Where and when Christianity began, and what its followers believe and practice

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Early evidence about Jesus and the first Christians (cards A to D). Card A, Paul's letters, in our words: Paul was a missionary who traveled to cities such as Corinth and Thessalonica, where Christian groups formed, and later wrote letters to those groups. In them he wrote that Jesus was crucified. The earliest letters were written about 50 CE, about twenty years after Jesus was executed, and they are the earliest Christian writings that survive. Some of them are in the New Testament. Card B, the Gospels, in our words: the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) tell of Jesus's life and teaching. Scholars date them to about 70 to 100 CE, written by followers some forty to seventy years after Jesus was executed. Card C, Roman and Jewish writers, in our words: Tacitus, a Roman historian writing about 116 CE, reported that Christus was executed under the emperor Tiberius by the governor Pontius Pilate. Tacitus did not like Christians. Josephus, a Jewish historian writing about 93 CE, mentioned James as the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ. Card D, a governor's letter, in our words: about 112 CE, Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor in what is now northern Turkey, wrote to the emperor Trajan to ask how to treat people accused of being Christians. He reported that they met on a set day and sang to Christ.

2. 1.

   Card A puts the crucifixion about 30 CE and card C dates Tacitus to about 116 CE. About how many years later did Tacitus write, Ari asks?

   • About 85 years later
   • About 16 years later
   • About 146 years later
   • About 116 years later
3. 2.

   Card C says Tacitus did not like Christians. Why is his report still useful about Jesus's execution, Bo asks?

   • He wrote for Christians, so the report was meant to praise Jesus
   • He was an outsider, so his report does not come from followers
   • It is useless, since a writer who dislikes Christians cannot be trusted
   • He saw the execution himself and wrote what he saw
4. 3.

   Card C says Josephus, a Jewish historian, mentioned James as the brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ. What does that support, Jun asks?

   • Josephus's mention is worthless, since it is a single line
   • A writer who was not a Christian knew of Jesus in the 90s CE
   • Josephus wrote before Paul, so his is the earliest report
   • Josephus wrote the Gospels and was one of the Apostles
5. 4.

   Card D says Pliny wrote to the emperor Trajan. Why would a governor write that letter, Luz asks?

   • To describe the teachings of Jesus for the emperor's library
   • To ask how officials should treat people accused of being Christians
   • To announce that Christianity had spread to each province of the empire
   • To argue that the emperor should stop treating Christians as his subjects
6. 5.

   Paul wrote to Christian groups. Pliny wrote to an emperor about Christians. How do their purposes differ, Milo asks?

   • Both were officials who wrote to give the empire's orders
   • Both wrote to convince the emperor that Christianity was true
   • Pliny wrote as a believer to guide followers; Paul wrote as an official
   • Paul wrote as a believer to guide followers; Pliny wrote as an official
7. 6.

   Card B dates the Gospels about 70 to 100 CE. Which claim does that support, Noah asks?

   • They were written decades after Jesus, later than Paul's letters
   • They were written during Jesus's lifetime, by people who were there
   • They were written by Roman officials who investigated Jesus's life
   • They were written before Paul's letters, which came afterward
8. 7.

   Which sentence is written the way a history book would write it, Pia asks?

   • Jesus rose to life again after he was crucified, as card A says
   • Followers wrongly believe that Jesus rose to life again
   • Followers believe Jesus rose to life again after he was crucified
   • Scholars have shown by evidence that Jesus rose to life again
9. 8.

   Card A says Paul visited cities and wrote letters to Christian groups there. What order of events does that suggest, Ren asks?

   • Visits to cities came first, groups formed, and letters followed
   • Groups formed first and Paul joined them by writing from afar
   • Letters came first and Paul visited the cities afterward
   • The emperor ordered the groups to form and sent Paul to guide them
10. 9.

    Card A shows groups in Corinth and Thessalonica about 50 CE. Card D shows Christians in northern Turkey about 112 CE. What do the cards suggest, Tala asks?

    • Christian groups had spread across the Mediterranean world
    • Christians lived in each city of the empire by 112 CE
    • Christianity began in northern Turkey and then reached Corinth
    • Christians lived in Corinth and Thessalonica until 112 CE and then left
11. 10.

    The Gospels were written by followers. Why do historians still use them, Zee asks?

    • They do not use them, because a follower's account is not evidence of anything
    • They treat them as exact records because they were written by followers of Jesus
    • They use them to show what outsiders thought of Christians in those years
    • They record what followers remembered, and historians check other sources