Take-home exam over Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ

for BNEW 211 “Life of Christ” with Dr. Allen Diles

 

Print these pages and staple them together. These questions are designed to be short answer rather than discussion. I want your answers to be legibly handwritten rather than typed. Please provide the page number or numbers on which you base your answers. This may help you get credit for answers that are not clear or complete. You may answer in the space provided, or on separate paper. If you use separate paper, please note the number of each question and staple your answer sheets to the exam sheets. Your exam must be turned in to me by Thursday, September 10. Please do your own work. If you have questions please do not hesitate to call me for clarification.

 

1. What is Q (I’m looking for more than just the meaning of the German word)?

 

2. How far back can we trace testimony to the resurrection of Christ?

 

3-12. Briefly list (5 pts.) and describe (5 pts.) 5 of the 8 tests for eyewitness evidence.

1)

           

2)

           

3)

           

4)

           

5)

                       

13. According to Greenleaf, what is the significance of discrepancies and agreement between the Gospels?

 

 

14-15. Give two ways the manuscript evidence of the NT is superior to other ancient documents.

            14)

           

            15)

 

16-18. What 3 criteria did the church use for recognizing canonical books?

            16)

 

            17)

 

            18)

 

19. Is the canon an authoritative list of books, or is it a list of authoritative books?

 

20-24. What are five historical facts we can know about Jesus from ancient non-Christian sources (the darkness is NOT one of these)?

            20)

 

            21)

 

            22)

 

            23)

 

            24)

 

25-26. Describe 2 criteria the Jesus Seminar uses to determine whether or not Jesus made a given statement.

25)

 

26)

 

27. What, if any, is the evidence for a ‘secret gospel of Mark’ and for the ‘Cross Gospel’?

 

28. According to Boyd, what is the theological truth about Jesus based on?

 

29. According to Witherington, whom did Jesus believe himself to be?

 

30. According to D. A. Carson, what was Jesus’ mission?

 

31. Why is it significant that the OT attributes of God are applied in the NT to Jesus?

 

32-33. According to Craig, what is the difference between the philosopher and the historian (2 pts.)?

 

 

34. How does this apply to the evidence for the empty tomb?

 

35. What non-biblical example does Craig use to illustrate how historians can accept incompatible accounts of an event?

 

36-43. Give four reasons for believing the tomb was empty.

            1)

 

            2)

 

            3)

           

            4)

 

44-45. According to Habermas, what 2 facts need to be established in order to make the case for the resurrection?

44)

 

            45)

 

46-50. What are the five examples of ‘circumstantial evidence’ for the resurrection given by Moreland?

            46)

           

            47)

 

            48)

 

            49)

 

            50)