New Testament First Vocabulary Quiz

Question 1

covenant

Answer 1

an agreement which secures a relationship of commitment between God and God’s people

Question 2

Messiah

Answer 2

according to Jewish eschatology, a man whom God will soon send to restore Israel and usher in a new age; translated into Greek as “Christos”

Question 3

Greek

Answer 3

the language the New Testament was originally written in

Question 4

Synoptic Gospels

Answer 4

a term for the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which share many of the same stories, teachings, and details

Question 5

Mark

Answer 5

author of the earliest gospel; a traveling companion of Peter; emphasizes that Jesus is the suffering Son of God, who offers himself as a sacrifice for our sins

Question 6

Matthew

Answer 6

author of one of the gospels; a former tax collector who became one of Jesus’ disciples; emphasizes that Jesus is the Messiah, who fulfills the laws and prophecies of the Old Testament

Question 7

Luke

Answer 7

author of one of the gospels; a Gentile physician who traveled with Paul; emphasizes that Jesus is the savior of all humanity

Question 8

John

Answer 8

author of the last and most theologically complex gospel; a fisherman who became Jesus’ “beloved disciple”; emphasizes that Jesus is the eternal Son of God made flesh

Question 9

Annunciation

Answer 9

the angle Gabriel’s proclamation to Mary that she will conceive a son by the Holy Spirit

Question 10

Magnificat

Answer 10

Mary’s hymn of praise to God

Question 11

Nativity

Answer 11

the birth of Jesus

Question 12

magi

Answer 12

foreign astrologer-priests who visit the infant Jesus and give him gifts

Question 13

Bethlehem

Answer 13

the town in Judea where Jesus was born

Question 14

Nazareth

Answer 14

the town in Galilee where Jesus grew up

Question 15

Herod

Answer 15

the king of Judea when Jesus was born

Question 16

Mary

Answer 16

the mother of Jesus

Question 17

Jospeh

Answer 17

the legal father of Jesus

Question 18

John the Baptist

Answer 18

a Jewish prophet who announces the Messiah’s arrival; his meeting with Jesus marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry

Question 19

baptism

Answer 19

a Christian sacrament using water, initiating the recipient into the Church

Question 20

disciple

Answer 20

any follower of Jesus during his lifetime

Question 21

apostle

Answer 21

one of Jesus’ twelve primary followers

Question 22

Sermon on the Mount

Answer 22

a large collection of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5-7

Question 23

Beatitudes

Answer 23

a series of blessings which Jesus pronounces on those who are humble, merciful, peaceful, suffering, and persecuted

Question 24

Lord’s Prayer

Answer 24

an example Jesus gives for how to pray; the most commonly recited prayer by Christians today

Question 25

parable

Answer 25

a short story told by Jesus in order to teach his followers

Question 26

Good Samaritan

Answer 26

a character in one of Jesus’ stories; despite belonging to a rival ethnic/religious group, he rescues a Jewish traveler who had been attacked by robbers and ignored by Jewish passers-by

Question 27

Prodigal Son

Answer 27

a character in one of Jesus’ stories; he asks for his father’s inheritance early, only to waste it all; when he returns home, his father forgives him and holds a large feast

Question 28

John 3:16

Answer 28

the most frequently quoted verse in the New Testament, in which Jesus says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life”