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 116 years later
   • About 16 years later
   • About 146 years later
   • About 85 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 was an outsider, so his report does not come from followers
   • It is useless, since a writer who dislikes Christians cannot be trusted
   • He wrote for Christians, so the report was meant to praise Jesus
   • He saw the execution himself and wrote what he saw
4. 3.

   Card A says Paul wrote that Jesus was crucified. Card C says Tacitus reported Jesus's execution. What do the two cards show, Esme asks?

   • Together they settle each detail of Jesus's life and teaching
   • A follower and an outsider both report the execution
   • Together they show that Jesus rose to life again
   • Together they show that Paul and Tacitus knew one another
5. 4.

   Card A dates Paul's earliest letters about 50 CE and card B dates the Gospels about 70 to 100 CE. How much earlier were the letters, Kira asks?

   • Between 2 and 5 years earlier
   • Between 120 and 150 years earlier
   • Between 70 and 100 years earlier
   • Between 20 and 50 years earlier
6. 5.

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

   • To announce that Christianity had spread to each province of the empire
   • To describe the teachings of Jesus for the emperor's library
   • To argue that the emperor should stop treating Christians as his subjects
   • To ask how officials should treat people accused of being Christians
7. 6.

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

   • Both wrote to convince the emperor that Christianity was true
   • Both were officials who wrote to give the empire's orders
   • 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
8. 7.

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

   • They were written before Paul's letters, which came afterward
   • They were written decades after Jesus, later than Paul's letters
   • They were written by Roman officials who investigated Jesus's life
   • They were written during Jesus's lifetime, by people who were there
9. 8.

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

   • Followers wrongly believe that Jesus rose to life again
   • Scholars have shown by evidence that Jesus rose to life again
   • Jesus rose to life again after he was crucified, as card A says
   • Followers believe Jesus rose to life again after he was crucified
10. 9.

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

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