Fractured Biblical Figures Trivia Quiz

Answer: Moses

Moses was born into an Israelite family in Egypt at a time when the Pharaoh, worried at the increasing size of the Israelites in that country, ordered that all newborn Hebrew boys be slain. Hidden in the rushes near the Nile by his mother, he was rescued by an Egyptian princess and reared as an Egyptian prince.

He would go on to flee the land of his birth after killing a man, and return many years later to lead his people out of Egypt into the Promised Land.

Answer: Isaiah

Isaiah, a prophet from the 8th century BC, is believed to have written the 66 chapters in the biblical book of the same name. Isaiah, who was married, had two sons. His wife was either thought to be a prophetess herself, or was known by that name because of being married to Isaiah wife. A great deal of his prophecies centred on the return of Israel from captivity in Babylon.

Answer: Jeremiah

Another major prophet from the Bible is Jeremiah. He is referred to as the weeping prophet. He lived during the time of the fall of Jerusalem and was witness to the destruction of Solomon's temple as well. Momentous times, indeed. Many of his prophecies were centred around these two major events.

Answer: Thomas

Thomas was one of the original twelve Apostles of Christ and, because he initially doubted that the risen Christ was that very person, he has become known down through the centuries as "Doubting Thomas". He travelled far and wide during his later missions in life, reaching India and beyond. There is one belief that he even made his way to Paraguay as well.

Answer: Virgin Mary

Mary, the virgin mother of Christ, conceived her son, Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. She gave birth to him in a lowly stable in Bethlehem, a village to which she had travelled with her new husband, Joseph, for the taking of a census. Part of her son's life right up until his crucifixion, she was there, heart-broken, at that dreadful scene. On her death many years later, she was taken directly to heaven.

Answer: Gabriel

The angel Gabriel is sent by God on several occasions to earth to deliver important news to mankind. To Christians, these occasions include interpreting some of the prophet Daniel's statement (8:15-26 for example), announcing the forthcoming birth of his son to Zechariah (father of John the Baptist), and, in Luke, announcing her pregnancy to the Virgin Mary.

The Muslims believe Gabriel was an archangel sent to deliver revelations to figures such as Muhammad, while the Mormons, who are also Christians, believe that Gabriel came in the guise of Noah as well.

Answer: Rebekah

The biblical Rebekah was the wife of Isaac (son of Abraham) and the mother of the twin brothers, Esau and Jacob, who, like many brothers, didn't get along too well. In fact Jacob pulled a dirty trick on Esau when he was famished for some food and tricked Esau, the first born of the twins, into parting with his birthright in exchange for a bowl of stew.

Then, with the connivance of Rebekah, Jacob tricked his blind father on his deathbed, into give Esau's blessing of the firstborn to him instead of his brother. Esau's reaction to this, when he realised what had happened, was rather heartbreaking in this tale of woe.

Answer: Nicodemus

The Pharisee Nicodemus is a goodly man who is converted to the faith of Jesus, after his conversation with the Lord. He appeared three times is a reading of the Gospel of John. The first is his in depth conversation on matters of faith with Jesus, the second is when he reminds his previous colleagues that a person should be heard before being taken to face judgement, and the third is when he provides the spices used by Joseph of Arimathea to embalm the body of Jesus following his crucifixion.

Answer: Rachel

Rachel was the favourite and true love of Jacob's two wives in the Bible, but he was tricked into marrying her sister Leah instead. There's some kind of poetic justice in that, considering his treatment of Esau. He continued to love Rachel all his life, and though he had most of his children with Leah and the hand maids of the two sisters, he still hankered for Rachel (for 14 years in all) until he was allowed to marry her as well. From those unions sprang the twelve tribes of Israel. I always feel sorry for Leah in this tale from the Bible. From Jacob's marriage to Rachel came his favourite son, Joseph, and his brother, Benjamin, whose birth resulted in the death of Rachel.

Answer: Abel

I imagine most would know the story of the naughty biblical Cain, and how he murdered his brother, Abel. Both men were the children of Adam and Eve, with Cain being the first born. While Abel went to work on the land, Cain became a shepherd instead, but when it came time for the two to honour God with the best of their produce, Abel did indeed give of his best, but it is believed by many that Cain gave that of lesser quality.

He subsequently became enraged when God favoured Abel's sacrifice instead of his own, and murdered Abel.

His punishment was to be condemned to a life of wandering with the brand of a murderer forever marked on his forehead, but that protected him from being killed as well. Many of the Bible's endlessly fascinating stories are parables and should perhaps be considered in that light.