Good Friday Trivia Quiz

Answer: false

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus prior to his resurrection, which is celebrated on Easter Sunday. The term "good" comes from the older meaning of "good", which is "pious". The crucifixion of Jesus is mentioned in all four Gospels and the epistles. There are also non-Christian references to the event.

Jesus's crucifixion by Pilate is mentioned in the "Antiquities of the Jews", written toward the end of the first century AD by Jewish historian Josephus. Although this passage in Josephus contains some later extrapolations, most scholars agree that it also contains, at its core, an authentic reference to the crucifixion. The Roman historian Tacitus also mentioned the crucifixion of Jesus in "The Annals" in the early second century AD. Furthermore, the Babylonian Talmud is thought by some scholars to refer to the crucifixion of Jesus when it speaks of "Yeshu" being "hanged" on "the eve of the Passover" for apostasy and sorcery.

Answer: False

The date varies from year to year in both the Gregorian and Julian calendar. It is, however, always the Friday before Easter. In the Western Church, Good Friday fell on April 10 in 2020, April 19 in 2019, and March 20 in 2018. The Eastern church calculates the date of Easter differently, and therefore Good Friday also falls on a different day.

Answer: California

As of 2020, twelve states still recognized Good Friday as a legal holiday: Kentucky, Texas, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Dakota, and North Carolina. Schools are often closed on these days. Although Good Friday is not a national holiday in the U.S., the New York Stock Exchange is closed on the holy day.

Answer: Mourning Friday

Kar comes from an Old High German word meaning "mourn" or "grieve". Other terms used to refer to the holy day in Germany include "High Friday" and "Silent Friday". In French and Spanish, it is typically referred to as "Holy Friday". The term "Great Friday" is used in many languages, including Romanian, Greek, Polish, Hungarian, and Arabic.

Answer: Eli

According to the Gospels, Judas betrayed Jesus by agreeing to identify him to the Roman soldiers in exchange for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus was brought before the high priest Caiaphas and was condemned for blasphemy. He was then handed over to the secular authorities for punishment. Pilate washed his hands of the matter before allowing him to be executed by crucifixion.

Eli was a high priest and the second to last judge of Israel in the Old Testament.

Answer: Seven

These seven different sayings are often called "The Seven Last Words from the Cross."

The seven things Jesus says on the cross are (KJV):

Luke 23:34 - "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Luke 23:43 - To the thief on the cross: " Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

John 19:26-27 - To his mother Mary: "Woman, behold thy son." Then to the disciple John: "Behold thy mother."

Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 - "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

John 19:28 - "I thirst."

John 19:30 - "It is finished."

Luke 23:46 - "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

Answer: Nicodemus

Jesus was laid in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, but it was the Pharisee Nicodemus, famous for asking Jesus how a man must be born again, who supplied the myrrh and aloes. Nicodemus first appears in John chapter 3, when he comes by night to talk with Jesus.

In John 19:39, he makes another appearance: "And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight."

Answer: Celebration of the eucharist

Good Friday is typically a day of fasting and prayer, and in some traditions, there is veneration of the cross during the Good Friday service, which might take the form of kissing the cross. In many liturgical churches, it is customary for there not to be a celebration of the Eucharist on Good Friday.

Instead, the consecrated bread and wine remaining from the Maundy Thursday Eucharist are given in communion.

Answer: The stone is rolled away

The number of stations vary by tradition, but there are typically 14, beginning with Jesus being condemned to death and ending with him taking up his cross. Several of the stations have a scriptural basis, while others come from tradition. These include Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, Jesus falling, and Jesus meeting his mother.

Answer: Cleaning gravestones

The Moravian Church dates to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and is one of the oldest Protestant churches in the world. The Moravians also hold a lovefeast, which is a communal meal distinct from communion, on Good Friday.

Answer: The Philippines

Other traditions on this day include going through the stations of the cross and chanting the Pasyón (the story of Jesus's life and the Passion.) In some cases, in an expression of penance, people even have themselves crucified, though the Roman Catholic church disapproves of this dangerous practice because of the risks involved.

Answer: Wagner

The three-act German opera composed by Richard Wagner is based on a 13th-century epic poem about the quest for the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. The opera features an orchestral interlude known as the "Good Friday Music".

Answer: Michelangelo - "Pieta"

It was Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) who pained "Raising of the Cross." It was Lord Frederick Leighton (1830-1896), and not Leonardo da Vinci, who created "Joseph of Arimathea." Meanwhile, "The Dead Christ Supported by Two Angels" is by the Italian artist Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516).

Michelangelo's "Pieta" is a famous sculpture housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and depicts Mary holding the broken body of Jesus.

Answer: rugged

"The Old Rugged Cross" was written in 1912 by American composer and preacher George Bennard.

Bennard's hymn continues:

"And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain."

Answer: Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)

The author of the song is unknown, though it was most likely composed by American slaves. It was first published in 1899 in a collection of "Old Plantation Hymns." It has been included in the Episcopal Church's hymnal and covered by numerous country and gospel artists. The song begins:

"Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"

Answer: Richard John Neuhaus

Richard John Neuhaus was the founder and editor of the journal "Frist Things," which covered topics ranging from politics and literature to music and society. He was a proponent of religion in the public square and the author of numerous books, including "Unsecular America", "Piety and Politics", "The Catholic Moment", and "America Against Itself".

Answer: George Herbert

Herbert's "Good Friday" poem was from his collection "The Temple", which was published in 1663. It continues:

"Shall I thy woes
Number according to thy foes?
Or, since one starre show'd thy first breath,
Shall all thy death?"

Answer: pride

These lyrics come from "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". The hymn was written by Isaac Watts and published in 1707 in the collection "Hymns and Spiritual Songs." It continues:

"Were every realm of nature mine
My gift was still be far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all."

Answer: Passover

Good Friday sometimes, but not always, coincides with the Jewish holy day of Passover. Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. This last supper is commemorated on the Christian holy day Maundy Thursday, which precedes Good Friday.

In Jewish tradition, the doors of the Hebrews were marked with the blood of a lamb so that the angel of death would Passover them and slay only the first born of the Egyptians. In Christian tradition, Jesus is regarded as the "Paschal Lamb" or "Lamb of God", who, according to John 1:36, "takes away the sin of the world."

Answer: false

Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet, that he was sinless, and that he was born of the Virgin Mary. However, they do not believe that he was ever crucified. Some believe that he ascended into heaven without dying, while others believe that he survived the crucifixion and continued to preach until he died a natural death.

Others believe that someone else, mistaken for Jesus, was crucified in the place of Jesus.

Answer: Bermuda

The kites are meant to represent Christ's ascension into heaven, although that didn't occur on Good Friday. Kite flying originated in Indonesia thousands of years ago and was brought to Bermuda by the British Army.

Answer: Hot cross buns

The hot cross bun is made with a cross on the top (thus the name) and is therefore a traditional Good Friday food in some countries, including Britain, Australia, South Africa, and Canada. The spices used in the bun are considered by some to symbolize embalming spices. King cake is typically eaten between Epiphany and Mardis Gras, but not during Lent.

Answer: Philadelphia Church of God

Historically rooted in the Worldwide Church of God, the Philadelphia Church of God is an international church based in Oklahoma. They observe the crucifixion on Wednesday, believing it more nearly coincides with the Passover feast and allows for Jesus to be in the tomb for three days and three nights.

They argue that he was sentenced to death Wednesday morning, crucified, and died at three in the afternoon and was then buried near sunset. He was in the tomb Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, rising from the dead on Saturday near sunset.

When the women came to the tomb near sunrise Sunday morning, they found him already risen.

Answer: Jesus Paid It All

In 1865 Elvina M. Hall wrote the lyrics to "Jesus Paid It All" and worked with her church's organist John Grape to set it to music. Other titles of the song include "I hear the Saviour say" and "Christ All and in All." The chorus runs:

"Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow."

Answer: Psalm 22

Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (KJV) in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34.

Some believe he may have recited psalm 22 in its entirety on the cross, as it contains many parallels to the crucifixion. Verse 16 says, "they pierced my hands and my feet." Verse 17, "I may tell all my bones," is taken to refer to the fact that they did not break Jesus's legs like the other victims of crucifixion to speed up his death because they found him already dead. Verse 15, "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws" is thought to relate to Christ's final words, "I thirst."