This quiz has circulated around the internet for a long time. I have used it with a variety of age groups. I have often found that students get a bit angry and incredulous when the answers are revealed. They find it outrageous that the ‘facts’ they know about the Christmas story don’t really appear in the Bible but are the result of tradition. In fact while many of the things we have added in tradition may be reasonable assumptions this quiz is a good reminder to us all at Christmas to go back to the source of the nativity stories. Children can find this quiz confronting and I have even had students say to me: Do you even read the Bible?!?!
This is a great opportunity to get students interested in reading the nativity narratives and looking at the closely. Have fun and be prepared for the wrath of your students.
The Christmas Quiz
- How many wise men were there?
a. 3
b. 4
c. The Bible does not say.
- Did Joseph meet the wise men?
a. Yes
b. No
c. The Bible does not say.
- What animal did Mary ride to Bethlehem?
a. Donkey
b. Small horse
c. Llama
d. The Bible does not say
.
- The Holy Family named the child “Jesus” because:
a. An Angel told Mary to use the name.
b. An Angel told Joseph to use the name.
c. All of the above.
d. None of the above.
- What type of building was Jesus born in?
a. Stable
b. Cave
c. Inn
d. The Bible does not say.
- What animals were present at the Nativity?
a. Cattle
b. Sheep
c. Doves
d. All of the above
e. The Bible does not say.
- Who besides the wise men saw the star?
a. The shepherds
b. King Herod’s astrologers
c. The Bible does not say.
- How did the star compare in brightness with the other stars?
a. Brighter
b. Equivalent
c. A faint glow over the horizon.
d. The Bible does not say.
- How soon after Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem was Jesus born?
a. Within minutes.
b. That night
c. The Bible does not say.
The Answers
- How many wise men were there?
c. The Bible does not say.Although tradition suggests there were three wisemen, as in the carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” the Bible actually does not give the number of Magi. Go to Biblical account of the Magi in Matthew).2. Did Joseph meet the wise men?
c. The Bible does not say.Matthew writes that the magi found the Child with Mary, but makes no mention of Joseph. Matthew 2:9-11. Of course, as a good parent, we would probably expect Joseph to have been there.’
3. What animal did Mary ride to Bethlehem?
d. The Bible does not say.Although it would be a long walk for a pregnant woman from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the Bible does not mention what animal, if any, Mary rode. Luke 2:4-6
4. The Holy Family named the child “Jesus” because:
c. All of the above.In Luke, the Angel Gabriel tells Mary to use the name “Jesus.” Luke 1:30-31 . In Matthew, an angel tells Joseph to use the name. Matthew 1:20-21
5. What type of building was Jesus born in?
d. The Bible does not say.Although Luke tells us that the baby was placed in a manger, there is no mention of where the manger was located. Luke 2:6-8
6. What animals were present at the Nativity?
e. The Bible does not say.Despite the line in Away in a Mangerthat “the cattle were lowing, the poor baby wakes,” there is no mention of which animals were present at the Nativity. Luke 2:6-8
7. Who besides the wise men saw the star?
c. The Bible does not say.Check Matthew’s account.
8. How did the star compare in brightness with the other stars?
d. The Bible does not say.Check Matthew’s account.
9. How soon after Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem was Jesus born?
c. The Bible does not say.
Although every Sunday school Christmas pageant has Mary deliver a baby moments after Mary and Joseph are turned away from the inn, the Bible does not specify a time period. Check Luke’s account.