Why Me, Lord?! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Simon

Sometimes known as "Peter", Simon was the first apostle named. He was a fisherman by trade and often worked with his brother Andrew. While he was often impulsive, he was able to overcome the various temptations that were thrown his way by Satan. In Christian tradition, he was crucified as a martyr during the reign of Nero.

Some accounts suggest that he died after refusing to sacrifice himself to the sun god.

Answer: Andrew

Not as frequently mentioned as many other apostles, Andrew was the brother of Simon. He had previously been one of the followers of John the Baptist, but soon left in order to learn from Jesus. Like his brother Simon, he was a fisherman and when given the designation as a disciple by Jesus, it was Jesus who stated that he would make them "fishers of men".

He is the patron saint of many nations, including Russia, Scotland and the Ukraine, as well as of various regions in Italy and Portugal.

Answer: James

The two apostles that had the title of "James" were James the Elder and James the Lesser (or Younger). Although there is limited information about each of these apostles, it is apparent that both men had contrasting personalities and lives. James the Elder was a fisherman and was believed to be a man of courage and forgiveness. He was also the first of the twelve apostles to be declared a martyr. According to the Book of Acts 12:1,2 he was beheaded by Herod.

On the other hand, little is known about James the Lesser. He is believed to have been an extremely fiery man with a strong personality type. He wrote the Epistle of James. Some scholars believe that James the Lesser was a martyr whose body was "sawn in pieces".

Answer: John

Although a hotly contested debate, Apostle John was believed by some scholars and religious historians to be responsible for writing the Gospel of John, I John, II John, III John and the Book of Revelation. A man of passion, ambition and one with an explosive temperament, his name is mentioned many times in the Bible, making him one of the more known apostles. Unlike many of the other apostles, John was from a wealthy fishing family.

He is believed to have survived longer than any of the other apostles and is thought to be the only one to die of natural causes (though some sources suggest that an attempt was made on his life using poison).

Answer: Philip

Disciple Philip is first mentioned in the Bible in Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:14 and Acts 1:13. Each of those passages, however, do not mention any characteristics about Philip. The first character traits about Philip are found in the John 1:45-47, and suggest that he was a calm individual with an effective way of dealing with skeptical people and was an effective missionary. It was in this passage that he convinced Nathaniel that Jesus of Nazareth had been found.

It has been suggested that Philip was warm hearted and was willing to provide for others. In John 6:3-9, Philip participated during the feeding of the 5000. Sadly, Christian accounts suggest that his death was caused in part due to his actions in successfully converting the wife of a proconsul to Christianity. One account, from the apocryphal book "Acts of Philip", suggests that he was hung upside down on the cross (along with Bartholomew).

Answer: Thaddeus

Jude the Apostle is often referred to as Thaddeus or Lebbaeus as a way to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He has been thought to have been a fisherman, and Christian tradition has suggested that he preached in the region of Persia. As a chosen apostle, he had a desire to make Jesus Christ known to the world, even though Jesus himself was not really interested in exposing himself.

This can be made clear according to John 14:22, "But Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" Pictures of Jude the Apostle often show him holding an ax, suggesting that he had been killed with this object.

Answer: Bartholomew

Bartholomew was the only disciple who is believed to have been born to royal blood. According to scholars, his name roughly translates to Son of Talmai. According to 2 Samuel 3:3, Talmai was the King of Geshur (and father in-law to David). He is believed to have been a missionary in Armenia and is recognized by the Armenian Church as its founder and martyr. Two ancient testimonies have suggested that he was also a preacher and missionary in India.

The testimonies of Eusebius of Caesarea and Saint Jerome have suggested that Bartholomew preached and left the Hebrew writings of Matthew in India at the same time Saint Pantaenus the Philosopher was in India as a missionary.

Answer: Thomas

Thomas Didymus was perhaps the most pessimistic and easily confused of the twelve apostles. He was not present when Jesus rose from the dead. According to John 20:24-25, when the disciples told him that they had seen Jesus, he refused to believe them, stating that "Unless I see nail marks in his hands... I will not believe". Upon finally seeing Jesus' wounds in John 20:27-28, he became a believer, proclaiming "My Lord and My God!" Following this new found faith, he became extremely devoted to preaching and according to tradition was even commissioned to build a palace in India.

The Syrian Christian tradition suggests that he was martyred near Chennai, India around 72 A.D., possibly by murder.

Answer: Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot is perhaps best known as the "traitor" among the twelve apostles. According to Matthew 26:14-16, he was approached by a chief priest and offered thirty pieces of silver to betray and deliver Jesus to him. In Matthew 26:47-56, Judas, accompanied by men with clubs and swords, sought the opportunity to turn Jesus in.

The other disciples would ultimately flee and Jesus would be taken to the high priest Caiaphas to be put on trial. Judas died by hanging himself, in remorse for his betrayal of Jesus.

Answer: Matthew

To the devout Jewish nation, taxes should only be paid to God. Anyone coming around to collect taxes was seen as being unworthy of respect, like publicans and sinners (Luke 5:30). According to Christian tradition, he was one of the twelve disciples and also one of the four evangelists. Unlike many of the other disciples, who were fisherman and possibly illiterate, he was seen as valuable to Jesus and presented a written account of the teachings of Jesus (The Book of Matthew).

These writings are the first gospel in the New Testament.

His death is not definitive, with numerous suggestions as to how he died. Perhaps one of the most famous is described in the painting "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew" by Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, in which he was executed by the sword.