1. The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah celebrates:
a. The establishment of the Kingdom of Israel under kings Saul and David;
b. The Jewish revolt for independence against the Syrian based Selucid empire and the Restoration of the Jerusalem temple;
c. The Jewish alliance with Pharonic Egypt against the Philistines;
d. A deal with worshipers of the Greek God Zeus to prevent falling off the “Sinai Cliff”;
2. Christianity was seen by the Romans and others in its early years as:
a. A radical sect or faction within Judaism;
b. A religion that the Romans liked because of its pacifism;
c. A religion that the Romans liked because their emperors were Gods;
d. A religion that the Romans saw as benefiting the wealthy and privileged among them.
3. The Romans regarded the early Christians as a subversive force and persecuted them because:
a. The Christians’ appeal to slaves, women, and other oppressed groups threatened the slave tribute Roman empire;
b. The Christians’ definition of Jesus as a “Prince of Peace” challenged the military dominated Roman slave tribute empire;
c. The Christians repudiation of wealth and luxury challenged the ruling groups of the Roman Empire;
d. All of the above.
4. Marxists have generally seen religion and religious movements as double edged because:
a. They are two faced;
b. They through history have been the centers for movements against exploitation and oppression and also through history powerful institutions used by ruling classes to sustain exploitation and oppression;
c. They have offer people who are good a better life in an afterlife;
d. They offer people who are good reincarnation.
5. Marxists see the “Protestant Reformation” of the 16th and 17th century as:
a. Creating the “Protestant ethic” which created capitalism;
b. A political revolution within the Catholic Church which dialectically strengthened a developing capitalist system and its merchant capitalist/gentry class;
c. A political revolution which prefigured the rise of Communism;
d. The result of Martin Luther’s psychological problems.