Who Am I? Bible Edition

Ruth was a brave woman who collected the "gleanings" on the fields of Boaz, a rich man who left the corners of his fields standing for the poor. They met in his field and fell in love.

Samson was a heroic warrior with supernatural strength that came from his hair. His lover, Delilah, betrayed him and cut it off while he was sleeping. His enemies caught him, but while he was in captivity, his hair grew back and with it, his strength. He pulled down their temple on them, thus getting his revenge.

Cain was the brother of Abel, son of Adam and Eve. He murdered his brother and was doomed to wander the land forever and never be believed again.

Nahum is one of the minor prophets. Others include: Hosea, Malachi, Habbakuk, Haggai, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Amos, Micah, Jonah, Obadiah, and Joel.

Joseph was the son of Jacob, by his preferred second wife. His brothers sold him to Ishmaelites who sold him as a slave in Egypt. He spent time in jail but was freed when it became clear that he understood dreams. He soon became Pharaoh's right hand man and helped his brothers survive a famine.

Doubting Thomas was a beloved Apostle of Jesus Christ who refused to believe who he was when he rose from the dead. He denied Jesus Christ three times before the cock crowed in the morning.

Baal was an evil deity who was worshiped by some Canaanites. He was a fertility deity who was worshiped by certain wicked apostates in the Levant.

Pontius Pilate was a Roman prefect in charge of the province of Judea. He was responsible for crucifying Jesus, which the priests who accused him of blasphemy could not legally do.

Death is in the Book of Revelation, where he rides a pale horse. Revelation is written by John the Divine, and is one of the most controversial books in the Bible.

Longinus was a Roman centurion who stabbed Jesus Christ in the side. Jesus' blood healed his poor eyes, and he later converted and became an evangelical.

Jezebel was a very evil woman who came from Tyre. She tried to get her husband to spread the worship of Baal, which was idolatrous. Jehu had her thrown from the city walls.

God asked Solomon what he wanted: wisdom or wealth. He chose wisdom and as a result, was also blessed with wealth.

Paul, whose name was formerly Saul, became one of the most passionate evangelicals for Christianity. He was a Roman citizen and a Jew, but became one of the most prominent early Christians.

Moses was a Hebrew whose mother put him in a basket of reeds on the River Nile to try to protect him from Pharaoh's edict to kill Hebrew first-born sons. He was found by one of Pharaoh's wives who raised him as her own.

Lazarus was an early adopter of Christianity, before it was even called that. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that he was sick, but when Jesus arrived, Lazarus was dead. Jesus went to the tomb and revived him.

Herod was the King of Judea, which was a Roman province at the time. He asked Jesus to perform miracles on demand, which Jesus refused to do.

Zipporah met Moses when he fled Ramses. Her father, Jethro, gave Moses shelter and then Moses and Zipporah fell for one another.

After Abraham's wife died, he knew it was important for his son, Isaac, to have a wife. He told his servant to go the Canaanites, where they found Rebecca. She was willing to take a chance, and came back to meet Isaac and marry him.

Aaron was Moses' brother and helped him to debate with Pharaoh, as well as stand up to Pharaoh's high priests when they tried to undermine Moses.

Abraham, formerly Abram, is the father of the Hebrew nation. He is told by God to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac and agrees, but it was just a test of his faith. God blessed him and promised his descendants would be fruitful.

Isaiah is one of the most important prophets in the Bible. Very little is known about his actual life and personality, but his writings are very beautiful and worth reading!

Amos is one of the most famous of the Twelve Minor Prophets, and Amos 5:24 is one of the most famous Bible verses, concerning justice and waters. Amos preached during a time of peace and prosperity but warned against complacency.

Elijah is a very important prophet who is neither major nor minor. He ascended to heaven on a chariot with a wheel at each corner that rose on a column of smoke and fire. This is regarded by conspiracy theorists as one of the earliest accounts of an alien kidnaping.

Seth was the brother of Cain and Abel, born after the death of Abel. He very wisely didn't get much involved in the wider stories of the Bible and seems to have lived a nice peaceful life involving lots of children.

Noah was a righteous man. God warned him about the coming Flood that would drown all the unbelievers. Noah built an Ark to preserve the righteous - his family - and also all the animals, who entered in pairs and remained safely on board for forty days and nights. When the waters receded, the Ark landed at Mount Ararat.

Jacob is the third of the Patriarchs, grandson of Abraham. He had two wives, and greatly preferred the one who gave him his favorite two sons: Joseph and Benjamin. He spoiled Joseph so badly that his brothers turned on him, but did a better job with Benjamin.

Methuselah is the oldest man in the Bible. Wine bottle naming convention - which uses Biblical characters such as Jeroboam and Rehoboam - has "a Methuselah," a bottle that is the size of 8 standard bottles. Other bottle sizes include Nebuchadnezzar (20 bottles) and Melchizedek (40 bottles).

Rachel was Jacob's beloved and he offered to work seven years for her father so he could marry her. However, on the wedding day, the bride was veiled and Jacob was fobbed off with the less-pretty Leah. He had to work another seven years to get the right to marry Rachel. This story is reflected in the Jewish tradition whereby the groom puts the veil on the bride himself, to check that she is the right woman! It is considered bad luck for him not to do this.

Deborah is a judge and prophet who advises a king named Barak on military strategy, telling him that God told her what they should do. She is the only female judge in the Bible.

Samuel was first called by the Lord God Almighty late at night and thought it was his mentor, Eli, calling from another room. Eli told him that he had not called and that when the voice came next, Samuel should say, "Here I am, Lord." Samuel did and went on to become a very important prophetic figure.

Daniel is a Major Prophet who was carried off by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile. He warned his captors about their idolatrous ways but they didn't listen, and were violently destroyed by Cyrus the Great of Persia.

Job is the main figure in one of the most famous stories in the Bible: Satan bets God that taking away Job's wealth, wife, and kids will make him lose his faith. It doesn't work, and Job remains faithful and righteous. God Almighty rewards him with a new family (which in the story, is presented as a fair compensation for losing the first one) and more wealth than ever before.

Esther married King Ahasuerus, who chose her as she was a great beauty. She was also super smart and outwitted Ahasueros' evil courtier, Haman, who was trying to get him to kill off the Jews and take their property. Esther and her wise uncle Mordecai prevailed on the King to do the right thing and kick Haman out instead. Whenever the story is told in a synagogue on Purim, it is tradition to cheer whenever Mordecai is mentioned, and boo whenever Haman is mentioned, which is a lot of fun for the congregation.

Shalmaneser is not a very nice guy. He deported an entire tribe of people in order to maintain his power and blamed the Israelites for siding with the Egyptians against his Assyrian rule. He carried off King Hoshea, and many of the people he deported were scattered to the winds and never seen again.

Caiaphas is a priest who saw Lord Jesus Christ as a threat and plotted to get rid of him. As he did not have the authority to pronounce the death sentence, he handed Lord Jesus Christ over to Pilate, who did have that power.