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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A tradition developed that included the idea that __________ was the first to have seen Jesus after he rose from the dead.
(a) Peter.
(b) Matthew.
(c) John.
(d) Mary.

2. The redefinition of who sees Jesus first is a tradition which first indicated that the direction of the _________ more than the importance of the doctrine.
(a) Church.
(b) Followers.
(c) Guru.
(d) Pope.

3. What did Muhammed not want to do when he first found the jar during the dig with his brothers?
(a) Give it away.
(b) Break it.
(c) Sell it.
(d) Touch it.

4. The Gnostics considered themselves to be ____________, not believers and were despised by orthodox theologians.
(a) Seekers.
(b) Diviners.
(c) Experiencers.
(d) Mystics.

5. Where did one of the most important archaeological events take place in 1945 according to the book?
(a) Middle East.
(b) Sudan.
(c) Lower Egypt.
(d) Upper Egypt.

6. Two separate versions of Paul's experience in Damascus have spectators hearing the voice, but only one account includes the _________.
(a) Light.
(b) Cross.
(c) Burning bush.
(d) Storm.

7. The Gnostic texts call God _________ for punishing Adam and Eve for obtaining spiritual wisdom from a serpent.
(a) Right.
(b) Jealous.
(c) Joyous.
(d) Merciful.

8. The difference between Plato's doctrine of the soul's ______________ and the resurrection was that resurrection was real flesh reborn.
(a) Form.
(b) Movement.
(c) Tangibility.
(d) Immortality.

9. The author believes that the resurrection is what sets Christianity apart from other faiths as it deals with __________, not with rebirth.
(a) Life and death.
(b) Cycles.
(c) Death.
(d) Life.

10. Paul's statements in his letters seem to indicate that there is a ______________ which he will go to.
(a) New church.
(b) New leader.
(c) Middle world.
(d) Third heaven.

11. To Iranaeus, the monotheism of the Valentianians was a kind of ________, a hoax that would allow them to participate in the orthodox church.
(a) Horror.
(b) Sin.
(c) Veil.
(d) Hammer.

12. Valentine did distinguish between the creator, architect of the World, also known as the ______________, and the actual foundational spirit of the universe.
(a) Triton.
(b) Durmage.
(c) Demiurge.
(d) Ruler.

13. What does Jesus eat before the eyes of his disciples after he has risen from the death, according to some accounts?
(a) Goat meat.
(b) A loaf of bread.
(c) Rice.
(d) Broiled fish.

14. A Valentinian Exposition speaks of God as a ____________, and no one was before him, according to the text of this chapter.
(a) Angel.
(b) Serpent.
(c) Demon.
(d) Monad.

15. Pagels points out that it was __________ that ultimately expelled the Valentinians who strove to maintain their membership.
(a) The Church.
(b) The Jews.
(c) The Romans.
(d) The Gnostics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the traditional orthodox canon, the spirit or the _____________ is gender neutral, but this is not the case everywhere.

2. After the death of Judas, the only real candidate for succession was ____________ who had also walked with Christ.

3. ___________ was the issue of the day for the orthodox church, according to Pagels' findings in this chapter.

4. Theologians from many Western religions do contend that God is beyond ____________, according to Pagels.

5. The Gnostic teachers tell the story of the ___________ differently from their orthodox brethren, according to Pagels.

(see the answer keys)

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