Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth Short Essay Assignments

Short Essay Questions

The 60 short essay questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text. Students must describe what they've read, rather than just recall it.

Short Essay Question - Prologue: The Mystique of Sacred Scripture

1. What does Mack say about the Bible in early American history?

2. What is the catch-22 Mack finds when discussing the New Testament and the origins of the Christian Church?

3. Explain Mack's view of how the writings of the New Testament were chosen, and why these choices created centrist Christianity.

4. Explain how Mack views the authors of the literature in the New Testament.

5. Explain the findings of Carsten Thiede, Mack's response, and what this argument shows.