Most people who have spent some time in church know that not all our Christmas traditions and celebrations come from the Bible. Many realize that there is a liberal mix of biblical truth with assorted cultural ideas, some of which are pagan in their origin. And amazingly, even the Christmas story itself is often told with some inaccuracies attached. This month’s “musings” is designed to solve this problem. Clarity at Christmas is the goal. To achieve this, we must test our Christmas IQ. This will be done by taking this 37-question quiz. Do not look at your Bible until after you have taken the quiz. The answers, which are based on the New American Standard Bible are given on the last page of this article. Section 3 on traditions does not contribute to your final score. Have fun.
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE
(1) Who came from the east to visit and worship baby Jesus?
(a) shepherds; (b) Herod; (c) some wisemen; (d) some Jewish priests; (e) the little drummer boy
(2) Who was Herod the Great angry at which caused him to have the babies of Bethlehem destroyed? (a) his wife; (b) the Jewish priests; (c) the shepherds; (d) the wisemen; (e) Joseph and Mary
(3) The prophet who said that Christ would be born of a virgin. (a) Jeremiah; (b) Joel; (c) Daniel; (d) Isaiah; (e) Micah
(4) When the angel told Mary that she was going to be the mother of messiah, Mary (a) left town; (b) went and told Joseph; (c) went to a priest; (d) prayed and fasted
(5) What did the innkeeper say to Joseph and Mary when they arrived in Bethlehem. (a) there is no room here; (b) the stable is available; (c) the inn is really overcrowded; (d) you should have used our 800 number; (e) nothing.
(6) The prophet who said that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the messiah was (a) Micah; (b) Isaiah; (c) Jeremiah; (d) Daniel; (e) Ezekiel
(7) “that I may come and worship Him” was said by (a) a shepherd; (b) Herod; (c) a priest (d) Anna; (e) Simeon
(8) After the birth of Jesus, Joseph apparently intended to make the family’s home in (a) Egypt; (b) Nazareth; (c) Bethlehem; (d) Jerusalem; (e) Cana
(9) Who said “glory to God in the highest”? (a) the shepherds; (b) the wisemen; (c) an angel; (d) a group of angels; (e) the high priest.
(10) Jesus was born (a) during the same month as John the Baptist; (b) just before John the Baptist was born; (c) a few months after John was born; (d) a year after the birth of John; (e) at least two years after John was born.
II. TRUE/FALSE
(1) The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary after he appeared to her cousin Elizabeth.
(2) The angel Gabriel came to Mary two different times.
(3) The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary first and then later to Joseph.
(4) Gabriel told Mary that her son would sit on the throne of David and rule Israel.
(5) Only Luke tells the story of the shepherds and of the baby being in a manger.
(6) Only Matthew tells the story of the wisemen.
(7) It was Joseph who was told that the child would be called “Immanuel” and Mary was told that He would be called the “son of God.”
(8) The star is said to have “stood over” the manager where the baby Jesus was laid.
(9) The star guided the wisemen from the east to Bethlehem.
(10) The star never actually guided the wisemen at all.
(11) When the baby Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary were already married.
(12) Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because Herod the Great required it.
(13) The angelic host (choir) sang “glory to God” as the shepherds stood in awe.
(14) The wisemen did not arrive on the night of Jesus’ birth.
(15) When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he intended to marry her immediately.
(16) There was nothing miraculous about the birth of Jesus.
(17) The angelic choir announced the coming of the Savior, who was Christ the Lord.
(18) An angel sent from the Lord appeared to the wisemen warning them not to return to Herod.
(19) Before Herod died, Joseph was told by an angel to go to Egypt for a brief time.
(20) The three gifts of the wisemen were frankincense, myrrh and gold.
(21) The wisemen finally found the baby in a manger in a cave.
(22) The wisemen actually found baby Jesus in a house in Bethlehem.
(23) Isaiah is the one who said that the child who would be born would be called “the mighty God” and “the everlasting father.”
(24) The “sign” given to the shepherds was the angelic announcement.
(25) Mary rode a donkey from Nazareth down to Bethlehem.
(26) The name of Mary’s donkey was Nestor.
(27) Joseph and Mary found no room at the Bethlehem inn because they neglected to call the 800 number and make reservations. However, they could not get in because Bethlehem was quite crowded that year due to the fact that the country music awards were being given out then, which accounts for the presence of Cindy Lou Who and the Whoville singers, the “It’s a wonderful life quartet”, the little drummer boy and bugle corp., Amahl and the Night Visitors (a Samaritan rap group), the Living Christmas Tree from First Presbyterian of Capernaum, Vanilla Ice (in real life known as Frosty the Snowman), the Wisemen Trio (what else!), and the finalists from Galilee Got Talent.
III. THE CHRISTMAS TRADITION
(1) The name “Christmas” originated with (a) the Reformers; (b) the Roman Catholic Church; (c) the English Puritans; (d) the Jerusalem church
(2) The celebration of Christmas as the birth of Jesus began in which century AD? (a) 1st; (b) 2nd; (c) 3rd; (d) 4th
(3) The date of December 25th was selected to correspond to the deeply entrenched pagan festival dedicated to the sun. This festival can be traced back to (a) the Babylonians; (b) the Persians; (c) the Romans; (d) the Egyptians
(4) The sending of Christmas cards originated in (a) Russia; (b) Germany, (c) the USA; (d) England
(5) The Christmas tree was originally part of old Teutonic nature worship but was used in celebrating Christmas in (a) Russia; (b) Germany; (c) England; (d) Sweden
(6) The use of lights and candles is usually traced back to the (a) English; (b) Jews; (c) Germans; (d) Polish
(7) Most historians agree that the idea of gift giving came from (a) the wisemen; (b) the Jewish feast of Hanukkah; (c) the Roman festival of Saturnalia; (d) T.J. Maxx
(8) Santa Claus (the legend) can be traced back to the (a) 2nd century; (b) the 10th century; (c) the 15th century; (d) the 5th century
(9) The use of mistletoe (as a place for kissing) can be traced back to (a) Babylonian marriage rituals; (b) Roman debauchery in the festival of Saturnalia; (c) a place where peace was made between warring individuals; (d) the normally proper Pilgrims.
The answers are here https://paulbenware.com/christmas-iq-answers/