Non-Canonical Acts Trivia Quiz

Answer: Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostle focuses, in the first half, on the works of Peter, and in the second on the life of Paul. It was written by the author of the Gospel of Luke.

Answer: James

Five major non-canonical books of Acts survive: Peter, Paul and Thecla, Andrew, John and Thomas. John, however, had to be pieced together from fragments.

Answer: Second and third century

The canonical Acts of the Apostles was likely written in the last half of the first century, but these books focusing on the acts of individual Apostles followed later and are largely legendary in character.

Answer: Cleopatra

In the Acts of John, the son of Zebedee is portrayed as having a special power to raise the dead. In this story, Lycomedes is commander-in-chief of the Ephesians. In the book, John also resurrects Drusiana, another man's beautiful wife.

Answer: India

Because Thomas refuses to go to India, his own twin brother Jesus sells him into slavery to ensure that he will make the journey.

Answer: False

The portrayal is virtually docetic. Christ is described as not possessing an actual physical body and is said to be physically absent at his crucifixion. This is the only part of the book that appears to be in major conflict with orthodox theology, and it may possibly have been a later addition.

Answer: Romance

Like the Greek and Latin Romances of ancient times, these tales include such events as shipwrecks, near-death events, travels, and miraculous deliveries. Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" is another, more modern example of the Romance genre.

Answer: Acts of Thomas

The hymn tells the metaphorical story of a boy who is commissioned by his family to bring back a pearl from Egypt but who keeps forgetting his quest and who must be reminded of his home and his mission.

Answer: Thecla

The Acts of Paul and Thecla tell of the conversion of Thecla, who refuses to marry her fiancé in order to dedicate herself to God. As a consequence, she is sentenced to death, and only miraculously escapes being devoured by wild beasts in the arena. She remains celibate and becomes an apostle who preaches the gospel in Seleucia.

Answer: Acts of John

Drusiana, a disciple of John, chooses a life of celibacy and so will not even sleep with her husband. But another man, a "messenger of Satan", desires her, and when she dies he bribes her husband's steward to let him into her tomb. He intends to ravish her corpse, but he is prevented by a serpent, which slays the steward and coils about the would-be necrophiliac's feet.