One (ukr'er's) response:

Stephen Kingston wrote:
> 
> Here is a quiz once posted to bit.listserv.christia. The
> original author is Russell Turpin, (so don't blame me!) and I know of
> one person who managed to get every answer correct (complete with
> annotations) so it is not impossible.

I thought I'd have a go, and risk public humiliation.

Here's some spoiler space for those who don't want to see my answers
before they try it themselves. Don't scroll down any further unless
you're here to critique my reply...































> 
> BEGIN THE QUIZ
> 
> GENERAL
> 
>         Name three books in the Catholic Bible that are not
>         in the Protestant Bible.

Maccabees, Tobit, Bel and the Dragon

>         Name three ancient, Christian apocryphal works in neither.

Shepherd of Hermes, Gospel of Thomas, Epistle of Barnabas
 
>         What are the oldest surviving religious writings?

Hmmm. I'm guessing here, but I think it's probably some of the ancient
Hindu writings. I bet Patrick gets this question right!
 
> NEW TESTAMENT
> 
>         Which books of the New Testament did John the Elder
>         allegedly write?  Says who?

Who the heck is "John the Elder"? At a guess, this would be the
epistles, 1 2 and 3 John (as he refers to himself as "the elder" in
them). I presume this is intended to be someone other than the author of
John's gospel or revelation.
 
>         For whom was Mark supposedly an amaneunsis?  Who gave
>         us this tradition?

Mark was supposedly an amanuansis for Peter, but I can't recall the
origin of this tradition.
 
>         What language did Jesus speak?

Aramic, mostly, although he would have understood written Hebrew and
probably been fluent in conversational Greek.
 
>         According to traditional attributions, who is the major
>         author of the New Testament?  The second author?  Were
>         either of these with Jesus during his travels and
>         preachings?

By word-count, Luke wrote the most and Paul the second most. Neither of
these are known to have met Jesus in the flesh.
 
>         If you are a teacher, and two students turn in papers
>         that include sections that are identical, does that
>         indicate a common source, i.e., that not both are
>         original?  What if this occurs in three gospels?

It would depend on the extent of the commonality, and whether or not the
material is intended to include quotations from previous works. 
 
>         According to traditional attributions, how many of the
>         original twelve apostles contributed to the New Testament?

Three: Matthew, John, and Peter (the James who wrote the eponymous
epistle was not the disciple James).
 
>         What did Origen cut off?  Why did Tertullian believe?
>         BONUS: Answer the second question in Latin.

Origen cut off the end of a pice of wood he was using to light a fire.
Tertullian believed because it seemed the right thing to do. Neither of
these are the "right" answer, but I would expect that they are equally
accurate :-)

For the bonus points: Cognito ergo sum. Again, this isn't the "right"
answer, but since the rubric doesn't stipulate that the answer has to be
right, I claim the bonus anyway.
 
>         Other than Origen and Tertullian, name three church
>         fathers of the second and third centuries.

Clement, Polycarp, Arius.
 
>         Who wrote the Gospel according to Thomas?  Says who?

Thmas did, according to Thomas.
 
>         What are the synoptic gospels?  What do they have in
>         common?

Matthew, Mark, Luke. They share material from several common sources.

>         Which of the four canonical gospels, in its oldest
>         version, gives no account of the resurrected
>         Jesus?

That depends on your interpretation as well as your dating. Mark 16
doesn't mention Jesus by name before the coda of vv 9-20.
 
>         It was common in the ancient world for a disciple or
>         student to write what a famous person or teacher
>         (allegedly) said, and put the teacher's name on the
>         work.  How does the importance of such indirect
>         attributions differ for philosophical works (e.g.,
>         Socrates' apology) as opposed to historical or
>         biographical works?

That depends entirely on the importance to which you attach such an
attribution.
 
> OLD TESTAMENT
> 
>         What is the Torah?

The Torah, as a whole, is the Hebrew scripttures (written Torah) and the
oral tradition surrounding them (Oral Torah). Together, they form the
guide to Jewish belief and life. 
 
>         Which book of the Old Testament was partly written in
>         Aramaic?  What is the importance of this?

Daniel was written partly in Aramaic. Personally, I don't think this is
particularly important!
 
>         What is the Septuagint?  Which Ptolemy commissioned it?
>         What tradition explains its name?  Why is it important?

The Septuagint is an early Greek translation of the Old Testamant. It is
so named because 70 scholars were reputedly engaged on the work. It is
important as being the earliest full translation of the Hebrew
scriptures into another language, and the only one that predates
Christianity.
 
>         From which older culture do some scholars think parts
>         of Levitical law derive?  To what kind of evidence do
>         they appeal?

I wouldn't know!
 
>         Which was written first, the Pentateuch or the
>         Homeric epics?  (This is a trick question; the goal is
>         to give an answer that makes some kind of sense.)

Hmm. I'm obviously missing something, as I can't see why it's a trick
question!
 
>         Which occurred first, Moses leading the Jews out of
>         Egypt, or the Achaean's war against Troy?  Other than the
>         Homeric epics, what evidence do we have for the latter?
>         Other than the Pentateuch, what evidence do we have
>         for the former?

At a guess, the former was first.
 
>         Which country held Judah before Nebuchadnezzar's reign?
>         BONUS: What does Nebuchadnezzar's name mean?
>         BIG BONUS: What does "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin" mean?

a) Persia
b) can't remember
c) I have numbered the days of your reign and ended it (or something
similar - quoted from memory)
 
>         What century did David live?  Why are we more sure of
>         David's existence than King Arthur's?

a) Dunno
b) More written evidence
 
>         What is a redactor?

Someone who combines multiple sources into a single document.
 
>         What was special about the tribe of Levi?

They were the priestly tribe, forbidden to own land or marry outside
their tribe.
 
>         Who was Antiochus Epiphanes?  What was his importance
>         to the Old Testament?

He was a king of somewhere important (Syria?), and is allegedly
described in the prophecies of Daniel.

>         Why are multiple sources postulated for the Pentateuch?

Because it fits in with the theories of some liberal scholars.
 
> ESSAY

I'm not going to attempt this section in full, as I haven't got time and
it would use up too much space. But I'll make a few notes on one of
them...

>         Who was the thirteenth apostle?  How would Christianity
>         be different if he had not become Christian?

The "thirteenth apostle" was, technically, Matthias (Acts 1), but the
title is usually given to Paul. If he hadn't become a Christian, God
would have found someone else to do the job instead so it wouldn't have
made much difference in the long run :-)

> END OF QUIZ

So, how did I do?

Mark
-- 
Visit Mark's World at http://www.good-stuff.co.uk/mark/