For each of the following questions, choose the best answer. If you answer incorrectly, try again. You will be given partial credit for answering on the second try. All ten questions in this quiz will be displayed in this session.

1. Which of the following best expresses the view of New Testament scholars regarding the authorship of Second Thessalonians?

   1.   ?  The overwhelming majority of New Testament scholars are convinced that Paul wrote the letter, but a vocal minority challenges that traditional view.
   2.   ?  While this letter is frequently considered deuteropauline, it has a stronger claim to be a genuine Pauline letter than most others that are considered deuteropauline.
   3.   ?  Hardly any scholar today considers Second Thessalonians to be a genuine Pauline letter. The evidence against Pauline authorship is overwhelming.

2. Unlike most of the undisputed letters of Paul, Second Thessalonians has two thanksgiving sections. Many scholars think this is the case because Second Thessalonians was based on the only authentic letter with two thanksgiving sections. Which letter is that?

   1.   ?  Galatians
   2.   ?  Romans
   3.   ?  First Thessalonians
   4.   ?  Philippians

3. What theological issue holds a large place in Second Thessalonians and has fueled the debate over authorship, since many see the perspective taken in Second Thessalonians as sharply different from the perspective defended in First Thessalonians?

   1.   ?  Soteriology (the theory of what it means to call Jesus “Savior”)
   2.   ?  Christology (the theory of what it means to call Jesus “Christ” or “Messiah”)
   3.   ?  Eschatology (theory of the end times)

4. Which of the following is not one of the major problems facing the recipients of Second Thessalonians?

   1.   ?  Intense apocalyptic speculation
   2.   ?  Persecution
   3.   ?  Attempts to impose Jewish practices such as circumcision

5. Roetzel considers Second Thessalonians to be deuteropauline. How does he view the implications of its pseudonymous authorship?

   1.   ?  The author seriously misrepresents the pauline tradition, so the letter should not be treated as scripture.
   2.   ?  While the author uses a strategy unlike any Paul used for dealing with the church’s problem, he stands squarely within the pauline tradition, having correctly understood Paul’s major concerns.
   3.   ?  The author dealt with issues never addressed by Paul, so we cannot know whether he faithfully represents Paul’s perspective or has misunderstood it.

6. Which of the following best expresses what New Testament scholars think about the authorship of the Pastoral Epistiles?

   1.   ?  The overwhelming majority of New Testament scholars are convinced that Paul wrote all three of the Pastoral Epistles, but a vocal minority challenges that traditional view.
   2.   ?  While the Pastoral Epistles are frequently considered deuteropauline, they have a stronger claim to be genuinely Pauline than most of the deuteropauline letters do.
   3.   ?  Very few scholars today consider the Pastoral Epistles to be genuine Pauline letters. The evidence against Pauline authorship is very strong. Still, a small minority defends the Pauline authorship of the letters.

7. Which of the following best expresses the relationship between the view of “faith” (pistis) in the undisputed Pauline letters and the view of the Pastoral Epistles?

   1.   ?  The term is used the same way in both the undisputed letters and the Pastoral Epistles.
   2.   ?  While Paul tended to use “faith” (pistis) in an active sense (e.g. trust in God, belief in Jesus as Messiah, confidence, faithfulness), the Pastor uses the term to refer to a body of Christian truth.
   3.   ?  While Paul tended to use “faith” (pistis) to refer to a set body of Christian truth, the Pastor uses the term in a more active sense (e.g. trust in God, belief in Jesus as Messiah, confidence, faithfulness).

8. Which of the following best describes the focus of the paraenetic materials in the Pastoral Epistles?

   1.   ?  The author wants Christians to stand out as distinct from the culture around them, so he asks them to do things that will make them appear distinctive.
   2.   ?  The author wants Christians to be respectable, so he encourages them to do the things that the larger culture expects of respectable people.
   3.   ?  In order to avoid persecution, the author counsels Christians to evade public notice and not do things that will call attention to their distinctiveness.

9. The view of women expressed in the Pastoral Epistles

   1.   ?  is essentially the same as that expressed in the undisputed Pauline letters
   2.   ?  grants women more freedom than the view expressed in the undisputed letters
   3.   ?  is significantly more restrictive than the view expressed in the undisputed letters

10. While the author of the Pastoral Epistles does not clearly identify the nature of the "heresy" against which he was arguing, Roetzel thinks it was a form of

    1.   ?  Apocalyptic dualism
    2.   ?  Christian militarism
    3.   ?  Jewish Gnosticism