Possible exam questions--as submitted, with a few minor edits

Click here for a slightly shorter list of exam questions sorted into three broad categories.

1. Contrast the relationships that Calvin and Luther have with the political power-structures in their respective countries. How does their theological understandings impact the way they interact with secular government and vice versa? (Yoder)
2. Explain three instances where sola scriptura turned against the magisterial reformers who depended on it as a weapon against Catholic thought. Then discuss the overreaching implications of the laity engaging with scripture—this could include a discussion of establishing religious communities or the interaction of Protestant religious communities with outsiders. (Yoder)
3. Identify the most important parts of the Bible for Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and Karlstadt. Then discuss how each piece of scripture impacted their theological and political activities. (Yoder)
4. Compare and contrast the separation of Church and State with the Modern Catholic Church in the world today. Give examples of the more modern reformists at the time during the Reformation. (Wood)
5. What was the main conflict between Erasmus and Luther's style of writing for creating change throughout the Reformation and explain. What were the similarities? If so, describe. (Wood)
6. Define and explain radical reformists during the later Reformation periods. Name some of the different movements and their beliefs and describe main occurences of the time. (Wood)
7. In your opinion, is it possible to effectively look at the historical past with a modern perspective? For instance, in looking at the Protestant Reformation, do our ideas today about politics and the separation of church and state affect our perspective of what really happened, and therefore change the facts? In order to truly understand a major, controversial event in the past, does one first need to take on the mindset of a person from that time? (H. Andrew)
8. We have seen and established that Luther was not the first person in the world to have such differing views about the Catholic church. The Humanists like Erasmus and Hutten cried of the same problems much earlier than Luther. Why, then, in the 15th Century during Luther's time did the ideas suddenly stick? Did Luther himself have anything to do with it, or was he just the right guy in the right place at the right time? (H. Andrew)
9. In more than one of his works, Luther uses unnecessarily strong language. Sometimes he even utilizes name-calling and abuse. What is the point of this? Does the harsh language do anything for Luther's case, or does it make him seem condescending and self-absorbed? (H. Andrew)
10. One of the claims of the Anabaptists was that they were taking Zwinglian ideas to their most logical conclusion. Is this a valid statement? Attack or defend. (Fitzpatrick)
11. The dream of Philip of Hesse was to establish a Protestant unity from Germany down to Switzerland. His dreams were dashed by the Marburg Colloquy between and Luther. Compare and contrast positions and points of contention or agreement. (Fitzpatrick)
12. The influence of the church as a governing force in the daily lives of the people during the time period of the Reformation is considerable. Describe the state of the separation of the church and state during the Reformation and contrast it to modern society's delineation between church and state. (Kanter)
13. What is the rationale behind indulgences and describe two contrasting views defending and opposing the practice and reasoning behind such a practice within the church. (Kanter)
14. How are icons and relics indicative to the physical mentality pervading society throughout the Reformation? Give specific examples of relics and describe in great detail how certain Reformation writers condoned the use of icons and relics or condemned such objects. Do any authors reflect a different, less materialistic mindset? If so, then who and how? (Kanter)
15. Based on the various texts that we've read throughout the semester surrounding the reformation, what impact do you think Luther actually had on the "coming" of the reformation? There were many people who were upset with what the church stood for and some of its practices, but would it have necessarily split if Luther hadn't taken the stand that he did? (Keck)
16. Besides Luther, who do you think was the most influential theologian during the reformation? Provide concrete examples from his opinions and from his texts. (Keck)
17. At the beginning of the semester, we spent a lot of time talking about indulgences. We found that different people had different degrees of disagreements with them. Based on what we read, give a comprehensive description concerning one of the theologians that we read and their responses to indulgences. (Keck)
18. Consider Luther and Erasmus. Identify their major social views and discuss how these outlooks tie into their theological writings. In your opinion, whose approach was more beneficial for medieval society? (Kokoszka)
19. Evaluate this idea of "Radicalism" in medieval Christianity. What makes a Christian a radical (especially during this time period) and why? (Kokoszka)
20. The most significant effect of the Protestant Reformation was a decline in the power of the Catholic Church. True or False? Defend your answer. (Reed)
21. What caused the Peasants Revolt? Were there any specific demands during this time? Were they met? What was Luther's position on the matter and why? (Reed)
22. German officials played a pivotal role in the Protestant Reformation by being in support of Luther. Why was this important to the success of Luther's cause and the Reformation? (Reed)
23. Pick three theological themes that you think are the most important for the reformation; explain them (including differing viewpoints) and defend your claim that they are the most important (by explaining why you picked them, what effect they had, etc.). (Romano)
24. Erasmus and Luther's theology are in agreement on many points; why did Erasmus remain with the Church and Luther break away? (Using their theological ideas and arguments, try to create an argument for what aspects of each man's theology allowed one to remain loyal to papal authority but forced the other to reject it.) (Romano)
25. The concept of freewill aroused much controversy during the protestant reformation. Martin Luther and Erasmus, who often found similarities among their beliefs, lost good standing with one another due to their belief in the abundance or lack of freewill. Explain the arguments and evidence provided by Erasmus and Luther in their arguments for and against the concept of freewill. (Taylor)
26. Due to his early writings, Martin Luther is often considered a humanist. He has written on the rejection of scholastic theory and expressed his faith in mankind. However, some argue that as Luther and his writings matured, he demonstrated fewer humanist tendencies. Compare and contrast examples of Martin Luther as a humanist, and Martin Luther as a scholastic. (Taylor)
27. The radical reformers provided and described many new and unique concepts of Christianity to the world. The multiple sects that arose from the Anabaptists provide a good example of this, especially when regarding pacifism. Several sects renounced this concept while others celebrated it. Examine and explain the Anabaptist sects for and against pacifism, and the scriptural evidence in which they found justification. (Taylor)

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