Q.1
Which of the following individuals did NOT play a direct and causal part in the chain of events leading to Jesus' arrest, trial/s and Crucifixion?
  • Judas Iscariot
  • Simon Peter
  • King Herod
  • Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor
Q.2
Virtually all Christian churches which hold communion services, according to Jesus' commandment at the Last Supper, use a special form of bread. This may perfectly healthily be plain ordinary, local artisan bread; but just as likely, given the special nature of the occasion, it may be in the form of a flat whiteish wafer (or as individual portions broken off a larger one of these). What is the strongest reason for the preferential use of the wafer/s?
  • Practicalities of storage
  • It imitates the unleavened bread of the Passover, which Jesus was already (or additionally) commemorating at the Last Supper
  • Portions are easier to manage, and there is less indignity over crumbs
  • Brittle bread does not absorb so much wine in the communicant's mouth
Q.3
Christians believe that Jesus was taken back into Heaven on Ascension Day, and that in order to empower His ongoing earthly work, the third Person of the Trinity would manifest itself upon the Apostles. They therefore gathered in some secrecy and suspense until the Sunday of Pentecost, at which point the Holy Spirit made its presence known ... in what form, at first?
  • Tongues of fire (or what appeared to be such) alighting on their heads
  • A sound 'like the rushing of a mighty wind'
  • A blaze of lightning and a clap of thunder
  • A dove (the symbolic bird of peace)
Q.4
For how long was Jesus in the tomb?
  • From just before sunset on the Friday, until some time before dawn on the Sunday: so, probably, between 30 and 36 hours
  • From Friday afternoon until the morning of the third day, so presumably somewhere over 40 hours
  • From Friday mid-evening until the small hours of Sunday, so probably fewer than 30 hours
  • From Friday night until mid-morning Sunday, so probably at least 36 hours
Q.5
Some people with knowledge of Roman times may be familiar with Julius Caesar's alliterative autobiographical claim, ' ' ('I came, I saw, I conquered). There is a similarly alliterative tag from the sayings of Jesus as reported in the Vulgate (Latin Bible): ' ', whose English version has since (among many other interpretations) become a very catchy 'chorus'. What is Jesus claiming in these words?
  • 'I am the way, the truth and the life'
  • 'Go forth, seek and you shall truly find'
  • 'I am the truth which shall set you free'
  • 'This is the gate of eternal life'
Q.6
Which of the following does NOT belong within the final summary paragraph of the standard English version of the Apostles' Creed, as authorised and used in English-speaking churches in the Catholic and mainstream Protestant traditions? 'I believe in ...
  • ... the Holy Ghost / Spirit;
  • ... the holy Catholic church; the communion of Saints ...
  • ... the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body ...
  • ... the coming of the Kingdom, and the life everlasting
Q.7
Christians believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the New Testament of the Bible reports a number of attested, post-resurrection bodily appearances by Him. Which of the following is NOT a 'full sighting' of Him in His risen form?
  • The occasion when He invited the 'doubting' disciple Thomas (who had somehow missed seeing Him previously) to put his fingers into His (Jesus') wound-marks in order to reassure himself that what he saw was true
  • The time when two dejected disciples were trudging away from Jerusalem, and 'a stranger' drew alongside them who listened to their stories, cheered them up by explaining how these tallied with Old Testament prophecies, then accepted their invitation to join them for supper and overnight at an inn at Emmaus, and was recognised by them only in the fleeting moment when, as their guest, He broke bread at supper
  • The occasion when He met the disciples by the lakeside and ate freshly grilled fish with them, by way of showing He was physically 'all there' and not some kind of ghost or hallucination
  • When He confronted Saul (soon to become Paul) on his way to Damascus, where ~ as a hardline Jew ~ he was going to root out and persecute Christians
Q.8
In slightly more modern, Christian terms (remember: Jesus wasn't Himself 'a Christian' ~ that label was an outsiders' nickname for His followers some while after the Resurrection and Pentecost) ... whose was the very last soul that Jesus saved before His death on the cross?
  • The Centurion (leading Roman soldier in the execution party)
  • The repentant criminal hanging on one of the crosses to either side of Him
  • Judas Iscariot
  • Joseph of Arimathea
Q.9
The Revelation to John the Divine (a.k.a. 'Revelation'; note its singular form, rather than the oft-misquoted plural) is the final, apocalyptic book in the Christian scriptures. It purports, among much else (and a lot of extraordinary numerology and symbolism) to describe a vision of 'a new Heaven'. This is such an alien experience for the author that he cannot begin to describe it positively in any known language, only by the absence of certain universal landmarks in human life and experience. Which of these is the correct list of 'items entirely missing in the new heaven'?
  • Blood, toil, sweat and tears
  • Death, mourning, crying nor pain
  • Toil and trouble
  • Weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth
Q.10
Which early Christian missionary wrote that 'Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth?'
  • Jesus
  • The Apostle Paul
  • Philemon
  • James
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