Jesus Freak Trivia Quiz

Answer: Acts

The book of Acts recounts the beginnings of the early Christian church, beginning with the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven and the bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the church. The recounting of Stephen's trial and stoning is told in Acts 6 and 7, and it is of note that one of Stephen's most ardent persecutors in the whole situation was Saul.

In Acts 8:1 it says, "And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death." Saul, of course, later was converted to Christianity himself, taking on the new name Paul and becoming as exuberant in his support of Christianity as he had been previously in persecuting it.

Answer: Simon Peter

The tradition of the manner of Simon Peter's death stems from the apocryphal account "Acts of Peter" which contains the story of a 'miracle contest' between Peter and Simon Magus in Rome. It concludes with the martyrdom of Peter.

Bartholomew's life ended in India, where he was working to translate the scriptures. He was beaten and crucified.

Matthias, who took the place of Judas after Judas' suicide, was stoned and beheaded in Jerusalem.

Andrew, Peter's brother, was crucified at Edessa with a cross with two ends fixed transversely in the ground. For this reason, that 'X' shaped cross is today known as St. Andrew's Cross.

Answer: Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch (also known as Theophorus) was a student of John the Apostle, and became the third bishop of Antioch. He was arrested and transported to Rome, where he was sentenced to death by facing lions in the Colosseum. The Roman chronicler Eusebius set the date of his death as AA2124 (2124 years after Adam - which would have translated as approximately 108 A.D.)

Polycarp of Smyrna was burned at the stake (ca. 160 A.D.), Vincent of Saragossa was tortured to death (ca. 304 A.D.), and Januarius was beheaded (ca. 305 A.D.). The latter two martyrs were both killed during the Diocletianic Persecution (or Great Persecution), the last and most ruthless Roman persecution of Christianity. It ended with the death of Diocletian in 305 A.D.

Answer: George of Lydda

George is believed to have been born to a noble (Christian) Roman family in Lod, Syria Palestine in the late 3rd century. His father Gerontius' fine career as a Roman army official brought George the opportunity to serve directly for Emperor Diocletian; a great honour.

The personal connection between Diocletian and George led the emperor to appeal to George on more than one occasion to recant, but George remained steadfast in his declaration of faith.

Answer: Pope Alexander III

Alexander III was Pope from 1159 to 1181. Nearly four years after Becket's death, on 12 July 1174, Henry made a public penance at Becket's tomb. Alexander III continued to fight for the Church's rights in England, eventually succeeding in securing everything that Becket had fought for.

Innocent IV held the Papal office from 1243 to 1254, Urban VI from 1378 to 1389, and Leo X served from 1513 to 1521.

Answer: Rouen, France

Joan was captured on May 23rd, 1430 by the Burgundians when she and her company attacked their camp at Margny near Compiègne. She was imprisoned in a tower in Rouen to await her trial, which did not begin until January 9th, 1431. Her execution took place on May 30th of that same year.

Although politically motivated, her trial and execution did not lessen the fact that Joan of Arc staunchly stood up for her faith, believing herself to be doing God's will.

Answer: William Tyndale

William Tyndale (ca. 1492 -1536) was one of the first biblical scholars to translate large portions of the Bible from their original Greek and Hebrew into English. The King James Version of the Bible, which had 54 independent scholars working to produce it, drew heavily on Tyndale's work. Some estimates put the credit at roughly 80% based on his translations.

Answer: Thomas More

All three of the martyrs were tried at Oxford University's official church, the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. Latimer and Ridley were both Anglican bishops, and they were burned at the stake on October 16th, 1555. Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was also burned at the stake, but not until months later on March 21st, 1556.

Queen Mary used burning as her choice of execution, even though the accepted practice in England at the time was hanging, or being drawn and quartered.

Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII, was also martyred, but that happened twenty years earlier in 1535.

Answer: Auschwitz

During the war, Kolbe harbored refugees from Poland in his friary, including 2,000 Jews. In February of 1941, he was arrested and imprisoned for a time before being transferred to Auschwitz.

In July, after three men escaped from the camp, the deputy camp commander picked ten men to be starved to death in an effort to deter further escapes. When one man, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out for his wife and children, Kolbe voluntarily took his place.

While in the bunker, Kolbe continually prayed with the other men, and sang songs with them. After two weeks, he was the only one that had not yet died. The guards finished him off with an injection of carbolic acid.

Answer: In a stadium in front of 10,000 people.

The stadium crowd was filled largely with Christians, but they were not subdued by the execution, as was likely the intent. Rather, many of them rushed the stand in defiance.

Wang Zhiming's martyrdom was honoured by a monument at his gravesite, erected in 1981 (the first such honouring a martyr of the Cultural Revolution), then again in 1998 when he was one of only ten 20th-century martyrs memorialized above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey.