Hover Answers
The Roman World
1. In 63 BC, the Romans fought a long war against Israel and finally conquered them.
False
The Romans were such an overwhelming force that Israel surrendered without a fight.
2. The Romans required to Jews to worship the emperor.
False
3. Pax Romana, or "Roman Peace" was a period of time when, during the live of Jesus and the Apostles, everyone, including Christians, could travel freely throughout the Roman Empire.
True
4. The New Testament was originally written in Latin since that was the official language of the Roman Empire.
False
It was translated into Latin around the year 400.
5. The Romans did not realize that Christians were not Jews until at least the 90s, and so began persecuting them for their faith then but not before.
True
6. The big picture: If you were a Jew in the First Century, would you have liked the Romans to be in charge of Israel?
Jews were divided. The Romans did bring Pax Romana or Roman peace to the region, so you could travel freely. The Jews had safety within Israel with limited crime plus they did not have to worry about serving in the Army nor Israel being attacked. But many Jews wanted their own land, even if it meant potential problems. And no Jews enjoyed paying taxes to an occoupying force.
The Jewish World
1. The two cornerstones of the Old Testament were the Covenant with Abraham and the Temple.
False
2. After taking over Israel, the Roman Empire appointed Herod as king of Israel.
True
3. The Romans destroyed the Second Jewish Temple in AD 66.
False
4. The Jews rebuilt the Second Temple and are able to sacrifice today.
False
5. The Sadducees wanted the Roman Empire to be in control because they wanted the conveniences that came along with Pax Romana.
True
6. The big picture: Why were the Covenant and the Law the two cornerstones of the Old Testament?
Because they provided to way to become a Jew or part of the People of God (through the Covenant that required male circumcision) and how to live as Jew or part of the People of God (through the 613 laws found in the Law of Moses). Understanding this is important because it will lasted for 1500 years (from Moses to Jesus) plus it will change after Jesus into the Christian faith of today.
The New Testament
1. Mark was an Apostle.
False. He probably knew Jesus when Mark was a young boy, but he was not an Apostle. He got much of the information for his Gospel from Peter.
2. 13 of the New Testament books are from Paul, and they are arranged chronologically (in order from when Paul wrote them).
False. They are arranged letters to cities first and to people second and from longest to shortest in each of the two categories.
3. The New Testament books were originally written in Greek.
True.
4. "New Testament Apocrypha" refers to books that claimed to be Christian but were not and so were left out of the New Testament.
True.
5. From link 3.D. above: Christians originally used a fish symbol for their faith because of the parable where Jesus used a small amount of fish and bread to feed a large crowd.
False. It was originally used as a secret symbol.
6. The big picture: Why did the New Testament take so long to compile?
Because so many books and writings were written within the 150 years after Jesus that claimed to be Christian, and it took a long time for the early church leaders to figure out which ones were truly from God. To read about the whole process, click here
Biography of Jesus
1. Jesus was born in the year 1.
False. King Herod the Great died in the year 4 BC. Therefore, Jesus was born at the latest in 4 BC and perhaps earlier.
2. Jesus was circumcised in the Temple.
False.
3. Jesus was most likely a fisherman, which is why he and Peter, who was also a fisherman, got along so well.
False; Jesus was most likely a carpenter
4. We know that Jesus' ministry lasted for three years because John mentions three Passovers from the time Jesus was baptized to the time he was crucified.
True.
5. After Jesus was arrested, he was taken to the High Priest, then to Herod, and then he was crucified.
False. Pilate sent Jesus to see Herod Antipas and then he sent Jesus back to Pilate.
6. The big picture: At the time when Jesus was born, Herod was an old man with three sons. He knew that, once he died, his three sons would inherit his kingdom. So why did Herod care when some Magi came to Jerusalem asking to see the newborn king? After all, Herod knew his wife wasn't pregnant. Why didn't he ignore the Magi?
Because Herod was not a real king nor a real Jew. His father had become a Jew for political reasons, and the Romans had chosen Herod to be king even though his father was not a king. He probably thought a real Jewish royal baby had been born in secret and so tried to kill him by killing all the baby boys in that region.
Matthew
1. Matthew was one of the original Apostles.
True
2. Matthew's audience was everyone because he wanted everyone to know Jesus as savior.
False. He did want everyone to know Jesus as savior, but his primary audience were Jews.
3. Matthew, Mark, and Luke share many of the same stories whereas John has mainly new information.
True.
4. Matthew can be divided into 5 sections: He did that to show a parallel between Jesus' life and teachings and the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the OT).
True.
5. The Gospel of Matthew was written after Paul was martyred.
True.
6. The big picture: What king of Messiah was Jesus, according to Matthew?
A spiritual messiah. Some of the Jews were expecting a military messiah/leader, but Matthew shows that Jesus was a spiritual messiah/leader.
Mark
1. Mark was not an Apostle and never met Jesus
False. Mark was probably in the Garden of Gethesemene and Jesus probably ate the Last Supper at Mark's house; both events probably happened when Mark was a boy.
2. Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels.
True
3. Mark's main points were to show that Jesus was a servant and redeemer.
True
4. Mark has a higher percentage of miracles per chapter than any other Gospel.
True
5. [From the timeline] The Gospel of Mark was written before Paul died.
False
6. The big picture: If Mark was not an Apostle, then why is his book in the New Testament?
One of the main qualifications for a book to be included in the NT was to have a link with an Apostle. Mark was not an Apostle, but he was the secretary of Peter, who was an Apostle. That is the link to an Apostle for the Gospel of Mark.
Luke
1. The Gospel of Luke is not only the longest Gospel in the NT, it is the longest book in the NT.
True
2. Luke was an Apostle and he was a physician.
False
3. The story of the Good Samaritan is meant to inspire us to help others.
False. The main point is to love everyone, even if you think they deserve to be hated. After all, the Jews thought the Samaritans deserved to be hated, but Jesus showed that we are to love everyone.
4. Luke is trying to show that Jesus had compassion on everyone.
True
5. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are Synoptic Gospels.
True
6. The big picture: Does Luke tell about the shepherds or the Magi visiting baby Jesus?
Only Matthew and Luke discuss the birth stories of Jesus. Matthew is trying to show that Jesus was a spiritual Messiah and described important people visiting baby Jesus. Luke is trying to show that Jesus had compassion on the common people and described common people visiting baby Jesus.
John
1. The Apostle John was the last original Apostle do die.
True
2. The Gospel of John is a Synoptic Gospel.
False
3. Jesus' ministry lasted approximately three years. We know this because John mentions three Passovers in the time period after Jesus was baptized until he was crucified.
True
4. John begins his Gospel by stating that Jesus is God.
True
5. Even though John gives mainly new information about Jesus, he still describes the Lord's Supper.
False.
6. The big picture: Most of the Gospels tell about the speeches, teachings, and healings of Jesus and only spend a few chapters each on the last week of Jesus' life.
No. The Gospels dedicate from 1/5 (Luke) to more than 1/3 (John) of their writings to the last week of Jesus’ life. In Christianity, this signifies the importance that the crucifixion has in understanding why Jesus came.
Acts
1. Acts describes a shift from the ministry of Peter to that of Paul's.
True
2. The author of Acts is unknown.
No, it is Luke.
3. Paul went on a total of 3 missionary trips, according to Acts.
True
4. Paul's first and second missionary trips covered the same territory, but his third missionary trip was short because he was in a hurry to get to Rome.
False
His first missionary trip was short and his second two were long.
5. Acts ends with Paul being beheaded.
False. Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome.
6. The big picture: What decision did the Council of Jerusalem make?
That Gentiles did not have to become Jews (be circumcised if male and follow the Law of Moses) before become Christian.
Paul's letters
1. The thirteen letters of Paul are arrange chronologically.
False
2. The shortest letter that Paul wrote to house churches in cities is II Thessalonians.
True
3. The last letter Paul wrote was probably II Timothy.
True
4. The big picture: Why do some people say that Paul did not write some of the letters?
Some situations described in some of letters did not occur until later. Therefore, some people believe that different people wrote the letters later and wrote Paul's name on them. But the problem in this perspective is that it does not allow for the Holy Spirit to inspire Paul to write about situations that were still developing. Basically it ignores the idea of divine inspiration.
Paul's theology
1. The two cornerstones of the OT are the Covenant between God and Abraham and the 10 Commandments.
False. Not the 10 Commandments but the entire Law of 613 rules.
2. Peter's main contribution to the early Christain movement was courage.
True
3. Paul used Noah to prove that Gentiles did not need to become Jews before becoming Christian.
No, he used Abraham.
4. Jesus used Commandments from the Law to show that the Law was not sufficient anymore.
True, he did that in the Sermon on the Mount.
5. The Holy Spirit is what teaches people now, and so Christians no longer need to focus on the Law.
True
6. The big picture: Tie together Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the Holy Spirit
Abraham believed in God and then agreed to a Covenant with God in which all Jewish males would be circumcised. The Law came through Moses and told the Jews how to live. Jesus said he came to fulfill the Law and Prophets. Peter had courage but did not fully understand. Paul fully understood that Abraham was the great example of faith: One does not need to be circumcised (if male) nor follow the Law of Moses since Abraham believed in God and God was pleased with him before he was circumcised plus he could not follow the Law of Moses since Moses lived 500 years later. This is all possible now because the Holy Spirit teaches Christians.
Romans
1. [This is tricky.] Paul wrote the letter of Romans.
False. Paul was the author, but Tertius wrote the letter (like a secretary).
2. Romans was written on Paul's third missionary trip.
True
3. Romans is the first letter from Paul.
False. The letters of Paul are not arranged chronologically. Romans is the longest of the letters to house churches and that is why it is first in the listing of Paul's letters.
4. Paul's main point (the theme) is that God's wants a relationship with everyone through Jesus Christ
True
5. The second part of most of Paul's letters to house churches describes how Christians were supposed to live.
True
6. The big picture: A refresher from "Paul's Theology" (which Romans also discusses): Using Abraham as an example, explain why Gentiles do not have to become Jews before becoming Christian.
Abraham believed in God and was pleasing to God before he was circumcised, and he lived 500 years before Moses and could not have followed the Law of Moses. Therefore, to please God like Abraham, one only needs to have faith in God (which, after Jesus, means to have faith in Jesus).
I Corinthians
1. Most of Paul's letters to churches are divided into two parts: the first part focuses on the issue in the church and the second part focuses on how Christians were supposed to life. That is not true of I Corinthians because the whole letter discusses how Christians are live, especially within a church body.
True
2. The house churches in Corinth did not have any problems.
False, they had many problems.
3. Paul's central theme in his answer to the problems the Corinthian churches were having was "unity."
True
4. Because of all the problems the house churches were having in Corinth, Paul encouraged them to sue each other in court.
False, Paul said it was best to settle difference within the church.
5. Romans and I Corinthians both dealt with problems in house churches.
No, Romans focused on a description of the new faith.
II Corinthians
1. II Corinthians is Paul's most personal letter.
Yes, his reputation was being attacked.
2. Some people did not think that Paul was an Apostle.
True
3. Paul said that each person needed to give 10% to God.
False, he said that each person should give however much God has told him or her to give.
4. The big picture: Why did some people think that Paul was not an Apostle?
II Corinthians is not clear. It might be because some Christians (especially some of the Jewish Christians who believed that male circumcision and the Jewish Law were still valid) did not accept Paul's ideas and so tried to attack his authority as an Apostle so that people would not listen to him.
Galatians
1. Galatians was probably the last letter that Paul wrote.
False. It is probably the first letter he wrote.
2. Galatia was a region (like a state) and not a city.
True
3. Paul defends his ideas by using three different defenses.
True
4. Like I and II Corinthians, the second part of Galatians does not describe how to live as a Christian.
False. The second part does describe how to live as a Christian.
5. When Paul wrote Galatians, he was angry.
Right
Because many of the Christians were following the Judaizers.
6. The big picture: What three steps did Paul use to defend his idea that people only need faith in Jesus to please God.
1. The Council of Jerusalem agreed with Paul.
2. Paul confronted Peter about his continuing to view the law of Moses favorably.
3. He used Abraham to show that he pleased God before the Law of Moses was given.
Ephesians
1. Similar to Galatians, Paul was angry with the house churches in Ephesus.
False
2. Ephesians is one of the prison letters or epistles of Paul.
True
3. In Ephesians, Paul writes, "God . . . appointed him to be head over everything for the church." This points to the idea that the Father created the Son and is older than the Son.
False. This can be confusing: Often when Paul uses "God" he is referring to the Father. So the Father appointed Christ to be head over everything.
4. Predestination means that God chose those who would go to heaven.
True
5. Paul included instructions on how to live as a Christian in the second part of Ephesians.
Correct. Paul did that in most of his letters to church because the Gospels had not been written yet.
6. Since Paul was pro-slavery, that means that the Bible can have error.
False. In the Roman period (before welfare, food stamps, etc.), people were allowed to sell themselves into slavery to provide for their family. It was an accepted way out of slavery. That is the slavery that Paul was for since it did provide for poor people. He would not have been for the slavery that America had in the South before the Civil War or current slavery, which is simply forced labor.
Philippians
1. Paul introduced Christianity to Philippi on his Second Missionary Trip.
True
2. When Paul was in Rome during the early 60s, he was under house arrest plus he was renting the house where he stayed. The Philippians decided to send him money to help out.
True
3. In Philippians, Paul wrote about the virgin birth of Jesus.
False. He wrote about the incarnation.
4. The Philippians were getting ready to suffer persecution, and Paul told them to get ready to flee.
False. He told them to be thankful for the persecution.
5. The big picture: Why would Paul say that persecution for Christ was a positive experience?
Paul is not clear, but one reason could be that they would better understand the sufferings of Jesus.
Colossians
1. Like the Galatian churches, Paul visited Colossae multiple times.
False. Paul had not visited Colossae and he probably never did.
2. Christians changed the worship day from Saturday to Sunday because they wanted to show they were different than Jews, who worshipped on Saturday.
False. It was to honor the day on which Jesus rose from the dead.
3. Incarnation means to be born, live, and die over and over.
False
That is reincarnation.
4. Bascially, Docetism rejected the incarnation and said that Jesus was really a messenger.
True
5. The big picture: When does "God" not mean "God"?
This is confusing because Christians say things like "Jesus brings you to God." Understanding the Trinity is helpful. Jesus is the part of God (technically the "Godhead") that came to earth so that we could have a relationship with the Father, who is also God.
I Thessalonians
1. Paul visited Thessalonica on his First and Second Missionary trips.
False. He only visited Cyprus and the region of Galatia on his First Missionary Trip.
2. I Thessalonians was probably the second letter Paul wrote (Galatians was probably the first).True
3. One main purpose of I Thessalonians was to discuss the return of Jesus.
True
4. As with the other shorter letters of Paul to house churches, the second part of I Thessalonians discusses how to live as a Christian.
True
5. I Thessalonians is the shortest of Paul's letters to churches.
False. The shortest letter of Paul to churches is II Thessalonians.
6. The big picture: Why did Paul spend so much time writing about the return of Jesus? (In I and II Thessalonians)
Many Christians are very interested in the return of Jesus, both in figuring out when it will happen and hoping that they will be alive when it happens. These two books show that people have been interested in the return of Jesus for almost 2000 years.
II Thessalonians
1. I Thessalonians was written on Paul's Second Missionary Trip.
True
2. Paul says that Jesus and the Antichrist will come at the same time, fight a battle, and Jesus will win the battle.
False
II Thessalonians points out that the Antichrist (or "man of lawlessness") will come before Jesus.
I Timothy
1. I Timothy is one of the Prison Epistles.
False. It is one of the Pastoral Epistles.
2. Paul trained Timothy to be a church leader.
True
3. This letter is a church leadership manual.
True
4. The big picture: Which church leadership structure is the right one?
The different church leadership styles all developed in reaction to different situations that Christians found themselves in. For example, the episcopal system, with a bishop, originated with churches that existed with emperors, kings, and princes, and so patterned their leadership structure with a one-person rule. Similar situations occurred that produced presbyter, autonomous church, and megachurch leadership styles.
II Timothy
1. II Timothy is the last letter that Paul wrote.
True
Titus
1. Titus is one of the Prison Epistles.
No. It is a Pastoral Epistle.
2. Titus was a new Christian, and Paul wrote him instructions on how to live as a Christian.
False. Titus was a Christian leader on the island of Crete.
3. The letter of Titus is very similar to the letter of II Timothy.
False
This is a bit tricky: it is similar to I Timothy because it is also a leadership manual.
4. Titus was helping churches in Crete solve their problems, and Paul wrote him a letter with instructions on how to handle their problems.
True
Philemon
1. Philemon is one of the Prison Epistles.
True
2. When Paul told Onesimus to go back to Philemon, Onesimus obeyed.
No. He was afraid he would be beaten or killed and so did not want to go. That is why Paul wrote this letter, to convince Philemon not to punish Onesimus.
Hebrews
1. All scholars agree that Paul wrote Hebrews.
No, a disciple or follower of Paul wrote the letter.
2. Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians.
True
3. Hebrews was probably written at the end of the first century when so many Gentiles were becoming Christian.
False. It was written in the late 60's before the Temple was destroyed.
4. Hebrews shows that Jesus was greater than Moses because Jesus, as God, helped create the Law, whereas Moses only received the Law from God.
True
5. The author of Hebrews shows that Jesus sacrifice was greater than the Old Testament sacrifices because he sacrificed one time instead of over and over.
True
James
1. The book of James was included in the New Testament because the author was an Apostle.
False. James was the half-brother of Jesus and the head of the house churches in Jerusalem.
2. The book of James is considered a General Epistle.
True
3. The theme of James is that Christians need to act on their faith and not only believe in Jesus.
True
4. The big picture: Paul spoke mainly about faith and James spoke only about action. Did they contradict each other?
No. They had two different audiences. Paul often wrote to people who were struggling with understanding the faith, especially how Gentiles could become Christian without following the Covenant with Abraham or the Law of Moses. Therefore Paul needed to spend much time talking about faith. On the other hand, James wrote to Christians who did not have a question about their faith. Therefore, he did not have to speak about faith but could focus on how to live as a Christian. He wrote to Christians who were trying to understand a Christian lifestyle since they were not supposed to follow all the Law of Moses anymore (specifically the sacrifices). They wondered, how are we supposed to live a Christian lifestyle? James told them.
I Peter
1. Peter was one of the 12 Original Apostles of Jesus.
True
2. Peter was probably beheaded since he was a Christian.
False. He was probably crucified upside down.
3. I Peter is one of the Pastoral Epistles.
False. It is a General Epistle.
4. Peter probably heard or even witnessed the Nero persecutions of Christians. Therefore, he wrote to encourage the Christians to remain strong during persecution.
True
5. Just like in many of Paul's letters to house churches, Peter also included a section at the end where he told Christians how to live.
True
II Peter
1. Like I Peter, Peter in II Peter tries to encourage the Christians to remain strong during persecution.
False
2. II Peter does not discuss how to live as a Christian, but instead discusses the return of Jesus.
False
I John
1. This letter was written over 30 years after Paul wrote his letters.
True
2. Like 1 Peter, John wrote to encourage Christians to be strong during persecution.
False
3. Paul's main points were faith and unity, James' was action, and John's was love.
True
4. The big picture: Saying that Christians worship three gods is an error but not heresy.
False. Since it attacks an idea of the Trinity, it is a heresy. An error does not attack the idea of the Trinity but consists of difference of opinion between Christians. For example, one Christian can say that another Christian is in error by believing that churches need bishops.
II John
1. The themes of II John are the same as I John.
True
III John
1. III John was written to two people, Gaius and Diotrephes.
True
Jude
1. Jude was the brother of Jesus.
False, he was the half-brother
2. Jude is only writing to warn about heresies.
True
Revelation
1. The author of Revelation was most likely John.
True
2. The entire book of Revelation focuses on the return of Jesus.
False
3. Like James through Jude, Revelation is one of the General Epistles.
False, it is an Apocalyptic writing.
4. Chapters 2-3 include short letters to churches in 7 cities.
True
5. In chapter 5, John refers to Jesus as a "lamb." This is a metaphor that points back to the time when the Jews were released from Egypt after killing a lamb and eating it.
True
6. The big picture: Why are there so many different interpretations of when Jesus will return?
Because Christians have many, many different interpretations of the same idea or word (like there are different types of "bats").