Right Site .US

[font=Arial Black]Christmas Quiz! [/font]
Test your Nativity knowledge against the Bible's facts on Jesus' birth

All that's really known for sure about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ can be found in the Gospels of Matthew (chapters 1 and 2) and Luke (chapter 2). The rest has been added over the centuries so that today it's hard to tell fact from fancy.

Tradition has colored in many details missing from Scripture. Poetic license has added much -- such as Mary suffering labor pains while on the journey to Bethlehem. Luke, though, offers no such drama: "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born..." And the need to stage a simple pageant has put both the shepherds and wisemen at manger-side on the same night, even though scholars say the magi arrived more than a year later. You might even know the names of the three kings, but don't look to the Bible for verification -- they're not in there!

So, in the light-hearted spirit of the season, test your nativity knowledge against the Gospel accounts by taking this Christmas Quiz:

No. 1) Who told Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem?
A) An angel
B) Caesar Augustus
C) Mary's relatives
D) King Herod

No. 2) How did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem?
A) Camel
B) Donkey
C) Mary rode a donkey, Joseph walked
D) Who knows?

No. 3) What did the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph?
A) "There is no room in the inn."
B) "I have a stable you can use."
C) Both A and B
D) None of the above

No. 4) Which animals does the Bible say were present at Jesus' birth?
A) Cows, sheep, goats
B) Sheep and goats only
C) Lions, tigers and bears
D) None of the above

No. 5) How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
A) One
B) Three
C) Multitude
D) None of the above

No. 6) Which of the following saw the "star in the east"?
A) Shepherds
B) Three kings
C) Mary and Joseph
D) None of the above

No. 7) The wisemen found Jesus in a ... ?
A) Manger
B) Stable
C) House
D) Swaddling clothes

No. 8 ) What did the angels sing?
A) "Joy to the world, the Lord is come"
B) "Alleluia"
C) "Glory to God in the highest"
D) "My sweet Lord"

No. 9) The baby Jesus cried ...?
A) When the doctor slapped him on his bottom.
B) When the little drummer boy started playing
C) Not once, just like it says in the Bible
D) Just like other babies

No. 10) Which statement is false?
A) Mary was a virgin when she delivered Jesus
B) Mary left town when when she became pregnant.
C) The Magi visited Jesus the same night as the shepherds.
D) Joseph was a dreamer.

ANSWERS

1 -- Who told Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
B: Caesar Augustus, who called for a census (Luke 2:1)
2 -- How did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem?
D: The Bible doesn't say.
3 -- What did the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph?
D: He isn't mentioned in Scripture, let alone quoted.
4 -- Which animals does the Bible say were present at Jesus' birth?
D: Such details aren't included, although A could be correct because a manger is a feeding trough for barnyard animals.
5 -- How many angels spoke the shepherds?
A: Just one angel spoke, according to Scripture. However, a multitude praised God.
6 -- Who saw the star in the east?
D: It was magi, who were "wisemen," not kings.
7 -- The wisemen found Jesus in a ...?
C: Yes, a house, not a stable (Matthew 2:11), more than a year after Jesus' birth. Based on what the visitors and his advisors said, Herod calculated and killed boys under age 2 in Bethlehem.
8 -- What did the angels sing to the shepherds?
C: "Glory to God in the highest," except that the Bible doesn't say the angels sang it. They spoke the praise to God.
9 -- The baby Jesus cried ...?
D: Although fully God, Jesus was fully human and communicated his needs the way all babies do. Note: the shortest verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept."
10 -- Which one of these statements is false?
D: Joseph was, in fact, quite a dreamer, being warned three times in dreams (Matthew 1:20, 2:13 and 2:22). All the other statements are true, including B when Mary immediately visited Elizabeth.

SCORING
0 to 4 correct -- Some silent night grab a Bible and read the real story.
5 to 8 -- Good Christian, rejoice: traditional details don't dominate your nativity knowledge.
9 to 10 -- Joy to the world, you've got a great grasp of the good tidings about Jesus, the real reason for the season!