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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. When did Jesus Movements start in Galilee?

2. What does Mack claim about the authors of the sections in the New Testament?

3. What did Paul stress was important, since they were "members of Christ"?

4. What became the sign of belonging to the new fellowship that became the Christ cult?

5. What feature of the Jerusalem group allows readers to build a profile?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the third Jesus movement discussed in the book, and what is/are the primary components of the movement's teachings?

2. Explain why Paul is so important to views of Christianity, according to Mack.

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

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

5. What were the three ideas that groups gathered around that resulted in the Jesus movements?

6. What are the four types of material within the letters to the Corinthians?

7. What were Paul's arguments against the concept that Christians had to follow Jewish law, if they were claiming to be Jewish?

8. What did Paul mean by "freedom from the law", according to Mack?

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

10. Describe the two major aspects in which the Christ cult differed from the Jesus movements.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Mack's three arguments about why the Bible has survived unquestioned throughout history. Why does he say this has happened? Be sure to discuss Mack's views of the Bible as an oracle, the Bible as the ritual text of Christianity, and the Bible's function as an epic for the American dream. What are each of these, and why do they help to position the Bible in a high, unquestionable place of power?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast two of the following Gospels. Be sure to include the time of the writing, the location, the portrayal of Jesus, the use of other documents to form a basis, and the individual additions of each author to the main story line. How are the two similar, and how are they different?

• The Gospel of Mark

• The Gospel of Matthew

• The Gospel of Luke

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the letter by Paul to the Galatians. Why is it important? What happened to entice the letter from Paul? What question was Paul trying to answer? What was his argument, in terms of how the Christians could receive the same blessings as the Jews? Explain that argument in detail. What issues does Mack see, in terms of the validity of the argument? Was this argument continued by Paul in later letters? Why or why not? What does this say about Paul's own opinion of his argument?

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