About This Quiz
Everyone knows who built the ark, and who the first two sons of Adam and Eve were. But do you know what happened in the valley of Elah? Or who was "roaming the earth and patrolling it" in the book of Job? The truth is, while there are a lot of beloved, often-read stories in the Bible, other parts of the Good Book are less well known. (This especially includes the minor prophets of the Old Testament, such as Joel and Amos).
The Bible is a complex and varied book. It's divided into 66 parts, called "books" themselves, then chapters, and then verses. Some books of the Bible are quite long -- Psalms is the longest, with 150 chapters. On the other hand, one book in the New Testament is only 13 verses long. You can also divide the Bible thematically, into different types of books. The first five books, called the "Mosaic" books, comprise both history and law. Joshua, Judges and Ruth are also history books, relating the early years of Israel as a nation. The Psalms are poetry, and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job are part of the "wisdom" tradition, which contain some of the more poignant passages in the Bible about life and death.Â
If you're a Bible aficionado, we've prepared a quiz for you on some of the Bible's more obscures people, places and events. Ready? Good luck!
You'll still hear people use the term "manna from heaven." This is because manna, the food God provided the Hebrews in the wilderness, was said to fall from heaven.
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Abelard and Heloise were early medieval lovers. They joined a monastery and a convent, respectively, after their affair went disastrously wrong.
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Mary went to her cousin to discuss the news of her pregnancy. Elizabeth's unborn child, John, leapt in her womb at the arrival of the unborn Savior.
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This verse is in Revelation 21, close to the end of the book. After the wars at the end of time, and the destruction of the old world, John sees the new heaven and new earth.
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There's a long history in the Bible of God renaming people after calling them to serve him. Saul of Tarsus became "Paul" after his conversion on the road to Damascus.
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The Pharaoh is only referred to by his title in Exodus. The same is true of the earlier Pharaoh whom Joseph found favor with when he interpreted the ruler's dreams.
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Goliath, whom David killed, was a Philistine warrior. The word "Philistine" is related to the modern-day term "Palestine."
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John was the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus. He also baptized Jesus in the River Jordan.
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Samson was betrayed by his lover, Delilah, who told his enemies the Philistines that if his hair was cut, he would lose his strength. But when Samson prayed to God, he regained his strength, and was able to bring down the temple.
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Rahab is described as a "prostitute" in the book of Joshua, which might only mean that she rented out room to strangers. At any rate, Rahab gives shelter to two Israeli spies, and thus is saved along with her family when the Israelites attack and take the city.
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The full quote is, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your heavenly Father knowing." These are Jesus's words during the Commission of the Twelve.
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Only Revelation, at the end of the Bible, is considered a New Testament book of prophecy. It recounts the vision John of Patmos had of the end of the world and the ultimate triumph of Jesus over the forces of evil.
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All three synoptic gospels tell the story of Jesus exorcising a group of demons, who call themselves "Legion," from the man they have possessed. Jesus sends the demons into a band of pigs, who rush into a nearby lake and drown.
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Caravaggio did a famous painting of the calling of St. Matthew. In it, Matthew is at a table, surrounded by other tax collectors doing business, while Jesus points to him, and a divine light falls through the window on the scene.
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This story is told in Daniel. The three Jews remained faithful to their God during their time in Babylonia -- something that Daniel, the book's namesake, would also do.
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Ruth is revered among Jews and Christians for her faithfulness to her mother-in-law. After her husband dies, Ruth insists on staying with Naomi rather than returning to her own people. Since Naomi was also Jewish, Ruth's alliance with her was in effect an alliance with God as well.
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Satan appears before God in Job's first chapter and says that he has been doing this. God that says is no one like his servant Job, a righteous man, and Satan proposes a wager on it, suggesting that Job will curse God if all his worldly goods are taken away.
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Esther was called to be the new wife of King Ahasuerus after Vashti refused to come "display her beauty" before the king's guests. To some, this makes her a heroine, and a better choice for the name of a feminist magazine than "Jezebel" (another pagan queen in the Old Testament).
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Lot was Abraham's son. They traveled together for a time, then split up. Lot chose to live on the "cities of the plain," which were Sodom and Gomorrah. It was a choice that would come back to haunt him.
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Leviticus is the book which lays out the rules by which the Israelites, a nation newly independent from Egypt, are to live. Many of the rules which God narrates to Moses involve offerings for sins and rituals for purification.
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The tale of David and Goliath is one of the most-loved Bible stories. David, an upstart shepherd, brings down the giant of the Philistines with a mere stone (though he cuts off Goliath's head afterward).
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King Abimelech did have Sarah brought to him. He did not know that she was married to Abraham, because Abraham (and presumably also Sarah) said that she was his sister, instead. After some intervention by God, Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham.
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Ahab and Jezebel were the king and queen that the prophet Elijah was sent to oppose. Both died, Jezebel in a grisly fall from a tower.
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Jacob had twelve sons. Eleven of them followed their brother Joseph down to Egypt, where he made good after being sold into slavery. By the time their descendants left Egypt, they were a nation, divided into 12 tribes named after those twelve brothers. Joseph's sons were adopted by Jacob, so although there is no tribe named after Joseph, there is one named after his son Manasseh.
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Ruth becomes the grandmother of King David, therefore the great-grandmother of Solomon. In time, Jesus is born into the line of David.
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John's third epistle is only 14 verses long. If he'd been writing in the present day, he could have made it a Facebook post!
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Miriam was Moses's sister, who married Aaron, the first priest in the Jewish tradition. Moses's wife was Zipporah; this is still a popular name among observant Jews today.
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Obadiah is a single chapter of 21 verses. There are many other "Obadiahs" in the Old Testament besides the author of this short prophetic book.
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This is an angel of the Lord describing Ishmael, Abraham's first son. The description reflects the view the Bible's writers had of the "Ishmaelites," or Arabic peoples.
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Darius is actually reluctant to do this to his servant Daniel, who has given him wise counsel. But Daniel, of course, survives his night in the lions' den, and the story has become a favorite of Sunday School teachers.
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After Job has lost his wealth, and been stricken with painful sores, he curses the day he was born. But he does not curse God.
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All the gospels are history books, telling of Jesus's time on earth. Acts of the Apostles, just following them, is a book of early church history.
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In Numbers, the prophet Baalam is traveling when an angel blocks the road. His donkey can see it; Baalam can not, and beats the donkey to make it keep going. The donkey then miraculously speaks, complaining about being hit. Then the angel becomes visible, and the situation becomes clear to Baalam.
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John is the "non-synoptic" gospel, which deviates in thematic ways from Matthew, Mark and Luke. One way it does so is through its first line, which does not talk about Joseph and Mary, but instead strikes a mystical tone.
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This is the famous 23rd Psalm, ascribed to King David. The words above are its closing words.
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