There is a story about a New England teacher who quizzed a group of college-bound high-school juniors and seniors on the Bible. The quiz preceded a “Bible as Literature” class he planned to teach at Newton High School in Massachusetts, generally considered one of the better public schools in the nation. Among the most unusual answers from his students were: “Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers” and “Jezebel was Ahab’s donkey.”

Other students thought that the four horsemen appeared “on the Acropolis,” that the New Testament Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, “Luther,” and John, that Eve was created “from an apple,” and that Jesus was “baptized by Moses.” The answer that took the misinformation prize was given by a fellow who was academically in the top 5 percent of the graduating class. The question: “What was Golgotha?” The answer: “Golgotha was the name of the giant who slew the apostle David.”