Some Influential People of the Bible Quiz

Answer: Adam

In Genesis, Adam ate the Forbidden Fruit and brought sin into the world. Some theologians believe that Adam ate the fruit as the representative of all mankind (even though he did not know it!), making the decision to eat for everyone; thus "all man sinned" (Rom 3:23).

Not all Christians accept this view, but many conservative Christians believe in it. Liberals have another system of theology that would be too complicated to delve into here.

Answer: Abraham and Sarah

Even though Abraham and Sarah only had one son, they had at least 13 great-grandchildren: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dinah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin (Gen 34:1,35:23-26). Over the next 400 years, Abraham and Sarah would become the "parents" of six thousand men, not including women and children. Through their only son, Abraham and Sarah left a large footprint upon the Israelite history.

In the New Testament, God is known as "the God of Abraham" by the Jews.

Answer: Isaac

Isaac married Rebekah after Sarah died of old age. They had twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau probably caused Isaac and Rebekah much heartache by marrying Canaanite women. Jacob left home for a long time after stealing Esau's birthright (Gen 27-28).

Isaac, however, obeyed God and lived 180 years (Gen 35:28-29). He was also one of the Fathers of Israel; the Jews refer to God as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

Answer: Moses

In the wilderness, God got mad at the Israelites for their ungratefulness and stubbornness. Thus, He threatened to destroy the whole nation and promised set up Moses' descendants in their stead. Moses pleaded against that decision so God relented and led the Israelites into Canaan (Ex 32:7-14).

His siblings, Aaron and Miriam, also helped him. Aaron became the first High Priest of the Israelites and his sons inherited the duty after his death. Hur, Miriam's husband, was also one of the elders of Israel, governing the nation.

Answer: David

David started life as a shepherd boy, with one feat catapulting him into the realm of fame and admiration. After killing the giant Goliath with a rock, Saul got jealous of him because some women sang that "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (1 Sam 18:7). David also married the second daughter of Saul but she was later given to another man after David became an outlaw.

David spent ten years fleeing from Saul, living in the wilderness. Even when he got the chance to kill Saul, he refrained from doing so because he believed that he could not kill "the LORD's Anointed" (1 Sam 24:6).

After he came to power, David conquered many of the bordering nations, giving his son a time of peace and prosperity. He also left behind many poems, known as the "Psalms" in the Bible. God also called him "a man after His own heart."

Answer: Solomon

As the son of David and Bathsheba, Solomon was one of the youngest sons of David. God appeared to him in a dream and asked him if he wanted "wealth, fame, or wisdom." He chose wisdom and God gave him all three (1 Kings 3:5-14). Solomon also built the temple and various other cities. Unfortunately, his heir wasn't as wise.

Solomon also left behind several books in the Bible, such as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes according to Jewish tradition (contemporary scholars have different views but they don't agree with each other either). No matter whether Solomon wrote everything or a part of these books, they are still studied and memorized today by Christians.

Answer: Rehoboam

The Israelites requested for lighter work but Rehoboam boasted that he would give them much harder work (1 Kings 12:1-20). Even though the elders told him to give in to the people, Rehoboam chose to listen to his friends who told him to add to the burdens of the people. Due to his foolish decision, Israel split into the North and South Kingdoms. Never again would Canaan be under one king (until other nations came and conquered the Israelites).

Answer: Jesus

Most Christians believe that Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, died for all mankind, taking their sins upon Himself. He lived a perfect life to be able to take the place of sinful man. Only a perfect man can take the place of a sinful man to satisfy a perfect God. Through Jesus and His resurrection, Christians have hope (1 Cor 15).

There are groups of Christians that do not accept the concept of the Trinity, but consider Jesus as the Son of God, a separate entity from God.

Answer: Paul

Paul was a staunch Pharisee and a student of the then-famous Gamaliel. He believed in Jesus when Jesus appeared to Him in a vision, blinding him. Receiving his sight back after Ananias prayed for him, Paul turned into a zealous Christian (Acts 9). He would go on to plant many churches and suffer much for the Lord. Thus, he also wrote many letters (also known as Epistles) to different churches in Asia Minor and Europe.

Answer: Peter

Before Jesus' crucifixion, Peter claimed that he would never betray or deny Jesus. Jesus told him that he would deny Him before the rooster crowed three times and indeed, Peter did. Peter went out to weep bitterly and repented.

Peter also walked upon the water when He saw Jesus doing so while the rest of the disciples were terrified. Once upon the water, however, Peter looked at the waves and began to sink. Jesus rebuked him, calling him of "little faith" (Matthew 14:28-33).