that in some stories would come to bring God's good kingdom to Earth. The relevance is that we see it the opposite as the ancients did. We think of the Son of God as a divine figure and the Son of Man as a human figure. In antiquity it was actually the opposite and that makes a big difference when you read the Bible and put those phrases into that context.

Is the use of the phrase "Son of Man" as God's way of addressing a prophet but an error in translation then? For instance:

"Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down."
-- Ezekiel 24:16

"So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision."
-- Daniel 8:17

7) True or false. Coins minted in Judea during the praetorship of Pontius Pilate had the image of the Roman Emperor on them. Why is that important? Believe it or not it is false. Judea was the only province where coins were minted without the image of the Emperor. They did this to respect the Jews religious aversion to graven images and so Judean coins were minted with agricultural symbols instead. It's important because it brings into question Jesus asking "whose image is upon this coin" at the Temple. According to the archaeological evidence that may have been artistic license as Judean coins had no graven images upon them.

Very interesting.

9) What writing from the Biblical apocrypha is usually credited with the concept that thinking about sin is just as bad as committing the sin? The Shepherd of Hermas. It's a fascinating read.

It seems that the same logic made its way into Matthew too:

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment."
-- Mt 5:21-22

 

[strollingbones]

1) How would you define your religious beliefs? (Be as specific as possible: atheist, pagan, Christian Methodist, Christian Southern Baptist, Satanist, etc)

pagan...raised southern baptist


2) Is the Bible a historical and/or literal document or should it be taken allegorically looking for overall lessons and messages as opposed to historical events?

written by jews to benefit jews....the ot...theories on the nt but nothing proven

3) Describe the difference according to 1st century CE Jews and Christians between the Son of God and the Son of Man.

no cue wont bs

4) The 1st century CE Zealots had their roots to what character from the Maccabeean Revolt? What did that character do that provided their inspiration?

see last answer

5) Who did Jesus have the most in common with between the Zealots, Essenes, Pharisees, and Sadducees? Explain why.

no one told me there would be a pop quiz

6) List the order in which scholars believe the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written and match each gospel to the depiction of Jesus from the following list: teacher, God, the new Moses, philosopher and theologian.

i have no clue the order they are written only that they are written to full fill what was told of by the ot

7) True or false. Coins minted in Judea during the praetorship of Pontius Pilate had the image of the Roman Emperor on them. Why is that important?

false
8) What is the hypothetical Q-gospel?
no clue

 

[strollingbones]

well great now that i have read all the other answer i will go be stupid

 

[BluePhantom]

well great now that i have read all the other answer i will go be stupid

Nothing stupid about it Bones.Just not stuff you have ever heard. Thanks for participating.