Quiz 4 Answers

Question 1

According to Bryan, which of the following statements about Pontius Pilate is true?

Pilate was the Roman governor of Judaea for about ten years.

Pilate replaced Jewish High Priests on almost an annual basis.

After crucifying Jesus, Pilate arrested and executed several of Jesus’ most prominent followers.

Historical sources show that Pilate honed a keen understanding of the Jews and their sensitivities.

Answer 1

Pilate was the Roman governor of Judaea for about ten years.

Question 2

Which trait best describes Cassidy’s general methodology of employing a “canonical” approach to New Testament texts?

analysis of the final forms of New Testament texts

analysis of the impact of particular sources on the specific authors of New Testament texts

determination of the status of New Testament texts at various stages of their development

concern for establishing precise dates and sequences of composition of all New Testament texts

Answer 2

analysis of the final forms of New Testament texts

Question 3

in Judaism, the sin (punishable by death, according to the Torah) of directing any derision, demeaning, or insult toward the God of Israel, a sin often manifest in a human being personally claiming any of God’s exclusive prerogatives

Answer 3

blasphemy

Question 4

a term usually translated as brigands or bandits but also capable or meaning robbers, highwaymen, revolutionaries, insurrectionists, or guerillas, and thus interpreted variously by different commentators

Answer 4

lestai

Question 5

Rome’s law of high treason against the state

Answer 5

maiestas

Question 6

the view that Luke sought in his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles to present Christians and Christianity to Roman authorities in a favorable way

Answer 6

political apologetic

Question 7

extremist “dagger men” among the Jewish population who concealed daggers in their cloaks to stab unexpectedly their opponents (who often accepted, or collaborated with, Roman rulers)

Answer 7

sicarii

Question 8

the peace and order imposed by Rome on its territories starting with Augustus’ emergence as Emperor and Princeps after defeating Marc Antony in a civil war

Answer 8

pax atque quieta

Question 9

the view that Luke sought in his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles to present Roman authorities and their imperial system to Christian believers in a way which would allow Christians to see them as acceptable

Answer 9

political apologetic

Question 10

According to Bryan, why is the case of first-century Palestine unusual from the standpoint of postcolonial theory?

A comparatively large quantity of contemporary information about this Roman territory has survived.

Among the few Jewish chroniclers of the period, none can be said to be at all privileged.

Roman-authored texts predominate among texts about Palestine and its inhabitants surviving from this period.

None of the above: Bryan actually argues that the case of first-century Palestine is not unusual from the standpoint of postcolonial theory.

Answer 10

A comparatively large quantity of contemporary information about this Roman territory has survived.

Question 11

Why does Bryan believe that the Gospels’ Passion narratives have historical value?

In a patriarchal age, it would have been odd for the Evangelists to have fabricated stories about the crucifixion wherein Jesus’ female followers were present but his male followers were absent.

The fact that Jesus’ followers after His crucifixion may have remembered the event as one predicted in, and fulfilling, Israel’s scriptures is insufficient reason for rejecting the broad historicity of the Passion narratives.

It would be strange for Jesus’ followers to have spent countless hours after Jesus’ death scouring the Scriptures to discern the theological meaning of Jesus’ Passion while remaining uninterested in, and oblivious to, the actual details of Jesus’ public execution.

All of the above.

Answer 11

All of the above

Question 12

John 18:31–32 explains that the Sanhedrin, having found Jesus guilty of a capital offense under the Jewish Law, brought Jesus before Pilate because execution of capital punishment was reserved to Roman authorities. Why does Bryan believe that John’s explanation is, in all likelihood, correct?

Upon reaching Judaea in 62, the Roman governor Albinus had the High Priest Ananias removed from office for having illegally authorized the execution of Saint James of Jerusalem between the death of Albinus’s predecessor and Albinus’s initial arrival in Judaea.

The Sanhedrin’s stoning of Saint Stephen as described in Acts 7 appears to resemble a mob lynching rather than the solemn result of properly resolved and completed legal proceedings against him.

Josephus’s description of a Jewish “right” to kill gentiles who transgressed the Temple’s inner courts should be understood as an extraordinary concession from Rome and not as an example of a broader power of execution permitted to the Sanhedrin.

All of the above.

Answer 12

All of the above

Question 13

Which of the four evangelists most carefully notes the identities of the relevant ruling authorities at the time of Jesus’ birth and at the outset of Jesus’ public ministry?

John

Matthew

Luke

Mark

Answer 13

Luke

Question 14

According to Bryan, which of the following aspects of Jesus’ ministry might pious Jews have found off-putting?

His adoption of an attitude of sovereignty toward the Jewish religious Law

His forecasting and performatively and metaphorically “enacting” the destruction of the Temple

His offering of God’s forgiveness to sinners by virtue of their association with Him personally

all of the above

Answer 14

All of the above

Question 15

Characters in John’s Gospel ascribe to Jesus the titles “Lord,” “Savior of the World,” and “Lord and God.” Because Emperors claimed these titles for themselves, Cassidy asserts that John, in highlighting ascriptions of these titles to Jesus, intended to counter imperial Roman peace propaganda of the day. Which of these titles appears more than once as a title for Jesus in John’s Gospel?

“Savior of the World”

“Lord”

“Lord and God”

both “Savior of the World” and “Lord and God”

Answer 15

“Lord”

Question 16

According to Cassidy, Augustus’s three main constituencies during his Principate were the military, the senatorial and equestrian classes, and the broad populace of the city of Rome. Which policy was specifically designed to maintain the support of the military?

the so-called “bread and circuses”

donatives and discharge payments as a reward for service

promotion of interregional trade to enhance wealth

Answer 16

donatives and discharge payments as a reward for service

Question 17

How does Cassidy characterize Jesus’ model for approaching leadership and authority?

the “Zealot” model

the “cursus honorum” model

the “humility-service” model

the “benefactor” model

Answer 17

the “humility-service” model

Question 18

According to Bryan, although many of Jesus’ actions would have been perceived by contemporaries as typical of prophets, Jesus also did certain things which were unusual for prophets. Which of the following is one of the aspects of Jesus’ ministry which would have been considered unusual for a prophet?

feeding followers in the wilderness

warning of God’s future judgment

proclaiming the imminent coming of God’s kingdom

the joy exhibited by Jesus and His followers

Answer 18

the joy exhibited by Jesus and His followers

Question 19

According to Bryan, which of the following statements accurately characterizes Jesus’ critique of the political authorities of His day?

He frequently called for radical reform of the systems and methods of tax collection.

He simply acknowledged the powers that be while insisting that they be held accountable for how they wielded power.

He believed that the structures of Roman imperial governance had to be updated or replaced.

He considered Jewish political independence from the Roman pagans absolutely essential.

Answer 19

He simply acknowledged the powers that be while insisting that they be held accountable for how they wielded power.

Question 20

In Matthew 17:24–27, Peter is asked whether Jesus pays the half-shekel Temple tax, and Jesus later follows up with Peter about the question of paying the tax. Which of the following statements accords with Cassidy’s interpretation of this passage?

The fact that Jesus miraculously makes provision for Peter to obtain a shekel coin to pay the tax for the two of them indicates that Jesus believed that this tax must always be paid.

Jesus’ ambiguity in his discussion with Peter means that we cannot tell whether Jesus regularly paid this tax or thought that it was morally necessary to do so.

Jesus’ position that the tax is illegitimate and ought never to be paid under any circumstances is an indication that Jesus was a Zealot.

Jesus’ affirmation that the Temple tax must always be paid upon the relevant authorities’ request signifies that Jesus believes that all taxes imposed by political authorities must always be paid without question.

Answer 20

Jesus’ ambiguity in his discussion with Peter means that we cannot tell whether Jesus regularly paid this tax or thought that it was morally necessary to do so.

Question 21

According to Bryan, which of the following statements accords with extant sources about Roman Judaea between A.D. 6 and A.D. 66?

The forms and structures of political rule never changed.

The political and the religious constituted two separate spheres in Jewish society which had no influence on one another.

There was a constant, almost non-stop series of intense rebellions, disturbances, and protests by the people.

There seemed to be widespread expectation that a prophet or messiah would emerge.

Answer 21

There seemed to be widespread expectation that a prophet or messiah would emerge.

Question 22

Bryan identifies four options for how first-century Jews could have responded to Roman rule of Judaea: (i) full cooperation with Rome; (ii) acceptance of Roman rule with a willingness to challenge or question it on occasion; (iii) non-violent rejection of Roman rule; and (iv) violent rejection of Roman rule. For which of these options does he say that there are Old Testament exemplars?

only (iii) and (iv)

(ii), (iii), and (iv), but not (i)

only (i) and (ii)

all four

Answer 22

all four