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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. Why does Mack argue Jesus' death is qualitatively different from all other deaths of the prophets?

2. Who defended the centrist Christian position from those who challenged it?

3. Why are the Epistles of Peter and Jude called the Catholic epistles?

4. What do the sermons in the Acts attempt to do?

5. What is the term for "a small group of writings believes to have been written by bishops and others" who knew the apostles?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the Gospel of John differ from that of Mark?

2. Describe Mack's observations about James as an author in the first three centuries.

3. What are the four types of miracle interpretation occurring in the Gospel of John?

4. What were the two key arguments that the centrists tried to use against the non-centrist positions of Valentinus and Marcion?

5. What are the three themes that dominate the story of Jesus and his resurrection in the Gospel of Luke?

6. What did the Jewish scripture available to early Christians consist of?

7. What are the standard writing conventions used in the Acts of the Apostles?

8. What evidence does Mack put forth that the attempts to move into mainstream Christianity worked?

9. What was Valentinus' story of the tragedy of the birth of the world?

10. Explain the conversion of Constantine, and why it was pivotal in the creation of the Bible.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain and analyze the two forces that Mack claims drive Christianity. What are those two forces? How do those forces move Christianity along? What tensions are involved in these forces? when did these forces begin to have an effect on Christianity? Where else did Biblical influence become apparent? Why are these factors important when examining the construction of the Christian bible?

Essay Topic 2

List and discuss the three layers of the Gospel of Q. be sure to describe each in detail, and explain both what they describe, as well as their historical impact. Why was each written? What does each discuss? What are the seven blocks of Q1? Why are they called the Gospel of Q? How do the Q Gospels compare to the statements of the Cynics? What was added with Q3?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the response of the Jews to the destruction of the second-temple establishment in Jerusalem to that of the Christians. How did each side react, and why? What similarities are there, and what differences? What accounts for any similar responses? What accounts for their differences? Why did each side respond as they did?

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