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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 does the gospel of Matthew argue Jesus' teachings were based on?

2. Who is the star from Chapter 13 to the end of the Acts of the Apostles?

3. What was Valentinus' claim about what Christ made possible, in terms of knowledge of God?

4. What did the temple at Jerusalem serve as, in terms of a symbol?

5. What does Mack claim the author of Acts found, in terms of an answer to what Christianity owed to Jewish history?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mack say about the "overwhelming concern" in the Didache about the practice of alms, gift giving, and supporting those who ask for hand outs?

2. What two values are integrated in the Letters of Ignatius, and what is the result?

3. What is Mack's argument about why John wrote Revelations?

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

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

6. What was Marcion of Sinope's logic, in terms of his views of two Gods, and what to do about the Jewish contamination in the gospels?

7. Explain Mack's discussion of when the Epistles of Peter and Jude were written. What references does he use to attempt to date the pieces?

8. Describe Matthew's depiction of Jesus.

9. What are the three concerns underlying the treatise to the Hebrews?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the cultures of the Greco-Roman times in the Eastern Mediterranean, as explained by Mack in Chapter 1. Be sure to include concepts of the Jewish temple-state, the Greek city-state, and the Roman republic. What were the similarities of these groups? What were the differences? How did these cultural clashes help to form a breeding ground for new social ideas and experiments? What types of social experiments were done? How did these contribute to the creation of a new society?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Mack's interpretation of Paul's argument to the Thessalonians in terms of the question of those who had already perished. What was the original intent of the question, according to Mack? How did Paul respond? What were his arguments? How did he alter the message of the Christ myth to fit his argument? Why was the question of a concern for the dead a common issue in the Easter Mediterranean? Why does Mack argue that Paul's response to the question indicates the question was really about belonging? How did Paul's answers lead to an idea of eternal life?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss, in depth, the three concerns written about in the treatise that is the Epistle to the Hebrews. What three concerns does the author either discuss openly, or imply? Why were these particular concerns? What had happened in society that caused these concerns? How did the letter address these concerns? How are these concerns interrelated, according to Mack? What does Mack claim this shows the author was trying to do? Do you agree? Why or why not?

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