Wrapping Up Trivia Files Contest: Answers and Winner

Well, I'm getting this up a little late, but here is a list of all the answers to all of my quiz questions.

1. Sacred or Secular: Quote one is Galatians 4: 16; Quote 2 is from Pericles, I.i. 97, by Shakespeare.
2. Who said it?: The Apostle Paul said this at the beginning of his sermon to the Athenians on Mars Hill.
3. Movie Accuracy: Actually, Moses raised his staff above the waters; he did not strike the waters of the Red Sea to part them. (see Exodus 14: 15-31)
4.  Commandments: “Love your neighbor as yourself” is one of the two “greatest commandments” that Jesus put forth, not one of the Ten Commandments.
5. One for the Soldiers: Gideon.  He overheard two men in the Midianite camp discussing a dream one of the men had, in which a large loaf of bread rolls through their camp.  The other man interpreted the loaf to symbolize Gideon.  (Judges 7)
6.  Symbolism and Eschatology: The lampstand was associated with the almond tree from the beginning (see Exodus 25: 33).  The almond tree was the first to bloom in the springtime, and in Hebrew, its name is very similar to the word for “watching” (see Jeremiah 1: 10-12, where God uses it as a symbol for “watching to see that [His] prophecy is fulfilled”).  I discussed this in my post, “An Almond Branch.”  In essence, the lampstand seems to illustrate, figuratively, a faith in God, a belief in things He will do, not just things He’s done (see Hebrews 11:1, 2).  So when Christ threatens to remove the lampstand from the church in Ephesus, He was acknowledging that they were losing that pure, young faith that trusts God with the future.  They knew what was righteous, but their faith was dying and being replaced by a type of ritualistic Christianity.
7. Prophecy Fulfilled: There are many prophecies from the Old and New Testaments that have been fulfilled and can be confirmed archaeologically and historically.  The nation of Israel was predicted to be sent into exile, and the one who would send them back was predicted by name—Cyrus—well-before he was even born.   Cyrus did exist, and outside sources confirm that he ordered that Israel be returned to their homeland.   The changes in kingdoms in Nebuchadnezzar's dream has of course been confirmed through history, but there have been some who contest the identity of some of the different kingdoms in the dream.  They seem to be a series of great empires, but some say not all of them have come yet.  Another fulfilled prophecy is Christ's prediction of the Roman invasion of Israel that resulted in the scattering of the Jews throughout Europe.  The most notable prophecy that has been confirmed in recent years is the return of Israel to Palestine in 1948, a subject that no one ever thought would happen, and which continues to draw comment from secular scholars.
8. Riddle Me This: Samson, at the wedding feast, tells a riddle to his new in-laws.  His Philistine wife begged for him to share the answer so her in-laws wouldn't lose the bet, and Samson ended up killing a bunch of Philistine in Ashkelon to fulfill his end of the bargain (See Judges 14).
9. Test a prophet: Ask a vague question and get a thorough answer.  I was only asking for the test proscribed in Deuteronomy 18: 19-22, that the test of the prophet's prophecy is whether it comes true.

So by my tally, Kamal got most of the questions correct (the lion's share, in fact), and I think he should get extra credit for question 9.  Since there were no other challengers, it looks like he's getting the copy of  So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour.  Kamal, since I know you on facebook, I think it would be faster if you would just send me a message with your address in it, so I can know where to send the book.

This quiz has been a sort of thanks to my readers and those who leave comments on my posts.  You are one big reason why I keep writing.  Please keep them coming!  More contests to follow.  Next up, a regular post you might want to read.

From the Trivia Files Contest: Another Challenge

This is the fourth question of the challenge.  If you're just catching up with me, don't forget to click on the tags at the end of this post so you can go back and read the rules and answer all the questions so far.

The prize for this contest is a book by Fritz Ridenour called So What's the Difference?  This resource lays out the basic tenets of the world's major religions and compares them to the central doctrines of Christianity.  I first read this book in high school, and it really helped me (as I've already stated, I'm not benefiting in any way from that endorsement).  This book is not overly technical and I think that's one of the best things about it--it makes complicated concepts plain to readers without forcing them to get a college degree in order to understand it.

Now, on to the question:

Which of these is not one of the Ten Commandments?  They are not listed in order.

1. You shall not steal.
2. You shall not murder.
3. You shall not misuse God's name.
4. You shall not have any other gods before me.
5. You shall not commit adultery.
6. Love your neighbor as yourself.
7. Honor your father and mother.
8. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
9. You shall not covet.
10. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

From the Trivia Files Contest: A Question of Movie Accuracy

In the 1956 movie, The Ten Commandments, Moses (Charlton Heston) raises his staff and strikes the water at the edge of the Red Sea.  The water parts and the Israelites rush through on dry ground.

The question for today:  

Is that the way it happened in the Bible?  Did Moses strike the water to part the Red Sea?
 Don't forget to answer all of the questions in this series if you want to win the contest.

From the Trivia Files: Contest Rules and Another Question

I started this series thinking that I'd post one a week, just like I did with the last series.  However, if I'm going to make this one a competition with a prize, I don't think I should keep my readers waiting long.

Therefore, I've decided to keep the posts coming regularly for the next week.  Before I go any further, I think I ought to lay out a list of rules for this contest.

Contest Rules:

1. Entrants must post an answer to every question in order to be eligible to win.  One answer per question, please.
2. Anonymous answers cannot win prizes, because I won't be able to identify a person to mail the prize to.
3. The prize is a book, So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour.  This is not a paid endorsement, it's just a book I would personally recommend to my readers.
4. All correct answers to the questions will be posted at the end of this series (a really good reason not to keep everyone hanging for months).
5. The winner will be either the person who answers the most questions correctly, or, if there is a tie, the person randomly selected from the list of top competitors.  At the end of the contest, I will announce the winner and ask that he or she email me at the address I will make available so I can know where to send the prize.

So here's the question for today (I'll continue posting over the weekend).  To latecomers: Don't forget to post an answer to the last trivia question, here.

"For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you."    

                                                    ...Who said it?

From the Trivia Files: Sacred or Secular Quote?

Here's a test to see if you know your stuff.  Of course, there's always ways to cheat, but that wouldn't be very Christian, would it?

Here's the challenge.  Which of these quotations is from the Bible, and which was originally penned by William Shakespeare?  Both could be from one source.  For those of us who were well-steeped in the King James Version growing up, this might prove difficult.

First quotation:

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

and here's the other one:

"Few love to hear the sins they love to act."

 So, are both from the Bible, both from Shakespeare, or is it one of each?  Comments are welcome. If I get enough response, I might turn this into a contest.  Who can tell?