Bible People With More Than One Name Quiz

Answer: Nathanael

Bartholomew was one of the original twelve disciples with his name appearing in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as the Book of Acts. However, in the Gospel of John, he is referred to as Nathanael.

According to the Gospel of John, Nathanael was told by Philip he had met the Messiah. Nathanael, however, was skeptical of Philip's claim. Interestingly, shortly after meeting Jesus, Nathanael proclaimed Him to be the Son of God. Going strictly by Scripture, he was the first of the original twelve disciples to make such a declaration. See John 1:43-51 for details.

Answer: Barnabas

The real name of Barnabas was Joses, as per Acts 4:36 in the NKJV. (In the NIV, his name appears as Joseph.) Members of the early church, however, opted to call him Barnabas because he was always encouraging those around him. Barnabas means Son of Encouragement and he was a Levite from Cyprus. Using the NKJV, the name Barnabas appears 29 times in the New Testament.

Answer: Simon

Peter's original name was Simon. However, Jesus gave him the name Peter, which means rock or stone to symbolize the role he would play as one of the original twelve disciples. In John 1:42 in the NKJV, Jesus states to Peter: "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, a stone).

In Scripture, the disciple is usually referred to as Peter, Simon or Simon Peter. However, in Galatians 2:9 he is referred to as Cephas.

He is also referred to as Cephas in 1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:22 and 9:5.

Answer: Levi

Matthew was a tax collector who was also known as Levi. In fact, most scholars believe Levi was his original name and Matthew was the name given to him by Jesus.

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as well as the Book of Acts, he is known as Matthew. Interestingly, in Mark 2:14 in the NKJV, he is called Levi. Then in Mark 3:18 he is known as Matthew.

Answer: Abram

Abraham was initially known as Abram. Using the NKJV, the name Abram appears more than 45 times between Genesis 11:26 and 17:3. In Genesis 17:5, God announced He was giving Abram the new name Abraham "for I have made you a father of many nations".

Verse 8 goes on state: "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

Answer: Sarai

Sarah, similar to her husband Abraham, was given a new name later in life.

Genesis 17:15-16 in the NKJV explains things this way: "Then God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.'"

Answer: Didymus

Thomas was a twin, although the name of his brother is not disclosed in Scripture.

In John 11:16 and 20:24 and 21:2 he is referred to as Thomas the Twin using the NKJV. However, in other Bible Versions such as the NIV he is referred to as Thomas (also known as Didymus). Didymus is Aramaic for twin.

Thomas is known for being the king of the skeptics for his refusal to believe reports others had seen Jesus after the resurrection. After meeting face to face with Jesus in John 20:28 Thomas finally has all the evidence he needs and refers to to Christ as "My Lord and my God".

Answer: Hadassah

Esther was named Hadassah at birth. She was an orphan who was raised by her cousin Mordecai. Esther 2:7 in the NKJV states: "And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter."

(Some translations describe Mordecai was her uncle rather than her cousin.)

Esther would end up becoming queen of Persia and played a key role in preventing Haman from executing an evil plan to kill all the Jews in in the land.

Answer: Saul

Saul was the original name of the great apostle to the Gentiles. According to various Websites, Saul is a Jewish name and Paul is a Latin, or Roman, name.

With Paul in charge of spreading Christianity across southern Europe, it only stands to reason he would use a Roman name.

His name change from Saul to Paul also marked a major transition in his life -- from a hard-line Pharisee to a Christian.

Answer: Zaphnath-Paaneah

Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, was given the name Zaphnath-Paaneah by the Pharaoh of Egypt, as per Genesis 41:45. The verse also states the Pharaoh gave Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, to Joseph as his wife.

The new name coincided with the Pharaoh making Joseph the second most powerful man in Egypt. And this after Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers and tossed into prison on false charges of attempted rape.