Oh No! Persecution! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jan Hus

In English speaking countries, Hus is usually referred to as John Huss. He was an ordained priest at the time when there were two claimants to the papacy, from Rome, in Italy and Avignon, in France. Huss preached against various abuses of Church power, among them the sale of indulgences by one claimant to raise money for a war against his rivals. Huss was ordered by the Council of Constance to recant certain doctrines which were considered to be heretical.

He refused to do so because he had never taught them and would not recant something he had not done. Huss was consequently found guilty and executed. Wycliffe was an English reformer who lived from around 1328 - 1384 and who influenced Huss, and Luther was a German reformer born in 1483. Calvin was French, and promoted reformation of the church in the sixteenth century.

Answer: Archbishop of Canterbury

Cranmer had been instrumental in finding the means for Henry VIII to divorce Catherine of Aragon, the mother of Mary I. In addition, England had been Protestant since Henry's split with Rome and Cranmer had been Archbishop of Canterbury throughout this time.

He had also supported the accession of Lady Jane Grey, known as the nine days' queen, to the throne in accordance with the dying wishes of King Edward VI. Mary I was a staunch Catholic, so Cranmer had offended her in many different ways. Although he initially recanted his part in the Reformation, he then withdrew the recantations and was burned at the stake in 1556.

Answer: Diocletian

The Diocletianic, or Great, Persecution was the most severe of several attempts by the Romans to eradicate Christianity. The purge was at its worst in the eastern part of the empire, with the western areas, including Britain and Gaul (now France) escaping relatively lightly. St. Sebastian died in 288 AD, St. George (of dragon fame) died in 303 and St. Agnes in 304, at the age of only thirteen.

The Roman Empire officially embraced Christianity in 313 when Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan.

Answer: Auschwitz

Kolbe was born in 1894 in Poland and became a Franciscan friar in 1910. Following the German invasion of Poland, he sheltered many refugees, including Jews, in the friary and was eventually arrested in 1941. Following a prisoner escape from Auschwitz, ten men were chosen at random to be starved to death in retaliation.

When one of the chosen men cried out in despair, Kolbe volunteered to take his place. The ten men were left to their fate, with Kolbe praying and encouraging them. Kolbe himself was still alive after two weeks of this inhumane treatment and was eventually despatched by a lethal injection of carbolic acid.

He was canonised as a martyr in 1981 by Pope John Paul II.

Answer: True

In the Old Testament of the Bible, Job is described as a righteous man who has his protection removed by God, thus allowing Satan to cause him numerous problems. Job's belief in God never wavers and he eventually has everything he has lost restored to him.

In the Koran, Job is recognised as a prophet, and his story is very similar to the Biblical version, with Job remaining steadfast in his devotion to Allah.

Answer: Thomas More

Henry VIII had declared himself head of the Church in England, and required that all members of his court should swear an oath agreeing to the Acts of Supremacy and Succession. More refused to do so and was executed in 1535 by beheading. His opposition to the Protestant Reformation led to his being canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1935 as a Reformation Martyr. Stafford was executed in 1521, accused of treason, mainly as he was a threat to Henry as a rival claimant to the throne. Boleyn was beheaded in 1536 having been found guilty of incest with his sister, the queen. Cromwell lost his life in 1540, accused of heresy due to his links with the Lutheran movement.

He had fallen out of favour with the king having promoted the marriage to Anne of Cleves for political reasons.

Answer: Alexandria

Mark was born in the North African city of Cyrene, now part of Libya (according to most sources) and was the author of the first Gospel to be written, which was in the Greek language. He is said to have founded the Church of Alexandria in around 49 AD and became its first bishop. Mark incurred the wrath of the followers of the pagan god, Serapis, who killed him in 68 AD by tying him to a horse's tail and dragging him around the streets of the city. Damascus is in Syria and Tripoli is the capital of Libya. Cairo is the largest city and capital of Egypt.

Answer: Fiji

Viti Levu is the largest island of the Republic of Fiji, and the nation's capital of Suva is situated on the island. Baker had been working as a missionary in Fiji since 1859, and set out to preach to the natives in the western part of the island on the fatal day.

In addition to Baker himself, seven of his Fijian followers were also killed and cannibalised. A reconciliation ceremony took place in 2003 on the island between descendents of Thomas Baker and those of his killers.

Answer: Lollards

The Lollards were followers of the teachings of John Wycliffe, who proposed reformation of the Roman Catholic Church, which they perceived to be corrupt. The Peasants' Revolt was not, however, a religious revolt but a rebellion against feudalism in England, which meant that the lower classes had no chance of advancement. John Ball had been imprisoned for his teachings, and was released by the rebels, who he joined.

His most famous speech included the words 'When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?' Ball was arrested and tried before being hanged, drawn and quartered.

The Huguenots were a French Protestant movement from the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The Puritans and Calvinists were also Protestant movements.

Answer: Henry II

Becket was born around 1120 and was appointed as Lord Chancellor to Henry II in 1155. In this role, he proved able and worked for the interests of the monarch. In 1162 Becket was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury, and transferred his allegiance to the church, thus putting him in direct conflict with the monarchy.

Henry allowed his frustrations to be known, leading to four knights of the realm to attack and murder Becket in his own cathedral in 1170. He was canonised as a martyr by Pope Alexander III in 1173, and is still venerated in the twenty-first century.