Study Questions

The following questions are taken from a very popular online “quiz” that was launched alongside the publication of the book. There are two types of questions: “True or False” and “Multiple Choice.” Click on each question to reveal the answer.

• True or False
  For early Christians, penance was a form of satisfaction made to God for one's sins.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  True

  On Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo V crowned King Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, emperor of the Romans in the church of Saint Peter, marking the formal beginning of the Carolingian Empire.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  False

  According to one tradition, Muhammad himself made a celestial visitation to Jerusalem with the archangel Michael, further cementing the connection between pious Muslims and the holy city.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  False

  The Dome of the Chain, the Dome of the Ascension, the Dome of the Prophet, and the Dome of the Rock are all spectacular mosques mentioned in Mukaddasi's DESCRIPTION OF SYRIA.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  True

  According to the Penitential of Sangallense, if a bishop or priest committed murder, he would lose his rank and would be expected to do twenty years of penance wandering in exile.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  False

  For restoring the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, earlier destroyed by the Saracens under his rule, God granted the King of Babylon peace and prosperity.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  False

  Guilbert of Nogent blames the saints themselves for the rise of counterfeit relics at pilgrimage sites.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  True

  According to the chronicler Rodulfus Glaber, a Saracen who stole a candle of a pilgrim visiting Jerusalem repented after realizing the error of his act.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  False

  The divine protection of saints' relics and where they were housed extended to both man and beast.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  True

  Economic considerations often dictated local attitudes towards pilgrims.
  
  True / False

  Reveal Answer

  True

• Multiple Choice
  In 386, the well-known Christian thinker Jerome left Rome for Antioch, where he joined two Roman women before they proceeded to Jerusalem. What were the names of the women with whom Jerome travelled?
  
  A) Eustochium and Mary
  B) Paula and Eustochium
  C) Mary and Paula
  D) Monica and Mary

  Reveal Answer

  B) Paula and Eustochium

  In the early medieval period, this city became a particularly important pilgrimage destination as it was believed to be the place where Saint Peter was martyred.
  
  A) Rome
  B) Jerusalem
  C) Constantinople
  D) Vezelay

  Reveal Answer

  A) Rome

  In a popular Latin legend, Saint Brendan and his companions spend many years searching for what?
  
  A) The Holy Grail
  B) The True Cross
  C) The Promised Land of the Saints
  D) The Tomb of the Patriarchs

  Reveal Answer

  C) The Promised Land of the Saints

  Not everyone in the Carolingian world was enthusiastic about devotion to the saints. This bishop, formerly active at the court of Charlemagne-™s son, criticized many such common devotional practices of his day.
  
  A) Bishop Augustine of Hippo
  B) Bishop Paulinus of Antioch
  C) Bishop Ambrose of Milan
  D) Bishop Claudius of Turin

  Reveal Answer

  D) Bishop Claudius of Turin

  According to legend, this Roman pilgrim gave up her worldly life, sailed to Jerusalem with her husband, and became a citizen among the saints.
  
  A) Melania
  B) Eustochium
  C) Godelinda
  D) Albina

  Reveal Answer

  A) Melania

  In Caesarius of Heisterbach-™s collection of CLOSE ANSWER, a recurring theme is that of the Devil attempting to sway unwary believers from their pilgrimage. What did the Devil NOT do?
  
  A) Break Godefridus-™ staff in two so that he would attack his friend Sistappus
  B) Claim that a pilgrim en route to the threshold of St-James of Compostela stole his horse
  C) Drag the soldier Mengoz on his stomach, bloodying him
  D) Disguised as a fellow pilgrim, steal the cloak of Gerard, a soldier making his way to the threshold of St Thomas

  Reveal Answer

  B) Claim that a pilgrim en route to the threshold of St-James of Compostela stole his horse

  Under what Roman emperor-™s rule was St. Foy made a martyr?
  
  A) Constantine
  B) Julian the Apostate
  C) Jovian
  D) Diocletian

  Reveal Answer

  D) Diocletian

  When visiting Constantinople, the Spanish nobleman Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo was shown the arm of St-John the Baptist. Why was the arm missing a thumb?
  
  A) It was bitten off and fed to a dragon
  B) It was taken by Latin armies as a trophy
  C) It was donated to a shrine in Jerusalem
  D) None of the above

  Reveal Answer

  A) It was bitten off and fed to a dragon

  In an account of his journeys, the German nobleman Arnold Von Harff describes his pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He gives mention to the various groups of Christians at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, each claiming a particular section of the Church. How many groups were there?
  
  A) 12
  B) 7
  C) 5
  D) 9

  Reveal Answer

  B) 7

  What miracles of healing are attributed to visits to the shrine of St-Thomas Becket?
  
  A) The curing of a “grave illness”
  B) Regained hearing
  C) A healed facial tumour
  D) All of the above

  Reveal Answer

  D) All of the above