Nine out of Ten: New Testament Trivia -- #5 Quiz

Answer: Anna

Anna is the correct answer. After Jesus was presented as an infant at the temple by his parents Mary and Joseph, Scripture states Anna "gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." According to Luke 2:37, she was the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher, and was of "great age" and a widow. Verse 37 also states Anna "did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."

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. We know he was a physician because in Colossians 4:14, Paul describes Luke as "the beloved physician." He is credited with writing the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.

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.

Answer: Egypt

Scripture states Joseph was told by an angel to flee with his family to Egypt. Herod was a ruthless king and he would do anything to maintain his grasp on power. According to the Gospel of Matthew, he came up with a diabolical plan to kill all males aged two years and under in Nazareth and area to make sure the infant Jesus would not grow up and replace him as king.

The angel told Joseph to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt before Herod carried out his heinous act. Joseph had the dream shortly after the Magi, or Wise Men from the east, departed after presenting gifts to Jesus.

Matthew 2:13-15, in the NKJV, states: "Now when they [the Magi] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.' When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.'"

Matthew is the only Gospel in which you find the story about Jesus and His family going to Egypt.

Answer: Xerxes

In addition to appearing in the Old Testament, the names David, Solomon and Ruth can be all found in the New Testament, using the NIV Bible. However, the name Xerxes can be found in only the Old Testament.

Esther 1:1 in the NIV Bible reports King Xerxes ruled over over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. (In the KJV and the NKJV, he is referred to as King Ahasuerus and Ethiopia is used rather than Cush.)

The book of Esther begins with the account of the king dumping Queen Vashti during the third year of his reign. It would put things in motion for Esther to become queen and play a pivotal role in preventing the extermination of Jews in the immense area ruled by Ahasuerus/Xerxes. Of course, when the king appointed Esther queen, he did not know she was a Jew.

For the record, Ruth's name appears once in the New Testament, Matthew 1:5. David's name appears fifty-four times while Solomon's name appears ten times.

Answer: Ascension to heaven

According to Scripture, Jesus ascended to heaven at Bethany while His disciples looked on. Luke 24:50-53 gives this account: "And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen."

According to Scripture, the ascension took place after Christ was crucified and was resurrected from the dead after three days. Details about the crucifixion and the resurrection are found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Answer: Nathanael

Many theologians believe Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. When a list of the names of the disciples is given in Matthew, Mark and Luke, it contains the name Bartholomew, but not Nathanael (the name Bartholomew is also mentioned in Acts). However, in John there is mention of Nathanael, but no mention of Bartholomew.

Answer: Demetrius

Demetrius lived in Ephesus and according to Acts 19:23-41 he made things interesting when he caused a "great commotion." Gaius and Aristarchus, 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.

Answer: Ephesians

Ephesians is the correct answer. The verse in question comes from Ephesians 2:8.

Ephesians was written by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, and was addressed to members of the early church in Ephesus, an ancient city in present day Turkey. Ephesus was on the coast of Ionia, near present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province.

It was one of the seven churches of Asia cited in Revelation by John of Patmos. According to Wikipedia, there is speculation the Gospel of John was written in Ephesus.

To put the verse in context, here's how Ephesians 2:8-10 read in the NKJV: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Answer: Romans

Romans appears just after Acts and is the first of thirteen books Paul is credited with writing. Many theologians believe Paul wrote the book in 57 A.D., just a year before he was arrested in Jerusalem followed by imprisonment in Rome.

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible have this to say about the book: "Romans serves as the flagship of the fleet of Pauline letters within the New Testament. This letter has also loomed large in the history of Christianity. Countless men and women of faith have singled out Romans as the weapon God graciously used to bring about their surrender to Christ. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley and others received unexpected spiritual volleys that pierced their defenses and ended their rebellion against God."

Answer: Alexander

Alexander is the correct answer. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:14 that a man he identifies as Alexander, a metalworker, did "a great deal of harm" to him. No further details are given.

There is some speculation it could be the same Alexander mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20. In that verse, Paul tells of Hymenaeus and Alexander being "handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme."