This GCSE RE 'A World of Bible Readers' quiz takes us into quite a specialised field of Biblical understanding and application, by way of Hermeneutics and Exegesis ~ two terms which, while subtly distinct, refer to the ways how scholars who analyse Biblical texts tease out the layers of meaning, so that believers can better appreciate and apply the point of the Scriptures to their own daily lives.
There are (as you will probably have seen, in some of our other quizzes or elsewhere) many branches of the overall worldwide Church, not least since the schism between the Western and Orthodox ~ almost half the Christian era ago, in 1054 ~ and the Reformation, which brought the Protestant churches into being, in the 16th century, which in turn covers pretty well exactly the latter quarter of Christian history.
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Along with other more detailed refinements of Christian belief and practice, these divisions have both sprung from, and encouraged, active and divergent approaches to what the Scriptures are ~ and what should be regarded as their message.
For instance, does a given branch of the church accept and reprint the Apocrypha (otherwise known as the Deuterocanonical books)? What do they adopt into their Creed, and what do they reject, for whatever reasons? What teachings do they abide by which may have grown up alongside the Bible, rather than from directly within it?
We are, of course, assuming that all those making the key decisions are sincere believers within their own traditions, even if (ultimately) they are all fallible human beings. Anyone from outside the Mormon tradition might, for instance, happen to find it hard to accept how that church’s version of the Scriptures came to take the form that it did. But it can be instructive in itself to discover something of how differing versions and circumstances can bring fellow-Christians to hold so deeply to varying understandings of, and from, what ought ~ presumably ~ to be their ‘core text’.
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1.
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The Schism ('split') of 1054 marked a divide between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches ~ principally over the significance of just one word in the Nicene Creed, the interpretation of which threatened to upset people's understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity (God as Father, Son and Spirit). An Alexandrian teacher named Arius had been proposing that ... (which of the following?) ... |
|
| [ ] |
The Spirit came from God the Father, but was not active in Jesus' earthly ministry |
| [ ] |
During His earthly ministry, Jesus (while human) was 'not entirely God's Son' |
| [ ] |
Jesus was more than human, yet not fully God |
| [ ] |
Jesus had more control of the Spirit than God the Father did |
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|
|
2.
|
The monk Martin Luther (1483-1546) first began having doubts about then-existing Catholic doctrine while preparing lectures on a Bible passage where St Paul discusses 'justification by faith': i.e. that no believer can earn their way, by however many 'good works', to salvation and eternal life ~ since these are an outright gift from Jesus, to be accepted in faith. At that time Pope Leo X was seeking to fund some works on St Peter's in Rome by selling 'indulgences', encouraging people to believe that money they handed over could buy 'pardons' not only for themselves, but for others, including already-dead relatives.
In which Bible book by St Paul had such issues been raised? |
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| [ ] |
Letter (Epistle) to the Ephesians |
| [ ] |
Letter (Epistle) to the Galatians |
| [ ] |
1st Letter (Epistle) to the Corinthians |
| [ ] |
Letter (Epistle) to the Romans |
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3.
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Another, perhaps surprisingly 'un-minor' long-running debate has concerned Paul's principles regarding the wearing of hats during worship (at church, as most of us would now understand it). In his 1st letter to the Christian community at Corinth (situated on the isthmus, at a strategic 'crossroads' of travel routes; hence, potentially, of pivotal influence in the early church network), Paul tried to address the dispute that had already arisen. From what he wrote, what would appear to have been his recommendations? |
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| [ ] |
Both sexes should wear hats during worship as a sign of respect |
| [ ] |
Men need not wear hats (so they were bare-headed / undisguised before God), but women should wear them for modesty &/or to avoid distraction (somewhat similarly to what many present-day Muslim women do) |
| [ ] |
Women should be hatted to avoid showing off their hair; men could make up their own minds |
| [ ] |
Neither gender need wear a hat to worship unless the individual felt like it |
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|
|
4.
|
Around the centrality of the Eucharist (communion) in Christian observance, there is a major divergence of understanding, chiefly between Catholics and Protestants, regarding the exact nature of the 'elements' which the communicant receives.
At the Last Supper, speaking presumably in Aramaic (the local sister-language to Hebrew), Jesus invited His followers to consume the bread 'as [His] body' and the wine 'in remembrance, as [His] blood'. While most believers are spiritually happy, in their modern services, to consider the bread and wine as direct and potent symbols, in the context of an invited and explicit comparison, Catholic doctrine holds that during Mass these items miraculously become, to every intent, the flesh and blood of Jesus.
Whatever your own stance on this pivotal matter ... by what official name is this doctrine known? |
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| [ ] |
Sanctification |
| [ ] |
Transubstantiation |
| [ ] |
Beatification |
| [ ] |
Immaculate conception |
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5.
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Jesus had offered His followers a prayer that we, ever since and therefore, know as The Lord's Prayer ('Our Father ... '), as a model of how ordinary everyday believers could directly address God; Protestants were keen that ordinary everyday Europeans, some 500 years ago, should be able to do what He commanded in their own native language. What was the official policy on this until the Reformation? |
|
| [ ] |
Only priests could lead a congregation in saying the Lord's Prayer |
| [ ] |
It could only be said in Latin |
| [ ] |
You would be in trouble if you tried saying it in an English version |
| [ ] |
Answers 2 & 3 were both true |
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6.
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From within and beyond the Protestant movement came the Puritans, who (as their name suggests) urged for even simpler ~ 'purer' ~ forms of life and worship. Which of the following did the Puritans do? |
|
| [ ] |
They demolished church statuary, organs and other 'extravagant' fitments, and forbade any celebration of Christmas |
| [ ] |
Seeking 'freedom of conscience' ~ instead of persecution for not attending Anglican church on Sundays ~ several of them went abroad as early colonists to America |
| [ ] |
Under Cromwell, they won a Civil War in England to depose and execute a 'Catholic-friendly' King |
| [ ] |
All of the above |
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7.
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It was another Scripture passage which gave initial impetus to the Wesley brothers in 1738, on Whit Sunday, when they began the Methodist movement within the Church of England. John had apparently been at a meeting when this passage came up, and when he went to tell Charles, Charles was already feeling similarly moved. What was the 'trigger text' in that instance? |
|
| [ ] |
The Gospel of John |
| [ ] |
Luther's commentary on Paul's Letter to the Romans |
| [ ] |
The passage in I Corinthians 13 about 'Love' |
| [ ] |
Chapter 3 of Revelation |
|
|
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8.
|
The Methodists aimed to go right back to the Bible: and if you look in many of their churches now, you will notice from the layout at the front end that there is greater importance given to reading and expounding the Bible than, even, to holding Eucharists (communion services ~ though they certainly do these too). Their early followers were still seen as shirking off going to 'proper church' ... until Wesley was able to achieve an officially recognised system of licensing for their Chapels.
What does the Bible meanwhile have to say about believers' obedience to 'earthly authorities'? |
|
| [ ] |
When challenged on such a point (in this case, about paying taxes to Rome), Jesus specifically said that His followers should not hold back from obeying human laws |
| [ ] |
God will understand if you have to break a Commandment in order to save your own skin with human authorities |
| [ ] |
If God's laws and human authorities appear to conflict, anyone's loyalty should be with God |
| [ ] |
We should never question the actions of those above us, including God and any 'in-between layers' of the church &/or state |
|
|
|
9.
|
Even people with only a passing involvement in Christianity, might at least be willing enough to accept the Christmas story as the start of Jesus' 30-odd years amongst us on earth. Alongside the shepherds (themselves full of symbolism, which we might consider elsewhere), 'everybody knows the baby had a visit from three kings' ~ whose pilgrimage was also prophetic.
Where in the Bible are the Three Kings, as such, mentioned? |
|
| [ ] |
In the books of Prophecy |
| [ ] |
At the start of the 'synoptic' Gospels |
| [ ] |
In a couple of Paul's letters |
| [ ] |
The Bible never refers to them as 'kings', nor specifies that there were three of them |
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10.
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Translating the Bible into other languages, for target cultures very different from those around the 'Mediterranean basin', can sometimes bring very specific challenges ~ not least if the target language is entirely oral and has no form of written script. Which, if any, of the following stylistic difficulties has NOT been known to arise in translation? |
|
| [ ] |
The Psalmist's prayer to be washed 'whiter than the snow' makes little sense in warmer faraway lands that never experience a snowfall, and may therefore even have no word for it |
| [ ] |
Where, for emphasis, Jesus says ~ in a typical English version ~ 'Truly, very truly I tell you ...', this doesn't work idea-for-idea in a language where repetition weakens the argument instead of strengthening it (perhaps because the repetition sounds hollow, even potentially deceptive) |
| [ ] |
Jesus' rebuke to Peter, 'Get (thee) behind me, Satan!' makes little sense in a culture where ~ unlike ours, but with an equal logic of its own ~ the past is regarded as lying in front of us (i.e. we can see it; though we in English would say, 'look back on it' ...), while their future is behind them (because nobody can see behind themself, nor into the as-yet-unknown ~ which we consider 'ahead of us', within the metaphor of walking forwards along life's journey). So, word-for-word, Jesus' speech here would appear to say 'Get into my future' ... probably not what He had in mind! |
| [ ] |
All of the above are genuine examples |
|
|
|
1.
|
The Schism ('split') of 1054 marked a divide between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches ~ principally over the significance of just one word in the Nicene Creed, the interpretation of which threatened to upset people's understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity (God as Father, Son and Spirit). An Alexandrian teacher named Arius had been proposing that ... (which of the following?) ... |
|
| [ ] |
The Spirit came from God the Father, but was not active in Jesus' earthly ministry |
| [ ] |
During His earthly ministry, Jesus (while human) was 'not entirely God's Son' |
| [x] |
Jesus was more than human, yet not fully God |
| [ ] |
Jesus had more control of the Spirit than God the Father did |
|
|
|
2.
|
The monk Martin Luther (1483-1546) first began having doubts about then-existing Catholic doctrine while preparing lectures on a Bible passage where St Paul discusses 'justification by faith': i.e. that no believer can earn their way, by however many 'good works', to salvation and eternal life ~ since these are an outright gift from Jesus, to be accepted in faith. At that time Pope Leo X was seeking to fund some works on St Peter's in Rome by selling 'indulgences', encouraging people to believe that money they handed over could buy 'pardons' not only for themselves, but for others, including already-dead relatives.
In which Bible book by St Paul had such issues been raised? |
|
| [ ] |
Letter (Epistle) to the Ephesians |
| [ ] |
Letter (Epistle) to the Galatians |
| [ ] |
1st Letter (Epistle) to the Corinthians |
| [x] |
Letter (Epistle) to the Romans |
|
|
|
3.
|
Another, perhaps surprisingly 'un-minor' long-running debate has concerned Paul's principles regarding the wearing of hats during worship (at church, as most of us would now understand it). In his 1st letter to the Christian community at Corinth (situated on the isthmus, at a strategic 'crossroads' of travel routes; hence, potentially, of pivotal influence in the early church network), Paul tried to address the dispute that had already arisen. From what he wrote, what would appear to have been his recommendations? |
|
| [ ] |
Both sexes should wear hats during worship as a sign of respect |
| [ ] |
Men need not wear hats (so they were bare-headed / undisguised before God), but women should wear them for modesty &/or to avoid distraction (somewhat similarly to what many present-day Muslim women do) |
| [ ] |
Women should be hatted to avoid showing off their hair; men could make up their own minds |
| [x] |
Neither gender need wear a hat to worship unless the individual felt like it |
|
|
|
4.
|
Around the centrality of the Eucharist (communion) in Christian observance, there is a major divergence of understanding, chiefly between Catholics and Protestants, regarding the exact nature of the 'elements' which the communicant receives.
At the Last Supper, speaking presumably in Aramaic (the local sister-language to Hebrew), Jesus invited His followers to consume the bread 'as [His] body' and the wine 'in remembrance, as [His] blood'. While most believers are spiritually happy, in their modern services, to consider the bread and wine as direct and potent symbols, in the context of an invited and explicit comparison, Catholic doctrine holds that during Mass these items miraculously become, to every intent, the flesh and blood of Jesus.
Whatever your own stance on this pivotal matter ... by what official name is this doctrine known? |
|
| [ ] |
Sanctification |
| [x] |
Transubstantiation |
| [ ] |
Beatification |
| [ ] |
Immaculate conception |
|
|
|
5.
|
Jesus had offered His followers a prayer that we, ever since and therefore, know as The Lord's Prayer ('Our Father ... '), as a model of how ordinary everyday believers could directly address God; Protestants were keen that ordinary everyday Europeans, some 500 years ago, should be able to do what He commanded in their own native language. What was the official policy on this until the Reformation? |
|
| [ ] |
Only priests could lead a congregation in saying the Lord's Prayer |
| [ ] |
It could only be said in Latin |
| [ ] |
You would be in trouble if you tried saying it in an English version |
| [x] |
Answers 2 & 3 were both true |
|
|
|
6.
|
From within and beyond the Protestant movement came the Puritans, who (as their name suggests) urged for even simpler ~ 'purer' ~ forms of life and worship. Which of the following did the Puritans do? |
|
| [ ] |
They demolished church statuary, organs and other 'extravagant' fitments, and forbade any celebration of Christmas |
| [ ] |
Seeking 'freedom of conscience' ~ instead of persecution for not attending Anglican church on Sundays ~ several of them went abroad as early colonists to America |
| [ ] |
Under Cromwell, they won a Civil War in England to depose and execute a 'Catholic-friendly' King |
| [x] |
All of the above |
|
|
|
7.
|
It was another Scripture passage which gave initial impetus to the Wesley brothers in 1738, on Whit Sunday, when they began the Methodist movement within the Church of England. John had apparently been at a meeting when this passage came up, and when he went to tell Charles, Charles was already feeling similarly moved. What was the 'trigger text' in that instance? |
|
| [ ] |
The Gospel of John |
| [x] |
Luther's commentary on Paul's Letter to the Romans |
| [ ] |
The passage in I Corinthians 13 about 'Love' |
| [ ] |
Chapter 3 of Revelation |
|
|
|
8.
|
The Methodists aimed to go right back to the Bible: and if you look in many of their churches now, you will notice from the layout at the front end that there is greater importance given to reading and expounding the Bible than, even, to holding Eucharists (communion services ~ though they certainly do these too). Their early followers were still seen as shirking off going to 'proper church' ... until Wesley was able to achieve an officially recognised system of licensing for their Chapels.
What does the Bible meanwhile have to say about believers' obedience to 'earthly authorities'? |
|
| [x] |
When challenged on such a point (in this case, about paying taxes to Rome), Jesus specifically said that His followers should not hold back from obeying human laws |
| [ ] |
God will understand if you have to break a Commandment in order to save your own skin with human authorities |
| [ ] |
If God's laws and human authorities appear to conflict, anyone's loyalty should be with God |
| [ ] |
We should never question the actions of those above us, including God and any 'in-between layers' of the church &/or state |
|
|
|
9.
|
Even people with only a passing involvement in Christianity, might at least be willing enough to accept the Christmas story as the start of Jesus' 30-odd years amongst us on earth. Alongside the shepherds (themselves full of symbolism, which we might consider elsewhere), 'everybody knows the baby had a visit from three kings' ~ whose pilgrimage was also prophetic.
Where in the Bible are the Three Kings, as such, mentioned? |
|
| [ ] |
In the books of Prophecy |
| [ ] |
At the start of the 'synoptic' Gospels |
| [ ] |
In a couple of Paul's letters |
| [x] |
The Bible never refers to them as 'kings', nor specifies that there were three of them |
|
|
|
10.
|
Translating the Bible into other languages, for target cultures very different from those around the 'Mediterranean basin', can sometimes bring very specific challenges ~ not least if the target language is entirely oral and has no form of written script. Which, if any, of the following stylistic difficulties has NOT been known to arise in translation? |
|
| [ ] |
The Psalmist's prayer to be washed 'whiter than the snow' makes little sense in warmer faraway lands that never experience a snowfall, and may therefore even have no word for it |
| [ ] |
Where, for emphasis, Jesus says ~ in a typical English version ~ 'Truly, very truly I tell you ...', this doesn't work idea-for-idea in a language where repetition weakens the argument instead of strengthening it (perhaps because the repetition sounds hollow, even potentially deceptive) |
| [ ] |
Jesus' rebuke to Peter, 'Get (thee) behind me, Satan!' makes little sense in a culture where ~ unlike ours, but with an equal logic of its own ~ the past is regarded as lying in front of us (i.e. we can see it; though we in English would say, 'look back on it' ...), while their future is behind them (because nobody can see behind themself, nor into the as-yet-unknown ~ which we consider 'ahead of us', within the metaphor of walking forwards along life's journey). So, word-for-word, Jesus' speech here would appear to say 'Get into my future' ... probably not what He had in mind! |
| [x] |
All of the above are genuine examples |
|
|
Once the Crusaders had sacked and looted the Eastern spiritual capital of Constantinople in 1204, during one of their missions to the Holy Land, there could be even less commonality between the two sides of the church, even since the (western) Pope and (eastern) Patriarch had effectively excommunicated one another at the time of the Schism.
In early 2016 their successors met for the first time in many centuries, to deplore the maltreatment of all or any Christians by others in the Middle East, and to seek other more positive common ground. We can but wish them well!