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About This Quiz
The Bible ... it's the main reason the Guttenberg printing press was created, meaning that it vaulted the world into a new era of literacy. Yet, like cookbooks, which people buy but rarely make even half the recipes, the Bible is a book that is widely owned, yet lightly read.ÂÂ
Hey, we're not judging! Like a lot of religious texts, the Bible is not light reading. It's long: 66 books, containing about 750,000 words, depending on the translation. It's dense, with some books repeating the same messages over and over with little change in phrasing; Psalms and Proverbs are good examples of this. And it's not always easy to relate to everyday life: Some books of the Old Testament, like Numbers and Leviticus, contain endless rules for the Hebrews' life after the exodus that are extremely detailed and not very applicable to modern everyday life. In fact, Christians embrace the idea that Jesus came to earth to start a new covenant between God and man, a much simpler one, summed up in the commandment 'to love the Lord your God ... (and) love your neighbor as yourself.'ÂÂ
Even so, if you're curious about how your Bible knowledge stacks up, we've got a quiz with a little something for everyone -- easy questions, moderately difficult ones, and hard ones. So even if you consider yourself a Bible whiz, you might find a few questions here to stump you. If you're not, well, you're sure to find a few you know. Either way, good luck!
Easy: Which of these is the first book of the Bible?
Exodus
Genesis
One of the first things children learn in Sunday School is to name the first five books of the Bible. They are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books are also called the Torah in Judaism.
Mark
Revelation
Easy: What was the name of the paradise where Adam and Eve first lived?
Babylon
Eden
At the center of the Garden of Eden was the Tree of Knowledge, from which Adam and Eve were not supposed to eat. This leads religious skeptics to ask: Why place it right there? Why not put it at the North Pole, if eating from it would condemn humans to lives of toil, painful childbirth, and so on?
Kubla Khan
Shangri-La
Easy: Who was called by God to build an ark and save humanity?
Laban
Lot
Noah
Of course, it was Noah. Shadrach was the name of one of his sons, who was on the ark with him, and survived to help repopulate the Earth.
Shadrach
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Easy: In what town was Jesus born?
Bethlehem
The name of this town should be familiar even to the non-religious, due to how frequently it's mentioned at Christmastime. For example, in the Christmas carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."
Bethsaida
Jerusalem
Memphis
Easy: What is the final book of the Bible called?
Acts
Jude
3 Peter
Revelation
This book is also called "The Revelation to St. John" or "The Revelation to John," because John of Patmos received the visions it contains. He was exiled on the Greek island for continuing to practice his faith in the face of Roman oppression.
Easy: Which of the disciples betrayed Jesus?
James the Less
Judas
The name Judas has become synonymous with "traitor." From it, we get the expression "Judas kiss," for a gesture which looks kind​ but is treacherous.
Nathanael
Thomas
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Easy: Which of these is NOT a gospel?
John
Jude
While it's true that there are four gospels, Jude is a letter found late in the New Testament. The missing gospel, above, is that of Luke.
Mark
Matthew
Easy: Which of these is the New Testament's account of early Church history?
Acts
The book of Acts (the name is short for "Acts of the Apostles") tells the story of how the Church grew after Christ's ascension into heaven. The famous story of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus is included in Acts.
Hebrews
1 Chronicles
Romans
Easy: Which of these were sons of Eve?
Abel
Cain
Seth
all of these
Eve had at least three sons. Genesis tells us that the Lord gave her Seth because she was saddened by Abel's murder and Cain's banishment.
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Easy: What profession did Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, work in?
carpentry
Joseph was a carpenter, and Jesus was evidently also trained as a carpenter. He would have had to do something for work, as he did not begin his ministry until the age of 30, well into adulthood.
farming
goat herding
tax collecting
Medium: Outside which city was Jesus crucified?
Capernaum
Jerusalem
Jesus was crucified on a hill called Golgotha, outside Jerusalem. Other important sites from the Passion week, like the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane, are there as well.
Medina
Riyadh
Medium: On which sea did Jesus's early disciples fish?
the Baltic Sea
the Black Sea
the Sea of Galilee
Peter, James the Greater, and John were all fishermen on the sea of Galilee who apparently knew Jesus for some time before the beginning of his ministry. Biblical scholars suggest that Jesus, trained as a carpenter, might have worked as a shipwright, putting him in contact with fishermen.
the Red Sea
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Medium: Which of these sold his birthright for a bowl of stew?
Adam
Esau
Jacob made the stew, and Esau, his older brother, sold his birthright (his privileges as oldest son) for a bowl. Esau was evidently so hungry he couldn't think straight. Imagine that -- an example, in the early pages of the Bible, of how low blood sugar causes bad decision-making.
Jacob
Joseph
Medium: Which of these men was not thrown into the fiery furnace in Babylonia?
Abednego
Ham
The other three were Jews in Babylonia who refused to worship Babylonian gods. Ham was part of another trio: Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah in Genesis.
Meschach
Shadrach
Medium: The "Johannine" Epistles refers to letters written by whom?
James
John
1, 2 and 3 John can be found late in the New Testament. There's a debate among scholars as to whether the letters were written by the same "John," and which "John" actually wrote them. The first one is considerably longer and more like a sermon than personal letters to church leaders, which the second two are.
Paul
Peter
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Medium: What was the name of Abraham's firstborn son?
Benjamin
Ishmael
Abraham first had a son with Sarah's handmaid, Hagar, because it seemed that Sarah was too old to bear a child herself. Later, God "opened Sarah's womb," and she bore Isaac. Ishmael is considered the father of the Arab nations, which is why "Ismail" is a common name in Arabic countries, but not in Israel. In Israel, the name "Yitzhak" is common, honoring Isaac.
Isaac
Meschach
Medium: What was the name of Mary's cousin, with whom she shared the news of her virgin conception?
Elizabeth
Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist, who would "prepare the way" for Jesus. When Mary arrived at her cousin's house, Elizabeth told her that the baby in her womb had leaped for joy, recognizing the mother of Jesus.
Leah
Martha
it was also Mary
Medium: One of the disciples is known as "Doubting ______"?
James the Less
James the Greater
Matthew
Thomas
When the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples, Thomas asked to see Jesus's hands and the wound in his side before truly accepting that it was him. This is why the nickname "Doubting Thomas" has come to signify someone who doubts something he or she has been told.
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Medium: What was the name of Joseph's owner, when he was a slave in Egypt?
Asshur
Melchizidek
Potiphar
Potiphar's wife is more famous than he is (though, ironically, not named herself). She attempted to seduce Joseph, who fled, leaving his cloak in her hands, rather than betray his boss. (Or maybe he just wasn't that into her, an explanation Sunday School teachers tend not to bring up).
Ramses
Medium: Which Biblical figure is now called "The Father of Three Faiths"?
Abraham
To be clear, Abraham isn't called this in either the Hebrew or the Christian Bible, because the third faith, Islam, did not exist yet. But in Genesis, Abraham is called to be the father of the Jewish people, and Judaism gave rise to Christianity, while Islam sees itself as the extension and culmination of both those faiths.
Joseph
Jesus
Peter
Medium: Which of these do scholars believe was the fruit that Eve, and then Adam, ate in the Garden?
an apple
a breadfruit
a pomegranate
none of these
Biblical scholars are generally united in suggesting that the tree and the fruit were a metaphor, not literal. (Really, the talking snake in the story should have tipped everyone off to that). The idea that it's a sin to gain knowledge and put oneself on an equal footing with God/the gods is a very old idea, also reflected in the stories of the Tower of Babel, Prometheus, and Pandora's Box.
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Medium: The three gospels that closely mirror each other are called the _______ gospels.
historic
Pauline
synoptic
"Synoptic" comes from the Greek word "synopsis," meaning "seeing together or as combined." These three gospels create a fairly unified view of Jesus's life, whereas John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," has a distinctive viewpoint of his own.
triad
Medium: Which of these was NOT one of the original twelve disciples?
James the Greater
Judas
Paul
The other three were disciples who followed Jesus during his time on Earth. Paul, then called Saul, was a man who had been persecuting the early Christians until he had a vision on the road to Damascus and was converted.
Thomas
Hard: What is the last word in the Bible?
"Amen"
"Amen" is the Hebrew word for "so be it." It commonly ends prayers, and so it's fitting that it's the final word in the Bible.
"faith"
"God"
"people"
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Hard: Where in the Bible would you find the Great Commission?
the gospels
The Great Commission is Jesus' sending out of his followers to make disciples of all nations. The most detailed account is in Matthew Chapter 28.
Genesis
the letters of Paul
Revelation
Hard: Who was Jacob's father-in-law, who tricked him into marrying the wrong sister?
Ishmael
Laban
Jacob fell in love with Rachel, Laban's younger daughter. But Laban wanted Leah to be married first, so he disguised her and fooled Jacob into marrying her. After seven years of more labor for his father-in-law, Jacob was allowed to marry Rachel.
Melchizidek
Lot
Hard: To where was Jonah trying to sail, instead of going to Nineveh as God commanded?
Joppa
Gath
Sidon
Tarshish
Where "Tarshish" was isn't exactly known; possibly it was part of modern-day Spain. The point is, Jonah thought, incorrectly, that he could hide from God there.
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Hard: Which book of the Bible does not mention God?
Job
Esther
The book of Esther is what some academics might call "problematic." The book does not mention God, and Esther hides her Jewish identity to become the wife of a pagan king, then uses her beauty and wiles to have an enemy hanged. However, that enemy, Haman, wanted to have Esther's cousin Mordecai hanged, so he did have it coming. It should also be noted the Esther did reveal her ethnic identity in the end.
Numbers
Obadiah
Hard: Which of these is NOT one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel?
Asher
Dan
Jesse
The twelve tribes of Israel take their names from the sons of Jacob (not counting his most famous son, Joseph). Jesse was the father of David, the shepherd who would become king.
Simeon
Hard: Which prophet did God command to "take a wife of whoredom"?
Ezekiel
Hosea
Hosea dutifully took a prostitute as his wife, and then took her back, publicly, after she left him. Sidenote: His wife's name was "Gomer," which is considered a masculine name in modern times.
Jonah
Joel
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Hard: the virgin Mary's song of praise, the Magnificat, echoes one sung by which Old Testament heroine?
Hannah
Hannah was the mother of the great prophet Samuel, early in Israel's history as a nation. She prayed for a child at the Temple at Shiloh, and her prayer was answered. So she sang the verses which are very like Mary's in the gospel of Luke.
Miriam
Sarah
Zipporah
Hard: Whose spirit did the Witch of Endor supposedly raise for King Saul?
Abraham
Jonathan
Samuel
Samuel was the great prophet and priest of Israel early in Saul's reign. When troubled, Saul went to a witch in order to gain counsel from Samuel's spirit. Samuel apparently does appear at the witch's command and speaks to Saul, one of a number of "paranormal" incidents in the Old Testament.
Adam
Hard: Where did David fight and kill Goliath?
Bethlehem
Mt. Sinai
the Valley of Elah
This is one of the Bible's best-loved stories. David, the youngest of his father's sons and a shepherd, agrees to do what none of the men of Saul's army will: fight the giant Goliath. He finds he can't even walk in the armor that Saul gives him, so takes it off and goes out unprotected, with only his slingshot and stones ... and kills the giant.
the Valley of Megiddo
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Hard: Which of these is the shortest book of the Old Testament?
Jeremiah
Jonah
Micah
Obadiah
Obadiah is only 21 verses long. It predicts the fall of a heathen nation, Edom.
Hard: What is the shortest book in the New Testament?
3 John
The third letter of John is only 15 verses long. It alludes to infighting in a church, indicting "Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first." More information about Diotrephes, or the "Gaius" to whom the letter was written, has not survived.
Jude
Revelation
Titus
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