Stone the Crows -- or People! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stephen

"Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:58-60).

Saint Stephen is considered the first martyr of the Christian church. He was a deacon of the early church in Jerusalem and spoke out against the Jewish authorities of the time. His trial was overseen by Saul of Tarsus, who later was converted to Christianity and became Saint Paul. The penalty for his crime of defying Sanhedrin authority and blasphemy was stoning, a punishment which took place outside the city of Jerusalem.

Answer: Goliath

"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground" (1 Samuel 17:48-49).

The story of David and Goliath is well known. David, a shepherd boy, volunteered to challenge the Philistines champion Goliath. Goliath was a mighty warrior standing almost seven feet tall (the height seems to have been expanded to almost ten feet in later texts). None of the Israelites were brave enough to face Goliath on the field of battle. David, with God's help, took on the challenge and eschewed a sword for his slingshot. After slaying Goliath, David won favor with King Saul and would eventually become King of the Israelites himself.

Answer: Achan

"Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger" (Joshua 7: 24-26).

It is suggested that Achan received a death sentence for plundering Jericho. The Israelite army suffered losses in their attempt to take the nearby city of Ai. The Lord declared that he had withdrawn his support of the Israelite army because someone within the ranks of the army had committed a crime. Joshua discovered Achan's crime and sentenced him to death by stoning. In the Jewish tradition, it is also suggested that Achan's entire family, children, household, and livestock were subjected to a similar fate.

Answer: Gathering wood

"While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.' So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses" (Numbers 15:32-36).

A pretty harsh penalty for gathering wood and it certainly puts into perspective how society has evolved. Very few restaurants or places of business are not open on Sundays. Our family is especially partial to Chick-fil-A for their policy of not opening their doors for business on the Sabbath.

Answer: Tax Collector

"Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore King Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem" (1 Kings 12:18).

Adoram, sometimes called Adoniram, was an influential member of the royal household. He was the son of Abda, and his chief service was as tax collector. He had served in this capacity for 40 years through the reign of David, Solomon and Rehoboam. In 1 Kings 5:13-14 it is suggested that he was the man in charge of conscripting lumberjacks to work on King Solomon's temple. For this reason Adoram sometimes shows up in contemporary Masonic Lodge rituals.

Answer: Paul

"Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe" (Acts 14:19-20).

Paul the Apostle, formerly Saul of Tarsus, was a missionary giant after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Fourteen of the Twenty-Seven New Testament books have been attributed to Paul and much of the "Acts" focuses on his life and ministry.

Answer: Pre-marital sex

"But if this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, then they shall bring out the girl to the doorway of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house; thus you shall purge the evil from among you" (Deuteronomy 22: 20-21).

Pre-marital relations and not being a virgin when getting married had dire consequences for young women. In some Islamic countries, there are similar consequences for fornication and infidelity even today. Deuteronomy goes on to impose a few more sanctions when it comes to sexual relations:

"If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. "If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city and you shall stone them to death; the girl, because she did not cry out in the city, and the man, because he has violated his neighbor's wife. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. "But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die" (Deuteronomy 22: 22-25).

Answer: A woman dropped a millstone on his head that crushed his skull

"Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women and all those of the city, and shut it to them and went up to the top of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the tower and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head and broke his skull" (Judges 9:50-53).

Abimelech was a nasty piece of work. He is remembered as a bloodthirsty ruler who murdered 70 of his family members in order to keep a stranglehold on power. It is somewhat fitting that he experienced death at the hands of a woman defending her city and family. Also, showing that male chauvinism was not dead in pre-historic biblical times, he had the death blow delivered by his manservant."

Then he called hastily unto the young man, his armorbearer, and said unto him, "Draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not of me, 'A woman slew him.'" And his young man thrust him through, and he died" (Judges 9:54).

Answer: Samson

"And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with [all his] might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that [were] therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than [they] which he slew in his life" (Judges 16: 28-30).

Samson was a man of mighty strength thanks to his famous long hair. Unfortunately, Samson was not a great judge of female character, a character flaw that ultimately saw his wife Delilah betray him to the Philistines. However, after they tortured him and took his eyes, he called upon the Lord one last time and brought down the house, literally, upon the heads of those that sought to take away his life.

Answer: Jesus

"At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:2-11).

With the life of Jesus and the atonement of Christ that is taught in the New Testament, sins can be forgiven through repentance rather than stoning.