Q.1
Who, at least partly while in prison for practising his nonconformist religion, wrote the devotional classic 'Pilgrim's Progress' ~ in which the life and pitfalls of a believer are described through the analogy of a journey?
  • John Newton
  • John Bunyan
  • John Wesley
  • J M Neale
Q.2
Ongoing political unrest permitting, many Christians feel it worth making the effort to visit the Holy Land with its sites where Jesus Himself walked, spoke and did His ministry. Which of the following would NOT conveniently fit into such an itinerary?
  • The birthplace at Bethlehem
  • The shores of the Sea of Galilee
  • The road into Damascus
  • Jerusalem and Golgotha / Calvary
Q.3
On the other hand, trying to keep up with the missionary travels of St Paul (even with the benefit of faster modern transport) would be well more than a single holiday's-worth, though there may be niche organisations that try their best. Once again, which of the following would NOT belong on a 'Pauline' itinerary?
  • Rome
  • Malta
  • Ephesus
  • Alexandria
Q.4
There have been pilgrimages to other places with holy associations for hundreds of years. Whose tomb at Canterbury was the destination for the colourful characters in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales'?
  • St Augustine
  • St Thomas Becket
  • St Swithun
  • St Cantius
Q.5
Earlier even than Canterbury, there is a British shrine at Walsingham dating back to a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1061 ~ just a few years before the Norman Conquest (and Battle of Hastings). In which county is this?
  • Norfolk
  • Suffolk
  • Essex
  • Hertfordshire
Q.6
The sheer size of mainland Europe, and the reach of its networks of holy houses (abbeys and monasteries), take longer-distance pilgrimages there to a whole wider dimension. One of the best-known routes is the Way of St James: what is its pilgrims' destination?
  • The Cathedral at Compostela
  • The Shrine at Lourdes
  • The Grotto at Tarbes
  • The Abbey at Valladolid
Q.7
Which do you think is the most common &/or cogent reason for people to go on pilgrimages anywhere?
  • To visit particularly special places at first-hand, and walk in the steps of great and sacred people
  • To put sustained time and effort into doing this, as a personal discipline and sacrifice
  • To make and deepen friendships with other like-minded souls along the way
  • As a once-in-a-lifetime experience
Q.8
Religious places sometimes find their ministry develops over time: for instance, Coventry (the site of one of the great mediaeval cycles of religious 'mystery plays') had its old cathedral bombed almost to total ruin during World War 2, and a brand-new (rare) 20th-century cathedral was built from scratch within 20 years or so; under twinning arrangements with Dresden in Germany, it has a powerful ministry of international fellowship and reconciliation. Towards the end of the 20th century, a sculpture was donated for installation alongside the 'new' cathedral's Chapel of Industry ~ portraying the head and torso of the crucified Christ, as made of scrap metal from cars that had been involved in fatal accidents. Why, or how, would the Cathedral authorities find grateful and suitable use for such a well-intentioned, but macabre, artefact?
  • They installed it near a notorious 'accident-blackspot' on the city's road system
  • They put it on top of the spire, as a feature of the skyline and as an extension of the lightning-conductor
  • They process around the city's streets behind it on Good Friday each year, in an echo of the old Mystery Plays
  • They use it as a focal point for the Cathedral's ministry to people who have lost loved ones in road accidents
Q.9
Many churches and other institutions are named in honour of St Helen, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great ~ and who, as such, was pivotal in the Christianisation of the Empire. It is widely claimed that on her own pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she rediscovered ... what?
  • The True Cross
  • The Holy Grail
  • The Crown of Thorns
  • The 'purple robe' which had been Jesus' last earthly possession
Q.10
The motif of a journey is attendant on both the birth and death of Jesus. Which of the following did NOT have to travel to Bethlehem to be part of the original Nativity narrative?
  • King Herod and his soldiers
  • The Holy Family, plus donkey
  • The shepherds
  • The learned rulers from the East (often traditionally referred to as the Three Wise Men)
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