Christianity Review Questions:

*STUDY BEATITUDES TOO!!! It's not that hard

1. How much of the worlds population is Christian? Where is Christianity the dominant
religious tradition? 1/3 of the worlds population is Christian. Christianity is the dominant
religious tradition in the Americas, Europe, and Australia, and has significant followings in Asia
and Africa as well.
2. Define Christianitys two core doctrines.
1. Incarnation: Asserts that Christ is both fully divine and fully human.
2. Trinity: Holds that God consists of three Persons- God the Father, Jesus Christ the
Son, and the Holy Spirit-who are at the same time one God.
3. What are the literal and symbolic meanings of the Greek word ixthus?
The Greek word, ixthus, means fish. Its symbolic meaning is that each letter of which begins a
word (in Greek, that is) of the phrase, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.
4. What are the primary sources of information about the life of Jesus?
The New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the primary sources of
information about the life of Jesus.
5. Briefly describe the political situation in Palestine during Jesus lifetime.
During Jesus lifetime, Palestine was conquered by the Romans. When Jesus was young, most of
Palestine including Jerusalem, came under the direct rule of a prefect, who served as a regional
governor and reported directly to the Roman emperor.
6. Name and briefly describe the varieties of Judaism at the time of Jesus, including their
responses to Roman life.
1. The Sadducees: Wealthy aristocrats who controlled the Jerusalem Temple, were
conservative, generally remaining on friendly terms with the rulers.
2. The Essenes: Fled from the troubles, leading lives of discipline and purity in
desert communities.
3. The Pharisees: Moderate, obeying the traditional commandments of Judaism and
developing the oral Torah.
4. The Zealots: Believed the only way to achieve Jewish independence was through
armed rebellion.
7. Explain the meaning of apocalypticism.
Apocalypticism was a common Jewish religious perspective of Jesus time in which they
believed that the world had come under the control of evil forces that caused Jews to live in an
unjust situation and it was heading toward the climactic End Time, at which point God would
intervene to usher in a reign of perfect justice and goodness.
8. Who was John the Baptist, and how was he important in Jesuss life?
John the Baptist was a person that preached the imminent coming of the judgement of God. The
precise nature of Jesus and Johns relationship was unclear, but scholars believe that Jesus was a
disciple of Johns. John was the one that baptized Jesus.
9. What are parables? Name two well-known parables.

Parables are stories that cast in language and settings familiar to his listeners but proclaiming
radical lessons intended to disrupt conventional ways of thinking. Examples: The Good
Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.
10. To what was Jesus likely referring when he spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven?
When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven he referred to Gods intervention in history to right
the wrongs of the world. The present age of injustice was rapidly coming to an end, and a new
age was beginning, one in which Gods Reign would prevail.
11. What is Jesuss radical commandment of love?
Jesuss radical commandment of love is, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
12. Why was Jesus crucified? Who ordered his execution?
Jesus was crucified because the radical nature of his teachings, and ministry, and the agitated
crowd of followers he attracted got Jesus in trouble with the authorities. Pontius Pilate was the
one that ordered Jesus execution.
13. What does the term gospel mean?
(from Old English gospel: good news; in Greek, evangelion). Referring generally to the
saving power of the life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
14. What is the primary focus of the Gospel of Matthew?
The primary focus of the Gospel of Matthew is presenting Jesus as the new Moses who reveals
the fulfillment of Gods Law through spiritual obedience.
15. In what ways does the Gospel of Luke portray Jesus as reaching out to a diversity of people?
The Gospel of Luke portrays Jesus as a role model for the perfect way to live and as offering
salvation for all people.
16. What is the Doctrine of Incarnation?
The Doctrine of Incarnation is a core doctrine in Christianity, stating that in Jesus Christ, God
became fully human while remaining fully divine.
17. What is the focal point of the Gospel of John?
The focal point of the Gospel of John is the Incarnation.
18. According to his first epistle to the Corinthians, what is Pauls Gospel message?
Pauls Gospel message is that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that
he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.
19. What does Paul say will happen at the second coming?
The dead will be raised, and all people---living and dead---will be judged. The goodwill saved,
and the evil condemned.
20. What does Paul emphasize about salvation?
Salvation is not only the overcoming of death but also the restoration of friendship with God,
freeing people from the bonds of sin and inspiring a newfound peace and joy.
21. What is the origin of the term creed?
The term creed comes from the Latin Word credo which means I believe.
22. How does the Gospel of John emphasize both Jesuss divinity and humanity.
In the Gospel of John, emphasizes both Jesuss divinity and humanity through the saving power
of knowledge and belief.

23. What is Christ called in the first chapter of Johns Gospel?

In the first chapter of Johns Gospel, Christ is called the Word.
24. What two creeds were formulated by the year 325?
1. The Nicene Creed
2. The Apostles Creed
25. Historically speaking, what was the most crucial point established at the Council of Nicaea?
That Jesus the Son and God the Father are one in Being. God became flesh in the person of
Jesus, but in no way is Jesus a lesser being. Indeed he is the same being.
26. What is the doctrine of the Trinity?
The doctrine of the Trinity states that the three Persons of God are distinct from one another and
yet of the same essence or substance.
27. What did Paul say the Church is meant to be?
The Church is meant to be an unified body of people.
28. What are heresies?
Heresies are, opinions or doctrines at variance with accepted doctrine.
29. Describe how Paul came to be an Apostle of Christ.
Originally, Paul was a Pharisaic Jew devoting his life to studying the Torah. Paul, by his own
account persecuted Christians for violating the Torah. Pauls life one day changed and the history
of Christianity changed too. While traveling on a road to Damascus, Paul experienced the risen
Christ. He became an apostle, primarily preaching to Gentiles.
30. What was decided at the Council of Jerusalem?
At the Council of Jerusalem, it was decided that Gentile Christians were virtually free from the
requirements of the Jewish Law.
31. Why did early Christians settle on Sunday as a primary day for worship?
Early Christians settled on Sunday as a primary day for worship to commemorate Christs
Resurrection and to distinguish the Church from Judaism, which celebrated the Sabbath on
Saturday.
32. What were the central rituals of the early Church?
The central rituals of the early Church, was the sacrament of the Eucharist, or Communion meal,
a memorial of the Last Supper, which had been shared by Jesus and his Apostles the right before
he was crucified. Also, Baptism was a central ritual of the early Church, functioning (as it does
today) as the foundational sacrament of initiation.

33. What were the three distinct offices in the Church by the early second century? Briefly
describe the role of bishop in the early Church.
By the early 2nd century, the three distinct offices in the Church were: Bishops, Presbyters, and
Deacons. Bishops were seen as successors to Jesuss Apostles, and therefore were highly
esteemed. Each bishop was the overseer of his church, and the bishop performed the chief task of
administering the Eucharist.

34. Why did worship on behalf of the Roman emperor being Christians into conflict with the
empire?
Because Christians were monotheistic, they refused to participate in such worship and this made
them seem unpatriotic to the Romans. This perception is one of the reasons Romans persecuted
Christians.
35. Who was Augustine, and what great theological masterpiece did he write after the fall of
Rome?
Augustine was the bishop of Hippo, in North Africa. He wrote a masterpiece of Christian
theology called The City of God which was written after the fall of Rome .
36. What is the meaning of the Greek word from which we get the English word Catholic?
The English word Catholic is named after the Greek word for universal.
37. Identify the elements leading to the schism in the Church that divided the eastern and western
parts of the Roman Empire.
A gradual loss of political unity when the western part of the Roman Empire fell, and the eastern
part survived. The Eastern Christians inability to accept the authority of the pope in Rome.
Language barrier (Western-Latin; Eastern-Greek). The distance between Constantinople and
Rome caused communication difficulties.
38. What significant event occurred in the year 1054?
Eastern Orthodoxy, one of the three great limbs of modern Christianity, had officially become
independent from the Roman Church.
39. Identify some achievements of Catholicism in the Middle Ages.
*Roman Catholic Christianity was established as the dominant culture of medieval Europe.
*New Religious Communities were formed (i.e. the Dominicans and Franciscans)
*The creation of St. Thomas Aquinas's final and greatest work, the Summa Theologiae, was
controversial at first but became the standard work of Catholic theology. It remains important to
this day.
40. Where, and in what century, did the Protestant Reformation take place?
The Protestant Reformation took place in the 16th century sweeping across most of Europe, but
most notably in Germany, Switzerland, and England.
41. What did Luthers Ninety-five Theses protest against?
Luthers Ninety-five Theses protest against the buying and selling of indulgences.

42. What role did King Henry VIII play in the Protestant Reformation?
King Henry VIII broke with the pope, who condemned his desire to remarry after divorcing his
wife. King Henry declared himself head of the Church of England.
43. Other than the establishment of Protestantism, what were two major effects of the Protestant
Reformation?
1. The Creation of the Church of England.
2. The Catholic Reformation
44. What is one distinctive characteristic of Roman Catholicism?

Its reliance on both the Bible and Tradition as the means of handing on Gods revelation of
Christ.
45. Identify the seven sacraments of Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
1. Baptism
5. Matrimony
2. Confirmation
6. Anointing of the Sick
3. The Eucharist
7. Penance and Reconciliation
4. Holy Orders
46. When was the Second Vatican Council held, and what were its general aims?
The 2nd Vatican Council was held from 1962 through 1965. The general aims of the 2nd Vatican
Council were to reflect on Church teaching to the needs of the modern world, and to promote
Christian unity.
47. Name a distinctive practice of Eastern Orthodoxy and identify the traditions theological
focal point.
A distinctive practice is the great emphasis on icons, which are artistic representations of the
New Testament and early Christian saints.
48. What challenges does Eastern Orthodoxy face as a result of recent changes in the world and
in the Church?
In North America the ethnic makeup of the various Orthodox Churches is changing, with
membership among traditional groups eroding and membership among other groups buildings.
49. What has Protestantism historically tended to protest against?
Historically, protestants protested specifically against any form of authority they perceived as
false--anything that stood in the way of the Christians relationship with God through Christ.
50. What are the four main branches of Protestantism?
1. Lutheran
2. Calvinist
3. Baptist
4. Anglican
51. What is ecumenism?
The promotion of worldwide Christian unity.

Beatitudes
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven."