An Important Animal in Christianity Quiz

Answer: 153

Simon Peter and his friends Thomas, Nathanael, James and John (the sons of Zebedee) and two other disciples, fished all night in the Sea of Galilee but caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize at first that it was Jesus. He instructed them to throw the net on the right side of the boat. They obeyed, even though they were tired. When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish they caught and had to tow it to shore.

John 21:11 (NKJV) - "Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken".

Answer: Fishers of men

When Jesus began his ministry, he chose his disciples. The first four disciples were the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, followed by the brothers James and John (the sons of Zebedee), all of whom were fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus called them, they were working but abandoned their fishing to follow him.

Matthew 4:18-22 (NKJV) -
"18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."

The 12 Disciples are often referred to as the 12 Apostles. While the terms are often used interchangeably, technically they are not same, in that a disciple is a student or follower who learns from a teacher, while an apostle is a messenger specifically sent forth on a mission. The words are derived from the Latin "discipulus" (pupil, student, follower) and the Greek "apostolos" (messenger, envoy, person sent forth).

Answer: To pay the temple tax

Matthew 17:27 (NIV) - "But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours".

At that time, the temple tax was two drachmas or half of a shekel of silver, which was approximately two days' wages for a labourer. It had to be paid annually by every Jewish male 20 years old and older.

The Bible does not say what type of fish Peter caught but it was most likely the Musht (Tilapia), commonly known as St Peter's Fish, as it is the predominant commercial fish group in the Sea of Galilee. Musht means "comb" in Arabic, so-named for its comb-like dorsal fin.

Answer: 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread

The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle, aside from the Resurrection, which is related in each of the four gospels (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:35-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:5-13). Although they are consistent in relating the main facts of the story, they differ slightly in the details. John is the only gospel to tell us where the 2 fishes and 5 loaves came from.

John 6 (NIV):
"8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,
9 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?'"

All accounts agree that 5,000 men were fed. Only Matthew 14:21 mentions women and children, so it would appear likely that the number fed was significantly more than 5,000, but it is impossible to know how many.

Matthew 14:21 (NIV) - "The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children".

All accounts agree that there were 12 basketfuls of leftover food, which was much more than what they started with.

This was not the only miracle involving feeding a multitude that Jesus performed. On another occasion, Jesus fed 4,000 with seven loaves and a few small fish, and there were seven basketfuls of leftovers. Again, the number does not include women and children. Matthew and Mark are the only gospels that relate this story (Matthew 15:32-39 and Mark 8:1-8).

Answer: Fish

The fish was chosen due to the many associations of fish with Jesus, including those you see in the other questions in this quiz, and also because the ancient Greek word for fish is ΙΧΘΥΣ, which translates as "ichthys" or "ichthus" in the English alphabet. Early Christians used it as an acronym meaning "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour":

* I (Iota) = Iesous (Jesus)
* Χ (Chi) = Christos (Christ)
* Θ (Theta) = Theou (of God)
* Υ (Upsilon) = Huios (Son)
* Σ (Sigma) = Soter (Savior)

Answer: Fish

According to all major translations, the disciples provided Jesus with broiled fish upon his request for food. However, some translations, such as the KJV and NKJV, add that they also gave him honeycomb.

Luke 24:41-43 (NKJV) -
"41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"
42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
43 And He took it and ate in their presence."

Answer: 5th

The first two chapters of Genesis relate the Creation story. On the first day, God made light and separated it from dark. On the second day, God separated the water on the earth from the air and sky above. On the third day, God created oceans and seas, and let dry land appear. Then He made plants. The sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day.

It was on the fifth day that God created all the sea creatures, including fish, and all the winged creatures of the air, including birds. God made all the land animals and human beings (Adam and Eve) on the sixth day and rested on the seventh day.

Answer: A huge fish

According to the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, Jonah was swallowed by a large sea creature, a large fish or a whale, depending on the translation. Jonah's story is related in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament.

Jonah 1:17 (NIV): "Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights".

The story is also mentioned briefly in Matthew 12:40 (NIV), one of that gospel's efforts to link Jesus with events and prophecies from the Old Testament.

A whale is a mammal, not a fish, but it is possible that the reference to a "great fish" indicates a whale. In Biblical times, the biological distinction between mammals and fish was unknown. Any large sea creature was likely referred to as a fish.

Answer: Jesus' three days in the tomb

Matthew 12:40 - "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth".

There are multiple references in the Bible to the Resurrection which state that Jesus would rise from the dead after three days or on the third day. Only Matthew specifies three days and three nights. It is generally accepted, however, that Jesus was in the tomb spanning parts of three days from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning; i.e. that Jesus was placed in the tomb shortly before sunset on the Friday (the first day), remained there on the Saturday (the Sabbath) and rose early on Sunday morning (the third day).

Answer: Fish and assorted merchandise

Nehemiah 13:16 (NIV) - "People from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah".

Nehemiah was a Jewish man who lived in Persia and worked as King Artaxerxes I's cupbearer. Visitors from Jerusalem told Nehemiah that the city's protective walls were broken down and the gates were burned. Nehemiah asked, and was granted, the king's permission to return to Jerusalem to help his people rebuild the city. Upon arrival, he was angered to find that his people had stopped following God's laws and were desecrating the Sabbath by working instead of resting and by allowing foreign merchants from Tyre to sell fish and goods in the marketplace.