Martyrs Trivia

1. Although the term 'Christian martyr' has come to mean someone who is killed for their Christian faith, what was the original meaning of the word 'martyr' - reflecting the first martyrs' personal relationship with Jesus?

From Quiz Two Thousand Years of Martyrdom

Answer: Witness

Originating in the Greek word for 'witness', the term 'martyrs' was first applied to the Twelve Apostles who had followed Jesus and witnessed his life and teachings. It was soon extended to refer to other early Christian missionaries, and gradually came to be associated with the persecution that so often accompanied their evangelical work. Eventually the term became restricted to those who were put to death because of their Christian belief.

From Quiz Catholic Martyrs

Answer: England

St. George is usually represented as engaged in combat with a dragon. He died about the year 303.

From Quiz Dyed in the Wool

Answer: Canterbury

The Canterbury Martyrs were condemned for heresy during the reign of Mary I, who had returned England to the Catholic faith. They are the last recorded victims of Mary's reign, and their names live on thanks to a book by John Foxe published in 1563. Its title is 'Acts and Monuments' but it is better known as 'Foxe's Book of Martyrs'. The executions took place in batches in 1555 - four separate burnings, 1556 - one burning, 1557 - two burnings and 1558 - one burning. Each execution had several victims. Canterbury is the main religious settlement in England, with the Archbishop of Canterbury being the leader of the Church.

From Quiz Stone the Crows -- or People!

Answer: Goliath

"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground" (1 Samuel 17:48-49). The story of David and Goliath is well known. David, a shepherd boy, volunteered to challenge the Philistines champion Goliath. Goliath was a mighty warrior standing almost seven feet tall (the height seems to have been expanded to almost ten feet in later texts). None of the Israelites were brave enough to face Goliath on the field of battle. David, with God's help, took on the challenge and eschewed a sword for his slingshot. After slaying Goliath, David won favor with King Saul and would eventually become King of the Israelites himself.

From Quiz Oh No! Persecution!

Answer: Archbishop of Canterbury

Cranmer had been instrumental in finding the means for Henry VIII to divorce Catherine of Aragon, the mother of Mary I. In addition, England had been Protestant since Henry's split with Rome and Cranmer had been Archbishop of Canterbury throughout this time. He had also supported the accession of Lady Jane Grey, known as the nine days' queen, to the throne in accordance with the dying wishes of King Edward VI. Mary I was a staunch Catholic, so Cranmer had offended her in many different ways. Although he initially recanted his part in the Reformation, he then withdrew the recantations and was burned at the stake in 1556.

From Quiz Two Thousand Years of Martyrdom

Answer: St. Stephen

Little is known about St. Stephen other than the account in the Acts of the Apostles about his trial for blasphemy, held in Jerusalem by the Jewish supreme court, the Sanhedrin. His death by stoning c.35AD was carried out by a crowd witnessed and egged on by Saul of Tarsus, a short while before Saul's own conversion to Christianity and subsequent martyrdom as St. Paul. In Western Christianity, December 26th has become St. Stephen's Day.

From Quiz Catholic Martyrs

Answer: St. Stephen

St. Stephen was accused of blasphemy against Moses and God. He was brought before the Sanhedrin, condemned, and stoned to death.

From Quiz Dyed in the Wool

Answer: Hugh Latimer

Edward VI succeeded Henry VIII in 1547 and died in 1553, aged only fifteen. Latimer had been a staunch Catholic, but by 1521 came to be a strong supporter of the Reformation, particularly the changes put forward by Martin Luther. This was a dangerous move as England was still, at this time, a Catholic country. He spent time in prison for his beliefs, but found favour with Henry VIII following the monarch's split from Rome. Mary's ascension meant a reversion to the Catholic faith and Latimer became one of the many (nearly 300) Protestants to die during her five year reign. Tyndale, who had made the first translations of the Bible into English, died in 1536, Wolsey in 1530 and Knox was in conflict with another Mary - Queen of Scots.

From Quiz So Many Marys! I'm Getting Confused!

Answer: John Mark's mother

Romans 16:6 simply says, "Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you" (New American Standard Bible). Some people believe that "Mary of Rome" is the same as John Mark's mother, but this isn't universal. Roman Catholics seem to equate John Mark's mother with Mary Salome (sometimes just called Salome). Also, a writer at Bible Gateway.com gives the possibility that, unlike Mark's mother, who was Jewish and most likely named Mary at birth, this Mary may had been a Roman lady who adopted a Jewish name ("Mary" or "Miriam") after she converted to Christianity. Not only do scholars disagree on who John Mark's mother was, but they also disagree on who he was. Many identify him as the author of the Gospel of Mark, but others think that he was a different person.

From Quiz Stone the Crows -- or People!

Answer: Achan

"Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger" (Joshua 7: 24-26). It is suggested that Achan received a death sentence for plundering Jericho. The Israelite army suffered losses in their attempt to take the nearby city of Ai. The Lord declared that he had withdrawn his support of the Israelite army because someone within the ranks of the army had committed a crime. Joshua discovered Achan's crime and sentenced him to death by stoning. In the Jewish tradition, it is also suggested that Achan's entire family, children, household, and livestock were subjected to a similar fate.

From Quiz Oh No! Persecution!

Answer: Diocletian

The Diocletianic, or Great, Persecution was the most severe of several attempts by the Romans to eradicate Christianity. The purge was at its worst in the eastern part of the empire, with the western areas, including Britain and Gaul (now France) escaping relatively lightly. St. Sebastian died in 288 AD, St. George (of dragon fame) died in 303 and St. Agnes in 304, at the age of only thirteen. The Roman Empire officially embraced Christianity in 313 when Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan.

From Quiz Catholic Martyrs

Answer: 3rd

St. Valentine was martyred by the Romans in the year 269, 270, or 273. The custom of sending valentines on this day is a revival of an ancient pagan practice, which consisted in boys writing the names of girls in honor of their goddess, Februata Juno, on Feb. 14. To abolish this practice, names of saints were substituted on billets drawn upon St. Valentine's day.

From Quiz Dyed in the Wool

Answer: Transubstantiation

Anne Askew held fast to her views despite being married to a Catholic man. In fact, she is said to have made history by seeking a divorce due to her husband's brutality. Her Bible studies convinced her that the Catholic belief in transubstantiation (the literal changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ) was a misunderstanding. Her preaching brought her to the attention of the authorities and she was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. Unusually, she was tortured on the rack (only two women are known to have undergone torture, which was used regularly on men) but refused to name any of her associates. In 1546 she was burned at the stake, having had to be carried there due to her injuries from the torture.

From Quiz Stone the Crows -- or People!

Answer: Gathering wood

"While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.' So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses" (Numbers 15:32-36). A pretty harsh penalty for gathering wood and it certainly puts into perspective how society has evolved. Very few restaurants or places of business are not open on Sundays. Our family is especially partial to Chick-fil-A for their policy of not opening their doors for business on the Sabbath.

From Quiz Oh No! Persecution!

Answer: Auschwitz

Kolbe was born in 1894 in Poland and became a Franciscan friar in 1910. Following the German invasion of Poland, he sheltered many refugees, including Jews, in the friary and was eventually arrested in 1941. Following a prisoner escape from Auschwitz, ten men were chosen at random to be starved to death in retaliation. When one of the chosen men cried out in despair, Kolbe volunteered to take his place. The ten men were left to their fate, with Kolbe praying and encouraging them. Kolbe himself was still alive after two weeks of this inhumane treatment and was eventually despatched by a lethal injection of carbolic acid. He was canonised as a martyr in 1981 by Pope John Paul II.

From Quiz Two Thousand Years of Martyrdom

Answer: St. Sebastian

Sebastian is said to have been a captain in the Roman emperor Diocletian's Praetorian Guard, whose adherence to the Christian faith was at first unknown to the emperor. However, after he helped two Christian prisoners to escape in 288AD, Diocletian had him tied to a tree and shot full of arrows 'like a hedgehog'. Left as though dead, miraculously he survived and recovered, at which point he publicly harangued Diocletian in the street, who this time had him clubbed to death. Derek Jarman's film 'Sebastiane' was scripted entirely in Latin and depicts homosexual relationships between Roman soldiers in a remote military outpost. Jarman managed to hoodwink British film censors into giving a rating for the film's screening despite it retaining a scene with a male erection briefly visible.

From Quiz Catholic Martyrs

Answer: 1535

St. John Fisher refused to take the oath of succession which acknowledged the issue of Henry VIII and Anne as the legitimate heir to the throne, and he was imprisoned in the tower in April 1534. The next year he was made Cardinal by Paul III, Henry retaliated by having him beheaded. St. Thomas More was tried of treason and convicted. He told the court that he would not go against his conscience and wished that 'We may yet hereafter in heaven mercily all meet together to everlasting salvation.'

From Quiz Dyed in the Wool

Answer: Catholic

Fisher was a Catholic bishop who supported Catherine of Aragon against Henry VIII while the monarch was trying to free himself from his marriage. Fisher even acted as Catherine's advocate in the legal courts, thus incurring Henry's enmity. In 1535, Fisher was charged with treason having refused to acknowledge Henry as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and was initially sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered - an agonising and long death. The outcry this caused made even Henry reconsider and the sentence was changed to death by beheading. This was carried out in June 1535. Fisher was canonised by the Catholic Church in 1935.

From Quiz So Many Marys! I'm Getting Confused!

Answer: Mary Magdalene

John 19:25 states, "But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" (New American Standard Bible). It is clear from the text that Mary of Clopas is different than Mary Magdalene and traditions don't appear to confuse them either. However, there is some debate over the exact identity of this Mary. Some believe that she was the sister of Mary, mother of Jesus (which is an interpretation of the quote above). Some actually suggest that she was Clopas's daughter instead of wife. Another belief is that "Clopas" is the same as "Cleopas", which suggests that this Mary was the wife of the man named Cleopas who Jesus met on the Road to Emmaus. Still other scholars, including Roman Catholics, believe that Mary of Clopas is the mother of James the Less; therefore Mary Jacobe. (Main source: Wikipedia's "New Testament People Named Mary")

From Quiz Stone the Crows -- or People!

Answer: Tax Collector

"Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore King Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem" (1 Kings 12:18). Adoram, sometimes called Adoniram, was an influential member of the royal household. He was the son of Abda, and his chief service was as tax collector. He had served in this capacity for 40 years through the reign of David, Solomon and Rehoboam. In 1 Kings 5:13-14 it is suggested that he was the man in charge of conscripting lumberjacks to work on King Solomon's temple. For this reason Adoram sometimes shows up in contemporary Masonic Lodge rituals.

From Quiz Catholic Martyrs

Answer: Rome

In the last year of Nero's reign, he was crucified upside down, at his request, not deeming himself worthy to die as did his Divine Master.

From Quiz Dyed in the Wool

Answer: Plantagenet

Margaret was the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence and therefore niece to two former kings of England - Edward IV and Richard III. The Plantagenet claim to England's throne was stronger than that of the Tudors, and Henry VIII kept Margaret close to him by appointing her as one of the Ladies in Waiting to Catherine of Aragon. Her Catholic faith also made her a target, especially when her son, Reginald, safely in Italy, denounced Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn. Margaret was accused of being in communication with her son and a supporter of the Catholic claim to the throne through Henry's daughter Mary, later to be Mary I. Margaret was executed and Reginald became England's last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury. He died the same day as Mary I, from natural causes.

From Quiz So Many Marys! I'm Getting Confused!

Answer: The wife of Alphaeus

According to Wikipedia, Roman Catholics believe that the mother of James, the one who is often called "James the Less" or "James the Younger", is also the wife of Alphaeus. They call this Mary, "Mary Jacobe" or "Mary of James". Rather than being identified by the place that she came from, such as Mary of Bethany, Jacobe gets her title from her son, which I think is interesting. Matthew 27:55-56 is the basis for this Mary. To make matters possibly confusing, here, however, some consider Mary Jacobe to be the same as Mary of Clopas. The Catholic Encyclopedia suggests that Mary of Clopas is the wife of Alphaeus and the mother of James the Less, Joseph the Just, Simon, and Judas (not Judas Iscariot). Some Protestants would say that Simon and Judas, as well as a different James and Joseph, were the other sons of Christ's mother, Mary.

From Quiz Stone the Crows -- or People!

Answer: Paul

"Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe" (Acts 14:19-20). Paul the Apostle, formerly Saul of Tarsus, was a missionary giant after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Fourteen of the Twenty-Seven New Testament books have been attributed to Paul and much of the "Acts" focuses on his life and ministry.

From Quiz Dyed in the Wool

Answer: Archbishop of Canterbury

Cranmer had been one of the men who put the case for Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon to be annulled, which included him becoming the Ambassador at the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury mainly, it seems, as a reward for his efforts on behalf of the king. He remained in post from 1533 throughout the remainder of Henry's reign (he died in 1547) and the whole of that of Edward VI. Edward's death in 1553 brought Mary I to the throne and she was not going to forgive the man who had done so much to end her mother's marriage. Cranmer was accused of heresy and treason and was executed by burning in 1556.

From Quiz Stone the Crows -- or People!

Answer: Pre-marital sex

"But if this charge is true, that the girl was not found a virgin, then they shall bring out the girl to the doorway of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house; thus you shall purge the evil from among you" (Deuteronomy 22: 20-21). Pre-marital relations and not being a virgin when getting married had dire consequences for young women. In some Islamic countries, there are similar consequences for fornication and infidelity even today. Deuteronomy goes on to impose a few more sanctions when it comes to sexual relations: "If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel. "If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city and you shall stone them to death; the girl, because she did not cry out in the city, and the man, because he has violated his neighbor's wife. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. "But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die" (Deuteronomy 22: 22-25).

From Quiz Oh No! Persecution!

Answer: Alexandria

Mark was born in the North African city of Cyrene, now part of Libya (according to most sources) and was the author of the first Gospel to be written, which was in the Greek language. He is said to have founded the Church of Alexandria in around 49 AD and became its first bishop. Mark incurred the wrath of the followers of the pagan god, Serapis, who killed him in 68 AD by tying him to a horse's tail and dragging him around the streets of the city. Damascus is in Syria and Tripoli is the capital of Libya. Cairo is the largest city and capital of Egypt.

From Quiz Catholic Martyrs

Answer: Musicians

St. Cecilia was a virgin and martyr, she is honored as the patroness of ecclesiastical music. Her feast day is Nov. 22.

From Quiz So Many Marys! I'm Getting Confused!

Answer: The disciple John took care of her

John 19:25-29 say, "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 then 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!' From that hour the disciple took her into his own household" (NASB). The above verses explain how John became like a son to Mary and took care of her after Jesus died. Catholics and Protestants don't seem to have conflicting beliefs about this. Although Matthew 13:55-56 state that Jesus had four brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, as well as nameless sisters, Roman Catholics don't believe that these were His literal siblings. They believe that they might have been cousins or step-siblings. This is because Catholics believe that Mary remained a virgin her whole life. Most Protestants, on the other hand, believe that she quit being a virgin after Jesus was born.

From Quiz Stone the Crows -- or People!

Answer: A woman dropped a millstone on his head that crushed his skull

"Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women and all those of the city, and shut it to them and went up to the top of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the tower and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head and broke his skull" (Judges 9:50-53). Abimelech was a nasty piece of work. He is remembered as a bloodthirsty ruler who murdered 70 of his family members in order to keep a stranglehold on power. It is somewhat fitting that he experienced death at the hands of a woman defending her city and family. Also, showing that male chauvinism was not dead in pre-historic biblical times, he had the death blow delivered by his manservant." Then he called hastily unto the young man, his armorbearer, and said unto him, "Draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not of me, 'A woman slew him.'" And his young man thrust him through, and he died" (Judges 9:54).

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Last Updated Apr 26 2025 5:53 AM

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