Religious Texts of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hinduism

The Pentateuch is a term often used for the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Both Christians and Jews recognize the Pentateuch as scripture. It is also a part of Muslims' tradition, but in a different way: Muslims believe in the Torah as revealed to Moses; however, they believe these books have been tampered with and are therefore only accurate in so far as they agree with the Qur'an.

Answer: Hadith

The Qur'an, unlike the Hadith, is considered to be the revealed word of God given to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Muslims also respect the Gospels in so far as they agree with the Qur'an, but those are Christian (not Muslim) works.

Answer: Avesta

The Mishnah is a commentary on the Torah, a collection of rulings and laws passed down orally for generations and finally recorded under the direction of Rabbi Judah Hanassi. The Gemara is commentary on the Mishnah, and it, together with the Mishnah, forms the Talmud.

Answer: The Bhagavad-Gita

The Bhagavad-Gita, which is a part of the longer epic the Mahabharata, takes the form of a dialogue between the god Krishna and the warrior Arjuna.

Answer: The Way of a Pilgrim

The Way of a Pilgrim is a Russian, mystical Christian text. The Book of Mormon is regarded by Mormons to be another testament of Jesus Christ, in addition to the New Testament. The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price contain many Mormon teachings and church practices not found in the Book of Mormon.

Answer: The Zohar

The Zohar is the canonical text of the Kabbalah, a mystical Jewish tradition that teaches that the original Torah is not the one revealed to Moses but one which emanated from the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

Answer: The Bible, The Bhagavad-Gita, and the Tao Te Ching

The wide translation of these three works is not owing solely to the number of people who practice the religions espoused in them; they are also widely translated because they are beautiful works of poetry enjoyed by readers who do not necessarily practice the religions the works inspired.

The Bhagavad-Gita, for instance, had an enormous influence on the work of the Christian English poet T.S. Eliot.

Answer: The Talmud

The Talmud is the source of many sayings that have become proverbs in the English language, such as "actions speak louder than words" and "birds of a feather flock together."

Answer: The Tao Te Ching

Tao, which means "way," is the cornerstone of Chinese religious thought. Of the Way, the Tao Te Ching also says, "When the inferior man hears the Way, he laughs at it loudly. If he did not laugh, it would not be fit to be the Way."

Answer: Qur'an

A jinn is created from smokeless fire and Muslims are forbidden to see or contact them; they are to defend themselves against jinn by continually recalling Allah.

Answer: Zohar

Sikhs also read the Janamsākhīs, a collection of writings containing biographies of Guru Nanak Dev. These are not regarded as scripture, per se, but they are highly esteemed.

Answer: Tibetan Book of the Dead

Tibetan Buddhism is the smallest of the three branches of Buddhism, which include Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Answer: Avesta

The Avesta contains liturgy, hymns, prayers, and descriptions of evil spirits and the means of frustrating them. It was compiled in the 4th century AD, although many portions are much older than that.

Answer: Gospel of John

This quotation comes from the King James translation of the Bible. The New Testament of the Christian Bible contains four Gospels recounting the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. John is the most unique of the four Gospels, and the other three, which appear to share similar source materials, are referred to as the "synoptic" Gospels.

Answer: Rumi

Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī lived and taught in the 13th century. He was a Persian philosopher, a Muslim poet, and a renowned theologian. His followers founded the order that became known as "Whirling Dervishes" and who worship in the form of dance. His poetry has profoundly influenced a variety of literature.

Answer: Romans

Psalms is in the Hebrew Bible / Christian Old Testament. Moroni is in the Book of Mormon, and The Resurrection is the title of one of the suras (books) of the Qur'an.

Answer: Ruth

The first division of the Hebrew Bible is the Law, which consists of the five books of Moses. The second division is the Prophets, which include Joshua, Amos (a minor prophet), and Ezekiel, among others. The third division, the Writings, includes Ruth.

Answer: Buddhism

The text, which is regarded with varying degrees of reverence, is broken into three divisions (thus the "three baskets"): Vinaya Pitaka (rules), Sutra Pitaka (discourses of Buddha), and Abhidharma Pitaka (commentaries on the Buddha's teachings).

Answer: False

The Protestant Old Testament follows the Jewish Bible, but it subdivides the books further so that, although the material is the same, the number of books is greater. The Catholic Old Testament includes several additional books not found in either the Jewish Bible or the Protestant Old Testament, including Tobit, I and II Macabees, and Judith, among others. Protestants refer to these additional books as the "apocrypha."

Answer: Any of these

The term encyclical derives from the Greek word for circle. The "bull" of "Papal bull" arose because a lead bulla or seal was generally attached to the letter by a cord. The least commonly used term of the three is "epistle," although it was the popular term applied to the encyclical letters of Paul and other apostles that became part of the New Testament canon.

Answer: False

Not all Christians believe the Bible is infallible. Those who do usually state that it is infallible in its "original autographs."

Answer: True

The Qur'an is believed to have been revealed directly to Muhammad by Allah over a 23-year period, and it is regarded by Muslims as Allah's final revelation to humanity.

Answer: Kalpa Sutra

Among other things, the Kalpa Sutra contains a biography of the founder of Jainism. The "Jesus Sutras" is a name given to a collection of Taoist Christian writings discovered in China.

Answer: Shintoism

The Kojiki, Japan's oldest surviving book, relates the mythological ancient history of the nation. In addition to the history, the work also contains poetry and songs.

Answer: Baha'i

The Iranian Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad proclaimed himself the Báb in 1844, and he was executed in 1850. His teachings are regarded as a precursor to the Baha'i faith. His tomb remains a place of pilgrimage for the Baha'is.