1. the Paschal Meal
   the Disciples' Communion
2. the Last Supper
   it has no name

"The Last Supper" is also the name of a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. It portrays Jesus and all the disciples on one side of a table, with the disciples in a state of agitation. They are apparently responding to Jesus's statement that one of them will betray him that very night.

1. Bethlehem
   Jerusalem
2. Nazareth
   Sidon

Jesus had entered Jerusalem six days earlier, to cheering crowds. His popularity among the people was what made the chief priests and elders nervous, and cemented their resolve to be rid of him.

1. Hanukkah
   Yom Kippur
2. Passover
   Purim

Jesus's last meal was a seder. It recalls the meals of unleavened bread that the Hebrews ate in Egypt on the night that the angel of Death passed over their houses, killing only the firstborn of the Egyptians. Passover, in general, commemorates the beginning of the Jews' exodus from Egypt.

1. Judas
   James the Greater
2. Peter
   Thomas

Peter often spoke and acted rashly in the gospels (he is a more mature figure in Acts of the Apostles). Peter swore he would stick by Jesus's side to the death, at which point Jesus made his prediction. That prediction did come true.

1. the cock crowed
   Jesus took his last breath
2. Jesus was buried
   Jesus rose again

This is a poetic way of saying "morning." When the rooster did crow, Peter remembered Jesus's words and wept bitterly, the gospel of Matthew says.

1. Crow
   Redemption
2. Tombs
   Skull

The hill is also known as "Calvary" in Christian tradition (from "skull" in Latin). Its exact location is unknown, though some suggest a hill north of present-day Jerusalem's Damascus Gate.

1. three
   four
2. six
   seven

This is the basis of some afternoon-long Good Friday services. Seven separate homilies or sermons take up the significance of each of the seven statements.

1. I thirst.
   Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
2. Oh, I am slain.
   Today you will be with me in paradise.

As you might guess from the language, "Oh, I am slain!" is from Shakespeare. Usually rendered, "O, I am slain," this is Polonius's last statement in "Hamlet."

1. the centurion who guarded him
   one of the other crucified criminals
2. the disciple John
   Mary Magdalene

Jesus rewards the thief for the man's newfound faith (the thief defends Jesus against the other man's mockery). However, this verse presents theological difficulties for those who believe that Jesus did not ascend to paradise until after his resurrection and his final instructions to the disciples.

1. the Judges' CIrcle
   the Rose Chamber
2. the Sanhedrin
   the Star Chamber

This brings up a difficult point in Christian-Jewish relations. A lot of anti-Semitism, particularly in early Christian Europe, has been rooted in the idea that the Jews killed Jesus. Some anti-Semites cite the verse where the people demand his death, saying, "His blood be on us and our children!" But classic Christian theology holds that humanity overall, universally sinful, is to blame for Jesus's death.

1. a plot of land
   30 pieces of silver
2. a seat in the Sanhedrin
   nothing -- he thought he was doing the right thing

The phrase "30 pieces of silver" has become synonymous with betrayal. It has been quoted, among many other places, on "House M.D.," when Dr. Wilson turns in the drug-addicted House to a cop.

1. by pointing from afar
   by bowing deeply to him
2. with a kiss
   with a detailed description

A kiss was an acceptable greeting between men in Jesus's era. This is where we get the phrase "Judas kiss" for an act of treachery that might appear friendly on the surface.

1. Thomas
   James the Less
2. Nathanael
   this is unknown, but is believed to be Peter

Peter has a reputation for behaving rashly (as we've noted elsewhere in this quiz). That's probably why the common belief is that it was he who took up the sword to defend Jesus against arrest.

1. "Heretic"
   "Jesus of Nazareth, the blasphemer"
2. "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"
   "Son of God"

This sign reflects the extent to which Jesus was a political threat to the Romans. They were the ultimate rulers of Judea at the time (Herod was a regional, figurehead king, while the Sanhedrin were in charge of religious life). But the threat Jesus posed to Rome was that he would lead an insurrection.

1. a garden
   the catacombs
2. the upstairs room where the Last Supper was
   the temple

This is known as the Garden of Gethsemane. The significance of the garden, in part, is that it was a quiet place where the chief priests and their soldiers could find Jesus away from the crowds, and his arrest would not cause a public disturbance.

1. Ararat
   Horeb
2. Sinai
   the Mount of Olives

Fittingly, "Gethsemane" means "oil press." It seems likely that the garden was part of a larger tract of olive trees.

1. playing at dice
   falling asleep
2. not praying
   both #2 and #3

Jesus asks them, "Could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you will not come into the time of trial, for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." The last part of that statement is often quoted, in contexts other than Biblical ones.

1. Cyrus
   Herodias
2. Pontius Pilate
   Xerxes

Pilate's reluctance at being drawn into the religious politics of Judea is palpable in the gospel of Luke. He asks what Jesus has done that is so offensive as to deserve execution, then suggests Jesus get off with a flogging. Unfortunately, the religious authorities and their supporters among the citizens won't hear of this.

1. an unnamed criminal
   Barabbas
2. Dismas
   Gestas

A few interesting notes here: Barabbas's first name was also Jesus, and he wasn't a common thief (as is sometimes said). He was the leader of a political insurrection -- which was probably why Pontius Pilate thought he would be a better candidate for execution that a nomadic, if popular, religious teacher.

1. Calvary Road
   the Redemption Trail
2. the Via Mortis
   the Via Dolorosa

You can translate this from the Latin variously as "the way of suffering," or "the road of pain." Christians go to Jerusalem to walk a road that approximates the Via Dolorosa there.

1. carried the cross
   gave him sour wine
2. comforted his mother Mary
   gave him a loincloth to wear

The three synoptic gospels say that Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service by the Romans to do this after Jesus could not. The gospel of John, though, suggests that Jesus carried his own cross.

1. John
   Peter
2. Martha
   Mary Magdalen

John's gospel refers to him as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." He's identified in this way in the crucifixion story, in which he tells John, "Behold your mother," and then tells Mary, "Woman, behold your son."

1. the cross
   Pilate's robe
2. the Roman flag
   the temple veil

Other things which happened at the moment of Christ's death were that "the sun's light failed" and the dead came forth from their tombs. One movie about the death of Christ actually filmed on the day of a solar eclipse to get the effect, as CGI was not sufficiently advanced yet.

1. yes
2. no

The answer to this lies in astronomy. Passover always falls at the full moon, and solar eclipses can only happen at the time of a new moon.

1. Lazarus
   Joseph of Arimathea
2. his (earthly) father Joseph
   Nicodemus

Joseph of Arimathea is described as a "good and righteous man, who, though part of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action." He had Jesus's body laid in a tomb that was in his possession, probably bought in preparation for his own death.

1. children
   Gentiles
2. Pharisees
   women

The four gospels are not in total agreement on who was there. Variously, they say that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and/or Joanna went to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus's body.

1. Jesus himself
   a lion with the head of a man
2. Joseph of Arimathea
   it depends on which gospel you read

The women (in John, just one woman, Mary Magdalen) were greeted by an angel or angels. It is possible that one of these accounts refers to Jesus himself -- a theme in the resurrection story is that people who knew Jesus did not recognize him immediately.

1. yes
2. no

Only Mark and Luke contain this account. The other two gospels conclude after Jesus is resurrected and appears to the disciples with final words of wisdom.

1. James the Greater
   James the Less
2. Peter
   Thomas

This is why he's called "Doubting Thomas." If he were alive today, he'd definitely work in one of the STEM disciplines!

1. preparing a meal
   building a fishing boat
2. sleeping
   walking to the town of Emmaus

This foreshadows Jesus's appearance to Saul (later Paul) on the road to Damascus, which will be similarly life-changing. The disciples do not recognize Jesus at first, but later say that their hearts "were burning" when he spoke to them about the scriptures and their fulfillment in Christ's death.

1. Acts
   Hebrews
2. Titus
   Revelation

Acts of the Apostles (the full name) is ascribed to Luke. This is unusual, because the book backtracks to talk about Jesus's final teachings on earth and ascension into heaven, when the gospel of Luke had already covered these things. It would seem to make more sense if Matthew or Mark -- whose accounts end fairly abruptly after Jesus's resurrection -- had written Acts.

1. Caiaphas
   Daniel
2. Melchizidek
   Levi

Several figures are important in Jesus's path to crucifixion: Caiaphas, the Judean king Herod and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Caiaphas comes first in the story.

1. Communion/Eucharist
   foot-washing
2. baptism
   the use of altar drapery

The Eucharist, also called Communion, is a sacrament in most Christian denominations. The service quotes almost directly from the gospels: "This is my body, broken for you/This is my blood, shed for you."

1. He hanged himself.
   Hed of a fall in a field he bought.
2. He was consumed by fire from heaven.
   either #1 or #2

There are two answers given in the Bible: One, that he hanged himself; two, that he bought a field with the money the chief priests gave him, and died there. Either way, a field is bought for or converted to a cemetery for the penniless, commonly called a "potter's field," after its prior owner.

1. Ben-Hur
   The Passion of the Christ
2. The Last Temptation of Christ
   The Young Messiah

As the title implies, "The Young Messiah" is about Jesus's childhood years. The other three films depict the crucifixion, with varying degrees of detail and Biblical accuracy.