REL 203 - RELIGIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
SECOND MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE - CHRISTIANITY

The Exam will cover all of the material on Christianity (Part II. of the text). It must be taken in the Computer Testing Lab in CEN 456 or the Cottage Grove Center between the dates listed in the syllabus and the Moodle weekly outline. You must have a picture ID, know your L number and pin, and arrive at least one hour before the lab closes.

A 3 x 5 card of notes (both sides) is allowed for the exam. You'll also need a copy of your schedule, but you can print one out at the lab, if necessary, with your L number and pin. For more details on testing see the syllabus.  To prepare for the exam, focus your study on your class notes, discussion questions from the reading and the questions below. During the testing time class will proceed as normal with new material. Consider testing time to be part of the 2-3 hours of outside work expected of you for every hour of class time.

What does the term "Christ" mean? What is a "Christian"? What is the earliest symbol of Christianity and what does it mean? What did Jesus do before his ministry, beginning at age 30? What were the main sects of Judaism during Jesus' ministry? What does the term "gospel"mean? What are some characteristics of the gospel of Mark which distinguish it from the other gospels? Why is John the Baptist Baptizing people before there is a Christian religion? What activities characterized Jesus' three-year ministry?

What is a parable? Why did Jesus teach in parables? What did the instructor mean when he said that the Parable of the Sower is a "parable about parables?" What is the "messianic secret"? What do some modern scholars believe it means? According to the instructor, what is a more plausible explanation, found in the text itself? What do the gospels mean when they call Jesus the Son of God?

What is Jesus' view of the Jewish law? What does he have to say about material wealth? What does the term "parousia" refer to? According to the instructor, when did Jesus promise to return and what did his first century followers believe about the timing of his "second coming?" What things did Jesus say would precede his coming "in the clouds with great glory" according to Mark 13? What is the parable of the fig tree and what is its meaning? How does 2 Peter 3:3-10 attempt to deal with ridicule the early church faced about the delayed parousia? What effect did the delayed parousia have on the early Church? What do most Christians believe today about the second coming?

Why do references to Jesus' brothers and sisters create a problem for Catholicism? How do they respond to this problem?

What are the secular and religious reasons given for Jesus' crucifixion in the gospels? What are the charges against Jesus that lead to his crucifixion?

What are some of the main themes from the Sermon on the Mount discussed in class? What was the purpose of "The Lord's Prayer"? Which are the synoptic gospels and how are they related to one another? What is the "Q" document? How do the synoptics compare and contrast with John? Why don't most secular or liberal scholars believe that John, the "beloved disciple" (one of the Twelve) wrote the Gospel of John? Why don't they believe the same person wrote the Gospel of John as the Book of Revelation? How does the book of Acts form a crucial bridge between the Gospels and Epistles? What is an epistle anyway?

What is the Logos ("Word") of God spoken of in the opening to the Gospel of John ("In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God.") What does one have to do in order to obtain eternal life, according to the Gospel of John? Where does the term "born again" come from?

What language did Jesus speak? Approximately when was the New Testament written, and by whom? What language was it written in? Why are three gospels called the "synoptic gospels" and which are they? What is gnosticism, and what are its main teachings? What are the reasons most scholars don't accept Thomas and other gnostic gospels as an authentic tradition of Jesus' teachings?

What is "Communion?" Which Jewish festival does it invest with new meaning, and what is that new meaning? In Judaism, Pentecost is the Greek name of a religious festival--what is Pentecost in Christianity? What miracle did God perform at Pentecost and how did it help spread the faith?

What three good purposes does Paul believe the law served? In what sense did he regard the law as a curse as well as a blessing? How does one attain salvation in Christianity? Salvation from what? What role, if any, did baptism play in the first century church? Was a Sabbath observed? What was the importance of Mary in the early Church?

What are the main teachings of Christianity as found in the Apostolic and Nicene Creeds? What are the three main branches of Christianity and how do they differ? What do they all have in common? What are Calvinism and Arminianism? Which does the Catholic Church subscribe to? What is the "rapture?" According to the instructor, is it taught in the New Testament?

What are the differences between Fundamental or Evangelical Christians and mainline, liberal Christians? What's the difference between a liturgical church and a non-liturgical church?

Note: The instructor reserves the right to include on the exam any question(s) from the readings, discussion questions, handouts, or lectures that aren't mentioned here.