Bible Quiz: Test Your Knowledge Of The Bible With These Questions

Editor's Note: Quiz provided courtesy of HuffPost blogger Timothy Beal, author of "Biblical Literacy: The Essential Bible Stories Everyone Needs To Know."

The Bible is everywhere. It pervades our culture, from Mozart and Mary Shelley to Neko Case and the Coen brothers. It pervades our political discourse, from environmental policy and immigration reform to healthcare and social security. Marge Simpson quotes it all the time. So does President Obama, and so does any other politician who knows better.

If you’re not hearing its resonances, you’re missing a lot of the conversation. But neither are you alone.

In fact, recent polls indicate that biblical literacy is at an all-time low –- even among Bible believing evangelicals. Whether you’re religious, non-religious, or anti-religious, it’s time for Americans to gird their loins and get to know the Bible. Here’s a fun little pop quiz to get you started. How many of these Bible basics do you already know?

Biblical Literacy Pop Quiz

Let's see how you do on the next question.

To get the highest score, get all the answers right in the fastest time!
The clock will start as soon as you submit your first answer.

 

0:00

Question 1 of 25

What are the first spoken words in the Bible?

"Hear, O Israel"

"Let there be light"

"Arise, shine; for your light has come"

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together"

PASS

SUBMIT

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Comments

[amadotara]

05:00 PM on 02/08/2013

i got 20/25 right but when i went over the questions i see where the computer marked the wrong answer for the question after the correction.

[Jefferson Admirer]

10:38 AM on 05/20/2012

Thank you for an unambiguous example of what is wrong with American education: the multiple-choice exam/quiz/test. The student is required to select among alternatives that have been formulated by the examiner, someone other than the student himself. Is not one of the main objectives of education to assist the student in both formulating alternatives and selecting among them?

In our fact-obsessed education system with its methods optimized for the convenience of the instructor, the multiple-choice/guess test is a godsend, particularly with machine grading and computer analysis of results. Great for the instructor but the student is cheated.

In summary, an amusing exercise except, perhaps, for those who revere the absolute text of the Bible, frequently at the expense of its value as one of the founding documents of Western Civilization.

[Dustin Weida]

03:22 AM on 03/02/2013

hehe It's just my noodle caboodle.

[Sharise112]

09:24 PM on 03/05/2013

Oh me!,,you r so stressed out...

[thebigbike]

12:50 PM on 05/19/2012

whateverrrrrr.............

these factoids don't have much to do with the way the "bible" is brandished the template for public policy

[Eddy123]

03:12 PM on 05/17/2012

Wow , and Here is More Bible Quizes, I like the bible sex quiz , very informative!!
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/quizlist.html

[CraigR]

03:30 PM on 05/18/2012

You posted what I was gonna...! Love 'em.

[electricxebra]

01:41 AM on 05/17/2012

“The way to Prove that Jesus is not a real and there is no God...

STEP 1:

1) According to the Bible, Jesus proved his resurrecti­on by appearing to people. (Hundreds)
2) We learn that it is alright for Jesus to appear to people.
3) Appearing to anyone does not take away "free will" or harm faith.

STEP 2:

Read Matthew 18:19-20

Jesus speaks: "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.

Two important facts:

1) Jesus is already here amongst us.
2) God will do anything we ask.

STEP 3:

Ask Jesus to appear!

Try this prayer... Dear Jesus, we know that you are in our midst already. We ask to physically appear, so that we may know you are resurrecte­d. We have faith that you will answer our prayer as you promise in the Bible. In your name we pray, Amen.

Now what do you think will happen?”

[IJLou]

12:03 PM on 05/17/2012

Okay, while you misunderstand the events after the resurrection and seem not to take into account what Matthew 18:19-20 is referring to, and while I imagine you will not be swayed by my comment I'll give it a shot.

First, Matthew 18:19-20 is referring to the church and decisions made in relation to the church, but if we look at passages about asking God for things it is always in accordance with His will. If God doesn't want me to be rich then praying that I become rich won't happen. Also, Jesus says that we shouldn't test God, which is what you are doing with your step-by-step experiment.

After the resurrection, when Jesus ascended, he ceased to be with us physically so He's not going to just pop into your house. Yet, using your logic I could complete your step-by-step process and say in step 3 "Jesus, I don't want you to cater to my whims so please don't appear" and when He doesn't then I proved He is real and there is a God.

[Joe Olson]

09:27 PM on 05/17/2012

Yes yes yes! proof! Good comment IJLou!

[electricxebra]

09:29 PM on 05/17/2012

I want to know how that is "Testing God" if you are just doing as the Bible says?

I will say it again... Matthew 18:19-20

Jesus speaks: "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about ANYTHING they ask, it will be done for them by my father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.

Jesus says "If you ask and agree about "ANYTHING" then it will be done by his father in heaven!... Does it not say that? And Jesus Appeared to over 500 people after his resurrecti­on. So again, I say how is that testing God?

Don't you think that by having Jesus appear before you that it would even make you a stronger believer?

Or do you just in the bottom of your heart know that what I say is right and there is no Jesus or God that can appesr before you?!

[Ashlieeeee]

08:14 PM on 05/19/2012

If you are mentally sound you do not need proof that god is fake because there is nothing to prove it is real in the first place. Belief in fiction = delusion

[electricxebra]

01:39 AM on 05/17/2012

Let's see, According to the Bible....

Jesus healed the sick right?... for no charge... Sounds a lot like "Free Healthcare"

Jesus said "Pay unto Caesar what is Caesar's... So I guess he was for paying taxes even if they increase.

Jesus fed the poor... Sounds like "Food Stamps" or "Hand outs" to me.

Jesus said.... "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God’.... So I guess it does not look to good for the 1% Rich Republicans.

So, Jesus was the first Socialist, this isn’t really a question, but a statement of fact based upon the New Testament Bible. In fact I find it an interesting phenomenon that those who are most vocal in their rejection of social programs to assist the poor and displaced of our society are the very same who in most cases call themselves the “Moral Majority” and espouse Christian values as the basis of their political stance. Nevertheless, let me return to my proofs of why Jesus was the first Socialist, how I have arrived at this conclusion.

[mjl1979]

01:50 AM on 12/11/2012

It would be healthcare if a person could rely that Jesus would heal them whenever they got sick. This is not the case. it's more like a bad HMO. You have to be lucky enough to be in the coverage area (Israel circa 0 ad).

Got to finish the quote "pay unto God what is God's" (or something like that, I don't want to look it up). This is a call to the people NOT to pay taxes and instead to give to God.

Jesus didn't feed the poor. He threw a party and provided food. It's a little different.

His point for this quote was that a person should give away all of their belongings and follow him. that sounds pretty bad for the 99% as well. Oh, and I'm not sure why you think that the 1% is republicans only. the president is in the 1%.

I think your statement of fact needs a little support.

----------------------
Improve your handwriting
www.betterhandwriting.com

[cloverfoot]

06:16 PM on 05/14/2012

17 out of 25. Not bad for a heathen...!

[LaVrie]

03:37 PM on 01/21/2013

I only got 21/25 and I'm a Christian. The penny just dropped that the Bible doesn't say how many Magi there were!!! I just love that story and the adaptations of it so much. One of the fascinating implications of it is that astrology cannot really be a sin.

[alterego55]

05:26 PM on 05/14/2012

Which religion practices self-flagellation?

[bermudababy]

08:08 PM on 05/14/2012

They no longer reside here on Earth...they've moved to Uranus.

[whirlpool]

06:42 PM on 05/20/2012

Christianity that is Catholicism.

[alterego55]

05:26 PM on 05/14/2012

Which religion used to castrate little boys so they sounded better singing at Sunday services?

[alterego55]

05:25 PM on 05/14/2012

Which religion practices metaphorical cannibalism of its savior?

Which religion practices literal cannibalism of its savior?

[gcomeau]

11:27 AM on 05/14/2012

This is just a sad quiz. I'm not a Christian so I don't really care... but if you're going to quiz people on the content of the book you might want to test them to see if they know things *that are important*. Not to see if they can remember the name of King David's Great Grandmother (we care why?) or what movie title are drawn from biblical imagery (again... who cares?)

There were some questions in there that actually made sense (Which of these is not one of Jesus's teachings for example... kinda important to know that if you think the bible matters), but mixing them up with the inconsequential trivia was just silly.

[CodyGirl]

01:35 PM on 05/13/2012

I own a copy of Timothy Beal's book "Biblical Literacy: The essential Bible stories everyone needs to know." I bought it & skimmed it months before this blog appeared. I'm reading it more thoroughly now & really enjoying it. IMO, this Bible "quiz" & Mr. Beal's very enlightened & intelligent approach to reading & understanding the Bible are quite "in sync" with each other. Beal's book does not convey the message that biblical literacy is all about answering tricky questions about the Bible's content. In fact, Beal's introduction to the book & the intro to Part 1, The Torah, give a very helpful paradigm for Bible reading, which he addresses to Bible readers who are believers & non-believers alike. Mr. Beal says, "But there is no right way to read and interpret the Bible...and there is no experience necessary.... I encourage you to trust your own good instincts and insights." (p. xx) Mr. Beal makes clear how challenging but yet how inspiring Bible reading can be. Thank you, Mr. Beal for this insight & for your book.

As far as I can tell, atheists who brag about being more "knowledgeable" about the Bible than Christians don't have any more insightful or truth-based interpretations of biblical literature than anyone else.

[CodyGirl]

02:01 PM on 05/13/2012

Typo alert. This sentence in my post above should read "Mr. Beal's very enlightened & intelligent approach to reading & understanding the Bible are NOT quite "in sync" with each other."

[Francis Rupert Legge]

03:52 PM on 05/13/2012

The Catholic Church generally referred to is one Church: The ROMAN Catholic Church. "Catholic" is not a commercial brand. It designates the Church Jesus of Nazareth once predicted would be founded to replace the the reconstructed Solomon's Temple (which He said would be destroyed) "not made with hands" referring to the human Church, composite of Believers on the Christ. That Church was established by His Apostles and endures to this day. It was designated a duty of His Apostles which would be created after His Ascension. There are scores of national Catholic churches including the African and the Earliest Ethiopian Catholic churches, also the Orthodoxies like the English, Russian, Ukrainian and many such. "Catholic" means "Universal" which excludes no one. The Roman Papacy is the supreme authority of the Church of Rome which has branches all over the world. The other Catholics have Archbishops, and other Primates called Metropolitans. These church Heads are all Archbishops whether they submit to the Pope of Rome or not and all can trace their history back to the Apostles of Jesus. Outside of Rome, there is only ONE church truly representative of the Protestant Reform; That is the Lutheran Church which is named for Martin Luther of Germany. All other Disciplines have emerged over hundreds of years without direct connection to Luther when original Christianity fragmented in Europe. Jesus clearly said that His message was not a replacement for the Temple but would be an extension of God's communion with mankind

[bermudababy]

08:17 PM on 05/14/2012

I hear you saying in a authoritive tone all these things about the catholic church, but I don't see any scriptual references at all. Using the Bible (only) as proof of your assertions, please foward along supporting texts.

p.s. the Bible is the ONLY acceptable frame of reference.

[INTERNET FAITH]

11:41 AM on 05/13/2012

FACT: the entire christian religion is based on human sacrifice.

Jesus Christ was the sacrifice. Why doesn't anyone else realize this FACT.

The christian religion is so crazy that christians actually believe human sacrifice (jesus) was/is a good thing.

[CodyGirl]

01:36 PM on 05/13/2012

This is a bizarre & inaccurate interpretation of Christianity.

[Wayne Conner]

07:20 PM on 05/13/2012

Really the whole idea behind Christianity is bizarre. Why create a world full of people who can not follow your instructions? If he wants human beings to be good, then why not just create them that way? He's god doesn't he have the power to do that? Why send yourself down in human form (aka Jesus) to be sacrificed to yourself (aka human sacrifice) when you could just simply forgive the human race? What is gods fascination with blood and sacrifice?

[gcomeau]

11:30 AM on 05/14/2012

Bizarre, yes. Inaccurate, no.

[Francis Rupert Legge]

04:02 PM on 05/13/2012

This is not so. The language of ante-history would be better understood by people of the past who practised sacrifice of animals for the sorrow for their sin or error to appease their gods. Your understanding of Christianity and its roots is very faulty. It is wrong to think that the sacrifice of the Christ is related to human sacrifice which is of primitive Pagan belief and practice by people who often were cannibals.

[Jarrod Putnam]

09:50 AM on 05/13/2012

Always get a chuckle when I see surveys showing that Atheists & Agnostics always know more about the Bible than the people who actually "follow" it allegedly.

[IJLou]

10:45 AM on 05/14/2012

I'm afraid I missed where it said Atheists and Agnostics always know more about the Bible. In my personal experience, this is absolutely not the case as many have a very weak grasp on what the Bible says, Biblical theology, soteriology, or how the Bible is applicable today. Rarely do people who quickly dismiss something based on generalizations and bias study that which they are dismissing, but this goes with a lot of things, not just the Bible. However, the article said, "that biblical literacy is at an all-time low –- even among Bible believing evangelicals", not Atheists/Agnostics know more about the Bible. I think you made quite a leap there.

[Jarrod Putnam]

10:47 AM on 05/14/2012

Is this the first "bible quiz" type article you have seen? Do a simple Google search on "Bible Surveys". Almost every time a group does one, the Atheists/Agnostics score a higher percentage. Im not kidding. Look it up.

[electricxebra]

01:43 AM on 05/17/2012

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1745/religious-knowledge-in-america-survey-atheists-agnostics-score-highest

[IJLou]

09:34 AM on 05/17/2012

Ah! See here is an example of reading into a publication what you want to get out of it. The comment above, which I responded to, says Atheists/Agnostics know more about the Bible and you use this article to counter what I said. However, when concerning Christianity is says Mormons and white evangelical Protestants scored the highest. Don't get me wrong, being uninformed about something is no excuse and those who claim to be Christians need to know the teachings thereof.

Going back to my original point that many who claim to know much about Christianity typically don't but generalize and say since they know about religion in general they must be an expert in any and all belief systems or the Christian faith.

I do wonder why Atheists study a topic about which they don't believe. From those I have talked to it seems they are looking to justify their disbelief in something they know to be true so they cherry-pick a few points from religion, or the Bible for example, and apply that sweeping generalization once again without truly knowing the subject. That's been my experience at least.

[DevonTexas]

11:21 AM on 05/12/2012

The Drummer Boy question was lame.

[jferg61]

01:53 AM on 05/14/2012

I liked that one! wonder how many people got it wrong.

[DocEagle]

07:15 PM on 05/14/2012

Actually, that was misleading. It didn't ask if the Drummer Boy was in the Bible. It didn't ask what verse refers to the Drummer Boy. It asked what he brought.

It would be like asking what kind of furniture Tom Robinson busted up for Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. Well, neither of those folks are real people. But that doesn't mean there is not a correct answer.

[DevonTexas]

08:17 AM on 05/17/2012

agreed. that was my thought too. If you answered in correctly, you were wrong because "he's not in the Bible". That wasn't the question.