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History and Literature of the Bible
Practice Questions on “First-century Judaism(s)” Revised 11/29/02
Micheal W. Palmer
Page 1 of 3
First-century Judaism(s)
Using pages 368—382 of Harris’ book and your notes on “First Century Judaism(s),”
answer the following questions. Some of these questions will appear on the final exam as
they appear here. Others will appear in an altered form.
You can take this quiz online and get feedback on your answers by going to
http://greek-language.com/bible/questions/finalexam/12judaism.html.
1. The Temple in Jerusalem was a strong religious symbol for virtually all forms of
Judaism at the time of Jesus. One Jewish group, however, refused to worship there
because it saw the priesthood as corrupt. Which group was this?
a. Pharisees
c. Essenes
b. Sadducees
d. Zealots
2. All forms of Judaism at the time of Jesus were
a. henotheistic
c. polytheistic
b. monotheistic
3. Every variety of Judaism at the time of Jesus accepted ________ as scripture.
a. the Torah (the five books of Moses)
b. the Torah and the Prophets
c. both the written Torah and the oral Torah
4. Which of the following best expresses the attitude of most Jewish religious groups at
the time of Jesus toward the biblical promise of a land for God’s people?
a. Most Jewish groups thought that while God did promise land to the Jewish
people, that promise was no longer valid because the people had violated the Sinai
covenant.
b. The promise was seen as unconditional and remained a source of hope for most
forms of early Judaism.
c. Many Jews thought the promise had never really been made and saw talk about
such a promise as simple political maneuvering.
5. The Pharisees
a. rejected the ‘oral Torah’ or ‘tradition of the elders,’ but accepted as binding the
written Mosaic Torah
b. considered the ‘oral Torah’ or ‘teachings of the elders’ to be binding in addition to
the written Torah
c. rejected all scripture, arguing that God speaks directly to humanity without the
need of written documents
History and Literature of the Bible
Practice Questions on “First-century Judaism(s)” Revised 11/29/02
Micheal W. Palmer
Page 2 of 3
6. The Sadducees
a. rejected the ‘oral Torah’ or ‘tradition of the elders,’ but accepted as binding the
written Mosaic Torah
b. considered the ‘oral Torah’ or ‘teachings of the elders’ to be binding in addition to
the written Torah
c. rejected all scripture, arguing that God speaks directly to humanity without the
need of written documents
7. The Mishnah is
a. one of the books of the Pentateuch
b. the codified form of the “tradition of the elders”
c. the same thing as the Talmud
8. The Sadducees
a. expected two messiahs, one a religious leader and the other a political/military
leader
b. probably did not think there would be a messiah, since there is no teaching about
a messiah in the Torah
c. spent a great deal of time teaching about the coming messiah
9. Our English term messiah is derived from the Hebrew word mashiah (anointed). In
the Hebrew Bible, the term mashiah is most frequently applied to
a. the kings of ancient Israel, particularly those descended from David
b. foreign leaders chosen by God to deliver Israel
c. prophets sent by God to call God’s people back to faithfulness
Pick the Right Group
10. Which group believed in the existence of angels, demons, and other spiritual beings?
a. Pharisees
b. Sadducees
11. Which group believed in resurrection from the dead (life after death) and a final
judgment?
a. Pharisees
b. Sadducees
12. The group that supported open military revolt against Rome was the __________.
a. Pharisees
d. Zealots
b. Sadducees
e. Samaritans
c. Essenes
13. Most New Testament scholars think that the __________ produced the Dead Sea
Scrolls.
a. Pharisees
d. Zealots
b. Sadducees
e. Samaritans
c. Essenes
History and Literature of the Bible
Practice Questions on “First-century Judaism(s)” Revised 11/29/02
Micheal W. Palmer
Page 3 of 3
14. Which group expected two Messiahs, one a religious leader and the other a political
and military leader?
a. Pharisees
d. Zealots
b. Sadducees
e. Samaritans
c. Essenes
15. Which group descended from the old northern nation of Israel and viewed Mount
Gerizim rather than Mount Zion as God’s approved holy place?
a. Pharisees
d. Zealots
b. Sadducees
e. Samaritans
c. Essense
Terms and Concepts to Remember
from Chapter 8 and the Lecture on “First-century Judaism(s)”
Stoicism
Mystery Religions
Yahweh
Torah
Pharisees
Tradition of the Elders
Mishnah
Sadducees
Samaritans
Essenes
Dead Sea Scrolls
Qumran
Zealots
Messiah (First-century Expectations)