A Quick Look at Ten New Testament Books Quiz

Answer: Matthew

Matthew is the correct answer. In addition to Matthew, the writer of the first book in the New Testament was also known as Levi. Matthew consists of twenty-eight chapters and concentrates on the teachings of Jesus as well His death and resurrection.

Fittingly, the Gospel of Matthew contains more references to money than the three other Gospels.

One of my favorite Bible verses is from Matthew 11:28-30. The verses in the NKJV state: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Answer: Philemon

Philemon is the correct answer. Out of the thirteen books the apostle Paul is traditionally credited with writing, Philemon is the shortest, consisting of twenty-five verses. Philemon was the owner of the runaway slave Onesimus and he lived in Colossae, in what is now part of Turkey.

Onesimus is part of one of those 'amazing small-world stories'. Paul converted Philemon to Christianity and then preached the news of a resurrected Jesus Christ in a number of other communities in Turkey and Europe before ending up in Rome. Philemon's slave Onesimus runs away and heads to Rome and wouldn't you know it, he meets up with Paul who in turn converts the run-away slave to Christianity.

Later, Paul would write the book of Philemon, a passionate appeal to Philemon to accept Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as an equal in Christ.

Answer: John

The account of Jesus encountering an unnamed Samaritan woman at a well is found in only the Gospel of John. 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."

Answer: Jude

Jude consists of only one chapter and contains twenty-five verses. However, there is no clear consensus as to who was the author of the book as no less than six men are called Jude in the New Testament.

The major theme of the book is to beware of false teachers of the Gospel. Such teachers are under the condemnation of God, the book states.

There are similarities between Jude and Second Peter and it appears one has borrowed from the other. However, it is impossible to determine which one borrowed from the other, most theologians agree.

Answer: Revelation

According to Revelation 1:9, the book was written by John while in exile on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. John states he wrote the book after having a divine vision. The full name of the book is The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

While the book contains details of horrific doom and gloom for non-Christians, it also paints a picture of paradise for followers of Christ.

No one knows for certain as to the date the book was written. Dates ranging from before A.D. 70 to A.D. 95 have been offered by various scholars.

Answer: Romans

Romans is one of thirteen books Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, is credited with writing. The verse in question ("For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ) comes from Romans 6:23.

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible describe Romans as "the flagship of the fleet of Pauline letters in the New Testament." Over the centuries the book has won lofty praise from the likes of Augustine, Martin Luther and John Wesley.

Answer: Mark

Mark is the only Gospel to tell of an unidentified man fleeing naked after the arrest of Jesus. There is a school of thought the naked man was actually Mark, the writer of the Gospel. While no one knows for certain the man's identity, notes in the New King James Version Study Bible suggest Mark could very well be the person.

The notes reason that because Mark is the only one to include the account of the naked man, the questions need to be asked "how else would he have known this story and why else should he have included it?"

It is believed by many theologians the Last Supper was at the home of Mark and it's quite possible he arose from bed, pulled on a linen cloth and followed Jesus and His disciples.

It's all speculation, of course. No one knows for certain.

For the record, here's how Mark 14:51-52 tells of the incident in the NKJV: "Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked."

Answer: Titus

Titus is the correct answer. The epistle was written by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, and addressed to Titus, a worker in the early church on the island of Crete, as per Titus 1:5.

Tradition holds Titus was written around A.D. 63, shortly after Paul wrote 1 Timothy. Titus appears immediately after 2 Timothy and is followed by Philemon.

Crete is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, just southeast of Greece.

Answer: Luke

The Gospel of Luke is the only book in the New Testament that contains information about the parable of the Prodigal Son. The ever popular parable appears in Luke 15:11-32.

Scripture says the Lost Son squandered all his money in a foreign land and became so destitute, he hired himself out to a man who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. Ending up in such circumstances would be almost unthinkable for a Jew as pigs were seen as unclean and strictly forbidden from the diet. Feeding pigs would be seen as the lowest of the low among jobs, perhaps on the same scale today as that of a toilet bowl cleaner.

The parable has a happy ending as the Prodigal Son decides to return home to his father and he is welcomed with open arms.

Answer: Acts

Acts, written by Luke, is the correct answer. It appears after the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and provides an account of how the early church spread in Asia Minor (present day Turkey) and Europe. One of the central figures in the book is Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.

However, a number of other church workers are also featured, including the likes of Barnabas, John Mark, Silas and Timothy. Similar to the Gospel of Luke, the Book of Acts is addressed to Theophilus. It consists of twenty-eight chapters.