Analysis of Gary Wilder’s “Freedom Time”.

Analysis of Gary Wilder’s “Freedom Time”.

3.

The mission to the Gentiles

ASSIGNMENT I Part One /40
Part Two /40
Part Three /10
/90

Part I: True or False (40 points for your best 10 out of 12 answers. Bonus points will be added if more than ten are correct.) Indicate whether each of the following statements is true or false.
__ 1. By the mid-first Century CE there was strong disagreement over whether or not Jesus’ death was a sacrificial act.
__ 2. Paul’s gospel taught that the return of Jesus for the Judgment Day would occur after the growth of a universal church.
__ 3. Paul taught that Gentiles could become Jews by following the Torah and thus receive divine favor and salvation.
__ 4. Paul urged the Corinthians to express unconditional love for each other.
__ 5. Paul probably did not write the Pastoral Letters.
__ 6. Paul taught that ecstatic speech was the greatest expression of Christian spirituality.
__ 7. Paul taught that only ordained and exemplary men could lead community churches.
__ 8. Paul used his ‘Body Metaphor’ to discuss equality and unity in the church.
__ 9. Paul’s salvation history and eschatology are not the same as those found in Luke-Acts.
__ 10. The Acts of the Apostles is not a critical history; rather, it is an idealized view of how the church ought to grow into a universal religion.
__ 11. The Pastoral Letters called alternative Christian teachings heretical.
__ 12. According to the Letters to Timothy and to Titus, Christians disagreed which beliefs and practices ought to be adopted into the new religion.

Part II: Multiple Choice (40 points) Select the most correct answer to complete each statement from the list provided and type or copy the associated letter into the space provided.

__ 13. Paul was responding in his Letter to the Churches in Galatia about
a. when and where Christians could eat meats
b. why keeping Torah commandments was not necessary
c. who should and should not marry and why they should or should not
d. proper sexual behavior and bodily respect
e. all of the above

__ 14. It appears that Paul regularly had to defend his apostolic authority because
a. the original apostles taught a different gospel than Paul’s
b. the original apostles claimed Paul had not known Jesus
c. he based his gospel off of a personal religious experience
d. all of the above
e. none of the above

__ 15. Paul taught the Corinthians that there are eternal spiritual gifts that every church member ought to strive for, which are
a. healing, ecstasy, and speaking in tongues
b. revelation, prophecy, and enlightenment
c. communion, gratitude, and charity
d. faith, hope, and love
e. all of the above

__ 16. Paul most fully explained his Salvation History and Theology in
a. Galatians
b. Romans
c. I-II Corinthians
d. The Letters to Timothy
e. none of the above

__ 17. The author-redactor of Acts summarized his theological points in the speeches of
a. Peter and Paul
b. the twelve disciples
c. the Jews for Jesus
d. newly baptized converts
e. the Gentiles

__ 18. Paul wrote the Letter to the Roman Church in order to
a. encourage unity among all of the factions breaking out among members and to address many complaints of immoral behavior
b. reaffirm his love for them, since it had been so long since his last visit, and to answer the questions they had sent him
c. explain why he could not be with them as planned, since he was at the moment imprisoned, but he would stop and stay with them for a while on his way to Spain
d. report on his fallout with the church members, their rejection of him during a visit, including a physical attack against him there, and his hope that they will accept his gospel again and his authority to teach it
e. unfold his gospel to a church founded by a different apostle and on a different gospel, probably Peter’s, in order that he might earn their acceptance and financial support

__ 19. Paul wrote the First Letter to the Corinthian Church in order to
a. encourage unity among all of the factions breaking out among members and to address many complaints of immoral behavior
b. reaffirm his love for them, since it had been so long since his last visit, and to answer the questions they had sent him
c. explain why he could not be with them as planned, since he was at the moment imprisoned, but he would stop and stay with them for a while on his way to Spain
d. report on his fallout with the church members, their rejection of him during a visit, including a physical attack against him there, and his hope that they will accept his gospel again and his authority to teach it
e. unfold his gospel to a church founded by a different apostle and on a different gospel, probably Peter’s, in order that he might earn their acceptance and financial support

__ 20. Paul’s correspondence in the Second Letter to the Corinthians was written to
a. encourage unity among all of the factions breaking out among members and to address many complaints of immoral behavior
b. reaffirm his love for them, since it had been so long since his last visit, and to answer the questions they had sent him
c. explain why he could not be with them as planned, since he was at the moment imprisoned, but he would stop and stay with them for a while on his way to Spain
d. report on his fallout with the church members, their rejection of him during a visit, including a physical attack against him there, and his hope that they will accept his gospel again and his authority to teach it
e. unfold his gospel to a church founded by a different apostle and on a different gospel, probably Peter’s, in order that he might earn their acceptance and financial support

__ 21. After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension in the gospel named for Luke, the Acts of the Apostles portrays the continuation of Jesus’ earthly mission to heal people of their wounds, transgressions, and demons, and to promote peace and well-being. The author-redactor shows others also perform these same healing works as Jesus did because
a. the disciples created creeds, canon, and clergy for guidance
b. of a transmission of spiritual empowerment from one person to the next
c. Jesus taught his methods to the disciples, who in turn each taught them to his students, who then grew up to teach others
d. Jesus gave the real gospel to Peter, John, James, and Paul, who in turn taught it to many communities of first generation Christians, who in turn taught others how to heal them selves and others
e. all of the above are purely the ideas of the final redactor of this assignment

__ 22. Which part of the Pauline Letter Form was original to Paul?
a. all that follow below
b. the thanksgiving
c. the section on moral behaviors
d. the curses against non-believers
e. the polemics against those who upheld alternative Christian views

Part III: Reading Comprehension Essay (10 points) Compose a short essay of a couple of paragraphs that demonstrates your comprehension of the biblical readings and the supplemental materials offered in this lesson on the topics raised below. Cite specific biblical texts to support your answers. Be sure to use proper spelling and formal writing skills.

Describe the structure of church membership and the requirements for leadership that are presented in the Pastoral Letters. How do these letters promote different views of the church than found in Pauline theology? How do the Pastoral Letters illustrate efforts toward an institutionalization of Christian traditions?