Pictures at an Exhibition - The Old Testament Quiz

Answer: Yes

Masaccio's fresco can be found in the Brancacci chapel in Florence, Italy. It shows us Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden, trembling with emotions.
Adam and Eve are completely nude. Some unknown artist had decorated their private parts with leafy twigs, but these additions were removed in the restoration executed in 1991. Nowadays you can see all of Adam, while Eve holds her hands in strategic places.
As for the question I've posed, you'll see in the upper left hand corner an angel (before restoration it could have been two angels) with a sword. The angel is wearing a red robe.
By the way, there is something "wrong" with the painting. The angel in the left hand corner hovers over a medieval tower. However, the Garden of Eden did not have any building at all...

Masaccio (1401-1428) was born as Tommaso di ser Giovanni di Simone Guidi Cassai. Luckily for us his artist's name is a bit shorter, so we can remember it better. His masterpiece is the "Trinity" in the Florentine church Santa Maria Novella. If you ever visit Florence, don't forget to admire the interior of this church.

Other artists having been inspired by the Expulsion from Paradise are the Belgian sculptor Hendrik Verbruggen (1654-1724), the Italian painter Paolo Uccello (1397-1475), the Italian architect and sculptor Iacopo della Quercia (1374-1438) and, the most famous of them all, Michelangelo (1475-1564).

Answer: Mene, mene tekel parsin

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) was one of the most prolific Dutch painters of the Seventeenth Century. He was master of the claire-obscure: paintings in which the contrast between bright foreground and dark background is intensified to enhance the importance of the protagonists.
For those of you who chose "One Ring to rule them all": this has no bearing whatsoever with the Bible. It is taken from Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".
"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse" is not a biblical quote either, but is derived from Shakespeare's play "Richard III".
"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'entrate" is the inscription on the Gate of Hell, according to Dante's "Divina Commedia". This book comes closest to religion of the literary sources hinted at in the false options, but once again: "Lasciate ogne speranza" is not in the Bible.
The correct answer is "Mene, mene tekel parsin", what is explained in the next verses of Daniel: "God has numbered the days of your reign and put it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." (New International Version; Daniel 5:25-28)
Here is some information on the authors of these works I've quoted.
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was an Italian poet, the first to introduce the Renaissance in literature. His "Divina Commedia" describes a voyage through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a language professor and became world famous with his epic novels "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings".
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English playwright. His masterpieces are too numerous to sum them up. Let's mention only "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet".
Rembrandt was not the only painter inspired by the story of Belshazzar's Feast. Tintoretto (1518-1594, born Iacopo Robusti) made a less famous painting with the same title.

Answer: Moses

Sluter (1340-1405) was a Dutch sculptor, born in Haarlem. His "Well of Moses" is considered as his masterpiece. It is a baptismal font decorated with wooden statues on life-scale portraying several prophets. Originally, the statues were painted in bright colours, but the paint has weathered.
Joshua has given his name to the sixth book of the Bible.
Micah and Jeremiah are two prophets who have also given their name to some Old Testament book, but not the second book of the Bible.
The second book of the Bible is the Book of Exodus. It relates how Moses leads the Hebrews away from Egypt. After wandering forty years in the desert, they finally reach the "Promised Land": Canaan, corresponding roughly with the twenty-first century territory of Israel. Moses however was not allowed to enter Canaan, for he had not shown enough trust in the LORD when he made water gush out of a rock.
Naming a well or a font after Moses is quite natural, for Moses' name means "I drew him out of the water" (see Exodus 2:10, New International Version). However, there are not many Moses fountains or Moses wells around. Besides Sluter's "Well of Moses", there is also the "Moses Fountain" by the Italian architect Domenico Fontana (1543-1607).

Answer: Esther

Eglah is probably the least known of these biblical women. She was one of David's wives and bore him a son, Ithream. (See 2 Samuel 3:5, New International Version).
Rhoda was a Christian girl in Jerusalem. She is briefly mentioned in Acts 12:13 as a servant girl to Mary, mother of John.
Rebekah (as the New International Version spells this name) appears quite often in the book of Genesis. She married Isaac and bore him the twin sons Jacob and Esau.
The Queen appointed by Xerxes was Esther. Xerxes was angry with the original Queen Vashti, for she refused to obey a direct order to appear on one of his feasts and charm the guests. So he appointed Esther in her place.
The Bible contains only a few books named after a woman: Esther and Ruth in all denominations. According to Catholic and Greek Orthodox tradition, there is also the book of Judith (which appears neither in the Protestant bible nor in the Anglican bible).
Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896) was an English painter. His masterpiece is "Ophelia".
Other painters having portrayed Esther include Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), Tintoretto (1518-1594) and Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734).

Answer: Elisha

As you will know, Solomon was a King of Israel and had obtained the gift of wisdom. He is not catalogued as a prophet, however.
Deborah was one of Israel's Judges (the title is somewhat misleading, for the Judges are best known for their military capacities). She didn't prophesy anything, except that the leader of the Philistine army would be killed by a woman, not by a man.
Jonah was one of the prophets. He was ordered to go and make repent the citizens of Nineveh. However, he refused (we don't find out his reason for doing so) and tried to sail away. When a great storm caught the ship he was sailing on, he understood that this was a punishment for his behaviour. He then was thrown overboard and the storm halted. A large fish (or a whale, in some translations) swallowed Jonah and spat him out on the shore.
The first to execute the miraculous multiplication of bread was the prophet Elisha. You'll find the story in 2 Kings 4:42-44 (New International Version). The same chapter contains also a passage in which Elisha multiplies olive oil (2 Kings 4:1-7, NIV) in order to save the sons of a widow of being sold off as slaves.
Tintoretto (born Iacopo Robusti, 1518-1594) was an Italian painter. He left us over one hundred and fifty paintings.

Answer: The Crossing of the Red Sea

The walls of Jericho tumbled down after a seven days' siege, when Joshua ordered his people to let the trumpets sound. This scene is displayed in the Book of Joshua, not in the Book of Exodus. By the way, archaeological findings of a collapsed wall would not prove that the cause of the collapse was the sound of trumpets.
The Transfiguration is a meeting between three people who went to heaven: Jesus, Elijah and Moses. It is not described in the Old Testament, but appears only in the New Testament. Modern science would be tempted to explain this event as the result of a hallucination, but then again modern science has not the answer to everything.
The plague of locusts was the eighth plague of Egypt. As Pharaoh didn't consent for the Hebrews to depart (for they were cheap labourers), the LORD struck Egypt with ten plagues. Moses was instrumental in this story by explaining to Pharaoh that these plagues had to convince him to "Let my people go", as stated in the movie "The Ten Commandments" (1956). Archaeologists are not capable of finding evidence of a locust swarming: locusts have the habit of eating all that is edible, and leave no trace. By the way, we still know nowadays some swarming of locusts. It is a phenomenon that is easily explained, but can prove a hard problem to solve.
Bronzino (1503-1572) is the artist's name of an Italian painter whose real name was (probably) Agnolo Tori. His painting "The Crossing of the Red Sea" was completed in 1545. It shows us how the Red Sea retreated, leaving a dry corridor for the Hebrews to cross. When the Hebrews had crossed the sea and Pharaoh's chariots entered the corridor, the Red Sea came rolling back and several chariots disappeared under the water. Archaeologists have indeed found the remnants of chariots at the bottom of the Red Sea.
By the way, the same scene was depicted in an etching by Titian (Tiziano di Gregorio Vecellio, 1487-1576) and gave its name to a picture by Marc Chagall (1887-1985).

Answer: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Habakkuk was a minor prophet, after whom a Bible book was named. He prayed: "LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2, New International Version)

Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) was a Swiss sculptor, best known for his elongated figures. To me these figures give the impression of anorectic people.

Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957) was a Romanian sculptor. His masterpieces are "The Kiss" and "The Endless Column".

Rembrandt Bugatti (1885-1916), an Italian sculptor specialised in sculpting animals. His brother Ettore (1881-1947) designed the eponymous cars.

Bernini (1598-1680) was the Italian sculptor we're looking for in this question. He made dozens of statues, most of which are to be found all over Rome.

Answer: Isaiah

Jonah was the prophet swallowed by a big fish (some bible translations speak of a whale). He convinced the citizens of Nineveh to stop their sinful practices. There are a few paintings named after Jonah: paintings by Giotto di Bondone (1266-1337), Michelangelo (1475-1564) and Tintoretto (born Iacopo Robusti, 1518-1594).
Ezekiel appears also on several paintings. He was depicted by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1260-1318), Fra Angelico (1387-1455), Pedro Berruguete (1450-1504), Michelangelo, Rafael (1483-1520) and Tintoretto. Ezekiel prophesied on various sbujects, such as the end of times and the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah is known as the lamenting prophet. We can find statues of his by Claus Sluter (1340-1406) and by Donatello (1386-1466), and paintings by Duccio di Buoninsegna, Michelangelo and Marc Chagall (1887-1985).
Isaiah is the prophet who predicted not only woe but also cheerful events, such as described in the quote I've given. Besides Pisano, Claus Sluter also made a statue of Isaiah. Several artists have painted Isaiah: among others, Fra Bartolomeo (1472-1517), Duccio and Michelangelo.

Answer: At a well

There are not many artworks that represent old-testament scenes near a river. The only reference to old-testament rivers that I know of, is not from the fine arts but from music: the German pop group Boney M sang Psalm 137:1-3 ("By the Rivers of Babylon").
The most prominent desert in the Old Testament is of course the Sinai. The crossing of Sinai has inspired many artists: for example, Poussin painted "Hebrews Gathering Manna" and "The Adoration of the Golden Calf" and Giordano created "Moses and the Brazen Serpent". All these events are mentioned in the Book of Exodus, which follows chronologically several years after Jacob's death.
As for marriages, most artworks dedicated to biblical weddings refer to the marriage at Cana (in the New Testament). Only a few weddings out of the Old Testament have inspired some artist. I will mention for example Claude Le Lorrain's rendering of "The Marriage of Isaac and Rebekah".
Genesis 29:9-12 describes the moment Jacob falls in love with Rachel. The chapter continues with Jacob's suggestion that he will work for seven years to obtain as only reward Rachel's hand in matrimony. However, his future father-in-law Laban tricks him into marrying the eldest daughter, Leah, first. Jacob had to work another seven years to be allowed to marry Rachel.
Jacob met Rachel at a well, where his flock of sheep and Rachel's herd would drink together.

Here are some data on the painters mentioned in this question. Luca Giordano (1634-1705) was a prolific Italian painter. He has left us more than five thousand paintings, besides a certain number of drawings and etchings. Yes indeed: five thousand paintings - more than the double of what has been ascribed to Peter Paul Rubens. This bit of information is on the Encarta encyclopedia.
Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) was a French baroque painter. He specialised in scenes from Roman and Greek myth.
Claude Gellée (1600-1682) was nicknamed "Le Lorrain", probably after the region he came from. He produced many landscapes and a few paintings on mythical or religious subjects.

Answer: Daniel was protected by an angel of the LORD

Surely you haven't picked the part of the witch and the wardrobe. This was inspired by C.S. Lewis' book "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (the first installment of "The Chronicles of Narnia"). By the way, in this book the witch is not *in* the wardrobe, but rules an empire that one can reach by way of the wardrobe.
"He wouldn't make a mouthful" is also wrong. This is a quote of J.R.R. Tolkien's book "The Hobbit".
The story of someone who removed a thorn out of a lion's paw and found the lion a grateful companion ever after, concerns St. Jerome, not Daniel.
Incidentally, the lion's den mentioned in the book of Daniel contained more than one lion. The Bible doesn't mention the number of the lions. Rubens has painted five or six male lions and two or three lionesses, to make a total of eight felines. (Biologists would wonder this group, as wild lions normally live in groups of one adult male, a group of adult females and their offspring only that hadn't reached maturity).
Daniel 6 describes the story of the lion's den. Some high officials of the government of King Xerxes devised a plot against Daniel. They suggested Xerxes order that "anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den." (Daniel 6: 7, New International Version). As Daniel was used to pray to his God thrice a day, the conjurers had him convicted. But to their great astonishment Daniel came out of the lion's den unscathed the next morning, as an angel of the LORD had protected him. The end of the story was that the conspirators were thrown themselves into the lion's den, and the lions had a feast devouring them.
Rubens (1577-1640) was the most famous Belgian painter. He made several hundreds of paintings (frequently assisted by his pupils), mostly characterized by a dramatic outlook.
By the way, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) made a sculpture of "Daniel and the Lion".

Answer: Job

Job was a wealthy person, whose profession is never mentioned in the Bible. For reasons not explained in the Bible, God allows Satan to test Job's righteousness. At first, Satan takes away Job's cattle and has his children killed. Job answers
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21, New International Version)
Satan then has Job stricken by painful sores. However, Job still remains righteous.
Then his three friends come to console him: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite (Job 2:11). However, they don't offer him helpful words:
"So how can you console me with your nonsense?
Nothing is left of your answers but falsehood!" (Job 21: 34).
Fouquet has depicted Job on a pile of manure, whereas the Bible states that Job sat among the ashes (Job 2:8). Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) shows us Job while his wife empties a can of ashes over his head.
Jean Fouquet was a French painter (1415-1481, although these years are not quite certain). He is best known for his "Madonna and Child", part of the Melun Diptych. Rumour has it that the model for this Madonna was Agnès Sorel, mistress of the French king Charles VII.
Marc Chagall (1887-1985) also has named a painting after Job.

Answer: She tried to seduce him

Genesis 37-39 tells us the story of Joseph. His father Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his brothers, which made them hate him. At first they plot to kill Joseph (Genesis 37:18-20). But one of them objects to this plan, and instead they throw him in a cistern. (Genesis 37:21-24). Then again they change their minds about his fate, and sell him as a slave (Genesis 37:26-28). You'll see that all false leads I've given in this question, were actions taken against Joseph -not by Potiphar's wife but by his own brothers.
Potiphar was captain of the guard of Pharaoh (Genesis 39:1) and bought Joseph as a slave. He entrusted Joseph with his entire household. But then Joseph got in some kind of trouble: Potiphar's wife wanted him to go to bed with her. (Tintoretto shows us that this was not because she was sleepy...) Joseph refused, although Potiphar's wife continued coming on after him. Once when the other servants were not in, she grabbed for him. Leaving his cloak, Joseph fled, but then Potiphar's wife accused him of attempted rape. Joseph was convicted and put away in prison.
Tintoretto has painted Potiphar's wife, dressed in only a pearl necklace, grabbing Joseph's cloak.
Tintoretto (born Iacopo Robusti, 1518-1594) was an Italian painter. He left us over one hundred and fifty paintings.
Other paintings entitled "Joseph and Potiphar's Wife" were made by Rembrandt (1606-1669), Guido Reni (1575-1642) and Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639), to name just a few.

Answer: Judith

Jedidah was the daughter of Adaiah and mother of Josiah, King of Judah. Josiah rebuilt the Temple and during his reign the "Book of the Law" was retrieved. (2 Kings 22:1-8).
Jael was Heber's wife. When Sisera, captain of the Canaanite army, fled to her tent, she lured him into sleep. Then she drove a tent peg right through his head and killed him. (Judges 4:17-21).
Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab (1 Kings 16:31). She made her husband fall into worship of Baal, and so his fate was doomed. Jezebel was thrown out of a window and trampled by horses. Dogs devoured her body, so only her skull and her hands remained (2 Kings 9:30-37).
The woman who killed Holofernes was Judith. Her story is not in the usual protestant or anglican Bible books, but only in the apocryphal Book of Judith. (Please note that the Book of Judith is *not* apocryphal according to Roman catholic or Greek orthodox tradition). When Holofernes besieges Bethulya, Judith sets out for his tent. She waits until he falls asleep, and then beheads him with his own sword.

Mantegna (1431-1506) was an Italian painter.
The Book of Judith has inspired numerous major Renaissance and Baroque Artists. Here is a small selection of them: Donatello (1386-1466), Botticelli (1445-1510), Michelangelo (1475-1564), Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), Rubens (1577-1640) and Caravaggio (1571-1610).

Answer: Albrecht Duerer

Walter Gropius (1883-1969) was a German architect who founded in 1919 the Bauhaus school of architecture and applied arts. The school has contributed to functionalism in art. School subjects were not only architecture, sculpture and painting, but also theatre, movie and dance. He constructed an eponymous house in Lincoln, Massachussetts.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) was another German architect. He was general director of the art school Bauhaus from 1930 until 1933, date on which the school closed (due to Nazi pressure). One of Mies van der Rohe's masterpieces is the Tugendhat House in Brno, Czech Republic.
Ignaz Gunther (1725-1775) was a German sculptor. He is best known for his high choir in the church in Freising.
None of these artists was already active in 1498, as you can witness from their birthdates. So the right answer has to be Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), who left us over one hundred paintings, as well as some hundreds of woodcuts, over a thousand drawings and a few dozens of copper engravings.
Other artists having painted Lot include Albrecht Altdorfer (1480-1538), Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533) and Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639).

Answer: Jethro

After Moses fled Egypt for the first time, he arrived in Midian. There he protected the daughters of Jethro near a well from some robbers. In reward, Jethro allowed Moses to marry Zipporah, probably the only daughter depicted by Rosso Fiorentino.
Aaron was Moses' brother and Joshua was one of Moses' younger assistants during Exodus. Aaron had only four sons (Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar), and no daughters. I have not found any reference to the offspring of Joshua (if there were any).
Rosso Fiorentino (1494-1540) was born Giovanni Batista de Rossi (or Giovanni Batista di Iacopo, sources differ). His painting "Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro" is quite impressive.
Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734) completed a painting with the same title.

Answer: The Sacrifice of Isaac

All of the scenes I've mentioned are part of Ghiberti's decoration for the East Door. The ensemble of these four scenes and the six other ones is known as "The Gates of Paradise".
Let's start with the panel "Solomon and Sheba". It takes place in front of a building (modelled on Gothic cathedrals). The title characters are in the central part of the sculpture. As for animals present, we can only find a horse's head in the right half and a dog with curly hair in the lower left part.
"The Creation of Adam and Eve" consists of three parts. To the left, we see God reaching his hand to Adam, who is therefore summoned to life. In the centre, we see how Eve is taken out of the chest of the resting Adam. Indeed: Eve was made out of one of Adam's ribs. Both of these scenes show us these nude persons without any shame. To the right, there is a hint at the expulsion from the Garden of Eden: an angel hovers over the nude Adam and Eve. Adam hides behind Eve, while Eve carries a fig leaf. The total panel shows us no animal whatsoever.
"Cain and Abel" shows us Abel ploughing with the aid of two oxen (lower left corner) and an offering (upper right corner). But the most significant part is the centre of the sculpture: Abel is struck down, and Cain prepares to hit him over the head with his cane. There is no ram present in this sculpture.
Of the four panels I've mentioned, only "The Sacrifice of Isaac" shows a ram. The story is that Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. At the last moment, an angel stops him and points at a ram to be sacrificed instead.
The competition for the sculpture of the "Sacrifice of Isaac" and other decorations for the Baptistery had two favourites: Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455) and Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446). Ghiberti won, and Brunelleschi obtained as a "consolation prize" the commission for the construction of the cupola of the Duomo in Florence. If you ever come in Florence, Italy, and you are in good shape, I advise you to try and climb this cupola - especially with nice weather. However, don't do this when you're tired, for it contains no less than 465 steps.

Answer: Samson and Delilah

If I would have mentioned a detail you only discover by having a very close look, you would certainly pick the right option. The servant touching the man's hair is holding a pair of scissors.
"Jael and Sisera", a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, shows us how a young woman kills the sleeping captain of a Canaanite army by driving a tent peg through his temple. Contrary to the description of the painting we're looking for, there are no other people involved. Sisera is not nude either.
There are many paintings entitled "David and Abigail", among which one made by Rubens himself in 1625. In this picture, David (fully clothed) meets Abigail, his future wife, who provides him with some food (two baskets of bread). There are no nude figures in this painting.
"Adam and Eve" is of course a very popular theme in art history. Rubens did also portray the first man and woman. In the picture by Rubens, both appear nude (with some leafy twigs about the delicate portions of their anatomy). Eve is about to eat a forbidden fruit (holding it in her right hand, so that the spectators can't recognise it), and Adam apparently is admonishing her. There are no other figures about.
The painting by Rubens which we are looking for in this question was "Samson and Delilah". Samson has fallen asleep in Delilah's lap, and Delilah's servant touches Samson's curly hair with a pair of scissors. Apart from these persons, there is also an old woman in the left hand corner, and a company of soldiers coming forth out of a door to the right. The painting shows that Delilah called in a man to shave Samson's head, which corresponds with the text according to the King James version and to the Luther Bible. (According to player Arpeggionist, the original Hebrew version is that Delilah wielded the scissors herself).
Other paintings of "Samson and Delilah" were made by Rembrandt (1606-1669), Anthony Van Dyck (1593-1641) and Jan Steen (1625-1679). By the way, Jan Steen completed over eight hundred paintings in his career. Van Dyck was even more prolific: the Verschueren dictionary mentions that he left us fifteen hundred paintings. And Rubens has about two thousand paintings (or more) to his name ...

Answer: Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564) was one of the most prominent Renaissance artists. He considered himself a mere sculptor, but nevertheless his paintings have gathered a lot of fame.
Pope Julius II ordered Michelangelo to decorate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and Pope Paul III commanded a "Last Judgment" by Michelangelo for one of the walls. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel contains various scenes from the Book of Genesis, including Michelangelo's masterpiece "Creation of Adam".
The passage to which this painting refers is Genesis 9:20-23:
"Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness."
Michelangelo however did not paint Shem and Japheth walking in backwards, but with their eyes shut. As for the cover of the nudity, the veil Michelangelo painted would not suffice (it is probably a veil made of organdie, the most transparent fabric you may find). By the way, Shem, Ham and Japheth are also dressed only in this same fabric, so their nudity shows off also. Daniele da Volterra (1509-1566), "The Pant Maker", will certainly have been commissioned by Pope Pius IV to cover up here as well. He did so in the "Last Judgment".
"The Drunkenness of Noah" inspired also Paolo Uccello (1397-1475) and Benozzo Gozzoli (1420-1497).

Answer: A sword

Did you ever see an angel holding a fig leaf? I for one never did, and I've looked up some thousands of paintings and sculptures to prepare this set of quizzes. The fig leaf in art is used for only one purpose: the covering of the most private parts of the anatomy of biblical (and other) nudes.
The palm twig is associated with Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday. The people (not the angels) cut out twigs from the trees (Mt. 21:6 doesn't specify which trees) and spread them out before Him. Roman Catholicism has chosen the palm twigs to remember this event.
There are of course many angels holding trumpets or other musical instruments depicted in religious art. However, the angel mentioned in Numbers 22 doesn't play music.
You will find on Rembrandt's painting an angel holding a sharpened sword, and preparing to chop off Balaam's head. Indeed: the LORD was angered by Balaam's intention to curse the Jews. If Balaam would have persisted, the Angel of the LORD would certainly have him beheaded. So Balaam owes his life to his donkey. Who said something about "those stupid donkeys"?
As you well know, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) was a prolific Dutch painter. His masterpiece is nowadays known as "The Night Watch".

Answer: Babel

Rome is never mentioned in the Old Testament. It is first mentioned in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:10), although some of the gospels refer to the Romans (Luke 2:1, John 11:48 and John 18:28).
There are many references to Damascus in the Old Testament. However, it never speaks of any building activity. Quite to the contrary: whenever any structure in Damascus is mentioned in the Old Testament, the text includes words as "I will set fire to the walls in Damascus" (Jeremiah 49:27, New International Version), "Damascus will become a heap of ruins" (Isaiah 17:1-3, NIV) or "I will break down the gate of Damascus" (Amos 1:5, NIV).
Jerusalem was the site where Solomon erected the temple for the LORD. He also constructed a huge palace. (See 1 Kings 9:10) However, Brueghel never depicted Jerusalem's temple or Solomon's palace in construction.
The first (and only) skyscraper mentioned in the Bible is the Tower of Babel. Genesis 11:1-9 tells the story: men united to build a tower reaching up to the heavens. But the LORD didn't want them to succeed, and he confused their languages in order that the construction works would halt.
Brueghel's painting shows us a rather unusual architectural concept: a conical tower surrounded by a wall that serves only as decoration, and stands out wide besides the actual tower. Benozzo Gozzoli (1420-1497) also painted "The Tower of Babel".


Sources for this quiz include: "World History" by Carl Grimberg, "7000 Years of World History" edited by Christoph Columbus Verlag AG, "Verschueren Groot Encyclopedisch Woordenboek", "Le Petit Larousse", the Encarta Encyclopedia on CD-ROM, the Catholic Encyclopedia (www.newadvent.org/cathen ), the Web Gallery of Art (www.wga.hu ), the Webmuseum (www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth ), Artnet (www.artnet.com), the Bible Gateway (www.BibleGateway.com ) - where I used the New International Version for all biblical quotes - and Wikipedia (http:/en.wikipedia.org ). Thanks also to player Arpeggionist for numerous comments on the biblical context.