Image: TvTuner.CO
About This Quiz
The Christian Bible is many things. The Old Testament, which is also the Jewish scriptures, contains a great deal of history and genealogy, but also prophecy, poems of exultation and of mourning, maxims about living a good life, and free-standing stories of people whose faith was tested (and rewarded) by God, including Ruth and Job. These are heroes to many believers. The New Testament contains histories of Jesus's time on earth, a history of the early church, books of wisdom and teaching, and even a book of prophecy -- whose predictions, some Christians believe, are yet to come true. ÂÂ
Do you consider yourself an expert on the Bible? Maybe you were in the first or second pew at church, every single Sunday. Maybe you were sent to an evangelical Christian school, which boomed in popularity in the '80s and '90s, as a kid. Or maybe you simply find the Bible fascinating. After all, it's studied as a work of literature in many secular universities. Whichever is the case, we've got a quiz for you! Settle in and revisit some favorite characters and episodes from the Bible -- the temptation in the Garden, the Great Flood and Noah's escape from it, and more. You might prove your scripture savvy, or you might learn a lot!
How many commandments are there?
six
ten
You probably found this one easy. Unless you marked 613, which is the number of mitzvot, or good deeds, in Judaism.
12
613
What kind of animal tempted Eve in the Garden?
a dragon
a crow
a lion
a serpent
That's right, a snake talks in the Garden of Eden. Lest you're thinking that this was Satan temporarily in the form of a snake, well, Genesis says that the "serpent was more subtle (tricky) than any of God's creatures," which seems to blame an actual serpent. Hmm!
Who was Abraham's wife?
Rebekah
Sarai
Sarah
either #2 or #3
Both Abram and Sarai are given minor name changes by the Lord, to "Abraham" and "Sarah." His new name means "father of many" and Sarah means "princess."
Advertisement
Who had the famous coat of many colors?
Jacob
Joseph
The coat was a sign of Jacob's favoritism to Joseph over his other sons. It ended up making a lot of trouble for poor Joseph.
Potiphar
Elijah
What city is always mentioned in the same breath as Sodom?
Amalek
Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were evil cities in the book of Genesis. Sodom gave its name to the word "sodomy," which, contrary to common belief, means sexual crimes against nature, not homosexual acts.
Palmyra
Sidon
How many gospels are there?
three
four
The gospels are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are the first four books of the New Testament.
six
eight
Advertisement
Who was the Bible's first murderer?
Adam
Cain
Cain is punished by banishment. He is given a "mark" so that no one will kill him in revenge for his murder of Abel. (Who there is in the other parts of the world to kill him when his parents were the first people on Earth ... well, that isn't made clear).
Eve
Ham
Who betrayed Jesus three times before the cock crowed?
James the Greater
Peter
Peter would go on to be the "rock" on which the first church was founded. But in his youth, he was given to rash promises and impetuous behavior, which we see on the night of the Crucifixion.
Mary Magdalen
Thomas
Which bird did Noah send out from the Ark?
a crow
a dove
The dove worked somewhat like courier pigeons do today. First it came back with nothing, then with a dry branch, and finally it didn't come back at all, meaning it had found land enough to settle on, and Noah and his family could, too.
an owl
a raven
Advertisement
In what book would you find the verse, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want"?
Deuteronomy
Job
Psalms
This is the beginning of the famous Psalm 23. It is sometimes read at funerals.
Luke
What was the source of Samson's strength?
his diet
his long hair
Samson was a nazirite, committed to the Lord from his youth, and forbidden to cut his hair. The Lord granted him great strength as long as he did not cut it.
a gemstone
his shepherd's staff
Is the snake the only talking animal in the Bible?
yes
no
Later, Balaam's ass (donkey) will speak to him on the road to Kirjat Huzoth. Balaam is beating his donkey for stopping in the road, and the donkey protests this treatment. It turns out the donkey can see an angel of the Lord blocking their way.
Advertisement
Which king was formerly a shepherd?
David
David was a Renaissance man long before there was a Renaissance. In addition to being a shepherd, he was a gifted musician, and a warrior, and later the poet who wrote some of the Psalms.
Saul
Solomon
Melchizedek
Which book follows Psalms in the Bible?
Isaiah
Job
Proverbs
Psalms and Proverbs are similar books, both composed in verse. But the psalms are longer poems of praise or mourning. The proverbs are just that, bits of wisdom often written in couplets.
Daniel
Who was tricked into marrying twice to get the woman he loved?
Esau
Jacob
Jacob was something of a trickster himself, so you can look at it as justice that Rachel's father, Laban, tricked Jacob into marrying Leah before her younger sister. Then again, how well did Jacob know his beloved if he actually didn't know it wasn't Rachel until dawn broke after the wedding night, and he saw her face? (See Genesis 29:25)
Boaz
Saul
Advertisement
In what phenomenon did Moses hear the voice of God?
a burning bush
It's a good thing Moses didn't live in the age of fire extinguishers or garden hoses, or this encounter might have gone a very different way! As it was, Moses heard God's call to liberate the Israelites from Egypt.
an earthquake
a talking bird
a whirlwind
Which of these disciples was the "doubting" one?
John
James the Less
Peter
Thomas
Thomas did not fully believe that the man standing before him was the resurrected Jesus until he saw the wounds on his hands and in his side. A future patron saint for skeptics!
Who was the first king of Israel?
Abraham
David
Saul
Some people erroneously believe that David was the first king of Israel, but it was Saul. Saul was chosen by chance; the leaders of Israel at that time simply drew lots to pick someone. David, many pastors will tell you, was God's choice, whereas Saul was man's.
Solomon
Advertisement
In which book of the Bible would you find the famous verse ending, " .. the greatest of these is love"?
1 Corinthians
Christians are particularly fond of this passage, as it re-affirms the centrality of love to Christianity. Many other parts of the Bible, even the New Testament, can be confusingly legalistic, about the rules on eating food offered to idols, or circumcision, and so on.
Galatians
Jude
Proverbs
Why was Solomon so wise?
he asked God for wisdom in a dream
God visits Solomon in a dream and grants him a wish. Solomon asks not for riches or the death of his enemies, but for "discernment" to rule the people, which God grants.
he was taught by all his father David's wives
he was schooled in Egypt
he was just born that way
What did Joseph do for the Pharaoh of Egypt?
tasted his food
interpreted his dreams
Pharaoh was troubled by dreams that his advisers could not interpret. It was Joseph, the onetime slave from Israel, who was successful in predicting a famine.
guarded his treasure
played music so he could sleep
Advertisement
The sight of which woman bathing led David into sin?
Bathsheba
Bathsheba belonged to another man, but David slept with her and made her pregnant. He compounded this sin by sending her husband, Uriel, to his death in battle.
Abigail
Abishag
Tamar
The book of Acts' longer name is "Acts of the _____."
Apostles
The gospels are followed by a book on the history of the apostles after Jesus's ascension to heaven. It could be called "the Remaining Eleven," except that they choose a replacement for Judas fairly quickly, and then God called Paul to his service, as well.
Early Church
Faithful
Remaining Eleven
Which of these was NOT a son of Noah?
Ham
Japheth
Seth
Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve. God gave him to Eve because she was mourning the murder of Abel.
Shem
Advertisement
Which Biblical figure's name has become synonymous with trouble and woe?
Cain
Isaiah
Job
God and Satan made a wager over Job's faithfulness, and God took away everything Job had to prove that he would still remain faithful. (Is it just us, or does this sound like the basis for the movie, "Trading Places"?)
Thomas
Hannah was the mother of a great ____.
king
prophet
Hannah is childless until the Lord hears her prayers and gives her a son, Samuel. As she promised, she dedicated him to the Lord, and he became a great prophet: "All Israel knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord." (1 Samuel 3:20).
physician
warrior
The prophet Jonah was swallowed by a ____.
dragon
great fish
The book of Jonah says he was swallowed by a "great fish," not a whale. Improbably, it also says he survived for three days and nights before being spit up on dry land.
blue whale
sinkhole
Advertisement
Who was the helper of, and successor to, Moses?
Laman
James
Joshua
Joshua entered into the Promised Land after Moses died. Moses did not, a punishment for a lack of faith in God.
Shem
Which book of the Bible does not mention God?
Esther
Esther is a historical book that describes how the wise queen saved her people, the Jews. It is the basis for the Jewish festival of Purim, despite making no mention of God.
Acts
Habakkuk
Revelation
To which city was Jonah reluctant to go and preach?
Gad
Jericho
Nineveh
Jonah didn't feel the sinful people of Nineveh deserved to be spared God's wrath. This is in contrast to the New Testament view that everyone deserves salvation.
Jerusalem
Advertisement
An allegorical story told by Jesus is called a ____.
epic
fable
parable
There are other allegorical stories in the Bible, like the one the prophet Nathan told King David about the poor man's lamb. But the word "parable" is usually reserved for Jesus's stories.
riddle
Which of these is not a parable?
the Woman Clothed with the Sun
The woman clothed with the sun appears in the book of Revelation. You might remember it because of the William Blake painting, "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun."
the Mustard Seed
the Sower
the Talents
What is the final word of the Bible, in most translations?
"Amen."
This is an appropriate word, as it ends most Christian prayers. In Hebrew, it means, "So be it."
" ... come."
" ... Lord."
" ... time."
Advertisement
Which of these gospels is not a "synoptic" gospel?
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
The first three gospels are called "synoptic" because they strive for a summary or synopsis of Christ's life, and for that resaon, are similar. John is different, in that it goes off in mystical directions, and isn't as interested in creating a chronological account.
You Got:
/35
TvTuner.CO