The exams are designed so that you can 1) demonstrate what you have learned and 2) reflect critically upon what you have learned. Ideally, you should show me what you know (names, dates, places, concepts) and that you are able to make an argument based on evidence drawn from the lectures. The exam is divided into two parts.
· In part I, the ID section (identifications), you will answer ten (10) of twelve (12) IDs in at least five (5) sentences each.
· In part II, answer the essay questions. Each essay question must be 2 pages at least. DO NOT FORGET TO ADDRESS THE DATES. No citations. Use the PowerPoint slides only. No outside resources.
Identification List
Jewish Christianity Sadduccees *
Pharisees Qumran Covenanters *
“Fearers of the Lord” Bedouins
Five Patriarchates * Spiritual/Secular Sword
prophet Mohammed * Quraish tribe *
Mecca Medina
Five Pillars of the Faith * Sunna
Hadith * Abu Bakr *
Ridda jizya
Khalifa the Mahdi
Sunni Islam Shi’ite Islam
Ijma Shi’at Ali *
Muhammed b. al-Hanafiya * Sanhedrin
Abbasid Dynasty Husain
“hangers-on” Ali
Shahada Sawm
Zakat Salat
Hajj * Mu’awiya
Ummayed Dynasty Caliph
Mawla/mawali Ibn Battuta *
“Hidden Imam”
Essay Questions
1) By 1200 CE the Roman (Latin) Church in Christendom claimed to be universal. Write an
Essay that provides historical context during the early the rise of Christianity, circa 1st to the 3rd centuries. Be sure to include but do not limit yourself to a brief discussion of Judaism in the 1st century C.E., the practices and spread of early Christianity, and its effects of the Roman Empire. In other words, explain the early leadership struggles, the spread of Christianity from the 1st to the 3rd century and then from the 4th century to the 10th. How was it that the Bishop of Rome claimed authority over the other Patriarchates, etc. Again, be as specific as possible.
2) Islam emerged out of and alongside complex religious and commercial networks that skirted the margins of the Arabian Peninsula. Write an essay that analyzes the emergence of Mohammad as a prophet and political leader, the spread of Islam after his death, the practices and beliefs of Islam and, finally, the political and religious struggles that led to the split between Sunni and Shi’ite versions of Islam.