Quiz 6: The Late Roman Empire and the Consolidation of the Church, 312-476

Which god did Constantine most commonly place on coins and inscriptions? A) Zeus B) the sun-god C) the moon god D) the earth god E) the god of war

Constantine built Christian structures based on which cultural style? A) Roman B) Greek C) Egyptian D) Coptic E) Jewish

In 325, Constantine ordered a council to be held at which city in order to define Christian belief for the Roman Empire? A) Rome B) Athens C) Tarsus D) Jerusalem E) Nicea

Which heresy did the Council of Nicea refute? A) Gnosticism B) Montanism C) Arianism D) Manicheism E) Marcionism

Which emperor did Constantine imitate? A) Augustus B) Trajan C) Nero D) Septimius Severus E) Diocletian

Which of the following elements of Constantine's rule held the most similarities with Augustus? A) support for Christianity B) the emphasis on defense at the borders of Roman control C) the size of the imperial bureaucracy D) the use of ceremony to demonstrate the power of the emperor E) the accumulation of titles to emphasize the emperor's glory

Which of the following aspects of Constantine's reign made local elites less likely to fulfill their traditional role of local government officials? A) This position required dangerous military service. B) The official would probably need to leave one's home community. C) Local officials were required to make up any shortfall in taxes. D) The position required literacy. E) The position required that local officials redistribute land in their locality.

Which of the following is an example of coloni? A) colonies Constantine sent out in land abandoned during wartime B) farm laborers legally obligated to stay on the land they worked C) Germans given citizenship in return for fighting in the Roman army D) orphans given a home by the Christian church E) army units recruited from specific locations rather than many places

By the reign of Valens, which city was the capital of the western empire? A) Constantinople B) Rome C) Milan D) London E) Arles

The Sasanian Empire was based in which part of the Mediterranean world? A) Egypt B) Asia Minor (modern Turkey) C) Spain D) Mesopotamia E) Italy

Who divided the Roman Empire into a western and eastern half for each of his sons? A) Diocletian B) Valens C) Julian D) Theodosius E) Magnus Maximin

In what languages were legal cases for the emperor written? A) Greek B) Latin C) whatever language the plaintiff spoke D) French E) Etruscan

Which edict discontinued the Olympic Games? A) Nicea B) Theodosian Code C) Thessalonica D) Adrianople E) Milan

Which of the following explains trends in religion during the fourth century CE? A) increasing tolerance for other forms of belief B) decreasing attendance at Christian services C) increasing intolerance for forms of belief deemed heretical or pagan D) increasing use of pagan temples and ceremonies E) decreasing support for Christianity and the church by emperors

Which ethnic group was closely associated with foederati? A) Goths B) Huns C) Germans D) Sasanians E) Gauls

Which of the following was a consequence of the Roman defeat at Adrianople in 378? A) the unification of several tribes, referred to as Huns B) the death of Alaric C) the increase of Roman influence in the west D) the issuing of the Edict of Thessalonica E) the settlement of Goths in former Roman territory

Which group sacked Rome in 410? A) Huns B) Visigoths C) Vandals D) Goths E) Franks

Which Greek god was associated with healing? A) Asclepius B) Zeus C) Hephaestus D) Aphrodite E) Dionysus

Which of the following religions and beliefs popular in the late Roman Empire was a product of multicultural influence? A) the oracle of Delphi B) the cult of Zeus C) Judaism D) astrology E) sophism

Which religion or philosophy did Marcus Aurelius follow? A) Christianity B) Stoicism C) Epicureanism D) Neoplatonism E) astrology

Romans who believed that the search for truth was inherently a moral good followed which philosophy? A) Thrice-Wise Hermes B) Epicureanism C) Stoicism D) Platonic philosophy E) Neoplatonism

Which of the following criticisms of Christianity was based on a traditional Roman understanding of a citizen's responsibility to the (Roman) state religion? A) Jesus was crucified. B) Christianity was monotheistic, and its adherents were unwilling to sacrifice to the emperor. C) Christians were guilty of crimes such as incest or cannibalism. D) Christians honored the sabbath and so did not work one day a week. E) Christians followed a different religion than most Romans.

How did Origen apply his pagan education to Christian topics? A) He translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek. B) He applied Greek methods of textual analysis to the Bible. C) He created a method of indexing so that readers could easily locate individual verses. D) Origen rejected his pagan education and followed Christian methods of textual interpretation. E) He is given sole credit for standardizing the books of the New Testament.

Origen's view of history shared many aspects with which belief or philosophy? A) Neoplatonism B) Isis C) Epicureanism D) astrology E) Thrice-Wise Hermes

Those who believed the world trapped souls and condemned them to sin likely followed what philosophy? A) Gnostic Christianity B) Neoplatonism C) Stoicism D) Manicheism E) Epicureanism

The cosmopolitan culture of what city gave both Origen and Eusebius many resources to pursue their scholarship? A) Rome B) Constantinople C) Alexandria D) Antioch E) Caesarea

Eusebius's portrait of Constantine was strongly influenced by which of the following? A) Homeric epic B) Jewish wisdom literature C) Hellenistic biography D) the Psalms E) Neoplatonism

What occupation did Pachomius hold before he founded his monastic community? A) soldier B) baker C) slave D) bureaucrat E) scribe

How did the practices of the Desert Fathers and Mothers differ from Pachomius's monastic communities? A) The Desert Fathers and Mothers had very large libraries. B) The Desert Fathers and Mothers devoted themselves to hard physical labor to a much greater degree. C) The Desert Fathers and Mothers often chose to live in smaller communities or even in solitude. D) The Desert Fathers and Mothers relied on begging to support themselves. E) The Desert Fathers and Mothers lived primarily in cities.

Why did the ascetic Simeon Stylites receive the name "Stylites"? A) He had been trained as a boy to write with a stylus. B) He was known for his glamorous dress. C) He was born in the Syrian town Styles. D) He practiced his asceticism by living on a pillar. E) His last name was the same as his father's.

Those who believed Jesus was a lesser being than God the Father followed which philosophy? A) Donatism B) Arianism C) Montanism D) Manicheism E) Catholicism

In what way did Donatists disagree with the imperial Christian church? A) They thought that Christians who did not seek martyrdom during persecutions were not legitimate Christians. B) They believed that Jesus was not as divine or powerful as God the Father. C) They rejected the existence of the Holy Trinity. D) They thought that Christians should not live in cities. E) They rejected elaborate ceremony.

Which of the following was a condition for the decline of cities in the later Roman Empire? A) The requirement that curiales make up for shortfalls in tax revenue was removed. B) Coloni were encouraged to leave latifundia and move to the cities. C) Christian churches took over some governmental functions. D) Goths, Visigoths, and Huns besieged and sacked cities, reducing their populations and damaging their infrastructures. E) The military stopped defending the boundaries of imperial territory.

How did Hypatia die? A) She died while being tortured as a Christian martyr. B) She was killed during a riot between Jews and Christians. C) She died during the battle of Adrianople. D) She died in childbirth. E) She died from starvation while fasting as a Desert Mother.

How did Theodosius II complete the Christianization of the Roman Empire? A) He became a bishop. B) He ordered all inhabitants of the empire to convert to Christianity. C) He codified the laws of the empire to oppose heresy. D) He forbade capital punishment. E) He named the first Catholic pope.

Augustine converted to Christianity when he heard a voice telling him to read the biography of what person? A) Saint Antony B) Simon Stylites C) Constantine D) Pachomius E) Mani

What historical event prompted Augustine to write The City of God? A) the Roman defeat at Adrianople B) the Battle of Milvian Bridge C) the sack of Rome by Alaric D) his installation as bishop of Hippo E) a visit to Alexandria where he saw a group of Christians riot

Those who believed that history revealed neither the will of God nor who was saved would agree with which historical figure? A) Jerome B) Origen C) Mani D) Augustine E) Eusebius

Which of the following demonstrates the growing weakness of Roman authority in the western half of the empire? A) the expulsion of Roman officials from Gaul in 409-410 B) Jerome's foundation of a monastic community C) the story of the last garrison in the life of Severinus D) the siege of Carthage by the Vandals E) the deposing of Marcus Aurelius

The bishop Ambrose successfully interceded with the emperor Theodosius I to have him repent for his massacre of thousands of Romans after their murder of a Roman official.Which of the following interpretations of the relationship between Christianity and Roman governance would be supported by this event? A) that Christian principles could easily be separated from imperial methods of rule B) that Christian authority was too weak to challenge imperial authority C) the popularity of Roman chariot racing D) that Christian authority was independent of imperial authority E) that individual Christian morality should apply only to private citizens

What was Jerome's major contribution to scholarship? A) The City of God B) the Latin translation of the Bible C) the Life of St.Antony D) On Christian Doctrine E) the Aeneid

Which of the following was a trend of the later Roman Empire? A) an increase in the number of cities B) the expansion of Roman territory in the west C) relaxed punishments by imperial authorities D) coin-hoarding E) the decrease in membership in Christian churches

Those who were skeptical of Christianity because the books of the Bible contradict one another would agree with which historical figure? A) Origen B) Porphyry C) Eusebius D) Augustine E) Plotinus

What aspect of Christianity made it difficult to organize and maintain a centralized church during the period of the later Roman Empire? A) Since its origins, Christians met in secret. B) Christians tended to have many theological disagreements. C) Many Christians were drawn to monastic communities and hermits. D) lack of state support for Christianity E) Christianity had much in common with polytheistic religions during this period, meaning a lack of established theology.

Which of the following was the reason for the Roman defeat at Adrianople? A) Valens was unwilling to wait for Gratian's troops before he began the battle. B) The Huns pressured the Goths to move into Roman territory. C) Alaric united and led several Gothic tribes. D) Gratian failed to supply Valens with sufficient troops to fight. E) Logistical problems caused the Roman army to need to fight before the situation was ideal.

What was the purpose of the Edict of Milan? A) It designated Christianity as the sole religion of Rome. B) It defined orthodox Christianity. C) It returned property that imperial authorities had confiscated during Diocletian's persecution of Christians. D) It forbade gladiatorial combat in the Roman Empire. E) It forbade pagan ceremonies.

During the late Roman Empire, when did Christians usually get baptized? A) soon after birth B) by age ten C) when they were married D) at the time of conversion E) close to the end of life

Which of the following reflects trends in imperial government from the period of Constantine onward? A) an increase in the power of the local elite relative to the emperor B) the development of a large imperial bureaucracy C) the unification of civil and military governmental functions into one organization D) a decrease in the size of the military E) a decrease in the use of currency for official transactions

Which of the following people exemplifies asceticism? A) Simeon Stylites B) Porphyry C) Augustine D) Jerome E) Constantine

Which of the following aspects of culture in the later Roman Empire does Augustine's life illustrate? A) the appeal of the contemplative life for many Christians B) the conscious separation of Christian authority from interference with imperial authority C) the diversity of beliefs and philosophies that influenced many people's lives D) the radical difference in Christian education from traditional pagan education E) the disintegration of Roman power in the western empire

Constantine was baptized prior to the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312.

The relative increase in shipwrecks during Constantine's reign suggests the imperial economy was improving.

The Roman emperor Julian spent much energy and resources promoting Christianity throughout the empire.

The significance of the Edict of Thessalonica was that it effectively outlawed practice of all religions except orthodox Christianity, as defined by the Council of Nicea.

Legally, coloni were slaves.

Many pagans were suspicious of Christianity because Jesus was crucified.

Students of both classical and Christian education copied texts.

Christians of the late empire successfully prevented pagan practices from influencing Christian belief and practice.

The harshness of imperial rule grew as unrest and violence increased in the empire.

Paul, Jerome, and Augustine all agreed that humanity cannot be good without the grace of God and faith in Jesus.

While Augustine and Jerome did not agree in how they thought men and women should serve the Christian church, both followed lives and careers that focused on contemplation.

The decrease in overseas trade goods found in Britain in the fourth and fifth centuries suggests a decline in Roman imperial power.

Based on his actions during his lifetime, Augustine supported state intervention to protect Christianity.

Philosophy, such as Stoicism, was meant primarily as an intellectual exercise, and was not intended to influence how one led one's life.

Although archaeological evidence demonstrates great prosperity during Constantine's reign, signs of what would become serious problems later were also evident (for example, high taxes to support a large army).

In what ways did Constantine and his successors promote Christianity?

What made the Roman Empire of the third and fourth century CE a fertile environment for new religions and philosophies to flourish? Give an example of one new religion or philosophy.

What challenges did Constantine and his successors face in ruling the Roman Empire? Which was the most difficult to control?

In what ways did pagans and Christians coexist in the later empire?

How did Christians such as Origen, Jerome, and Augustine reconcile and incorporate their pagan education into Christian thought and culture?

How did Christianity complement and conflict with imperial authority in the later empire?

What factors caused the decline of the western half of the Roman Empire?

How did the expression of imperial authority change in the later Roman Empire?

How did Christian culture develop during the later empire?

Characterize the interactions between Rome and Germanic tribes during the late empire.