Monday, July 19, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #27 - Sliced Thin Please

I came across an obscure reference (at least to me) to a very prominent ancient country in the history of God's people as recorded in the OT.  This country that played an important role from very early right up through Jesus' life was called "The Land of Ham".  

What country was called the Land of Ham?

Hints:

1. Exodus 3:13-20

2. Psalms 105:26

3. It's not Lebanon.

Extra Credit:  Who was it named after?

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #26 - By the Sea, By the Sea

Water played a significant role in the ministry of Jesus.  He chose water as the matter for baptism, He turned water into wine in His first miracle at the wedding at Cana, used water to wash the Apostle's feet at the Last Supper, and walked on it in perhaps His most well known miracle.

Name 4 bodies of water that Jesus touched. 

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #25 - Phylacteries

 Jesus condemned a group for enlarging their phylacteries.

What are phylacteries?

Who did Jesus condemn and why? 

Saturday, February 6, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #24 - Who’s on First?

 This is a quick hitter. 

1.  Who was the first Gentile convert to Christianity?

2.  Who was the first Jewish convert to Christianity?

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #23 - Name Game

Let's stick with names for this post.  And it's another freeby - no question, just a little info on a few names we have used to refer to God and how they originated.  

Ever wonder about the different names for God used by Jews and Christians?  God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Adonai, “THE LORD”.  Probably not, but I did since I think word origins are interesting. 

Even the English word “God” must come from somewhere.  This is what I found.

"God"

Since English is a relatively new language, many of our words are derived from more ancient languages.  This is true for the word we use to describe the Creator – “GOD”.  In English, God is a transcription of the word in other languages:

Anglo-Saxon (or Middle Ages English): God

German - Gott

Persian - khoda

Hindu – khooda

 "Yahweh":  (written in Hebrew:  YHWH)

This is the most common word for God used in the Bible.

After God commissioned Moses to speak to the Pharaoh in order to set his people free, Moses asked God for his Name and God replies with the phrase:

         אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, (’ehyeh ’ăšer ’ehyeh.)

God said, ‘I AM Who I AM. You must tell them: The One Who is called I AM has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14)

Because the Hebrew writing system did not originally include vowels, the name is written in the Hebrew Bible using only four consonants: יהוה (YHWH) - pronounced Yahweh. YHWH is referred to as the tetragrammaton—a Greek term meaning “the four letters.”

[Glad I wasn't born in Israel because those Hebrew characters look really confusing.] 

"Adonai"

The issue is complicated by the fact that, in the centuries just before Christ, pious Jews were reluctant to even pronounce the divine name of God.   The Ten Commandments warn: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exod. 20:7; cf. Deut. 5:11). Many Jews decided that, to avoid the possibility of misusing the divine name, they would not even speak it at all.

Jews began to substitute other words for it, such as Adonai—a Hebrew term meaning “my lord.”  When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek in the 3rd century BC (called the Septuagint), they often used the Greek word Kurios (“Lord”) where YHWH appeared in Hebrew. This pious custom passed over into Christian circles, and when the authors of the New Testament quote from the Old Testament, they generally use Kurios where the Hebrew has YHWH.

"Jehovah" (or, I’d like to buy a vowel)

When the Hebrew writing system began to include vowels (written as small marks or “points” above, below, or inside the consonants), the scribes had to decide whether to use the vowel points for Yahweh.

It was decided they wouldn’t. Instead, they wrote the consonants YHWH using the vowel points for Adonai as a reminder to say “Adonai” instead of “Yahweh.” This custom of writing the consonants of one word with the vowels of another is where we get the English and Latin word “Jehovah.”

In Latin, “YHWH” had become “JHWH,” and when combined with the vowels of Adonai—a, o, and a—it became “JaHoWaH”. Around the 13th century, Christian writers began writing “Jehovah” whenever YHWH appeared.

[It is ironic to note that the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to represent the “true, original version of Christianity” and accuse far older traditional Christianity of distorting the name of God by using “THE LORD” rather than “Jehovah” in their Bibles.  (They claim, among other falsehoods, that only “Jehovah” should be used to refer to God.)  However, they have chosen the very word (Jehovah) in their sect’s name that is a later derivation created long after the Israelites and original Christians used the original divine name: YHWH and Kurios.]

[The hit song Kyrie Eleison by Mr. Mister – 1985 - is Latin for “Lord have mercy”]


Sunday, January 17, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #22 - My Friends Call Me.....

Many of the Apostles are referred to by more than one name.  This could be a nickname, a name change, or a result of translation into English as the New Testament books and other ancient Christian writings have been passed through various cultures.

Match each Apostle with the "other name" that has been associated with him:

COMMON NAME                         OTHER NAME

Jude                                                   Simon

Peter                                                  Nathaniel

John                                                   Thaddeus

Matthew                                             Son of Thunder

Bartholomew                                     Bar Jonah

James                                                 Levi

                                                           Cephas

                                                           Boanerges

                                                           Lebbaeus

                                                                                            

 

[Obviously, some have more than one “other” name.]

    

                                                            


Saturday, January 16, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #21 - A Not So Wise Account

 We just passed through "the 12 Days of Christmas" (the days between Christmas and the day traditionally celebrating the visit of the "Wise Men" to Jesus).  Long before the song identified the "12th day of Christmas" as the day "my true love" presented 12 drummers drumming, Christians were remembering and celebrating the occasion when the Wise Men traveled to Bethlehem to worship Jesus (aka Epiphany).

Here is one account of that visit:

“On the night of Jesus’ birth, 3 wise men from the west came to honor the newborn king in the manger.  One brought gold (symbolizing royalty), one brought frankinsense (used for embalming – prefiguring his death and burial), and one brought myrrh (an incense used in worship).  

After learning the location of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph from the 3 kings, King Herod ordered the killing of all boys who had been born in Israel that year to assure that this prophesied infant King would not take his throne.”

But that account has numerous errors.  

How many errors can you find in this account?  Name them.

(Hint: There are no errors in Matthew 2:1-23) 


Monday, January 4, 2021

Christian Trivia Question #20 - Who said it first?

 Happy New Year everybody!   

When someone experiences a long-awaited, significant event, you might hear them say, 

"Now I can die in peace!"  

That is a common sign held up by sports fans of a team that finally wins a championship.  (An elderly NY Ranger fan did it back in 1994 at Madison Square Garden when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup after a 54 yr drought.)

The phrase was not originally uttered by a sports fan.  And it was long before the great sport of hockey was ever played.  

Who said it when they saw Jesus?

(Hint:  It was spoken very early in Jesus' life.)