25 Men of the New Testament -- From 'A' to 'Z' Quiz

Answer: Andrew

Andrew, of course, is the correct answer. The home of the three disciples is disclosed in John 1:44. Bethsaida was a fishing community on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Peter and Andrew were brothers, although Peter played a much more dominant role among the disciples. Prior to becoming disciples, Peter and Andrew were fishermen.

In Mark 1:17, when Jesus extended an invitation to the brothers to become disciples, He is quoted as saying "follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

Answer: Bartholomew

Most theologians believe Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. The disciple is referred to as Bartholomew in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as in the book of Acts, which was also written by Luke. Although Nathanael was one of the quiet disciples, he is known for being the first disciple to make the declaration that Jesus was the Son of God.

He made the declaration in John 1:49, months, possibly years before Peter.

Answer: Cornelius

Cornelius was among the first Gentile believers in the early church. His story is told in the tenth chapter of Acts. According to Scripture, Cornelius was a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. Although centurions were the elite of a ruthless Roman killing machine, they are portrayed in a remarkably good light in the New Testament.

Answer: Demetrius

According to Acts 19:23-41, Demetrius lived in Ephesus and he made things extremely interesting when he caused a "great disturbance." Two of Paul's traveling companions, were ushered into a theater and so great was the anger of the assembled people they shouted "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for about two hours, Scripture states. According to verse 35, the city clerk eventually quieted down the crowd and the riot came to an end.

The city clerk had to be charismatic, wise and held in high respect by the people to bring a peaceful conclusion to the situation.

Answer: Erastus

Not much is known about Erastus apart from the fact he is described by Paul in Romans as the city's director of public works. (Paul was in Corinth when he wrote Romans.) The name Erastus also appears in Acts 19:22 and in 2 Timothy 4:20, but theologians suspect it might not be the same person because Erastus was a common name in Biblical times.

Here's some fascinating trivia from the notes in the NIV Study Bible. The notes state "at Corinth, archaeologists have discovered a re-used block of stone in a paved square with the Latin inscription: 'Erastus, commissioner of public works, bore the expense of this pavement'."

Answer: Felix

Felix is the correct answer. The 24th chapter of Acts is devoted to the trial of Paul before Felix with charges against him levied by the high priest Ananias. Arguing the case on behalf of Ananias and some of the elders was a lawyer named Tertullus. Paul appeared to be scoring major points in the trial. Acts 24:25, in the NIV Bible states things this way: "As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.'"

It was all for naught, however, as Acts 24:27 states Felix wanted to grant a "favor to the Jews" and left Paul in prison for two more years.

Answer: Gaius

Gaius is the correct answer but not much is known about him as he is mentioned in passing reference. Scripture, however, does state he was from Macedonia. His name also appears in Acts 20:4, where it states he was from the Macedonian community of Derbe. Mention of Gaius is also made in Romans 16:23 and 1 Corinthians 1:14, two books Paul is credited with writing.

Answer: Herod

Matthew 14:6-12 reports Herod hosted a lavish birthday party for himself and when the daughter of his wife Herodias danced at the reception, Herod was so pleased he told the girl he would give her whatever she asked for. Verse 9, in the NIV Bible, states: "Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist'."

Verse 11 goes on to tell of this macabre scene: "His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother."

Herodias was not only conniving, but extremely vindictive. When she left her first husband (Herod Phillip I) and married his half brother Herod Antipas, John the Baptist was disgusted and denounced the union, according to the 14th chapter of Matthew. As a result, Herod ordered the arrest of John the Baptist and from this point on, his fate was sealed as Herodias had him in her evil clutches.

Answer: Immanuel

Immanuel is the correct answer. The passage in Matthew of course, refers to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Immanuel means 'God with us'. According to Isaiah 7:14, Immanuel would be born of a virgin, with many Christians believing this is direct reference to the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus. Immanuel is also spelled as Emmanuel in some versions of the Bible. The name Immanuel can be found only in Isaiah in the Old Testament and Matthew in the New Testament.

Answer: Jairus

Jairus was the father of the girl who was raised from the dead by Jesus, according to Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56. Scripture states he was a synagogue ruler. The account of his daughter being raised from the dead is one of the most popular in the New Testament.

In the accounts in Mark and Luke, it tells of people weeping for the dead girl outside her home. When Jesus appeared and stated the girl was not dead but was simply sleeping, the 'mourners' laughed at him. A few moments later, however, their laughter turned to total amazement when Christ raised the girl from the dead.

According to Mark 5:41, Jesus said, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" And she did just that! It's interesting to note that Jesus used almost the same words as when he raised the widow's son from the dead at Nain. In Luke 7:14 in the NIV Bible, Jesus said eight words to the widow's dead son: "Young man, I say to you, get up!"

Answer: Kissed Him

According to Matthew 26:48-49, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. The passage in question in the NKJV, states: "Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, 'Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.' Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed Him.

As part of the betrayal Judas was given 30 pieces of silver, as per Matthew 26:14.
After Jesus was taken away to be tried and eventually crucified, Judas was filled with tremendous remorse and ended up committing suicide by hanging himself, as per Matthew 27:1-10.

Answer: Luke

Luke, of course, is the correct answer. Luke was a worker in the early church who often labored behind the scenes with Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The Gospel of Luke contains a number of accounts which don't appear elsewhere. For example, details about the dying thief on the cross being assured he would enter paradise and the healing of the ten lepers are found in only Luke. Details about the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are also found only in Luke. Meanwhile, the book of Acts is seen by many as a history of the beginning of the early church in Turkey and Europe.

Luke is one of my favorite Bible characters, this even though many simply regard him as a writer of two books and not as one of the men actively involved in working for the early church. Feel free to play a quiz I have posted at FunTrivia about Luke. The quiz is called 'Let's Look at Luke -- Historian, Church Worker.'

Answer: Matthias

Judas Iscariot, one of the original 12 disciples, hanged himself after betraying Jesus prior to the crucifixion, and Matthias was selected to replace him. Judas Iscariot's suicide is reported in Matthew 27:5. Meanwhile, the selection of Matthias is reported in Acts 1:12-26. He was selected over Joseph, called Barsabas, according to Scripture.

However, little is known about Matthias as his name appears in only the first chapter of Acts.

Answer: Nicodemus

There is considerable conjecture as to why Nicodemus visited Jesus at night. One school of thought has it that Nicodemus didn't want it to be known that as a teacher of the law, he had any interest in Jesus' teachings as Christ was often surrounded by tax collectors and the dregs of society.

Another school of thought has it Nicodemus had no choice but to visit Jesus at night if he wanted a one-on-one meeting because Christ was always surrounded by large crowds in the day time. In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

Then in verse 16, Jesus makes the famous declaration: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It's that statement which has become a pillar of the evangelical Christian movement.

Answer: Onesimus

Onesimus is part of one of those 'amazing small-world stories'. His master was Philemon who lived in Colosse, which is in present day Turkey. Paul converted Philemon to Christianity and then preached the news of a resurrected Jesus Christ in a number of other communities in Turkey and Europe before ending up in Rome. Philemon's slave Onesimus ran away and headed to Rome and wouldn't you know it, he met up with Paul, who in turn converted the run-away slave to Christianity. Later, Paul would write the book of Philemon, a passionate appeal to Onesimus' master to accept him back, not as a slave, but as an equal in Christ.

Answer: Publius

The correct answer is Publius. Luke, the writer of Acts, is short on details, but writes Publius "welcomed us into his home and for three days entertained us hospitably." This is the only time Publius is mentioned in the Bible.

According to Acts 28:8, the chief official's father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Scripture states Paul went to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.

Answer: True

True. However, not much is known about Quartus as he mentioned in only Romans 16:23. The passage, in the NIV Bible, states: "Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings." Romans 16 is largely devoted to greetings from Paul and it is seen by many today as a tribute to "Joe" and "Jane" Christians in the early church.

Answer: Rewarded

There's no mistaking the blind beggar was rewarded for his persistence. Scripture tells of him shouting "Son of David have mercy on me" in an all-out attempt to get Jesus' attention so he could regain his sight. However, the people apparently thought Jesus would want nothing to do with a filthy blind beggar like Bartimaeus and they told him to be quiet. However. Bartimaeus shouted all the louder: "SON OF DAVID HAVE MERCY ON ME!" Finally he got Christ's attention and what unfolded next was a miracle -- Bartimaeus regained his sight. (See Mark 10:46-52 for details.)

Apart from two men named Rufus, who are mentioned in passing reference,
there is no man in the New Testament who has a name that starts with the letter 'R'. One man named Rufus is mentioned in Mark 15:21 and the second one is mentioned in Romans 16:13.

Answer: Simon of Cyrene

Simon of Cyrene is the correct answer. Little is known about Simon, but Mark 15:21 states he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. According to the
"International Standard Bible Encyclopedia", Cyrene was a city of Libya in North Africa. It was separated from ancient Egypt by a portion of the Libyan desert. He is the first person from Africa to appear in the New Testament.

Answer: True

Romans 16:22, states "I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord." There is no further mention of him in Scripture. According to Biblos, a website that serves as a Bible encyclopedia, some theologians suspect Tertius was a friend of Silas while others believe he was a Roman Christian living in Corinth. It's all speculation, of course.

Answer: A co-worker in Christ.

Urbanus is described by Paul in Romans 16:9 as a 'co-worker in Christ'. However, not much is known about Urbanus as he is mentioned in only this passage in Scripture. In the NIV Bible, Paul simply states: "Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys." The 16th chapter of Romans is seen by many as a tribute to the 'Joe' and 'Jane' Christians of the day.

Answer: Victorious

The friends of Eutychus would have been feeling victorious as well as filled with awe and wild delight. After all, Euthychus was the young man who fell out of a third story window when he fell asleep during one of Paul's messages. Scripture states that after Eutychus fell out of the window, the gathering rushed downstairs and found him dead. To the amazement of the crowd, however, Paul raised Eutchyus from the dead. Afterward, Paul went back to the third story room and, after eating, preached some more, according to Scripture. The story of sleepy Eutychus is told in Acts 20:7-12.

According to Wikipedia, no man in the New Testament has a name that starts with the letter 'V'.

Answer: Wonderstruck

No doubt Thomas would have been wonderstruck when he saw Jesus after steadfastly refusing to believe reports from others about Christ's resurrection. And yes, he would have been deeply ashamed for his doubting. However, it would be priceless to have been in the locked room where the 11 disciples had gathered (Judas had committed suicide) to see the look of astonishment on Thomas' face when Jesus appeared.

Thomas, of course, had stated he would not believe reports of Christ's resurrection unless he could not only see Christ but also touch Him. John 20:25 quotes Thomas as telling the other disciples: "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

According to Wikipedia, no man in the New Testament has a name that starts with the letter 'W'.

Answer: Young

Timothy is known for being young, with the apostle Paul telling him not to feel inferior because of his age. In 1 Timothy 4:12, he tells Timothy "don't let anyone look down on you because you are young." In 1 Corinthians 4:17, he refers to Timothy as his son. In addition to his youth, Timothy is also known for being timid. In 1 Corinthians 16:10, Paul tells the believers at Corinth "when Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear."

According to Wikipedia, no man in the New Testament has a name that starts with the letters 'X or 'Y'.

Answer: Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus, of course, was the short man who climbed up a sycamore tree in Luke 19 to get a better look at Jesus passing through town. Zacchaeus oversaw all the tax collectors in Jericho, a community northeast of Jerusalem, near the Jordan River. According to Wikipedia, Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

When Jesus spotted the diminutive tax collector up in a tree, he said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." No doubt the response took Zacchaeus by complete surprise.

After all, it's not every day a 'celebrity' passes through a community and states to a person he has never met before that he wants to spend the night at his house.