The Bible Undressed

How well do you know the Christmas story as told in the Bible?

1. How did Joseph and Mary make the journey to Bethlehem?  a) walked  b) Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey  c) camel caravan  d) unknown

Journey to Bethlehem – c. 1320, mosaic, Istanbul, Turkey

2. When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were  a) married  b) just friends  c) engaged d) Joseph was Mary’s guardian

3. When Mary became pregnant,  a) Joseph married her  b) Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship  c) Mary left Nazareth for a while  d) both b and c  e) both a and c

4. December 25 was chosen as the date for Christmas because  a) it was 9 months after the spring equinox, the supposed date of conception (The Annunciation)  b) symbolism: as the shortest day of the year the days would get longer after the birth of Jesus  c) to replace the pagan festival of Saturnalia  d) all of the above

5. How many wise men came to see Jesus? And what are their names?

The Adoration of the Magi, Leonardo da Vinci, 1481

6. According to Luke, who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?  a) Herod  b) an angel  c) Caesar  d) it was Joseph’s idea

7. Just what is a ‘heavenly host’?  a) an angelic choir  b) the welcoming angel in heaven  c) an array of angels  d) none of the above

8. Which angel spoke to Mary?  a) Gabriel  b) Michael  c) Azrael  d) unknown

9, Which angel spoke to the shepherds?  a) Gabriel  b) Michael  c) Azrael  d) unknown

10. Baby Jesus was born in a  a) cave  b) house  c) stable  d) unknown

The Adoration of the Shepherds by Giorgione, ca. 1505-1510

11. Joseph’s family was from  a) Jerusalem  b) Nazareth  c) Bethlehem  d) unknown

12. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?  a) cows, sheep and camels  b) cows, sheep and donkeys  c) just sheep   d) unknown

13. What is a manger?  a) a barn  b) container for hay  c) a feeding trough  d) a wooden crib

14. What made baby Jesus cry?  a) the wise men’s gifts  b) whenever babies usually cried  c) that incessant drumming  d) “no crying he makes”

15. Who saw the star over Bethlehem?  a) Mary and Joseph  b) shepherds  c) three kings  d) other

16. What in the world are Magi?  a) kings  b) wealthy patrons  c) astrologers  d) foreign royalty

17. When the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus, they found him in:  a) a manger  b) a house c) a stable  d) unknown

18. What sign were the shepherds to look for?  a) a star over a stable  b) an illuminated barn  c) a baby in a manger d) both a and c

Engraving from “Theatrum Cometicum”, Stanislaw Lubienietz (1668)

19. What did the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph?  a) they could use his stable  b) “Go away.”  c) “There’s no room in the inn.”  d) none of the above

20. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, how many mention Jesus’ birth?

Answers:

1) d — the Bible gives no record of their means of travel.

2) c — see Matthew 1:18. However, the non-canonical Proto-gospel of James says that Joseph was an older widow who was chosen as Mary’s guardian/husband.

3) d — see Matthew 1:19; Luke 1:39,56

4) d – all these reasons were cited by various theologians for using December 25 as the day.

5) The text does not say how many, but mentions three gifts (maybe just two, as some scholars say it was supposed to be “golden frankincense” not gold and frankincense). Later, names were ascribed to them: Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior, and Balthazar.

6) Luke 2:1 says Caesar Augustus ordered a census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. But Quirinius became governor 10 years after Herod the Great died. And there is no record of Caesar ordering an empire-wide census around this time. And sending people back to their ancestral home defeats the purpose of a census and creates chaos. So this part of the story is very suspect.

7) c

8) a — See Luke 1:26

9) d — See Luke 2:9.

10) d — However, in Luke 2:7 it says that there was no room in the inn and after his birth he was laid in a manger. The Proto-gospel of James says Jesus was born in a cave outside of Bethlehem. Matthew has the family living in a house when the Magi visit (Matthew 2:11).

11) c — See Luke 2:4

12) d — The Bible doesn’t say anything about animals being present, just that there was a manger, and some shepherds came to see Jesus.

13) c — A trough or an open box in which feed for livestock is placed.

14) b — He was said to be fully human after all.

15) d — Three kings are not mentioned in the Bible, only in songs. “Magi” saw the star.

16) c — astrologers/astronomers who studied the natural sciences and the occult.

17) b — see Matthew 2:11

18) c — see Luke 2:12

19) d — an innkeeper is never mentioned in the Scriptures.

20) Only two, Matthew and Luke. Although Paul does mention that Jesus was “born of a woman, born under the Law” (Galatians 4:4).