Who Am I? -- New Testament Characters Quiz

Answer: Mary

Mary, of course, is the correct answer. Scripture doesn't state her age, but many theologians believe she was 15 or younger when she gave birth to Jesus, as it was the custom of the day for girls to marry extremely young. For more about Mary, see the first and second chapters of Luke.

Answer: Nicodemus

Yes, Nicodemus is the correct answer. There is considerable conjecture as to why Nicodemus visited Jesus at night. One school of thought has it that Nicodemus didn't want it to be known that as a teacher of the law, he had any interest in Jesus' teachings as he was often surrounded by tax collectors and the dregs of society.

Another school of thought has it Nicodemus had no choice but to visit Jesus at night if he wanted a one-on-one meeting because Christ was always surrounded by large crowds. In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

Then in verse 16, Jesus makes the famous declaration: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It's that statement which has become a pillar of the evangelical Christian movement.

Answer: Paul

Paul is the correct answer. But to be 100 per cent correct, he was called Saul at this stage in his life. Later he would be referred to as Paul and he would go on to become the great apostle to the Gentiles. The account of Paul's conversion is found in Acts 9:1-31.

More details about Paul's life can be gleaned from Acts 26:1-32, which tells of his appearance before King Agrippa. Paul was originally from Tarsus, which is in present day Turkey.

Answer: Ananias

Ananias and his wife Sapphira were struck dead about three hours apart when they claimed they had turned all the proceeds of the sale of their property over to the early church, despite having secretly kept some for themselves. Both of them made such a claim to Peter and were struck dead on the spot. After their deaths, Scripture reports "great fear seized the whole church." For details about their deaths, see Acts 5:1-11.

Answer: Syntyche

Yes, Syntyche is the correct answer. The disagreement must have been severe as Paul "pleads" with the two women to agree with each other in the NIV Bible (Philippians 4:2). In the same verse, he asks the "loyal yokefellows" to help Euodia and Syntyche. Scripture doesn't say why the two women were at loggerheads. (It all brings back memories of a message I head at the Salvation Army Citadel in Nanaimo, B.C., a number of years ago when a lieutenant preached a message about 'My Phobia' and 'So Touchy' being at logger heads.

The message, of course, was a play on words in regards to Euodia and Syntyche and how people like them can be easily found in today's church.)

Answer: Jairus

The correct answer is Jairus. The story of Jesus raising Jairus' daughter from the dead is told in Mark 5:21-43. It's a fascinating story and Mark provides a wealth of information. Sandwiched in the middle of the account is another fascinating story which tells of a woman who had suffered from a bleeding disorder for a number of years and was healed by simply touching Jesus.

Answer: Mary Magdalene

The correct answer is Mary Magdalene. Mark 16:9-10, in the NIV Bible, states: "When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping." Verse 11 states no one believed her reports.

Answer: John

According to Scripture, John, "the disciple Jesus loved", was the only one of the 12 to stay at the crucifixion scene. By this time, Judas Iscariot had killed himself and the other 10 disciples had basically gone into hiding. John 19:26-27 states John was at the crucifixion scene and while dying in agony, Jesus made arrangements for John to take care of his mother Mary.

Answer: Cleopas

The correct answer is Cleopas. The account of a resurrected Jesus appearing before Cleopas and his unnamed friend can be found in Luke 24:13-35. This is the only time Cleopas' name appears in Scripture. Cleopas and his friend didn't recognize it was Jesus they had met on the road until he had accepted their invitation to stay with them at their house and they were breaking bread and giving thanks. Scripture says their eyes were opened and they recognized Christ and then he disappeared from their sight.

Answer: Eutychus

Yes, Eutychus was the sleepy young man who fell from a third story window when he fell into a deep sleep after Paul apparently preached on and on. When the people rushed down stairs to help Eutychus, they found him dead. Scripture says Paul raised the young man from the dead and went back upstairs and after breaking some bread and eating, he preached until daylight! The account about Eutychus can be found in Acts 20:7-12.