Here is a baker’s dozen Christmas Bible trivia questions to test your knowledge of what the Bible says about the birth of Jesus.
Christmas Bible Quiz with Answers
Question #1: Which two Gospels include “Infancy Narratives” (accounts of Jesus’ birth)?
A. Luke and John
B. John and Paul
C. Mark and Matthew
D. Matthew and Luke
Answer: The correct answer is D, Matthew and Luke contain Infancy Narratives.
Question #2: How did Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem?
A. They walked.
B. Joseph walked and Mary rode on a donkey
C. Public transportation
D. The Bible doesn’t say
Answer: The answer is D, technically the Bible doesn’t say. Most likely they walked or possibly rode in a cart. Despite tradition, no donkey is mentioned in the scriptural record.
Question #3: When Mary became pregnant, Joseph and Mary were…?
A. Just friends
B. Betrothed
C. Married
D. None of the above
Answer: Joseph and Mary were devout Jews and therefore had a Jewish wedding comprised of two parts—the betrothal (erusin) and approximately one year later, the nuptials (nisuin). Joseph and Mary were “betrothed” (erusin) when Mary became pregnant but had not yet consummated their marriage (nisuin).
Question #4: When Mary became pregnant, Joseph…?
A. Went for cigarettes and never came back
B. Wanted to divorce her
C. Married her anyway/adopted Jesus as his own son
D. Both B & C
Answer: The answer is D, both B & C. See Matthew 1:18–20.
Question #5: The birth of Jesus has always been celebrated…?
A. On December 25th
B. On January 6
C. On September 11
D. None of the above
Answer: The Bible does not explicitly state when Jesus was born and there has never been universal agreement among scholars and theologians regarding when Jesus was born. Therefore, despite tradition, the birth of Jesus has never “always been celebrated” on any specific date. The correct answer is D, none of the above.
Question #6: Who directed Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem?
A. Herod
B. An angel
C. Caesar
D. The IRS
Answer: Luke 2:1 tells us that Augustus Caesar issued a decree regarding an empire-wide registration that motivated Joseph and Mary to relocate to Bethlehem. This decree was most likely issued in the spring of 3 BCE.
Question #7: What song did the angels sing to the shepherds?
A. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
B. O Little Town of Bethlehem
C. Joy to the World
D. None of the above
Answer: In the Infancy Narrative in Luke 2, where the angels appear to the shepherds, despite tradition, there is no evidence that they sang anything, especially a Christmas carols written hundreds of years later.
Question #8: When did the baby Jesus cry?
A. Whenever babies usually cry.
B. When the cattle were lowing
C. When he opened the wise men’s gifts
D. “No crying he makes”
Answer: Despite the popular Christmas carol and tradition, Jesus would have cried whenever babies usually cry.
Question #9: Who were wise men (Magi)?
A. Oriental/Eastern Kings
B. International bankers
C. Magicians
D. Astronomers
Answer: Despite the popular Christmas carol and tradition, the wise men were not kings, but members of the noble families that helped govern the Parthian Empire. Their responsibilities included: determining royal accession, dream interpretation, and astronomy.
Question #10: How many wise men were at the birth of Jesus?
A. Zero
B. Three
C. More than three
D. The Bible doesn’t say
Answer: Technically, the correct answer is A, zero, because there were no wise men present at the birth of Jesus—they arrived well after Jesus was born and was a young child living in a house (Matt. 2:11). But also, once could argue that the correct answer is D, because the Bible does not give a number. There may have been three gifts, but it does not necessarily correspond that there were three wise men. Based on historical evidence regarding the role of the Magi and the logistical needs of their travel to Judea, it is most likely there were more than three wise men who visited Jesus.
Question 11: Which of the following is not a name traditionally given to the wise men (not from the Bible)…?
A. Melchior
B. Gaspar
C. Balthazar
D. Carlos
Answer: Tradition records three names for the “three wise men”—Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar. Sorry Charlie, no Carlos.
Question #12: Jesus was born in a…?
A. Stable
B. Cave
C. Local motel
D. The Bible doesn’t say
Answer: Once again, technically, the Bible does not say, therefore, the correct answer is D. And again, despite tradition, most likely Jesus was not born in a stable or a cave, but in traditional Judean house. The confusion comes from a mistranslation of the Greek word kataluma (Luke 2:7) which means “guestroom” as opposed to the traditional “inn” (commercial traveler’s inn, or motel). Additionally, there is a cultural misunderstanding of where mangers were located. Judeans did not have stables, but kept their household animals, well… in the house. The manger, which is correctly understood to be a food or water trough for the household animals would also have been in the house.
Question #13: When the Magi brought their gifts to Jesus, they found him in…?
A. A manger
B. A local motel
C. A house
D. None of the above
Answer: Regardless of where Jesus was born (see Question 12) by the time the wise men arrived, scripture clearly tells us that they found a “young child” (not a baby) living in a house. The correct answer is C (Matt. 2:11).