Peter, Paul, or Mary Trivia Quiz

Answer: Peter

In John 1 we see John the Baptist baptize Jesus, signifying the beginning of Christ's ministry on Earth. Two of John's disciples heard John name Jesus as the Son of God, and began to follow Jesus. One of those two men was Andrew, the brother of Simon.

In John 1:41-42, Andrew was quick to share the news, "He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

In Matthew 16:17-20, Jesus gives more of an explanation as to why the change of name: "And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'"

Answer: Peter

In Matthew 14, after feeding the 5,000, Jesus sent his disciples off in a boat to cross the Galilee while he took some time for himself to pray. In the middle of the night, Jesus went to rejoin them, walking on the water to them in windy and wavy conditions.

Verses 26 to 29: "But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, 'It is a ghost!' and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.'
And Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus."

Peter's faith wavered, however, and he began to sink, and he called out to Jesus for help.

Answer: Peter

Jesus took Peter, along with two other disciples James and John, up Mount Tabor (according to tradition). On the mountaintop, Jesus was transfigured in front of them. This occurrence is related in the three Synoptic Gospels in Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, and in Luke 9:28-36.

The passage in Luke described the transfiguration as follows: "Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah'- not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!' And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen."

Answer: Peter

All four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) record the events surrounding Jesus' arrest and trial. Before all of that, at the Last Supper, Jesus foretold that Peter would deny him three times. Peter refused to believe that could happen, but that very evening after Jesus was arrested, Peter did just that, as recorded in the four Gospels (in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18).

But Peter also had a chance to redeem himself to Jesus after the resurrection, as seen in John 21:15-17: "When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' He said to him a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'"

Answer: Peter

In the Jewish calendar, the Day of Pentecost was the 50th day after the Passover. For Christians, however, it has come to be known as the day that the Holy Spirit came down on the members of the Early Church. In Acts 21-4, this event is related: "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

In response to the incredulity of those listening to Christ's followers speaking in tongues and hearing their own language, Peter responded by giving a sermon. Verses 37-41 capture the response of the crowd to his words: "Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.' And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation.' So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls."

Answer: Paul

Known originally as Saul, the Apostle Paul first appeared in the New Testament at the end of Acts 7, present at the stoning of Stephen (the first martyr). Saul proved to be zealous in his opposition of the new Christian religion, as seen at the beginning of Acts 8: "And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison."

Even later in his life, Saul (as Paul) did not shy from his previous life, referring to it in his letter to the Church at Galatia (Galatians 1:13-14): "For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers."

Answer: Paul

Whatever Paul did, he did it with a righteous zeal, as evidenced by this passage in Acts 9, coupled with his ministry later in life and how his writings have become the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Paul (as Saul) was travelling to Damascus to continue his persecution of the new Christian religion, when he experienced his conversion.

Acts 9:1-9 - "But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' And he said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.' The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank."

Answer: Paul

On his first missionary journey, Paul travelled with Barnabas, as described in Acts 13 and 14. They travelled from Antioch to Galatia and returned, visiting many cities and regions along the way.

For his second missionary trip, Paul was accompanied by Silas (and later Timothy) as he travelled to Greece and back to Antioch, once again with many stops along the way, including Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth, and Ephesus (Acts 15:36-18:22).

Acts 18:23 -21:15 covers the events of his third missions trip, this time accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla as they revisited many of the places he had visited before, in addition to others.

Answer: Paul

Again, there is some scholarly debate as to whether Paul was actually a Roman citizen, given his family background (from a devout Jewish family based in Tarsus), but in two passages in the book of Acts, Paul states his citizenship:

Acts 16:37-38 - "But Paul said to them, 'They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.' The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens."

Acts 22:25-28 - "But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, 'Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?' When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, 'What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.' So the tribune came and said to him, 'Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?' And he said, 'Yes.' The tribune answered, 'I bought this citizenship for a large sum.' Paul said, 'But I am a citizen by birth.'

Answer: Paul

There is some dispute over the authorship of these Epistles, with only seven of the thirteen in this list generally agreed upon as being written by Paul: Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.

Three of the Pauline Epistles are largely considered as being pseudepigraphic (falsely attributed to him): 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus.

And these final three are widely debated: Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians.

Answer: Mary

Luke 1:26-38 is referred to as "The Annunciation," as the angel Gabriel visited a young woman in the town of Nazareth. The first part of this passage (to verse 33) captured Gabriel's message:

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, 'Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!' But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.'"

Verses 34-38 record Mary's response, with Gabriel providing more details:

"And Mary said to the angel, 'How will this be, since I am a virgin?'

And the angel answered her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.' And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her."

Answer: Mary

In Micah 5:2, it was prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (the passage also being cited in the New Testament as the relevant prophecy):

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days."

Thus, chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke provides the circumstances by which Mary came to be in Bethlehem:

Luke 2:1-7 - "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."

Answer: Mary

Matthew 2 describes the visit of the Wise Men to King Herod as they came searching for the Christ. Unhappy with the prospect, Herod tried to trick the Wise Men into reporting back to him with the location of the Christ, but after being warned in a dream, the Wise Men departed by another route, returning to their own country.

Verses 13-16 continue the tale with another warning, this time to Joseph (and by extension, Mary):

"Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.' And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men."

Answer: Mary

Jesus performed many different miracles, with most of them some form of healing, or to teach something about the Kingdom of God, but it was something a little less momentous or portentous for his first miracle at a wedding, as he changed water into wine, as recorded in John 2:1-11:

"On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.'

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water.' And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.' So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.' This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him."

Answer: Mary

It is recorded in John 19:25-27 that Jesus' mother was present at his crucifixion: "but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home."

And while it might be assumed that Peter was present at the crucifixion as one of Jesus' disciples, his name is not explicitly mentioned. The closest statement to that effect is Luke 23:49, "And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things."