10 Question Religion Quiz: Fractured Bible Books | Bible Word Play

Answer: Genesis

The first book of the Bible, Genesis (its name derived from the Greek for "birth" or "creation") kicks things off with a bang. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth," reads Genesis 1:1, and it only gets more exciting from there. From the tale of Adam and Eve's introduction to good and evil and their fall from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), to a flood wiping out nearly the entire population of the world (Genesis 6-8), to a history of the Patriarchs and Joseph's rise to power in Egypt (Genesis 12 and forward), it's an excellent read and the origin of some of the best-known stories in the Bible.

Many of the Bible's pop culture moments -- including the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" -- can be traced to this book.

Answer: Ephesians

The New Testament Book of Ephesians is a letter (or epistle) from the Apostle Paul "to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 1:1). In this letter, likely written during his incarceration in Rome, Paul explains the practicalities of being a Christian and delves into various doctrinal issues, from the grace of salvation (Ephesians 2:4-10) to the obligations of Christian behavior (Ephesians 5:2-20).

This is also one of the first appearances of the metaphor of the Christian church as the bride of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:21-33).

Answer: Joshua

The sixth book of the Tanakh and the Christian Old Testament, the Book of Joshua is the first not traditionally attributed to Moses. Following the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), the wandering Israelites make their way into Canaan, the Promised Land, under the leadership of Joshua.

The book tells of their bloody and thorough conquest of Canaan, including the famous tale of the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6); the division of the new land between the twelve tribes of Israel; and Joshua's final admonition not to forget the Torah and loyalty to God (Joshua 24).

This book is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself, although he is referred to in the third person, and the passage about his death was necessarily written by someone else.

Answer: Philippians

Coming immediately after Ephesians (Question 2) in the New Testament, Philippians is another letter written by Paul during an imprisonment in Rome. He mentions gifts given him by the church in Philippi (a trading city in Macedonia) and describes the way that the love and glory of Christ suffuses the lives of his followers.

Here we find the famous line "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21), in which Paul pronounces that God will be served by his life or by his death.

Answer: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is traditionally viewed as the thoughts and wisdom of King Solomon, referred to in the text as "the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1). In beautiful and poetic language, Solomon muses that earthly pursuits are "vanity of vanities" (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8) if they are not done with God in mind and heart.

Ecclesiastes is filled with memorable passages, but modern music-lovers are perhaps most familiar with Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which begins, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die ..." This passage was set to music by folk artist Pete Seeger; he added only one line to the original words, namely "I swear it's not too late" after the mention of "a time for peace". Its most popular version was released as "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" by the Byrds in 1965.

Answer: Song of Solomon

The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs, is a book of love poetry attributed to King Solomon. Frequently read at weddings, it alternates between the perspectives of a man and a woman as they woo each other, using intimate and physical language. "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth," says the woman, "for thy love is better than wine." (Song of Solomon 1:2).

This book is often understood as an allegory for the love between God and His people: the children of Israel from a Jewish perspective, or the Church in a Christian reading. In this interpretation, God is bound to humanity in the same intimate way that two spouses are bound to each other.

Answer: Lamentations

As its name implies, Lamentations is not a joyful book. Attributed to the prophet Jeremiah (known as "the weeping prophet"), whose eponymous book treats the decline and fall of the kingdom of Judah, Lamentations focuses on the destruction of Jerusalem by the invading forces of Babylon. Over five chapters, each a sad and desperate poem, Jeremiah mourns Jerusalem and pleads with God to have mercy on His people.

The first two stanzas of the first poem (which, like the next three, is an acrostic whose stanzas begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet) set the tone for the book:

"How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies" (Lamentations 1:1-2).

Answer: Isaiah

Isaiah, whose name roughly means "the Lord saves," was a prophet active in the Kingdom of Judah, around the time of the destruction of Israel. Writing during the reigns of four kings (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah -- Isaiah 1:1), he prophesied devastating judgments against the enemies of Judah -- and against Judah herself. "How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers," he writes in Isaiah 1:21; doom is coming.

His prophecies also concern the apocalypse and the kingdom of God at the end of days; here we find the famous assurance that "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." These passages are joined with prophecies of a Messiah. Verses such as "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5) instantly remind Christians of Jesus Christ; the Jewish tradition, though not as unified, sees the prophesied man more as a future king who will eventually usher in an age of peace and holiness in Jerusalem.

Answer: Deuteronomy

The fifth and last book of the Torah or Pentateuch (the set of books, attributed to Moses, that begins both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles), Deuteronomy covers both history and law. It begins with a speech by Moses in the fortieth year of the Israelites' desert wanderings, describing what has happened to them up to that point and promising blessings and great things for their future. He then repeats the laws by which the people are expected to live, beginning with a recapitulation of the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6-21; the same commandments are also given in Exodus 20:2-17).

Deuteronomy also gives us the Sh'ma Yisrael, a vital prayer in Judaism. "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord," reads Deuteronomy 6:4, the most basic part of the Sh'ma (the full recitation includes Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41). Subsequent passages emphasize the importance of that vital line: "And thou ... shalt talk of [these words] ... when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand ... and write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates" (Deuteronomy 6:7-9). The Sh'ma Yisrael, inscribed on a piece of parchment called a mezuzah and enclosed in a decorative and protective case, is affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes around the world, in fulfilment of that command.

Answer: Revelation

The final book of the New Testament, Revelation stands out from the rest. Traditionally attributed to John the Evangelist (famous for writing the Gospel of that name), it recounts an apocalyptic vision received on the isle of Patmos, when "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day" (Revelation 1:10). Addressed to seven churches, the book describes vivid and astonishing events, from the arrival of four horsemen (Revelation 6:2-8) to the prevalence of the mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-18). It is also the origin of one of the most famous Christian descriptions of God. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last" (Revelation 22:13; the appellation is repeated in 1:8, 1:11, and 21:6).

Nearly two thousand years after it was first set to paper, the interpretation of this book is still deeply controversial. Some view it as an historical account of first-century events; others regard it as futuristic prophecy; and still others interpret it as a purely symbolic account illuminating spiritual truths -- and there are nearly infinite shades of meaning between those extremes. In the early years of Christianity, there were fierce debates as to whether this book should be included in the Bible; St. John Chrystostom was perhaps the most famous to weigh in against it. Later, while Martin Luther was working on his translation of the Bible, he complained in his preface that Revelation was "neither apostolic nor prophetic."

Thank you for joining me on this Biblical journey. I've learned a great deal putting together the material for the quiz, and I hope that you've enjoyed it too.