Biblical Alphabetics -- The Letter 'E' Quiz

Answer: Eve

Eve, of course, is described as the mother of all living. According to Genesis 3:20 she was given the name by Adam. They were the parents of Cain, Abel and Seth as well as other sons and daughters, as per Genesis 5:4. However, Scripture does not state how many children Eve had.

It could have been a large number because Adam lived to be 930 years old, according to Genesis 5:5. Scripture does not indicate how old Eve was when she died.

Answer: Eden

Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, according to Genesis 2:8. The passage in the NKJV Bible states: "The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed." The stay of Adam and Eve would be short-lived as they both ate forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and were driven out by the LORD, as per the third chapter of Genesis.

Answer: Elimelek

Elimelek is the correct answer, but not much is known about him as he is mentioned in passing reference. According to Ruth 1:2, Elimelek and his wife Naomi were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. They were the parents of two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, who married Orpah and Ruth, two Moabite women. According to Ruth 1:3-5, Elimelek and his two sons died, leaving Naomi, Orpah and Ruth as widows.

Answer: The Philistines captured the Ark of the LORD'S Covenant.

The correct answer is that the Philistines captured the Ark of the LORD'S Covenant at Ebenezer. Details are given in the fourth chapter of 1 Samuel, with verse 10 stating Israel lost 30,000 foot soldiers in the bloody battle. Subsequent chapters tell of Philistines being beset with plagues and the Ark of the LORD'S Covenant eventually being returned to the Israelites.

Answer: Ezekiel

The prophet Ezekiel writes about his vision in the Old Testament book that bears his name. The vision, which is detailed and complex, appears in the first chapter of Ezekiel. Here's a taste of his vision, as per Ezekiel 1:19-21, in the NKJV Bible: "When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels."

Ezekiel concludes the chapter by writing: "Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD."

A famous folk song is called 'Ezekiel Saw the Wheel'. According to Wikipedia, the song has been covered by such artists as Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, John Lee Hooker, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and Gold City. The song, of course, is based on Ezekiel's divine vision.

Answer: Elisha

The story of the floating axhead appears in 2 Kings 6:1-7. In a nutshell, Elisha and a group of prophets were cutting trees along the Jordan River to build a new place to live when suddenly an axhead fell into the water. The prophet who lost the axhead was apparently filled with distress as it was borrowed.

When Elisha asked the man where the axhead fell, the spot was pointed out to him. 2 Kings, 6-7, in the NIV Bible, states: "Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 'Lift it out,' he said.

Then the man reached out his hand and took it."

Answer: Erastus

Not much is known about Erastus apart from the fact he is described by Paul in Romans as the city's director of public works. (Paul was in Corinth when he wrote Romans.) The name Erastus also appears in Acts 19:22 and in 2 Timothy 4:20, but theologians suspect it might not be the same person because Erastus was a common name in Biblical times.

Here's some fascinating trivia from the notes in the NIV Study Bible. The notes state "at Corinth, archaeologists have discovered a re-used block of stone in a paved square with the Latin inscription: 'Erastus, commissioner of public works, bore the expense of this pavement'."

Answer: Euodia

Euodia and Syntyche did not get along, it seems. This even though they both labored with Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. However, little light is shed on the situation. In Philippians 4:2-3, in the NIV Bible, Paul writes: "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life." Philippi is the same community in which Paul converted Lydia and her family as well as the jailer and his family to Christianity. Details of their conversion are found in Acts 16:11-40.

Answer: Eutychus

Eutychus fell out of a third story window at Troas, when Paul preached on and on, according to Acts 20:7-12. After Eutychus tumbled out the window, people rushed downstairs and found him dead. According to Scripture, Paul raised the young man from the dead and went back upstairs and ate and did some more preaching. Troas is in present day Turkey, south of the ancient city of Troy.

Answer: False

False. Ephesus is in present day Turkey. The book addressed to believers in Ephesus is known as Ephesians. Ephesus is on the southwest coast of present day Turkey. According to Wikipedia, it was the second largest city in the Roman empire with only Rome being larger. Today the city is an archaeological site, three kilometers southwest of Selçukiod.