RL 205, Introduction to the New Testament
Review for Third Unit Examination

Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.
31 March 2004

This examination is designed to test the student's ability to meet the following course objectives: 1.define the key terms relating to NT study 2.identify & give dates for the significant personages of the first century CE 3.delineate the basic outline of Jesus' life and ministry 4.delineate the Roman Catholic view of scripture and its interpretation 5.discuss the key themes of Jesus' message and their significance in his cultural context 6.discuss the key themes and characteristics of each of the canonical gospels 7.discuss the relationship of the Jesus movement to the various trajectories of first century CE Judaism 8.demonstrate familiarity with the dating for the significant events and key writings of the NT 9.demonstrate command of the historical-critical method of Biblical interpretation 10.make fruitful use of the standard reference tools for NT study (e.g., Bible commentaries, critical apparatuses With that in mind, the following are some specifics about what you might expect to find on the examination.

Know the Glossary, including the terms from the Review for the First Examination, and Review for the Second Examination.   Be able to define or identify all the individuals mentioned in the Identifications page, especially individuals relating to Jesus and the gospels, and be able to recognize their significance for the NT era.   Be able to describe the key features of each of the four canonical gospels, and especially of their portrayals of Jesus.   Be able to put the following events in chronological order: the execution of Jesus the beginning of Roman rule in Palestine the first Jewish-Roman war the beginning of the reign of Tiberius Caesar the first persecution of Christians the destruction of the Temple by Rome the birth of Jesus the beginning of the reign of Nero Caesar the death of Peter the public life of Jesus the completion of Luke the completion of Matthew the completion of Mark the completion of John the completion of Acts the Q source the Gospel of Thomas the beginning of the reign of Domitian the resurrection of Jesus the preaching of Paul of Tarsus Be able to identify the various sources for the canonical gospels and discuss how the gospels are related with each other.   Be able to identify selected texts from the four canonical gospels, as well as the apocryphal Gospel of Peter and Gospel of Thomas.   Given selected gospel passages, be able to engage in both source-critical and form-critical analyses.   Be able to discuss Jesus' notions of soteriaand God's basileia and how his words and deeds tie in with this.   Be able to discuss the earliest Christian preaching about Jesus.

new (unedited) questions from the 11:00 class