Study Questions for NT Background
1. Why is understanding certain things about the ancient Mediterranean
world (historical
context) an important prerequisite for understanding
the New Testament?
2. Who was Alexander the Great, and what did he accomplish? Why
is he an important
figure for understanding the world of the NT?
3. What was Hellenization, and how did it affect Judea?
4. What was Koine, and how did it affect Judea?
5. What was the original meaning of the word barbarian?
6. Who were the Ptolemies, and the Seleucids, and what effect did they
have on Judea?
7. When did Rome become the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean
world?
8. Know the identity, and significance for understanding the New Testament,
of the
following people: Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar
(Octavian), Tiberius, Claudius,
Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.
9. Why did Rome move from being a republic ruled by two consuls and
a senate to an
imperial government?
10. Was Judea a senatorial province or a province under the direct
control of the emperor? Why?
11. For what main duties were the local governors such as the prefect
Pontius Pilate responsible?
12. What accomplishments were made by the Roman emperors that helped
the advance
of Christianity?
13. Why was belief in Fate so prevalent in the Roman Empire?
What role did astrology play
in this?
14. What is syncretism, and what major impact did it have on religion
in the ancient
Mediterranean world?
15. How did Mystery Religions deal with the widespread fear of Fate?
16. What were the main tenets of Gnosticism?
17. What did Plato believe about the Unmoved Mover, the Forms, the
Demiurge, and
the physical cosmos?
What did he present as the path to true knowledge?
18. Who were the Epicureans, and what did they believe?
19. Who were the Stoics, and what did they believe?
20. What was Hellenistic Judaism?
21. What significant changes were experienced by the Judeans during
their time of exile in
Babylon from 587 to 539
B.C.? What accomplishments did they make during this time?
22. Who was Antiochus 4 Epiphanes, and what effect did he have on the
Judean people?
23. What was the Maccabean Rebellion, when did it occur, and what were
its accomplishments?
24. Who was Mattathias? Judas Maccabaeus? Herod the Great?
Herod Antipas? Herod Archelaus? Pontius Pilate?
25. What caused the Jewish revolt of 66-70 C.E.?
26. What did most first-century Jews believe about God? The temple?
The law of Moses?
27. What does the name Pharisees mean? What sources did
the Pharisees accept as
authoritative for belief
and practice? What were some of their main beliefs?
28. Who were the Sadducees, and what does their name mean? What
sources did they
accept as authoritative
for belief and practice? What Pharisaic beliefs did they reject?
29. What are the Mishnah and the Talmud, and when were
they written?
30. What activities took place in synagogues?
31. Who were the Essenes, and what were their main beliefs?
32. Who were the Zealots, and what were their main beliefs?
33. Who were the Sicarii?
34. What does Koine mean, and how did this dialect arise?
35. Know the meaning of the following: scribes, scroll (roll), codex,
uncials, cursive Greek,
papyri, parchment (vellum),
miniscules.
36. What is text criticism, and why is it important for NT studies?
37. What was wrong with the Greek text produced by Erasmus (textus
receptus), and
therefore with translations
based on it (such as the King James Version)?
38. What were the main criteria used by early Christian leaders to
determine whether or not
a document should be considered
Scripture?
39. Where did the term canon originate, and how did it come
to be applied to Scripture?
40. What does Apocrypha mean?
41. What did the earliest Christians mean when they referred to the
Scriptures?
42. Why did Christians from the second through the fourth centuries
not agree on which
books and letters should
be considered canonical for the New Testament?
43. Exegesis Paper/Illustrated Essay Instructions: Know the proper
form for footnotes and
bibliography.