Bible Trivia - 3/22/2009

Question: In what city did the Ephesians live?

Answer: Ephesus. (Ephesians 1:1)

Comments: Traditionally, Paul wrote the Epistle tot he Ephesians while imprisoned in Rome around 62 CE. He had previously founded the church in Ephesus, famed for housing the temple of Artemis. According to the book of Acts, Paul's first visit to Ephesus lasted only three months. (Acts 18:19-21)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 1:1, NASB)

Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a tourist attraction in Turkey.

Bible Trivia - 3/15/2009

Question: What Old Testament matriarch had a nurse named Deborah?

Answer: Rebekah. (Genesis 35:8)

Comments: There are two Biblical characters named Deborah, the famous prophetess/judge in the Book of Judges and a lesser known nurse who appears in the book of Genesis. Nothing of the latter’s life is mentioned, only a notice of her death. Deborah died at Allon-bacuth and was buried by her master’s son Jacob, who was returning with his family to Canaan.

Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth. (Genesis 35:8, NASB)

Famed commentator Rashi (1040-1105) wrote that Deborah was sent by Laban to care for his sister Rebekah when the latter went to marry Isaac (Genesis 24:59). In Genesis 35, the elderly nurse was informing Jacob that it was safe to return home.

Others have speculated that Deborah was delivering the news of her master’s death when she died. Rebekah’s death is not recorded in Scripture.

Note: This painting, “Rebekah at The Well” by Michael Deas, depicts Rebekah offering water to Eliezer. The scene is from Genesis 24, Rebekah’s debut in the Biblical text.

Bible Trivia - 3/8/2009

Question: What French philosopher who died in 1778, said that within 100 years of his time. Christianity would be swept from existence and pass into history, only to have his house used by the Geneva Bible Society after his death to print Bibles?

Answer: Voltaire.

Comments: The highly influential French philosopher and deist (not atheist) Voltaire (1694-1778) was one of Christianity’s greatest critics. In a letter to Frederick the Great in 1767, Voltaire wrote, “Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd, and bloody religion that has ever infected the world.”

While Voltaire’s loathing of Christianity is undeniable, the widespread apologetic story of his home being used to print Bibles is likely apocryphal. Details of the story such as date, location, and Bible society vary with each telling. It does not appear any home Voltaire ever owned was ever owned by a Bible society. For a comprehensive analysis of this myth, see the article “Voltaire's House and The Bible Society” published by The Open Society, the Journal of the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists.

Bible Trivia - 3/7/2009

Question: Name the first son of David.

Answer: Amnon. (II Samuel 3:2)

Comments: Amnon was the first of David’s numerous sons. His mother was Ahinoam of Jezreel (I Samuel 25:43). His name (Hebrew: אַמְנוֹן) means “faithful”.

Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; (II Samuel 3:2, NASB)

Amnon is best remembered for raping his half-sister Tamar and then being murdered by his half-brother and Tamar’s full brother Absalom. (II Samuel 13)

Note: This oil on canvas of Amnon and Tamar was painted by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri 1591-1666, known as “Guercino” due to his squinting). It hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Bible Trivia - 3/1/2009

Question: What was the name of the Roman leader who destroyed the temple of Jerusalem?

Answer: Titus.

Comments: In the year 70 CE, the future emperor Titus (39-81 CE, not to be confused with the Biblical character) led the Roman army in a siege of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by Jewish defenders since 66 CE. In the onslaught, the city and its famed temple were destroyed. Though no account of this event is told in Scripture, Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem temple shortly before his death in what is known as the Olivet Discourse. (Matthew 24, Mark 13)

And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down." (Mark 13:2, NASB)

Note: This is an ancient bust of the Emperor Titus .

Bible Trivia - 2/28/2009

Question: In what town did Cain live, east of Eden?

Answer: Nod. (Genesis 4:16)

Comments: After killing his brother Abel, Cain is exiled to the land of Nod, east of Eden. "Nod" (נוד) is the Hebrew root of the verb "to wander" (לנדוד) and is indicative of Cain's nomadic lifestyle.

Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:16, NASB)

It was from this location that East of Eden gets its name. See the April 8th, 2008 "Bible Trivia" post for details.

Note: This oil on canvas of Cain was painted by Lovis Corinth (1858-1925).

Bible Trivia - 2/22/2009

Question: Who built the Hanging Gardens?

Answer: Nebuchadnezzar.

Comments: Though the Hanging Gardens of Babylon do not appear in the Biblical text, they were created by a Biblical figure. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon reportedly built the gardens around 600 BCE to comfort his wife, Amytis (or Amuhia) of Media, who missed the pastoral scenes of her native Persia.

In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. (II Kings 24:1, NASB)

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were numbered among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Bible Trivia - 2/21/2009

Question: How many people altogether survived in Noah’s ark?

Answer: Eight. (Genesis 7:13)

Comments: Though numerous animals survived the Flood described in Genesis, only eight humans withstood the deluge: Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. (Genesis 6-8)

On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark,14they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. (Genesis 7:13-14, NASB)

Note: This oil on canvas, L’Arche de Noé (The Ark of Noah), was painted by Marc Chagall (1887-1985).

Bible Trivia - 2/15/2009

Question: What two consecutive chapters of Zechariah prophesy the attempted siege of Jerusalem in the last days?

Answer: 13 and 14. (Zechariah 13-14)

Comments: Zechariah's last two chapters are part of a final oracle that depicts the attempted siege of Jerusalem in the last days. The oracle actually spans its final three chapters, 12-14. The book concludes on a high note as the oracle reveals a glorious apocalyptic vision of Israel in the last days. The final conflict results in the triumph of God's kingdom.

And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. (Zechariah 14:9, NASB)

Bible Trivia - 2/14/2009

Question: How many books of the Bible begin with the letter "J"?

Answer: 12.

Comments: More books of the Bible start with the letter J than any other letter. Counting the Johannine epistles as three separate titles, twelve books of the Bible begin with the letter J: Joshua, Judges, Job, Jeremiah, Joel, Jonah, John, James, I John, II John, III John, and Jude.

Note: This post was brought to you by the letter J.

Bible Trivia - 2/8/2009

Question: In Paul's analogy of armour, what represents faith?

Answer: A shield. (Ephesians 6:16)

Comments: In Paul's treatise on the "full of armor of God", faith is represented by the shield. Paul's allusion drew from the image of the Roman soldier. Among the soldier's arsenal was a shield, a 4-foot by 2½-foot curved laminate comprised of three layers of wood and covered by leather. The shield was a maneuverable part of the warrior's armor designed to protect the ancient warrior from attack. In the same way, faith protects the believer from spiritual attack.

in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16, NASB)

The shield of faith also alludes to Psalm 91:4.

Bible Trivia - 2/7/2009

Question: What was the site of Jesus' discourse on the end of the age?

Answer: Olivet or Mt. of Olives. (Matthew 24:3)

Commentary: Named for its location, the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) is the final of five speeches which serve as the foundation for The Gospel of Matthew. The address is given shortly before the Passion. Given its subject matter, it is also known as “The Little Apocalypse”.

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Versions of the Olivet Discourse also appear in Mark 13 and Luke 21.

Note: This photograph of the Mount of Olives comes from BiblePlaces.Com.

Bible Trivia - 2/1/2009

Question: What object did Samson use to kill one thousand Philistines?

Answer: The jawbone of an ass. (Judges 15:15)

Comments: When he was attacked by the Philistines (after he had burned their crops), Samson picked up a donkey's jawbone and used it to eliminate one thousand enemies. Today, we might say that the jawbone was a "weapon of opportunity".

He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it. (Judges 15:15, NASB)

Ever the trickster, Samson punnishly bragged, "With a donkey's jawbone/I have made donkeys of them." (Judges 15:16, NIV) In other words he used an ass' bone to make asses of his enemies.

Note: This oil on canvas, "The Triumph of Samson" by Guido Reni (1575-1642), hangs at the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna.

Bible Trivia - 1/31/2009

Question: What did "mammon" mean?

Answer: Riches (or money) (Matthew 6:24)

Comments: Jesus advised his followers that one cannot serve both God and mammon. The Greek word for "Mammon", mamonas, occurs only in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:24) and in the parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:9, 11, 13).

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matthew 6:24, NASB)

Many translations render the word either "money" (CEV, ESV, The Message, NIV, NLT) or "wealth" (NASB, NRSV). The AMP, ASV, KJV, NKJV, and RSV all leave the word untranslated, accounting for the term's familiarity.

Bible Trivia - 1/25/2009

Question: Which book tells the story of Onan?

Answer: Genesis. (Genesis 38:7-10)

Comments: Onan was the second son of Judah. After his older brother, Er, died, Er's wife Tamar was given to Onan in accordance with the custom of Levirite marriage. Levirite marriage is a type of marriage in which a widow is required to marry one of her husband's brothers after her husband's death to assure that the deceased's line is prolonged. Onan refused to impregnate Tamar as her children would be considered his brother's and not his own.

Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. (Genesis 38:8-9, NASB)

Onan's selfishness displeased God and he died shortly thereafter. (Genesis 38:10) Today the term onanism can refer to the "pulling out" method of birth control.

Note: This re-enactment of this scandalous Biblical scene is provided by the Brick Testament.

Bible Trivia - 1/24/2009

Question: How many of the Ten Commandments begin with the words “Thou shalt not...”?

Answer: 7. (Exodus 20:1-17)

Comments: The Ten commandments consist of seven negative and three positive commands. The first negative ordinance is described in the second commandment:

"You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:3, NASB)

In the broader Mosaic law, there are 613 mitzvot ("commandments"). These are comprised of 245 positive and 365 negative directives.

Bible Trivia - 1/18/2009

Question: What was the trade or profession of Priscilla’s husband?

Answer: Tent-maker. (Acts 18:2-3, NASB)

Comments: Aquila and Priscilla were missionaries and associates of Paul. Like Paul, by trade, they were tentmakers.

And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. (Acts 18:2-3, NASB)

In deference to this passage, today, the term "tentmaker" is used for bivocational ministers.

Bible Trivia - 1/17/2009

Question: What Biblical name means “rock”?

Answer: Peter or Cephas. (John 1:42)

Comments: Peter's given name was Simon but Jesus renamed him Peter. (Matthew 16:18, John 1:42) Cephas is the Aramaic equivalent of the Greek Petros. Both names literally mean "rock." As such, Peter's name could accurately be translated "Rocky".

He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter). (John 1:42, NASB)

Bible Trivia - 1/11/2009

Question: What is the middle chapter of the Old Testament?

Answer: Job 29.

Comments: There are 929 chapters in the Old Testament, the middle of which is Job 29. This chapter has Job nostalgically speaking of his glorious past, which preceded the calamity's described in the book.

"Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God watched over me; (Job 29:2, NASB)

Bible Trivia - 1/10/2009

Question: The title of what book in the Bible means the “preacher”?

Answer: Ecclesiastes.

Comments: Ecclesiastes takes its name from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title (קֹהֶלֶת, Qohelet). Qohelet is the title by which the booker's speaker identifies himself. The Hebrew, קהלת, is a participle related to the root קהל meaning "to gather." Scholars debate whether the description means the "one who gathers" or the "one among the gathering."

The word Qohelet has found several translations into English, including "The Preacher" in deference to Jerome (347-420)'s suggested Latin title concionator and Martin Luther (1483-1546)'s Der Prediger.

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. (Ecclesiastes 1:1, NASB)

Qohelet also introduces himself as "son of David, and king in Jerusalem." This description could only fit Solomon.

Note: This image of Ecclesiastes was created by Phillip Ratner.