The older I get as a Christian (and in general, I guess I get older), the more I become convinced that we have to base beliefs on the Bible and not on cultural tradition. I am aware that culture informs the reading of the Bible, but at least you have a text to start with. Too often, I think Christians can take cultural things as Biblical, and we need to be more careful to make sure we at least have some Biblical text as a starting point. To show what I mean, see how you do on this quiz about the Christmas story; what is Biblical and what is tradition? Answers based on Matthew and Luke are at the end. And, yes, some are VERY picky. My quiz, my rules.
Christmas Quiz
True or False
1.____ There are no records of Joseph speaking in the
Christmas story.
2.____ The wise men were kings from the orient.
3.____ The little drummer boy came to the manger after the
other shepherds.
4.____ The star appeared above the manger.
5.____ The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary first and then he
appeared to Joseph.
6. ____ Mary rode a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
7. ____ Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of a
decree by Caesar Augustus.
8. ____ Shepherding was considered a very noble occupation.
9. ____ Both Joseph and Mary were told to name the baby
“Jesus”.
10. ____ When Herod heard about Jesus he was the only one
concerned about this new king.
11. ____ The wise men found Jesus lying in a manger in the
town of Bethlehem.
12. ____ After the angels’ announcement the shepherds went
straight to Bethlehem to see Jesus.
13. ____ Joseph married Mary immediately after the angel
appeared to him.
14. ____ Some of the shepherds doubted and refused to believe
the message they heard from the angels.
Multiple Choice
1. How many wise men were there?
3
4
12
The Bible does not say.
2. Did Joseph meet the wise men?
Yes
No
The Bible does not say.
3. How did Mary get to Bethlehem?
She rode a camel.
She rode a donkey.
She walked.
The Bible does not say.
4. What type of building was Jesus born in?
Cave
Stable
Inn
The Bible does not say.
5. What animals were present at the Nativity?
Cattle
Sheep
Doves
All the above
The Bible does not say
6. Who besides the wise men saw the star?
The shepherds
King Herod’s astrologers
The Bible does not say
7. How soon after Mary and Joseph reached Bethlehem was
Jesus born?
Immediately
That same night
That same day
The Bible does not say
8. When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were
Married
Engaged
The Bible does not say
9. Jesus was born
During the winter
December 25
January 6
During the Spring
The Bible does not say
10. When the wise men came, they found Jesus
In an inn
In a manger
In a cave
In a house
Answers: 
Christmas Quiz
True or False
1.__T__ There are no records of Joseph speaking in the
Christmas story.
2.__F__ The wise men were kings from the orient. –they were not kings–
3.__F__ The little drummer boy came to the manger after the
other shepherds. –there is no record of a drummer boy–
4.__F__ The star appeared above the manger. –the star led to the house Jesus was living in when he was about two years old–
5.__F__ The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary first and then he
appeared to Joseph. –we do not know the identity of the angel who appeared to Joseph–
6. __F__ Mary rode a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. –there is no record of how Mary traveled–
7. __T__ Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of a
decree by Caesar Augustus.
8. __F__ Shepherding was considered a very noble occupation. –Shepherds were considered lowly, and even unclean by religious law–
9. __T__ Both Joseph and Mary were told to name the baby
“Jesus”.
10. __F__ When Herod heard about Jesus he was the only one
concerned about this new king. –Matthew reports “[Herod] and all Jerusalem” were troubled–
11. __F__ The wise men found Jesus lying in a manger in the
town of Bethlehem. –Jesus was almost two years old by the time the wise men arrived.–
12. __T__ After the angels’ announcement the shepherds went
straight to Bethlehem to see Jesus.
13. __T__ Joseph married Mary immediately after the angel
appeared to him.
14. __F__ Some of the shepherds doubted and refused to believe
the message they heard from the angels. — Luke 2:15 (it sure seems to indicate they all went)–
Multiple Choice
1. How many wise men were there?
The Bible does not say (the language is plural, so more than one).
2. Did Joseph meet the wise men?
The Bible does not say.
3. How did Mary get to Bethlehem?
The Bible does not say.
4. What type of building was Jesus born in?
The Bible does not say. Mangers were kept in stables, in house courtyards, in caves, and more. It is fully possible that Jesus was born in a cave or an enclosed courtyard.
5. What animals were present at the Nativity?
The Bible does not say
6. Who besides the wise men saw the star?
The Bible does not say, but Mt. 2:7 implies that King Herod’s astrologers either saw it or were able to figure out when it appeared. Tricky question!
7. How soon after Mary and Joseph reached Bethlehem was
Jesus born?
The Bible does not say
8. When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were
Engaged
9. Jesus was born
The Bible does not say
10. When the wise men came, they found Jesus
In a house –Jesus was almost two years old–
Sorry if some of these were too picky. How did you do? I wrote this a few years ago, and even I tripped up on a couple of the tricky ones.
Mu, I’m starting to wonder if maybe there is something different about your brain now. Your blog’s been a lot more interesting, of late.
I suppose posting something is better than two weeks of nothing…
😉
I got a surprising number of these right! I suppose it helps that I know how you think and how you’d phrase things that were cultural assumptions vs. biblical text.
Oh, and surprising number does mean more than one. I probably got 70-75% right (I missed more of the true/false than the multiple choice).
This standarized test reeks of cultural bias.
I don’t know, Evan. I think Dennis Prager will soon insist on passing this test for serving public office. He’s Jewish, you know, so that makes it all right when he mouths whacky right-wing stuff.