Table Time Trivia

Trivia [ Bible ] questions:

1. What do Joshua and Jesus have in common?

THE SAME NAME!

Both names mean savior. Their names were both Y’eshua in Hebrew, but in translating the Bible Joshua got translated “Joshua” and Jesus stayed “Jesus”, which is the Greek form of Y’eshua.

2. What does “gospel” mean?

GOOD NEWS.

2 It’s an old English word. The Latin word was “evangelium” from which we get “evangelism.” Latin seems to get it from the Greeks whose word “euangelion” which is used in the Bible over 100 times. Originally, it was the message brought by a runner coming from battle to announce the good news that our city-state was winning. Both Matthew and Mark used the word to mean the good news that Jesus brought, but by 150 AD it was used to mean the books about Jesus.

3. Have you ever heard of a “fire and brimstone preacher? What is brimstone, anyway?

IT USED TO BE A COMMON WORD FOR SULFUR.

In the Bible it almost always comes with fire, so it probably means a sulphurous fire. If you’ve ever smelled sulfur burning (like hair or egg shells), then you can understand why it was used as an illustration of something you want to avoid.

4. What does the word “bible” mean?

IT MEANS “THE BOOK”

The Latin word biblia derives from the fact that scrolls were written on papyrus (called byblos) because it was imported from the Phoenician city of Byblos. In one sense, it’s not a book, it’s a collection of very different books. Some are poetry, others like letters, and others are where someone finally wrote down centuries-old oral tales. But it’s THE book because it’s the all time best seller, the most read book in the world, and the most influential book ever. The book indeed!

3 5. What is “Manna?” When the Jews were hungry in the wilderness during the Exodus, God gave them manna to eat. It was God’s supernatural provision for their need. But what is it? It turns out that the word “manna” actually means, was “Man Hu” and not “Manna.”)

“WHAT IS IT?”

(But the original Hebrew

Manna still exists today! It is a delicious, sugary derivative of the tamarisk bush native to the Sinai Peninsula. It’s still known as “Mann” to the locals. But as good as it tastes, you might not want to try it when you find out that manna is a crystallized form of tamarask sap, excreted in drops by insects. It falls from the bushes each morning. The Jews had to gather it early before the ants and other animals got it. Today “Manna from heaven” means any delightful gift from God.

6. What does “Christ” mean? We know that both “Messiah” (Hebrew) and “Khristos” (Greek) mean but what does that mean?

“THE ANOINTED ONE”

Jewish kings such as David and Solomon were considered to be God’s direct representatives and were sacred. Their coronation ceremony involved anointing the new king (probably with valuable oil or perfume) and declaring him to have been chosen by God. By the time of Jesus, the nation of Israel had been broken up and their temple destroyed. For generations they had been expecting their new leader, “the anointed one,” meaning the one chosen by God to be his sacred and direct representative. Their prophets had predicted him and they were expecting him.

7. What is an Epiphany? (as in “Epiphany Sunday”)

AN EPIPHANY IS AN APPEARANCE OR MANIFESTATION OF GOD.

4 That Sunday (just after Christmas) commemorates the appearance of angels to the shepherds and the wise men telling them that the long-awaited Messiah had been born. Today you might hear it used to mean a sudden, intuitive perception of, or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something. An “ah-ha” experience. When you suddenly see the truth that was there all along.

8. Okay, here’s an easy one: What is the only part of the bible that Jesus wrote?

JESUS DID NOT WRITE ANY OF IT.

The four gospels of Jesus Christ were thought to have been written years after Jesus’ death, between 65-70 AD (Mark) and 90-95 AD (John). And we don’t really even know who wrote them! The church has attributed them to the four men they are named after, but we don’t really know for sure. They contain no claim to authorship, as do Paul’s letters.

9. The bible is always talking about Babylon and Mesopotamia. Where are they?

BASICALLY IRAQ!

The land area of Mesopotamia has had more names than you can shake a stick at. There were people there a long time before the Samarian civilization emerged. Then it became the Babylonian empire. Then it was Assyria for a long time. The borders were pretty fluid during all this time, but the center of civilization was always around the Tigres and Euphrates rivers. Finally it was annexed by Persia (now Iran.) Baghdad was the birthplace of much mathematics and astronomy. During the dark ages of Europe, much of the acquired knowledge of civilization was kept alive in Baghdad’s vast libraries.

10. Who are the Philistines that the Jews were always fighting (in the OT)?

THE ORIGINAL HEBREW WORD “P’HISHTIM” MEANT “SEA PEOPLE.”

5 Historians think that they were possibly the people who moved from the Island of Crete to Canaan (the “holy land”) to escape a famine. They arrived just after the Israelites. They settled in Palestine, which is named for them. Goliath was a Philistine. The people that Samson whupped up on were Philistines.

11. “Hallowed be thy name.” What is Hallowed?

SYNONYMS ARE SANCTIFIED, CONSECRATED, SACROSANCT AND VENERATED.

In this case it means we are honoring his name, but “hallow” goes beyond “honor.” It’s like “honor times ten” or “honor from our very core.” It’s like you might give respect to a person, but you only give reverence to God. You might submit to your teacher because you need to, but you submit to God because you want to, because you love him and know that he will always love you. Because you know that his will for you is always better than your will for yourself. He sees the big picture and you don’t. “Hallowed be thy name” is a profession of faith. You are declaring God to be your God.

12. In church at the end of the service, the pastor nearly always gives a “benediction.” What does that word mean? Let’s take it apart: Bene is what? If something is beneficial, what is it? It’s good! (benefactor, beneficiary, benefit) You already know the second part. What is diction? Speech! So the literal translation in Italian and Latin and English is

“GOOD SPEAKING” OR “GOOD WORDS.”

6

And in fact, it means a blessing.

13. Why was “the fat of the land” a good reward? In our incredibly wealthy times, we have too much fat and so consider it a bad thing. But fat is an important nutrient, and was prized throughout much of history. It all has to do with the translation. In the Hebrew text, Pharaoh doesn’t say “fat”, he says “best.” But in times past it has been translated that Pharaoh promised that the house of Israel shall “eat the fat of the land” during a time of famine.

14. Think about a traditional nativity scene. You have got Jesus in a manger (what’s a manger) and three wise men and shepherds & mom & dad and some animals. Where do we get this cast? Matthew? Mark? Luke? John? Or all?

OUR POPULAR JESUS BIRTH STORY IS A BLENDING OF TWO STORIES INTO ONE.

In the case of the nativity cast, Matthew doesn’t mention shepherds or a manger. Luke doesn’t include the wise men. Mark & John don’t have anything about Jesus’ birth at all. And none of the gospel writers call the wise men “kings” or says that there are three of them. It just says that they brought three gifts.

15. Why is the bible written with numbered verses instead of like a normal book?

THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN WITHOUT THOSE CHAPTERS AND VERSE NUMBERS.

They were added much later as an aid to study and reference. There were other changes as well, for example, first Samuel and second Samuel were originally one scroll. Luke and Acts were one scroll, but we separated the Gospel part. Also, many of the books did not have any kind of title, so they are referred to by the first word in the text (Genesis, Revelation, etc.)

7 16. What is a “scapegoat ” and where does the term come from? Leviticus chapt. 16 describes a Jewish ritual in which two male goats are to be brought to the Tabernacle. Aaron is supposed to cast lots to determine which goat will be sacrificed and which one will be the scapegoat. When the scapegoat “is sent away into the wilderness, it will make atonement for the people.” That’s pretty much what it means today too. One person is cast out, taking the blame for the others. By the way, Leviticus means “priestly matters.” Who ran the temple during Moses time? The Levites. Who were the Levites? The tribe of Levi (one of the 12 tribes.)

17. What does “orthodox” mean? Ortho means “correct” orthodontics = correct teeth and orthopedics = correct feet.

ORTHODOX MEANS CORRECT BELIEF.

Many religions, including Judaism stress orthopraxy or “correct practice.” But Christianity holds that correct belief – belief in Jesus – is the key and that correct practice will naturally flow from a sincere belief in Him.

18. Why is Satan sometimes called “Beelzebub? In much of the Old Testament the enemies of the Jews worship a rival god called baal. In fact, the Jews are tempted, time after time, to worship him as well. But the Lord is worshiped by doing good things like practicing justice and kindness. Baal is worshiped by doing bad things including human sacrifice. Now baal has many names (just as God does.) One of them is Baal-Zebul which means “Baal the prince.” The Hebrews loved puns and mockingly called him “Baal-Zebub” which sounds similar but means “Lord of the flies.” There’s even a book and movie by that name.

8

So all of this gives us insight into the biblical understanding of Satan. He’s a false god who leads us in the wrong direction.

19. What’s a hypocrite? Jesus doesn’t like hypocrisy and he teaches about it in several places. In Matthew 6:2-4 he says, “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Hypocrite is a Greek word meaning an actor in a play. So it’s someone who is delivering a line that does not come from his heart. Today it means someone who expresses one set of values, but practices another.

20. So Jesus was born on December 25th, right?

THE SCRIPTURES NEVER TELL US WHEN JESUS WAS BORN.

In fact, Luke says that there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night. That’s something they only did on warm summer nights. The earliest Christians did not celebrate Jesus’ birthday as far as we know. By the third century we did, but different congregations did so on different dates. Most scholars agree that December 25th was chosen by the Church of Rome to overshadow and replace a pagan celebration called “birthday of the invincible sun.” This party celebrated the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice. And so it is that “birthday of the invincible sun” became “birthday of the invincible son.”

9

conversation starters:

1. Do you think that God might tell us one thing at one time and a different thing at a later time? Why? 2. Tell me one thing that you know about God. 3. How do we sometimes observe God’s little rules but ignore the big ones? 4. If you felt like God wanted you to go serve him in another country, but he didn’t tell you where, which country would you choose? 5. Do you find it hard to apologize? Why do you think it’s so hard/easy? 6. When you are tempted to do something you know is wrong, what helps you stand strong and not do it? 7. We shouldn’t judge people by appearances. Does that mean we don’t need to pay attention to our own appearance? 8. When you are worried or afraid, what thought helps you to calm down? 9. Do you think that the things you see and the things you think about eventually influence how you behave? Why or why not? 10. If your friend asked you “How do I become a Christian?” what would you tell them?