Book Burning Party! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Constantine I

In 325 CE Roman emperor Constantine I convened an ecumenical council to deal with a number of theological issues. The most important dispute was between Trinitarians and Arians and concerned the nature of 'God the Father' and 'the Son'. Arianism claimed that Jesus Christ the Son was created by God and is therefore distinct from God the Father, whereas Trinitarianism teaches that the Son, the Father and the Holy Spirit coexist in unity. After two months of heated debate it was decided that God is one divine being consisting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The council of Nicaea proved to be pivotal for the direction Christianity would go the next centuries to come. Being declared heretical didn't immediately root out Arianism, and it continued to thrive for several centuries. Even two later Roman emperors were Arians. It wasn't until the 8th century that supporters of Arianism were crushed in a number of military and political confrontations.

Answer: Alexandria

The great library was the most important library of the ancient world. It was founded by Ptolemy II Soter in 283 BCE, and enhanced and expanded by his successors. The library contained an estimated 700,000 volumes plus.

The library was (partially) burnt down several times. First in 48 BCE, during Julius Caesar's conquest of Alexandria and again by the end of the 3rd Century CE by emperor Aurelian. The final blow came in 391 CE. By then what was left of the library was moved to the Serapeum (temple). When all pagan religions were forbidden in 391 CE the Serapeum was burnt down during riots between Christians and pagans.

During its 700 years of operation Alexandria served as the cultural centre of the Hellenistic world. Today only a part of the catalogue remains, giving us a hint at what treasures humanity has lost. The ancient wonder of the world mentioned in the question is the great lighthouse (pharos) of Alexandria.

Answer: Cathars

Catharism is a branch of Christianity that originated in eastern Europe. It flourished the the Languedoc region (Southern France) from the 11th till 13th Century. The name 'Albigensians' is derived from the city of Albi. Cathars didn't recognize the authority of the French king, nor of the pope. This gave them support from local nobility who found in it justification for their independence from the king of France.

Already in 1147 the pope unsuccessfully tried to contain Cathar influence in the Languedoc region. When Innocent III was elected pope in 1198 he made it his goal to root out Catharism. After attempts at peaceful conversion had failed he launched a crusade against the Cathars by offering their lands to any nobleman willing to fight them.

In a series of bloody battles between 1209 and 1229 the Languedoc region was subdued and brought back under the authority of the Catholic Church and the king of France. The last remaining Cathars sought refuge in the hilltop fortress Montségur. After a nine month siege French troops took the fortress and burned 215 Cathars at the stake. According to legend three leading Cathars escaped the fortress via a secret passage and took with them a treasure containing relics and documents.

Answer: Tomas de Torquemada

Tomas de Torquemada was born in Valladolid, Spain, in 1420 and was the nephew of a cardinal who encouraged him to enter the Dominican order. Because of his piety and austerity he was soon promoted to prior of the monastery of Santa Cruz in Segovia.

He met princess Isabella (later Isabella I of Spain), with whom he shared theological and ideological ideas. He later became her confessor and personal advisor, a position from which he gained much influence.

In 1478 the pope granted permission to Isabella and Ferdinand to install the inquisition in Spain. In 1482 de Torquemada was one of the four inquisitors appointed by the pope and one year later he became the grand inquisitor.

Till his death in 1498 he remained in power and built a network of 'Holy Offices'. He was obsessed with getting rid of all heresy in Spain. His main target were the Conversos (Jews that had converted to Christianity but were suspected of practising their old religion in secret). It is believed that under his direction 2,000 suspected non-believers were tortured and burned at the stake.

The three wrong answers are all Portuguese explorers.

Answer: Dresden

Diego de Landa was a Franciscan friar who arrived on the Yucatan peninsula in 1549. His orders were to convert the local population to the Christian faith, an order he tried to carry out most diligently. When he noticed that the Maya continued worshipping their idols after being converted, he ordered an inquisition in which a great number of Maya codices and idols were burnt (the numbers are disputed). De Landa didn't shy away from using excessive forms of torture when interrogating his victims.

Ironically, de Landa later wrote a book (Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan) containing a partial explanation of the written and spoken Maya language, which proved to be vital for modern scholars to decipher the Maya hieroglyphs. It also contains a description of Maya religion and Maya culture in general.

The Codex Dresdensis (Dresden codex) is held in the state library in Dresden, Germany. Dating from the 11th or 12th Century CE it is the oldest and most complete preserved written text from the pre-Columbian Americas. It consists of 39 sheets, written on both sides. It is unknown how it found its way to Europe.

Most of the codex has been decoded. It contains almanacs, astronomical tables and ritual schedules. It is most famous for a very accurate description of the movement of the planet Venus.

Answer: Louvain

The Louvain university was founded in 1425 CE.

The Germans said the fire was a reprisal after the German army had come under gunfire from Belgian civilians, an excuse they had used before on a number of occasions.

After the war the library was rebuilt by American architect Whitney Warren. Its collection was restored by donations from all over the world. When WWII broke out the university was burnt down again, this time resulting in the loss of 900,000 books. After WWII the building was again rebuilt, in the same style it had been built after WWI.

Leiden is a university city in The Netherlands, Bologna in Italy and Heidelberg in Germany.

Answer: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In particular, Jewish, socialist and pacificist works were targeted, and books whose content was considered subversive by Nazi ideology.

Four days before the main book-burning in Berlin, macho Nazi students from the Berlin School for Physical Education had trashed the library of the Institute of Sexual Science, while a brass band played outside.

In 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' Adolf Hitler accidentally gets hold of Henry Jones's diary. Instead of throwing it on the bonfire Hitler signs the book and hands in back to Indy.

Answer: The Cultural Revolution

In 1966 Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Communist Party, launched a campaign to eradicate all capitalist elements from Chinese society. During this period many people, especially within the Communist party, were branded as 'bourgeois' or 'intellectuals' and submitted to random violence, public humiliation or imprisonment. Some were even killed or driven to suicide.

After the 'Great Leap Forward' campaign, which had had disastrous effects on Chinese society, Mao had gradually lost power. The main underlying motive for the Cultural Revolution was an attempt by Mao and his henchmen to restore him at the centre of power, by purging senior officials. Young Chinese, who had grown up with the personality cult of Mao and revered him as a godlike figure, started to form groups of Red Guards all over China. Millions of people suffered under Red Guard mob rule.

Artefacts, ancient documents and literature and historical sites were seen as part of the 'old ways' and 'bourgeois' and were therefore a target for the Red Guards. A lot of China's thousands year old heritage was destroyed or smuggled abroad.

In 1969 Mao declared the end of Cultural Revolution but its consequences and political instability lingered on until his death in 1976.

Answer: Terry Jones

Terry Jones is the pastor of a small Christian community called 'Dove World Outreach Centre', based in Gainsville, Florida. In 2010 he announced the burning of 200 Qurans to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11. After international outrage erupted and pressure was put upon him the burning was cancelled.

In 2011 Jones organised a 'trial of the Quran' in his church, where the Quran was found 'guilty of crimes against humanity'. A Quran was then burnt in the church sanctuary. His actions were condemned on a global scale. Public condemnation by Afghan president Hamid Karzai led to violent protest in Afghanistan in which at least 12 people died.

Answer: Fahrenheit 451

The novel describes a future society in which books are forbidden and firemen are supposed to burn them. Montag is a dedicated fireman at first but then comes to realise the value of books and eventually joins a group of intellectuals who memorize them.

The title is a reference to the temperature at which paper is supposed to ignite.

In 1966 a film adaptation of the novel was made, directed by François Truffaut.