Joseph vs. Joseph Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joseph (from Genesis)

Hebrews 11 is sometimes called the Hall of Faith, because the book lists a group of Old Testament people who demonstrated their faith in God. These people include Rahab, Sarah, Abraham, Gideon, and Joseph. This is clearly the Old Testament Joseph since the list restrict itself to Old Testament people, the order of people listed correlates to the order in which they lived, and the example of Joseph's faith lines up with the Old Testament Joseph.

The reason Joseph is listed is because he spoke of the exodus the Hebrews would experience and because he gave instructions for his bones to be taken from his current location to the Promised Land.

Answer: Joseph (from Genesis)

Old Testament Joseph was placed in jail by Potiphar, the captain of the guard and the one who purchased Joseph from Ishmaelites, who in turn purchased Joseph from his brothers. Potiphar placed Joseph in charge of his household. It was during this time in which Potiphar's wife noticed Joseph, who was described as well-built and handsome. Potiphar's wife (unnamed in the Bible or the Talmud, but the Midrash say it's Zuleikha) wanted to sleep with Joseph, but he rejected her advances.

She tore off a piece of Joseph's loincloth, presented it to her husband, and claimed Joseph raped her. Potiphar threw Joseph in jail, where Joseph would become in charge of all those held in prison. It was in jail where Joseph interpreted the dreams of the Egyptian pharaoh's cupbearer and baker.

This would be significant, because two years after the cupbearer was released, he would tell Pharaoh about Joseph, who would have Joseph interpret his dream and afterwards, Joseph would once again be elevated; this time, Joseph would be second-in-command of Egypt.

Answer: Joseph (from Genesis)

When the Egyptian pharaoh made the Joseph of the Old Testament second-in-command of Egypt, he gave Joseph the new name of Zaphenath-Paneah. Unlike other Biblical names (such as Methuselah meaning "his death shall bring"), there is no general consensus on what Zaphenath-Paneah means.

Some ideas include "Deciphered the hidden" or "revealer of secrets". Interestingly, Joseph's new Egyptian name is only mentioned once in the Bible: the verse in which it's mentioned Pharaoh gave him a new name (Genesis 41:45).

Answer: Joseph (parent of Jesus)

The tribe of Judah originated from Jacob's son Judah. To be part of the tribe of Judah, you must be descended from Judah. Joseph was the half-brother of Judah and was thus not part of the tribe. Sometimes, Joseph is mentioned as a tribe, such as in Revelation 7:8 where it talks about 144,000 sealed from all the tribes of Israel.

Other times, Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh are considered tribes instead. For example, in Numbers 13, when one person from each tribe went exploring Canaan, Joseph was not among them (neither was the tribe of Levi) but rather the tribes of Ephraim and of Manasseh. The New Testament Joseph was a member of the tribe of Judah, and this can be confirmed by looking at the genealogy in Matthew 1 which lists Judah as a direct ancestor.

Answer: Joseph (parent of Jesus)

The New Testament Joseph did have a stepchild, Jesus Himself. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit; He had no earthly father, just an earthly stepfather. Joseph therefore did have a stepchild, but he also did have children of his own (Jesus's stepbrothers or half-brothers) including James, Joses, Simon, and Jude.
The Old Testament Joseph had two children, both of whom were his own: Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph's wife was not married before or after, and there was no virgin birth, so Old Testament Joseph couldn't have had a stepchild.

Answer: Joseph (parent of Jesus)

The final verse in Genesis (50:26) says Joseph died at the age of 110 and that he was embalmed and placed in a coffin. The Bible does not say how Joseph died, but it does say that he died. Prior to that verse, Joseph does mention his upcoming death and what should be done.
On the other hand, the New Testament Joseph does not have his death mentioned. He just disappears from the story shortly after Jesus's birth (or Jesus remaining at the temple at the age of 12 in Luke). Those who have done research usually agree that Joseph died between Jesus at age 12 and Jesus being baptized.

Answer: Both Josephs

The Joseph of the Old Testament was sold to Potiphar by Ishmaelites. Since Potiphar was part of Pharaoh's captain of the guard, Joseph began living in Egypt at the time. He would be thrown in jail by Potiphar and later become Pharaoh's second-in-command.

Indeed, Joseph would remain in Egypt the rest of his life. The Joseph of the New Testament would spend a shorter amount of time in Egypt than the Old Testament Joseph; nonetheless, he did spend time in Egypt. According to Matthew's Gospel, Joseph was instructed to go to Egypt from Bethlehem and to take Mary and Jesus with him.

This was to protect Jesus since Herod would give an order to kill all babies two years old and younger in Bethlehem and its vicinity, which would have included Jesus. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus remained in Egypt until the death of Herod.

Answer: Both Josephs

Both Josephs had a significant dream; in fact, both had multiple significant dreams.
The Old Testament Joseph has a couple of dreams. In one of them, he and his brothers were binding sheaves of grain, and the brothers' shaves bowed to Joseph's sheaf. In the other, eleven stars as well as the sun and the moon were bowing to Joseph. Both these rams indicated Joseph's family would bow to him, which happened when Joseph became second-in-command of Egypt. This made the brothers angry, leading them to initially plan to kill Joseph, although the oldest brother Reuben talked them out of it.
The New Testament Joseph had a few significant dreams of his own. In one dream, an angel told him that it was the Holy Spirit who helped Mary conceive the baby Jesus. This convinced Joseph not to separate from Mary, since Joseph had thought there was another man in her life. Joseph also had dreams about leaving their home in Bethlehem to avoid Jesus being killed by Herod's men, regarding Herod's death thus signifying when it was okay to come back home, and the need to depart to Galilee to escape Archelaus's reign.

Answer: Both Josephs

Both Josephs have a father named Jacob. The Old Testament Joseph was first mentioned as being the son of Jacob in Genesis 30:23-24. Several chapters later, Joseph's story would be told, and it would again be mentioned that his father's name is Jacob. Jesus's genealogy through His stepfather Joseph was told in Matthew 1:1-16.

It starts with Abraham and goes through Jesus. The end of the genealogy states that "Jacob father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ". Thus, the New Testament Joseph also had a father named Jacob, although there is nothing else mentioned about this Jacob in the Bible.

Answer: Neither Joseph

A priest in the Old Testament acted as an intercessor between God and people and offered the sacrifices that people gave according to the law. In the New Testament, Jesus became the intercessor as mentioned in 1 Timothy and offered Himself up as a sacrifice. Nowhere in either Joseph's story did it identify them as a priest. Old Testament Joseph was a servant and a political leader. New Testament Joseph was a carpenter, as mentioned in Matthew 13.

Answer: Neither Joseph

The reign of the kings lasted from approximately 1050 B.C. to either 687 B.C. (in the kingdom of Judah) or 722 B.C. (in the kingdom of Israel). Books of the Bible set during the time include 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles. Joseph in the Old Testament lived during the era in which the later part of Genesis was set, before the time of the kings.

It is believed to be around the 18th century B.C. Joseph in the New Testament lived during the earlier part of when the Gospel was set, after the time of the kings, in the 1st century B.C. and 1st century A.D.

Answer: Neither Joseph

Jesus's earthly mission occurred in the Gospels in the New Testament, so the Old Testament Joseph wouldn't have been alive at the time. Likewise, the New Testament Joseph was not present during Jesus's death, with the most likely explanation, according to Biblical researchers, is that Joseph died earlier. There was a Joseph who placed Jesus's body in his tomb, but it was a completely different Joseph.

He is called Joseph of Arimathea, and he asked Pontius Pilate for Jesus's body to be given to him, and Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Jesus's body in linen and placed Jesus's body in his (Joseph's) tomb.

This event is recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.