THE GOSPELS
1. “Seeing together” defines which concept?
a. Friendship b. Gospel parallels
c. Synoptic d. Evangelistic
2. What format was Jesus particularly fond of using when he taught?
a. Aphorisms b. Parables
c. Proverbs d. Beatitudes
3. True or false? Depending on the context, the word “gospel” can refer to what Jesus said about God, the content of early Christian preaching about Jesus, and the books written about Jesus’s life and ministry.
a. True b. False
4. True or false? The hypothetical source called “Q,” used by Matthew and Luke, appears to have contained primarily sayings of Jesus rather than stories about him.
a. True b. False
5. What is a Passion Narrative?
a. The story of the suffering and death of Jesus
b. An ancient romance novel
c. A story about Jesus written by a zealous disciple
d. None of the above
MATTHEW
6. According to Matthew, what is the key to interpreting scripture?
a. Fulfillment in the life and teachings of Jesus
b. The use of Form Criticism
c. The faithful traditions passed on by the Apostles
d. The Bible Code
7. From reading the Gospel of Matthew, what can be surmised about the author?
a. He is a Jewish Christian, perhaps even a converted rabbi or synagogue leader, writing a generation or more after the time of Jesus
b. He is one of the original twelve disciples, writing in the decade after the time of Jesus?
c. He is a Roman historian, living in Carthage and considering becoming a Christian
d. He is a gentile Christian who was converted by Peter, writing from Rome after the death of Peter
8. True or false? Matthew occasionally corrects inaccuracies contained in Mark’s Gospel.
a. True b. False
9. Of all of the Gospel authors, Matthew alone is adamant about reporting what?
a. Jesus’s original ministry was directed solely to Israel
b. Jesus’s willingly associated with Samaritan sinners
c. Jesus feeding 5,000 in the wilderness
d. Jesus died on a cross
10. Of the following words, which one occurs only in statements of Jesus recorded in Matthew’s Gospel?
a. Disciple b. Heaven
c. Church d. Forgiveness
MARK
11. According to Mark, Jesus speaks in parables so that . . .
a. Only insiders will understand him
b. He can get people’s attention
c. People will remember what he says
d. People will be able to apply his teaching to their own lives
12. True or false? After each of Jesus’s three predictions of his betrayal and death, Mark records how disciples completely failed to grasp the significance of Jesus as the suffering Messiah.
a. True b. False
13. True or false? All of the oldest Greek manuscripts of Mark end the Gospel before any disciples encounter the resurrected Jesus.
a. True b. False
14. True or false? Because Mark was the first written Gospel, the author did not use sources.
a. True b. False
15. Mark describes Jesus’s ministry in what way that surpasses descriptions found in the other Gospels?
a. The length of Jesus’s ministry
b. The urgency of Jesus’s ministry
c. The scandalous nature of Jesus’s ministry
d. All of the above
LUKE
16. Luke portrays Jesus as one who . . .
a. Fulfills expectations of Jewish scripture
b. Is similar to Hellenistic philosophers or benefactors
c. Has features in common with mythological heroes.
d. All of the above
17. True or false? Luke tends to improve Mark’s bad Greek and smooth over his colloquialisms.
a. True b. False
18. More than Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke emphasizes the work of . . .
a. The Holy Spirit b. Women
c. Jesus’s disciples d. Satan
19. True or false? The author of Luke attributes his knowledge of Jesus and the early church to oral and written sources.
a. True b. False
20. The author of the Gospel of Luke also wrote what other New Testament book?
a. Acts b. Romans
c. Hebrews d. Revelation
JOHN
21. From the perspective of modern scholars, which of the following best describes the composition of the Gospel of John?
a. It is the testimony of one of Jesus’s original disciples preserved and edited by leaders of the community he founded.
b. The gospel was written by John the Elder, not John the Apostle.
c. The gospel is a second-century forgery produced and used by Gnostic groups.
d. Since it was written by John the son of Zebedee, the gospel of John is the earliest of the four gospels.
22. True or false? The Gospel of John emphasizes the way Jesus affects the quality of life in the here and now.
a. True b. False
23. John’s Gospel has more to say about this than any of the other Gospels.
a. Grace b. Forgiveness
c. Love d. Performing miracles
24. One difference between John and the Synoptic Gospels is . . .
a. Jesus’s disciples are thirteen in number instead of twelve
b. Jesus attends to more blind people than poor people
c. Jesus washes the disciples’ feet instead of eating Passover
d. Jesus doesn’t die on a cross
25. True or false? The Gospel of John follows a different chronology from the Synoptic Gospels.
a. True b. False
