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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To whom did Muhammed give some of the papyri since he felt that he needed to get rid of them before the police found them?
(a) The priest.
(b) The King.
(c) His cousin.
(d) A leper.

2. In the traditional orthodox canon, the spirit or the _____________ is gender neutral, but this is not the case everywhere.
(a) Noma.
(b) Spretha.
(c) Pneuma.
(d) Spirui.

3. Pagels recounts how in the story of _________ that Jesus tells his disciples to reach out and touch him to show he is flesh and bones.
(a) Peter.
(b) Luke.
(c) Matthew.
(d) John.

4. Which of the three principals in the Holy Trinity is genderless, according to Pagels' observations?
(a) God.
(b) Holy Spirit.
(c) Light.
(d) Jesus.

5. Once committed to the Mother and Father of the world, the candidate undertook the secret sacrament of apolytrosis, or _________.
(a) Dreaming.
(b) Truth.
(c) Blessing.
(d) Release.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the Hypostasis of the Archons, ________ is elevated to being the spiritual mother of Adam, even though other stories contradict this.

2. The difference between Plato's doctrine of the soul's ______________ and the resurrection was that resurrection was real flesh reborn.

3. A letter to the Bishop of Rome stated the difference between ________ and priesthood, defining the reality of the Roman church.

4. There are some descriptions of the resurrection that could raise some questions about the _____________ of the event.

5. There is some speculation that there are actually two ____________ involved in the story of Mary and Jesus.

Short Essay Questions

1. In the Testimony of Truth, what does the Gnostic author offer as components of a holy life?

2. Why does Pagels state that the retelling of the story of Eden becomes problematic for those who consider themselves to be Christian?

3. What was the vision that John had, emotionally distraught over the crucifixion in the Apocryphon of John?

4. To whom did one's real allegiance belong, according to the ideas of Valentine?

5. Why did the orthodox preserve Christianity, according to the logic of Pagels?

6. Who was the church of the Gnostics confined to, according to this section of the book?

7. What kind of criteria would the Gnostics give as being the true definition of a Christian?

8. What has created a lot of controversy when it comes to discussions between scholars of biblical texts?

9. What is the tradition that developed, though not completely logical and contradicted by two other gospels?

10. What does Jesus challenge his apostles to do in order to see that he has indeed resurrected?

(see the answer keys)

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