Title: Chapter 05: Multiple Choice Questions: Religious Beliefs and Practices in Antiquity
Course: Engaging the Christian Scriptures Instructor's Manual

Q: Which of the following is NOT a true statement?
- Modern scholars have limited knowledge about the variations of first-century Palestinian Judaism.
- In first-century Palestine, every Jew would have identified exclusively with a particular religious sect.
- Ancient writers such as Josephus provide modern scholars with additional insight about first-century Jewish religious sects.
- All of the above are true.
A: In first-century Palestine, every Jew would have identified exclusively with a particular religious sect.

Q: What spiritual concerns prompted many Romans to embrace Eastern “mystery religions”?
- the idea of a personal relationship with a god
- the possibility of an afterlife
- disillusionment with the Olympian gods who contributed to human conflicts
- all of the above
A: all of the above

Q: Which of the following is NOT something that unified Jews in the Diaspora and Judean Jews?
- monotheistic understanding of God
- reverence for Hebrew Scriptures
- adherence to the food laws
- all of the above were unifying factors
A: adherence to the food laws

Q: Which of the following does NOT describe the Essenes?
- They believed that after death a person would experience either reward or punishment.
- They thought that God determines all of life.
- They separated themselves from many Jewish practices of their day.
- They actively participated in the worship practices of the Jerusalem temple.
A: They actively participated in the worship practices of the Jerusalem temple.

Q: Which group of Palestinian Jews morphed into rabbinic Judaism after the Jewish War with the Romans?
- Pharisees
- Sadducees
- Essenes
- Zealots
A: Pharisees

Q: Which of the following was NOT a group of Palestinian Jewish revolutionaries during the first centuries of BCE and CE?
- Zealots
- Sicarii
- a group Josephus describes as the “Fourth Philosophy”
- Essenes
A: Essenes

Q: Which branch of Judaism has maintained its identity into the modern era?
- Sadducees
- Samaritans
- Zealots
- Essenes
A: Samaritans

Q: Which person wrote a history of the Jewish people that provides modern scholars with numerous insights into first century Judaism?
- Aristotle
- Herodotus
- Josephus
- Gamaliel
A: Josephus

Q: What does the word “Apocrypha” mean?
- hidden texts
- revealed texts
- false texts
- prior texts
A: hidden texts

Q: Which of the following statements does NOT describe Greek and Roman societies in the first centuries CE?
- Greek and Roman philosophers exclusively supported the paganism of their societies and fully embraced its religious assumptions.
- The majority of people living in the Mediterranean basin would have honored multiple deities through sacrifices, ritual gifts, and festivals.
- Participation of citizens in festivals and sacrifices was important because of the belief that the actions or reactions of the gods had a direct, corporate impact upon the entire region.
- Greeks and Romans were happy to incorporate newly identified gods into their preexisting ritual practices.
A: Greek and Roman philosophers exclusively supported the paganism of their societies and fully embraced its religious assumptions.