Easy Bible Quiz about Bible History

Answer these Bible history questions in this easy Bible quiz.

OK, peek at the answers because we are not all seminary students.

Links to additional information are underlined.

Challenge yourself on this fairly easy history Bible quiz with answers.

Easy Bible Questions

What is the overall theme of the Christian Bible?

a. The Bible encompasses the entirety of Earth's history, from Adam's birth to 1611 AD.
b. It is about God’s love for His people and His instructions for humanity to live by.
c. The Bible is entirely about God's punishment for disobedience.

Answer B: God's love.

The Bible contains God’s master plan of salvation from humanity's disobedience.

God’s forgiveness and salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus are the theme of the Bible.

The Bible emphasizes the importance of love and faith in everyday life, as well as His grace.
Why should the Bible be believed?

a. Because our preachers say we should.
b. Nostradamus established the authenticity of the Bible.
c. Discovery of related artifacts supports its historical accuracy and validity.

Answer C: Discovery of artifacts.

Many scientists are now challenging their original creation hypothesis and discovering, through scientific research, that the biblical account may be accurate.
Archaeologists are constantly uncovering and discovering evidence that corresponds to the stories in the Bible and providing historical accuracy and validity.
Several renowned and respected historical writers have written about and support facts in the Bible.
Here is one of many websites that describes the facts that support the Bible's authenticity.
What day of the week did God designate as the Sabbath in the Book of Genesis?

a. Friday.
b. Saturday.
c. Sunday.

Answer B: Saturday.

The modern calendar shows Saturday as the seventh day, which has been a continuance since the time of Adam and Eve.
Genesis 2:1-2
How did the early believers express their very first forms of scripture?

a. They expressed themselves verbally (or orally) in songs, poems, stories, and other narratives.
b. Chalk, a soft white mineral, or kaolinite, a type of clay, was used to write on slabs of slate.
c. God's believers first expressed themselves by writing with dyes on linen cloth.

Answer A: Verbally.

Before the invention of written language, people passed down the biblical stories verbally.
The written language of the Bible came about in the 10th century BC.
Wikipedia offers additional information about early scripture.
Which of the following statements are true concerning the Bible?

a. It is believed by all religions of the modern world.
b. The Bible is the most shoplifted book in history.
c. A Bible cannot be destroyed by fire.

Answer C: Most shoplifted books.

According to the New York Times, the Bible is the most stolen book of all time.
If a town did not accept the disciples when preaching, what did Jesus tell them to do?

a. The disciples were to fast and pray for them.
b. Leave and shake the dust off their sandals.
c. Seek shelter at a believer's home.

Answer b: Leave and shake the dust off their sandals.

Mark 6:11
What writings and documents are the source of the original Bible?

a. The writings of Nostradamus.
b. Ancient Hebrew and Greek writings recorded on scrolls.
c. Judaic manuscripts that were found in the tombs beneath the Jerusalem temple.

Answer B: Ancient Hebrew and Greek writings.

The Bible came from ancient Hebrew and ancient Koine Greek, written on scrolls.
A few of the original biblical texts were also written in Aramaic.
What does God tell us to seek first?

a. We are to seek a church that has a loyal preacher.
b. Seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness.
c. A true believer wife as a life partner.

Answer B: To seek God's kingdom.

First, we are instructed to seek God's kingdom and his righteousness.
Matthew 6:31-34
Why did God cause it to rain for 40 days and nights, creating the massive flood?

a. God wanted to kill off humanity because he regretted creating them.
b. Abraham's sins were leading the Hebrews away from God's ways.
c. The people had turned into a gay society.

Answer A: To kill off humanity.

Genesis 6:5-8
Between what years were the biblical manuscripts written?

a. 2000 BC - 1400 BC.
b. 3500 BC—1000 BC.
c. 1400 BC—100 AD.

Answer C: 1400 BC and 100 AD.
It took over 1,500 years to write the biblical manuscripts.
The scrolls were written from the time of Moses, 1450 BC, to about 100 AD, the time of the Book of Revelation.
Moses is accepted as the one who wrote the first five books of the Bible.
John is the one accepted as writing the last book of the Bible.
What is another name for the ancient scriptural scrolls?

a. Codex or manuscript.
b. Anecdotes.
c. Pretext.

Answer A: Codices and manuscripts.

The ancient scriptural scrolls were codices and manuscripts primarily made from animal-based parchment called "vellum" and plant-based material called "papyrus."
What are the first and last books of the standard Bible?

a. Alpha and Omega.
b. Abraham and John.
c. Genesis and Revelation.

Answer C: Genesis and Revelation.

The book of Genesis tells the story of the beginning of Earth's timeline.
An unknown John is credited with writing the Book of Revelation, telling the story of Earth's end times.
Why do some of the books of the Bible have red lettering in them?

a. The red lettering represents the words that Jesus spoke in the Gospels.
b. Red letters show the words of Abraham, the patriarch.
c. The red lettering emphasizes significant biblical concepts.

Answer A: Words spoken by Jesus.

Bibles with red lettering are called "Red Letter Editions."
These reflect the words that Jesus spoke.
When and where was the first Bible printed on a printing press?

a. 1454 in Germany.
b. 1611 in England.
c. 1663 in America.

Answer A: 1454 AD in Germany.

Johannes Gutenberg invented the "movable type mold" printing press.
The first Bible printed using his printing press was in 1454 AD at Mainz, Germany.
Gutenberg printed 180 Bibles, of which 48 copies exist today.
What is the paraphrase of the first of the Ten Commandments?

a. Love your neighbors as you would love yourself.
b. Keep the Sabbath holy and go to church.
c. I am your only God.

Answer C: Have no other gods but me.

Exodus 20:1–17.
Did the original scriptures always have sixty-six (66) books, as the Bible does today?

a. No, they did not.
b. Yes, exactly as it was in the year 100 A.D.
c. Yes, but some religious denominations added the Apocrypha, which refers to a collection of ancient texts that are not considered canonical by all Christian traditions.

Answer A: NO.

There are over 150 total biblical scriptures.
The early believers had and utilized numerous books not found in the Bible.
The Bible itself mentions several books that are not present in the current version.
In 367 AD, Father Athanasius of the Catholic Church selected 66 books from all those available that the Catholic Church agreed upon to make the Bible.
Which section of the original Bible manuscripts was in Hebrew?

a. Apocrypha.
b. Old Testament.
c. New Testament.
d. The Gospels of Jesus.

Answer B: Old Testament.

Ancient Hebrew was the primary language of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament.
However, some of the books (scrolls and manuscripts) of the Apocrypha were written in Hebrew.
Which section of the original Bible manuscripts was written in Koine Greek?

a. Apocrypha.
b. Old Testament.
c. New Testament.
d. The Pentateuch.

Answer C: New Testament.

Ancient Koine Greek was the primary language of the New Testament.
However, some of the books (scrolls and manuscripts) of the Apocrypha were written in Greek.
Which statement below is true about the original Koine Greek language?

a. Koine Greek has 24 letters, all capital, and has no spaces between words and no punctuation marks.
b. It is similar to Chinese in that it has over 2000 symbols, some of which translate to a complete word.
c. Koine Greek has the same syntax and grammatical aspects as English, with about 1000 words.

Answer A: It has 24 letters that are all capitals with no spaces.

The word "Koine" is translated as meaning "common," as in the common language of the people, and it was spread worldwide thanks to Alexander the Great.
It is written in scriptio continua, meaning without spaces or punctuation, with an alphabet of 24 letters.
Which famous English Bible version was printed in the year 1611?

a. The Vulgate, the Latin version of the Bible approved by Saint Jerome in the 4th century.
b. His Highness, Pope Damasus, first approved the Catholic canon in 1611.
c. The King James Version, approved by the King of England.

Answer C: The King James version.

The first version of the King James Bible was published in 1611.
Several revisions have been made to correct some errors, with the 1982 version being the most accurate.
What is the Old Testament of the Bible about?

a. This section of the Bible tells the story of God and His people before the birth of Christ.
b. The Old Testament is the basic story of Abraham and his Jesuit family lineage.
c. It explains what heaven is and what life is like there.

Answer A: Story of God.

It tells the story from the creation of the Earth up to 400 years before the birth of Jesus the Messiah.
These are stories explaining how God's chosen people were continually disobedient and what punishments they received.
It reveals to us through prophets the events of the future, many of which have already taken place.
The Old Testament contains God's laws, commandments, rules, guidelines, etc.
In the Old Testament, why did God evict Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden?

a. Eve persuaded Adam to consume an apple.
b. Adam and Eve were disobedient to God.
c. The serpent convinced Adam and Eve that the devil was the Lord, and they believed him.

Answer B: Disobeyed God.

Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden because they disobeyed God.
God banished Adam and Eve because they disobeyed Him by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3
Where was Jesus born?

a. Bethlehem.
b. Jerusalem.
c. Nazareth.

Answer A: Bethlehem.
During Mary and Joseph's trip to the Roman census, they could not locate a room in any inns.
They had to stay in an animal shelter outside Bethlehem, as it was the only place available.
Jesus was born in an animal stable a couple of miles outside Bethlehem.
Matthew 2:1-12
What is the basic theme of the Book of Revelation?

a. Revelation reveals everything we need to know about Heaven and Hell.
b. The book of Revelation reveals stories about the lives and times of the twelve disciples.
c. John's Book of Revelation describes apocalyptic visions and prophecies of the end of the world.

Answer C: The end of the world.

The Book of Revelation is about the end of the world, aka the End of Times.
Revelation describes the fight between good and evil. Good will win.
The judgment of man and the arrival of a New Jerusalem are revealed and explained.
Which Hebrew section of the Bible originated entirely in ancient Judaism?

a. Gospels.
b. Beatitudes.
c. Apocrypha.
d. Pentateuch.

Answer: The Pentateuch.

Jews have been using the manuscripts that form the Old Testament since their origin in Judaism.
The Pentateuch includes the first five books of the Old Testament, written in Hebrew, and originated in early Judaism.
What do many scholars recognize as the first miracle recorded in the Bible that Jesus performed?

a. He healed a leper.
b. Jesus made wine out of water.
c. He raised Lazarus from the dead.

Answer B: Jesus made wine.

Jesus, his family, and the disciples attended a wedding.
When the host ran out of wine, Mary, the mother of Jesus, insisted that Jesus turn water into wine.
John 2:1-11.
What happened to the first few authors who translated the Bible into English?

a. The church praised their efforts and made them saints.
b. The church burned the bodies of these men for blasphemy against it.
c. They were hung upside down by the church on the cross for heresy against God.

Answer B: The church burned the bodies.

The church charged authors with blasphemy for translating God's word into English.
The church executed these men and burned their bodies, ignoring God's instruction to love thy neighbor.
What was the first complete Bible written in English?

a. King James Version.
b. Vulgate Translation.
c. Tyndale Bible.

Answer C: The Tyndale Bible.

The Tyndale Bible was the first complete English-language version.
King James had his Bible published about 65 years after the Tyndale Bible.
The Vulgate was not written in English.
The early Roman Christian church utilized this Latin Bible.

a. Septuagint.
b. Vulgate.
c. Torah.

Answer B: The Vulgate.

The Latin Vulgate was the most popular Bible used by the early Christian churches.
Pope Damasus authorized Saint Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin in 382 AD.
Latin was the common language of the Catholic Church at that time.
The Septuagint was written in Greek.
The Torah was written in the ancient Hebrew language.
What significant discoveries did researchers uncover in a cave near a sea?

a. Masoretic codices were discovered near the Sea of Galilee.
b. Holy Aramaic scriptures found near the Red Sea.
c. Hebrew scrolls discovered near the Dead Sea.

Answer C: The Dead Sea Scrolls.

Bedouin shepherds discovered the ancient scrolls when they sought refuge in a cave on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea.
They discovered more than 25,000 pages and fragments written in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic.
This monarch permitted the printing of Bibles in English for the first time.

a. Queen Elizabeth in 1558.
b. Queen Mary in 1553.
c. King James in 1611.

Answer C: King James.

King James was the monarch of England, Ireland, and Scotland.
His actual name was James Charles Stuart (19 June 1566–27 March 1625).
King James was a Christian and authorized the English translation of the Bible.

Queen Mary was described as a holy terror and known as Bloody Mary.
Queen Mary hated Christians and their beliefs, killing everyone who was a believer and destroying any religious artifacts and books they had.

Queen Elizabeth is a sad story.
Elizabeth was the only surviving child of Henry VIII.
She was the last and longest-reigning monarch of the House of Tudor.
Elizabeth was two years old when her parents' marriage was annulled.
Her mother was executed, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate.
She established the first official English Protestant church.
What story does the Book of Exodus tell?

a. The Exodus is a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah.
b. It is the story of King Exodus and how he defeated the Philistines.
c. The Book of Exodus narrates how the Israelites, led by Moses, traveled to the promised land.

Answer C: Hebrews' journey from Egypt to Canaan.
The story recounts the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the promised land in Canaan, led by Moses.
Which Bible book is believed to be the oldest and the first one written?

a. Genesis.
b. Exodus.
c. Job.

Answer C: The book of Job.

The Book of Job is accepted as the first written and oldest book of the Bible.
Whether Moses or King Solomon wrote the book is a matter of debate.
What is the first English Bible with chapter divisions and numbered verses?

a. Geneva.
b. Bishops.
c. King James.

Answer A: The Geneva Bible.

The Geneva Bible was printed in 1560 and was the first Bible to have chapters and numbered verses.
William Wittingham led several other scholars in translating the Bible after Queen "Bloody" Mary died.
The Geneva Bible was the most popular Bible until the 1611 King James Version.
Genesis 3:7.
.
What is another lost but once popular name for the Geneva Bible?

a. Breeches' Bible.
b. Colonialists' Bible.
c. The Preacher's Bible.

Answer A: The Breeches' Bible.

Another name given to the Geneva Bible was "Breeches Bible."
This version of the King James Bible described Adam and Eve as wearing “breeches” to cover their nakedness instead of the traditional "fig leaves."
This translation was fixed in later versions.
Who was the first person to begin writing the Bible in English?

a. Thomas Matthew in 1537 AD.
b. John Wycliffe in 1382 AD.
c. John Darby in 1872 AD.

Answer B: John Wycliffe.

The first person to attempt to translate the books of the Bible into English was John Wycliffe.
Translating the Bible into English was considered heresy against the church.
The church killed Wycliffe and burned his body for writing an English translation of the Bible.
How many ancient manuscripts are missing from the Protestant Bible?

a. Fourteen.
b. Twenty-seven.
c. Seventy-five (75).

Answer C: Seventy-five.

Are there missing books from the Bible?
What was the occupation of Rahab, who helped two Israelite spies?

a. Rahab was a prostitute.
b. She was a servant.
c. Rahab was a maid.

Answer A: Rahab the prostitute.
Joshua sent two spies to Jericho under cover.
The king found out about their presence and had his men search for the spies.
Rahab, a prostitute, sheltered and hid the spies.
Joshua 2:1-7
What body of water did the Israelites cross after leaving Egypt during the exodus?

a. The River Jordan.
b. Nile River.
c. Red Sea.

Answer: C. The Red Sea.

After the Israelites left Egypt, the Pharaoh sent his army after them.
The army caught up to the Israelites at the Red Sea.
Moses used his staff and divided the sea so that the Israelites could pass through the Red Sea.
When Pharaoh's army tried to pass over, the water collapsed and killed them all.
Exodus 14:15-22
When were the original Ten Commandments created?

a. 31st century BC (Adam).
b. 21st century BC (Noah).
c. 14th century BC (Moses).

Answer C: 14th Century BC

God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets with his finger in the 14th century BC.
The tablets were given to Moses on Mount Sinai.
A gold-lined rectangular chest called the Ark of the Covenant housed them.

Return to the multiple-choice quiz menu.

Humorous words and phrases from the 1950s:

What was the original meaning of "go to the sandbox"?

a. Going to the sandbox meant you were going to the bathroom.
b. It meant that you were being punished for something you did.
c. Your parents sent you outside to play in the backyard.
d. You were going to the school's playground.

Answer A: Go to the bathroom.

Going to the sandbox meant that you were going to the bathroom.
It was a slang developed from the cat's litter box, which was filled with sand.
You can figure out for yourself what cats did in the sandbox.