Answer: Turkey
Tarsus is situated on the South coast of Turkey on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and is still a commercial centre today, as it was in Paul's day. The city became the capital of the Cilicia region when it was under Roman occupation, and was briefly renamed "Juliopolis" in honour of Julius Caesar.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Watched the clothes of the witnesses
The witnesses who accused Stephen of blasphemy would have been the ones to cast the first stones. This required them to remove their garments, which they then laid at the feet of Saul (Acts 7:58). Apparently, Saul silently watched over the garments while the witnesses began the stoning. It is unknown whether or not he himself participated in the casting of stones, but it was clear that he "was consenting unto [Stephen's] death" (Acts 8:1).
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: One of his ancestors was made a Roman citizen
There are few ways one could be made a Roman citizen in Paul's time:
(1) Carrying out a great service to the Roman Empire
(2) Being a male child born in wedlock to a married male Roman citizen
(3) Buying the right to citizenship (and paying a heavy price for it)
In Acts 22:22-29, Paul talked with a military commander in Jerusalem after a mob tried to attack him when he preached about Jesus -- Paul proclaimed his Roman citizenship, knowing that his life would be spared as the penalty for the murder of a Roman citizen was to be put to death. The military commander stated that his citizenship was bought at a "big price", but Paul responded that he was "born a citizen".
Although we cannot know for sure, we can say that, as records state that many of the citizens of Tarsus were granted citizenship between 80-40 BC, it is likely that one of Paul's direct ancestors, possibly even his father, had this honour bestowed upon him.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Peter
Peter, after his vision in which God told him not to call unclean what God Himself had made clean, dined regularly with the Gentiles. But when James sent envoys to Antioch to see what was happening, Peter apparently feared their judgment, and he withdrew himself from the company of the Gentiles. For this, Paul rebuked Peter "to the face" and in public "before them all" (Galatians 2:11-14).
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Pharisean
Paul was a Pharisee, or at least he was until he encountered God on the road to Damascus! He proclaimed in his letter to the Philippians 3:5 that "in regard to the law" he was "a Pharisee". Paul used his knowledge of the Pharisean and Sadducean orders to his advantage at different points in his life - for example in Acts 23:6 he stated that he was "on trial because of (his) hope in the resurrection of the dead", knowing full well that the Sadducees did not believe in bodily resurrection, nor in angels or spirits, but Pharisees did. As a result of his comment, the Pharisees fought on his side against the Sadducees, and a riot broke out in the Sanhedrin, forcing Paul to be carried out by the soldiers from the local barracks and kept there for the night rather than facing trial for his beliefs.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Timothy
In I Corinthians 7:18, Paul said, "Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised." But in Acts 16, Paul circumcised Timothy "because of the Jews which were in those quarters." Paul may have compromised on this point because Timothy was a half-Jew, and his lack of circumcision may have been a roadblock when the pair attempted to witness to the Jews. This was before Paul began to direct his mission solely to the Gentiles. Paul did not require Titus, who was fully Gentile, to be circumcised (Galatians 2:3).
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Benjamin
Paul states in Philippians 3:5 that he was "of the people of Israel, of the Tribe of Benjamin".
Benjamin was the last of Jacob's sons, and the second of his sons with his younger wife Rachel. Rachel died in childbirth on the way to Bethlehem and in her dying breath she named her son "Ben-oni", although Jacob changed this to Benjamin - probably a better idea as Ben-oni means "son of my trouble" but Benjamin means "son of my right hand" - a much more suitable name!
The rest of the tribes of Israel are Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Issachar, Judah, Levi, Reuben, Simeon, Zebulun, Ephraim and Manasseh (who were the sons of Joseph given the status of independent tribes).
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Barnabas
Paul proposed that they revisit the cities where they had witnessed, and Barnabas wished to take John Mark with them. Paul, however, believed John Mark was not fit to accompany them, because he had apparently abandoned them in their work in the past. Barnabas stood his ground, "And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; And Paul chose Silas, and departed" (Acts 15:39-40).
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Rome
Although we cannot be fully certain that Paul was martyred in Rome, history generally teaches us that this was the case. Eusebius of Caesarea wrote (in the 4th Century) that Paul was martyred in Rome in around 64 AD. He was arrested by the Romans and held in Caesarea for approaching 2 years before he was eventually taken by boat towards Rome, only to be shipwrecked on Malta where he spent some time preaching to the citizens, who ultimately became believers in Christ.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Nero
Nero was Emperor of Rome between 54 and 68AD. It is generally reported that Nero persecuted Christians during his reign - for example, Tacitus and Suetonius, two of the prominent historians of the period, associate Nero with the torture and execution of Christians.
Caligula (also known as Gaius) was the 3rd Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and ruled from 37 AD until his untimely assassination in 41 AD. He was succeeded by Claudius (41-54), then Nero, Galba (68-69)and then Otho (69).
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Bar-Jesus
This occurs in Acts 13. Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas, was a false prophet who attempt to impede Barnabas and Paul from successfully witnessing to the deputy of the area. Bar-Jesus was blinded for his interference, and the deputy, seeing this miracle, believed.
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Saul ("asked for")
Paul was known as Saul to the Jews, and was given this name from birth. Thomas, Philip and Simon are the names of 3 of Jesus's disciples.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Jews
"These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans" (Acts 16:20). The men were then beaten and imprisoned, and later the magistrates sent to release them. Paul made a point of the fact that he was a Roman, and said, "let them come themselves and fetch us out" (16:37). Alarmed to learn Paul was a Roman citizen (whom before they regarded merely as a "Jew"), the magistrates personally brought him out of prison.
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Gozo
Gozo is the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago at 26 square miles and contains acres of undulating countryside. As a result of Paul's presence in nearby Malta, there are several Roman Catholic churches dotted around the island.
Comino is also an island in the Maltese archipelago, although it is much smaller than its neighbour Gozo at just over a square mile in area.
Acts 27:16 describes the passage of the ship transporting Paul to Rome past Gozo - "As we passed the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure." This island is widely believed to have been Gozo according to several Biblical commentaries, including the 'Peoples' New Testament' and the 'Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary'.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: All of these
He disputed with the Jews in the synagogues, and with a host of other people in the market. He was brought by the Greek philosophers to Areopagus for public debate, where he defended his beliefs. Some mocked his beliefs, and others mulled them over. (See Acts 17:17-34)
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Snake
According to Acts 28, the Maltese showed Paul "unusual kindness" and built a fire for him and his Roman captors. Verse 3 states that "Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand."
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Ananias
Paul went on to upbraid Annanias for presuming to judge him by the law, while at the same time hitting him contrary to the law. The council then asked Paul if he dared to revile the high priest, and he replied with apology, saying he did not know Ananias was the high priest, and if he had, he would not have confronted him with such words, "for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." Paul then turned the Pharisees and Sadducees against one another, stirring up a major confrontation, so that the chief captain, fearing Paul would be "pulled in pieces," had him escorted away by soldiers. (Acts 23:3-10)
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Nothing - he just shook the snake off and suffered no ill effects
According to Acts 28:5-6, Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The Maltese people expected him "to swell up or suddenly fall dead" but when he did not, "they changed their minds and said he was a god" - something which Paul would not have been very comfortable with seeing as he considered himself "less than the least of all God's people" (Ephesians 3:8).
The phrase "thorn in my flesh" comes from 2 Corinthians 12:7 where Paul stated that he was given "a messenger of Satan" to "torment" him and "keep (him) from becoming conceited". Although we cannot know what this "thorn" was, scholars have come up with possibilities including weak eyesight (which some say never fully recovered after he was blinded by God on the road to Damascus as a reminder of his previous sinful ways), being lame (possibly due to the numerous beatings he endured at the hands of his various captors) or Paul's pride (possibly because of his lengthy reference to boasting in 2 Corinthians 10-12).
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Both of these
In Romans 14, Paul said that even though wine, meat, and "all things indeed are pure," he who eats these things without believing in his liberty to do so sins against his own conscience: "but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense." Therfore, Paul advised, "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak . . . We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves" (Romans 14:21-15:1).
From Quiz: Paul: Conflicts and Confrontations
Answer: Epaphras
Epaphras was, according to the Bible, a friend and colleague of Paul's in his ministry travels. According to the letter to the Colossians, Epaphras was the man who brought the gospel to the church in Colosse. It is also likely that Epaphras was from Colosse himself, as Paul said in Colossians 4:12 "Epaphras, who is one of you". Epaphras also ministered to the Gentiles in Laodicea and Hieropolis, and brought Paul favourable news of the church in Colosse when he visited him in prison in Rome.
Luke wrote Acts and the Gospel of Luke, and was a doctor according to Paul in Colossians 4:14. He spent much time with Paul and possibly acted as a scribe for Paul, who is rumoured to have had problems with his writing and/or sight. For example, on more than one occasion, Paul writes that certain pieces of text are "in his own hand", implying that the rest of the letter may not be and may be transcribed. One example of this is in Galatians 6:11 where Paul says "See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!" Although it is possible Paul wrote this to enhance the effect of the words he was writing, most scholars believe it is because his handwriting was affected by either his sight or problems with his hands, and therefore his letters were largely written by his various colleagues.
Timothy was a much younger man than Paul and according to 2 Timothy 1:5 he came from a strong line of faith, begun in his grandmother Lois and continuing through her daughter Eunice. Although Paul was initially skeptical about Timothy's giftings, he soon came to realise that he was a strong brother in Christ and came to see him as a "dear/true son" (for example, in both Biblical letters to Timothy, Paul uses this phrase). Timothy became a strong leader of the early church in his own right, and spent a lot of time in Ephesus after Paul had initially taken the gospel there.
Onesimus ("the useful one") is mentioned both in Colossians and Philemon as being another one of Paul's colleagues. He was also from Colosse and, in Paul's letter to Philemon, it is stated that although he was formerly useless to Philemon, after meeting with Paul while he was in prison in Rome, Onesimus became true to his name and became useful to his brothers in Christ.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Hermes (the messenger)
In Acts 14:8-13, the Lycaonian people saw the healing of a man born lame at the instruction of Paul and declared that "The gods have come down to us in human form!" They called Barnabas Zeus and called Paul Hermes, as he was the chief speaker of the group. Hermes was the messenger God of the Olympians and was usually depicted with wings on his feet as he was regarded as the swiftest of the Olympians.
Zeus was the head of the Greek Gods and was father of Hermes and several of the other Olympian Gods. He was often depicted with a bolt of lightning, which, according to Greek mythology, was given to him by the Cyclops when he liberated them.
Apollo was the God of the Sun, Light, Music and Prophecy and was the twin brother of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. He was usually depicted carrying a lyre (a stringed instrument) and was one of Zeus's illegitimate children.
Prometheus was not an Olympian God, and was part of the race of Titans who were deposed from Mount Olympus by the Olympian Gods. Greek myths surrounding Prometheus include that he was the creator of humankind, but due to his disrespect for the Olympian Gods, Zeus banished him to the Caucasus mountains. There, he was rather gruesomely condemned to be chained to a rock and had an eagle tear at his liver all day long. Fortunately for him, Prometheus was eventually rescued by Heracles/Hercules who killed the eagle and released him from his bondage.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Silas
According to Acts 15:36-41, Paul and Barnabas disagreed about whether they should take their colleague John (also known as Mark) with them. Paul thought they should leave him behind as he had deserted them before, but Barnabas was willing to forgive him and take him. In the end, it seemed their disagreement drove them apart as Paul went off with Silas to Syria and his home area of Cilicia to strengthen the churches there, while Barnabas took John Mark to Cyprus.
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Julius
In Acts 27, Paul is given over to Julius, a centurion of the Imperial Regiment whose task it is to take Paul back to Rome. According to Acts 27:3, Julius showed some kindness to Paul in allowing him to go ashore and see some of his friends when they landed in Sidon (modern day Lebanon).
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
Answer: Tentmaker
According to Acts 18, Paul met with a Jew in Corinth named Aquila who had recently been evicted from Italy along with the rest of the Jews at the wish of Emperor Claudius. In verse 3, the writer of Acts states that "because he (Paul) was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them."
From Quiz: Paul of Tarsus
