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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Valentinus speaks of a story in which the Feminine Principal, as Wisdom, tries to ____________ by itself, though this does not work.

2. The Gospel of the Egyptians from the Gnostic texts highlights the Great, Invisible ___________ in its lines.

3. Jesus says that he will lead Mary, make her _______ so that she too may become a living spirit, resembling the others in the room.

4. What did Muhammed believe might be in the jar that he and his brothers found?

5. In Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, North American Indian, and other faiths, the ____________ is a conspicuous component of the faith, sometimes to the exclusion of the masculine.

Short Essay Questions

1. In the trinity of Christianity, only one of the three principals is genderless, which one?

2. When Paul is writing in his letters, he refers to something that is 'whether it is in the body or out of the body I do not know.' What is he referring to?

3. What does Jesus tell Thomas when Thomas requests that Jesus give him directions on how to get to the next level?

4. What do most people agree about in terms of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?

5. What are some of the images of Christ that John and James witness in the Acts of John, discovered before Nag Hammadi?

6. When Jesus tells Peter that he will lead her in order to make her male so that she too may become a living spirit, to whom is he referring?

7. Why was the conversion of a Christian women mentioned in a letter that Justin sent to Emperor Antonius Pius?

8. What did Hippolytus, great enemy of the agnostics, accuse Callistus of?

9. What made the idea of there only being a strict and narrow path to God so attractive to the orthodox?

10. What does Jesus challenge his apostles to do in order to see that he has indeed resurrected?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At one point in time, the Romans considered the Christians to be heretics as they were not pagan in nature as the rulers were.

Part 1: Why do you think the the Romans felt they needed to punish the Christians?

Part 2: Why do you think that some Christians feel it's okay to punish those who consider themselves to be pagan?

Part 3: How do you think that religions should treat each other?

Essay Topic 2

Looking at the Bible in a different way is not always something that people are willing to do.

Part 1: Why do you think people are resistant to seeing the Bible in a new way?

Part 2: Do you think that it's a good idea or a bad idea to look at new perspectives in the Bible? Why?

Part 3: How do you think religion might change if the gnostic gospels were considered to be true? Why?

Essay Topic 3

At some point, someone writes that Jesus was actually laughing when he was put to death on the the cross.

Part 1: How do you feel about the image of Jesus laughing as he is put to death?

Part 2: Why do you think the accounts of the crucifixion vary so widely?

Part 3: Do you think the crucifixion actually occurred? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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