The Ultimate Bible Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
The Ultimate Bible Quiz
Image: © P Deliss/Godong/Corbis

About This Quiz

The Bible is one of the oldest texts in the history of the world. How much do you know about this influential tome?
How many books are there in the Bible?
57
66
72
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are 66 books making up the Old and New Testaments.

What is the oldest book in the Bible?
Ezekiel
Job
Isaiah
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It may have been written around 1500 B.C.E.

What does "the Bible" mean?
The word of God.
The story of God.
The books
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's a collection of writings assembled into one text.

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In the Book of Genesis, how long does Methuselah live?
721 years old
969 years old
873 years old
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

That is a long time to be on Social Security.

About how many total authors contributed to the books of the Bible?
40
60
80
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

But we'll never know for sure exactly how many writers worked on it.

In what year did the first English-language translation of the Bible appear?
1382
1568
1601
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was created by John Wycliffe, an English philosopher and scholar.

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How many descriptions of the devil's physical appearance are there in the Bible?
four
three
one
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The devil is described as a snake that tempts humankind.

Scholars generally agree that they've confirmed the identities of how many New Testament authors?
one
five
twelve
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The only one they agree on is Paul; the others are all suspected to be pseudonyms.

Many scholars say the Gutenberg Bible is the oldest mechanically-printed book. When was it printed?
Around 1450
Around 1580
Around 1600
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was created in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg.

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How many chapters make up the Bible?
4,176
2,281
1,189
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For anyone, it's a heavy reading session.

A Christian group attaches Bibles to balloons and send them flying over which country?
China
North Korea
Israel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The group has sent up tens of thousands of Bibles in the hopes of enlightening the oppressed North Koreans.

The Bible always portrays angels as what?
adults
children
alien-looking beings
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The popular artwork featuring child angels is inaccurate as far as the Bible is concerned.

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What does the word "testament" mean?
Collection of books or collection of volumes
Covenant or contract
Word of God or Word of the Son
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It comes from the Greek word "diatheke."

Zondervan Publishing, from Michigan, is the world's largest publisher of Bibles. Zodervan is a division of which publishing company?
Simon & Schuster
Penguin Random House
HarperCollins
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In addition to Hachette Livre, these are considered "The Big Four" of the publishing world.

The Old Testament was first written in which language?
Greek
Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Aramaic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The New Testament, however, was probably written in Greek.

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The word "Lord" is the most common word in the Bible.
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "Jehovah" is used three times as often as "Lord."

Why were Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden?
For eating from the tree of life
For eating from the tree of knowledge
Neither
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Casting them out was a preventative measure to keep them from partaking of the tree of life.

About how many handwritten copies of the Greek-language New Testament still exist?
Around 550
Around 5,600
Around 51,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are many more in Latin.

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What's the approximate word count of the modern English-language Bible?
773,000
976,000
1.2 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

That's more than 31,000 verses.

About how many years did it take to write the Bible?
230 years
1,600 years
2,100 years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is an epic work passed through many generations.

How many books make up the New Testament?
27
34
51
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The life and times of Jesus are the focal point of the New Testament scriptures.

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The Bible has been at least partly translated into how many different languages?
2,800
4,100
5,600
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are roughly 7,000 languages in the world today; the Bible in its entirety has been translated into at least 500 languages.

According to Guinness World Records, roughly how many copies of the Bible have been sold?
Roughly 5 billion
Roughly 2 billion
Roughly 800 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Even if that number is way off, it's still a lot of books.

According to the Bible, who led the Israelites through the Red Sea, which was parted by God?
David
Moses
Noah
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Moses wanted to save his people from the Egyptians.

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In 2011, a team created a handwritten Bible, called the St. John's Bible (complete with colored illustrations), at what approximate cost?
$8 million
$500,000
$200,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The tome weighs 165 pounds and is about two feet tall.

What year was the first Bible published in America?
1663
1721
1799
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was called the "Eliot Bible," and it was published at Harvard College.

In what language was the Eliot Bible published?
A Native American language
French
English
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was the Algonquin Indian language and meant to enlighten the natives about Christianity.

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By word count, what's the longest book in the Bible?
Jeremiah
Genesis
Psalms
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At more than 33,000 words, it's significantly longer than Psalms, which often mistakenly receives credit for being longer.

When was the first English-language Bible finally printed in America?
1698
1782
1821
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Prior to this publishing it was just easier to ship them in from elsewhere.

By word count, what's the shortest book in the Bible?
Philemon
Jude
3 John
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is only 219 words long.

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