25 Details About Women of the Gospels - 'A' to 'Z Quiz

Answer: Anna

Anna is the correct answer. After Jesus was presented as an infant at the temple by his parents Mary and Joseph, Scripture states Anna "gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." According to Luke 2:37, she was the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher, and was of "great age" and a widow. Verse 37 also states Anna "did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."

Answer: No one is described as such

While a number of women are described as beautiful in the Old Testament, no one is given such a distinction in the New Testament. And the same holds for men. A number of men are described as being handsome in the Old Testament but no one is described as such in the New Testament.

Old Testament women described as beautiful include Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Bathsheba, Abigail, Abishag and Job's daughters Jemimah, Keziah and Keren-Happuch.
The likes of Joseph, Saul and David are described as handsome in the Old Testament.

Answer: Elizabeth

According to Luke 1:36, Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus, but no further details are given. It is commonly perceived that Elizabeth was Mary's aunt, which would make John and Jesus first cousins once removed. There are various Websites which offer different views on the relationship of Elizabeth and Mary.

Some suggest Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary, not an aunt; this would make John and JEsus second cousins. Other possibilities are also offered. However, tradition holds John and Jesus were cousins of some sort.

Answer: Pilate's wife

Pilate's wife was troubled by a dream she had about Jesus and passed the information onto her husband. Matthew 27:19 in the NKJV states: "While he [Pilate] was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, 'Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.'" She made the request just prior to her husband giving into the crowd and ordering the execution of Jesus.

The world would never be the same.

Answer: Mary, the sister of Lazarus

Mary, the sister of Lazarus, is the correct answer.

Here's how John 12:1-3 reads in the NKJV:
"Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil."

Scripture goes on to tell of Judas Iscariot being indignant about the display of affection, claiming the fragrant oil, or perfume, should have been sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to the poor. Footnotes in the NKJV Study Bible state three hundred denarii was the equivalent of about one year's wages for the average worker.

John 12:6 claims Judas was not sincere about helping the poor: "This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it."

Answer: Mary Magdalene

The first person to see Jesus after His resurrection was Mary Magdalene, as per John 20:11-18. She must've been completely astonished when she saw Jesus, even though He had told His followers many times He would die and rise from the dead three days later.

It's interesting to note that while Mary, after seeing Jesus, grabbed hold of Him in amazement, He basically told her in Verse 17 to depart and get on with the job of telling others about His resurrection. In the KJV, Jesus is quoted as telling Mary "touch Me not," while in the NKJV, he is quoted as saying "cling to Me not." (In the NIV, Christ is quoted as saying "do not hold on to Me.")

The 20th chapter of John is the only place in Scripture where Jesus is quoted as talking to Mary and the message is clear: "Touch Me not." In other words, in Scripture there is not even a glimpse of a possibility of a special relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

To put things in context, here's how John 20:16-18, reads in the NKJV: "Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him, 'Rabboni!' (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her."

Mark 16:9, as well as Luke 8:2, state Jesus had driven seven demons out of Mary. However, no details are given with the verses simply stating the demons had been driven out previously. Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state the fact Jesus had driven seven demons out of Mary "would explain her strong devotion to Him."

Feel free to play another quiz I have posted on FunTrivia. It's called 'Facts About Mary Magdalene: True or False?'

Answer: True

True. She is not mentioned in the Bible, but tradition holds her name is Anne. She is regarded as a saint in the Catholic church.

According to Websites like Wikipedia, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come only from New Testament apocrypha, of which the Protoevangelium of James (written perhaps around 150) seems to be the earliest that mentions them.

Wikipedia goes on to report "in Protestant tradition it is held that Martin Luther chose to enter religious life as a Roman Catholic Augustinian monk after crying out to St. Anne." She is also sometimes referred to as Ann or Anna.

Answer: Request John the Baptist's head on a platter

Herodias was successful in getting her daughter to request John the Baptist's head on a platter. When her daughter's request was fulfilled, Herodias had removed a hated adversary from the scene. According to Scripture, Herodias had left her first husband and married his half brother and John denounced the union.

Matthew 14:6-12 reports Herod hosted a lavish birthday party for himself and when Herodias' daughter, who is not named, danced at the reception, Herod was so pleased he told the girl he would give her whatever she asked for. Verse 8, in the NKJV Bible, states: "So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, 'Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter'."

Verse 11 goes on to tell of this macabre scene: "And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother."

Answer: Mary was insightful, Martha was industrious

Mary was insightful while her sister Martha was industrious. They are, without question, the best known sisters in the New Testament. Details about Martha being busy while Mary was listening to the teachings of Jesus can be found in Luke 10:38-42. The story appears right after the famous parable known as The Good Samaritan.

Here's how Luke 10:38-42 tells of the incident in the NKJV:
"Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

Answer: No name is given

No name is given for Jairus' daughter. The heart-warming story about the little girl being raised from the dead by Jesus, appears in Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56. Scripture states Jairus was a synagogue ruler.

In the accounts in Mark and Luke, it tells of people weeping for the dead girl outside her home. When Jesus appeared and stated the girl was not dead but was simply sleeping, the 'mourners' laughed at him. A few moments later, however, their laughter turned to total amazement when Christ raised the girl from the dead.

According to Mark 5:41, in the NKJV, Jesus said, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." It's interesting to note that Jesus used almost the same words as when he raised the widow's son from the dead at Nain. In Luke 7:14, Jesus said seven words to the widow's dead son: "Young man, I say to you, arise."

Answer: Yes

Yes, according to Scripture Jesus also had sisters. However, there is no way of knowing how many or their names. Matthew 13:55-57, in the NKJV, states: "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?"

With the word 'sister' being in the plural form in the passage, it's apparent Jesus had at least two sisters. There are Websites which suggest the sisters had names like Mary and Salome, but it's all speculation.

Answer: True

Going by tradition, John, the disciple Jesus loved, was the only one of the Twelve Disciples to remain at the crucifixion scene. Judas Iscariot had committed suicide and all the other disciples had either fled, or gone into hiding. A small group of women, however, formed the last group of followers to be with Jesus until death. That small group comprised "His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene."

Three days later the tiny group of women would be astounded to find out Jesus had risen from the dead, just like He said He would.

Answer: Mary

Mary, of course, is the correct answer. Details about Mary giving birth to Jesus while a virgin can be found in the first chapter of Matthew and the first and second chapters of Luke. Her husband was Joseph. Scripture doesn't state her age, but many theologians believe she was fifteen years old or younger when she gave birth to Jesus, as it was the custom of the day for girls to marry extremely young.

Answer: Raised her son from the dead

The widow of Nain saw Jesus perform a spectacular miracle -- her son was raised from the dead. This is one of three incidents in which Christ raised people from the dead, according to the four Gospels. He also raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, as per Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56. And then to top things off, He raised Lazarus from the dead, as per John 11:38-44.

Here's how Luke 7:11-15, in the NKJV Bible, tells of the miracle Jesus performed for the widow: "Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, 'Do not weep.' Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise.' So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother."

According to the Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible, Nain is about ten miles south of Nazareth. Incidentally, this is the only place in the entire English Bible where Nain is mentioned.

Answer: Martha

Martha is the correct answer. She had valid reasons for her concerns because her brother Lazarus had been dead for four days in the hot Mediterranean sun. Her concern about an odor emanating from the tomb quickly gave way to total amazement and ecstasy when Christ commanded Lazarus to rise from the tomb and he did just that!

Here's how the miracle is reported in John 11:38-44 in the NKJV:
"Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, 'Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.' Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?' Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.' Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go'."

Answer: A judge

A judge is the correct answer. The woman continually made requests to a judge to act on her behalf and finally she got action. It's almost as if the judge acted to get rid of her.

Here's how the account reads in Luke 18:1-8 in the NKJV:
"Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: 'There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'

"Then the Lord said, 'Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'"

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible offer this explanation of the parable: "The persistence of the widow is the lesson of the parable. God is a counterexample to the judge. God does not begrudge answering prayer. Jesus point is that if an insensitive judge will respond to the continual requests of a widow, God will certainly respond to the continual prayers of believers."

Answer: Mary, the mother of Jesus

The Scripture quotes Mary, the mother of Jesus. She made the statement while pregnant at the time with Jesus, when she visited her relative Elizabeth. Scripture states Elizabeth was pregnant at the time with John the Baptist.

The quote from Mary is part of a hymn which is recorded in its entirety in Luke 1:46-55. According to notes in the New King James Version Study Bible, the hymn gets its name 'Magnificat' from the Latin word for 'magnifies'. "Mary's hymn is a recital of what God had done for her and others in the past," the study notes state.

Here's how Luke 1:46-55 quotes Mary in the NKJV:
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever."

Answer: He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.

Jesus made the famous statement, "he who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." The account of Jesus and the woman found in adultery is found in John 8:1-12.

According to Scripture, Jesus was preparing to teach when the Pharisees made a woman who was caught in adultery stand before the group. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state "the woman's accusers must have been especially eager to humiliate her, since they could have kept her in private custody while they spoke to Jesus."

John 8:4-5 tells of the Pharisees asking a question of Jesus: "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" Scripture says they asked the question to trap Jesus. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state the question was a trap because "the Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences, so if Jesus said to stone her he could have been in conflict with the Romans. If he said not to stone her, he could have been accused of being unsupportive of the law." When the Pharisees kept questioning Jesus, He made the famous statement, "he who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

Notes in the NIV Study Bible state "Jesus' answer disarmed them. Since he spoke of throwing a stone, He could not be accused of failure to uphold the law. But the qualification for throwing it kept anyone from acting." Notes also state that when Jesus used the words 'without sin', "the phrase is quite general and means 'without any sin', not 'without this sin.'"

Verse 9 tells of the response to Christ's statement: "Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last." Apparently, the older ones left first because they could all recall a number of secret sins from their past.

Verses 10-11 go on to state: "When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more'." However, it must be stressed that this does not mean Jesus approved of what the woman had done. He was simply telling her to leave her life of sin behind, and to begin life anew.

What's truly missing in this story are details about the man who was involved in adultery with the woman. Verse 3 states she was "caught in adultery" so her accusers obviously knew the identify of the second adulterer. For whatever reason, he was not hauled before Jesus to be humiliated with the poor woman.

Answer: Five times

According to Scripture, the Samaritan woman at the well had been married five times before. The account is found in John 4:1-26. It's in this account Jesus makes His famous declaration in Verses 13 and 14: "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

No name is given for the woman at the well. While Jews and Samaritans largely despised each other, Samaritans are portrayed in a remarkably good light in the four Gospels. For example, one of Christ's most famous parables is called The Good Samaritan. It tells of a Samaritan stopping to help a badly beaten person along the side of a highway while a priest and a Levite passed by not offering any assistance. The parable is found in Luke 10:25-37.

Answer: Twelve

According to Scripture, she had the problem for twelve years. The account of the woman, who is not named, can be found in Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:28-34 and Luke 8:43-48.

No one, it seems, could heal her. The Bible isn't precise, but it's abundantly apparent the woman had seen a number of doctors. Mark 5:26 states she had spent all her money on "many" doctors, but the condition continued to worsen, instead of improve. Things changed, however, when the woman secretly touched Jesus and, as Scripture states, was "immediately" healed.

According to Scripture there were numerous occasions when people were healed by simply touching Jesus. In the NKJV Bible, Mark 6:56 puts it this way: "Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well." There is a similar account in Matthew 14:34-36.

Answer: Unprepared

The moral of the parable is for Christians to be always prepared for the return of the Lord, because you never know when it is going to happen.

"The ten virgins in this parable were waiting for the wedding possession that went from the bride's home to the home of her husband," notes in the NKJV Study Bible state. "This nighttime procession would use lamps to light the way because ancient cities did not have streetlights.

Here's how the parable reads in it entirety in the NKJV:

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

"And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

"Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible state the possession of oil illustrates the concept of being prepared while a lack of oil represents being unprepared for Christ's return.

The term 'the door was shut' "speaks of being shut out of the kingdom," the study notes say. "The unwise virgins were not ready when Christ returned."

Answer: Herodias

Without question, Herodias was vindictive. As explained in the answer to Question No. 8, Herodias was not only conniving, but extremely vindictive. When she left her first husband (Herod Phillip I) and married his half brother Herod Antipas, John the Baptist was disgusted and denounced the union, according to the 14th chapter of Matthew. As a result, Herod ordered the arrest of John the Baptist and from this point on, his fate was sealed as Herodias had him in her clutches.

Matthew 14:6-12 reports Herod hosted a lavish birthday party for himself and when Herodias' daughter danced at the reception, Herod was so pleased he told the girl he would give her whatever she asked for. Verse 9, in the NIV Bible, states: "Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist'."

Verse 11 goes on to tell of this macabre scene: "His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother."

Answer: 2 mites in NKJV, 2 small copper coins in NIV

The widow put in two mites, or two small copper coins while rich people put in large amounts. However, Jesus pointed out the widow's offering was vastly superior because she gave from her heart and gave everything she had.

Here's how Mark 12:41-44 explains things in the NKJV:
"Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood'."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible point out Mark "notes for his Roman readers that two mites make a quadrans, a Roman monetary unit mentioned by Mark and Matthew (Matt. 5:26) only once. It was worth just a few cents."

Answer: Twelve years

Jairus's daughter was twelve years old. As explained in the answer to No. 10, no name is given for the little girl. Accounts of Jesus raising her from the dead can be found in Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56. She was one of three people Christ raised from the dead. According to the Gospels, He also raised the widow's son at Nain (Luke 7:11-15) and Lazarus (John 11:38-44)from the dead.

Answer: Elizabeth

Zechariah was married to Elizabeth and according to Luke 1:5-80, they were the parents of John the Baptist.

Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist even though she and her husband were both "very old", according to the first chapter of Luke. Luke 12:5 states Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. Meanwhile, Luke 1:39-45 tells of Elizabeth meeting with Mary, the teenage virgin girl who was pregnant with Jesus. The two were relatives and their offspring would change the course of history.