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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. What did Josephus study?

2. What does C.E. stand for?

3. The author indicates that Jesus was born around the time of whose death?

4. What does A.D. stand for?

5. What was Jesus able to do that John the Baptist could not?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who were the two pairs of brothers that were disciples of Jesus?

2. Why is Jesus' date of birth considered controversial?

3. According to the Gospel of Luke, what did some of the disciples do for some time before recognizing Jesus following the resurrection?

4. Between what two groups was opposition of the law considered a basis for major conflict?

5. In Chapter 14, what does Sanders say the historical proof suggests about Jesus in comparison to John the Baptist?

6. In Chapter 1, in addition to examining the history of the Christian church, what else does Sanders say he will examine about the Christian church.

7. When Pilate was first asked to execute Jesus, why did he refuse?

8. Why wasn't Jesus convicted after the scene at the Temple?

9. Why wasn't Jesus successful in his attempts to preach in Nazareth?

10. Who do historians believed helped take care of the disciples since they no longer worked for a living after they began to follow Jesus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What impact on the world does Sanders say Jesus' following has had? What is unique about the movement?

Essay Topic 2

Why is the timing of Jesus' discussion with the apostles about their reward of a place in Heaven problematic? What issues does this create for historians?

Essay Topic 3

What is controversial about the scene at the Temple? What are the two common beliefs held about Jesus' actions at the Temple? What does each of these views say about Jesus and his ministry?

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