Christmas Bible quiz · Round 1 of 2
Is it in the Christmas story?
10 questions on the nativity, in two rounds of five. Some come from carols, not the Bible. Guess, then see the verse.
Round 1
Is this in the Bible? The angel Gabriel told Mary she would have a son.
Answer
Yes. Luke names the angel. God sent Gabriel to Nazareth, and he told Mary she would give birth to a son and name him Jesus. Luke 1:26, 31: “In the sixth month God sent the angel Gabriel to a Galilean town named Nazareth, … Listen: you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus.” Read it
Is this in the Bible? Jesus was born in a stable.
Answer
No. Luke says Mary laid him in a manger, a feeding trough, because the guest room had no space. He never mentions a stable, a barn, or a cave. Those come from later tellings. Luke 2:7: “and she bore a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him down in a manger, since the guest room had no space for them.” Read it
Is this in the Bible? Jesus was given his name on the night he was born.
Answer
No. Luke says he was named when eight days were up, at his circumcision. The angel had told Mary the name before he was conceived. Luke 2:21: “When the eight days were up and the time came to circumcise him, he was given the name Jesus, the name spoken by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” Read it
Is this in the Bible? Joseph went to Bethlehem because of a Roman registration.
Answer
Yes. Caesar Augustus ordered a registration, and everyone went to their own town. Joseph was from David’s family, so he went to David’s town, Bethlehem. Luke 2:3-4: “So all the people set out to register, each one to his own town. Joseph too went up from Galilee, out of the town of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, since he came from the house and clan of David…” Read it
Is this in the Bible? The star led the magi straight to Bethlehem.
Answer
No. They went to Jerusalem first and asked where the newborn king was. Herod sent them on to Bethlehem, and only then did the star go ahead of them to the house. Matthew 2:1-2: “Once Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the time of King Herod, magi from the east made their way to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? For we saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”” Read it
Round 2
Is this in the Bible? Snow was falling on the night Jesus was born.
Answer
No. Neither Matthew nor Luke mentions the weather or the season. Luke says shepherds were out in the open country with their flock at night. The snow comes from carols. Luke 2:8: “There were shepherds in that same area who were staying out in the open country, standing guard over their flock through the night.” Read it
Is this in the Bible? An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream.
Answer
Yes. Joseph was planning to end the engagement quietly. An angel told him in a dream to take Mary as his wife. Matthew tells of three more dreams after the birth. Matthew 1:20: “But while he was turning this over in his mind, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary as your wife, because it is by the Holy Spirit that the child has been conceived in her.” Read it
Is this in the Bible? Jesus was born in Nazareth.
Answer
No. He was born in Bethlehem, David’s town. He grew up in Nazareth, which is why people called him Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew 2:1: “Once Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the time of King Herod, magi from the east made their way to Jerusalem” Read it
Is this in the Bible? A man named Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms at the temple.
Answer
Yes. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby to the temple, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God. A prophet named Anna was there too. Luke 2:27-28: “Guided by the Spirit, he came into the temple. As the parents were bringing in the child Jesus to carry out for him what was customary under the law, Simeon received him into his arms and blessed God, saying…” Read it
Is this in the Bible? Zechariah could not speak until his son John was named.
Answer
Yes. John the Baptist’s father doubted the angel and lost his voice. When he wrote “John is his name” on a tablet, he could talk again. Luke 1:63-64: “He requested a small tablet and wrote on it, “John is his name.” Everyone was astonished. At that moment his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to talk, blessing God.” Read it
More for Christmas
12 more guesses on the Christmas page: three wise men, the innkeeper, the donkey, December 25. Or read the whole story in order, from the angel’s visit to the flight to Egypt.
Want five new questions every day? The daily Bible quiz asks whether words and sayings are in the Bible.
Questions
- Where do the answers come from?
- From the birth stories in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. Every answer shows the verse that settles it, quoted from the Lumin Translation, with a link to read the whole chapter.
- Why is “Jesus was born in a stable” marked as not in the Bible?
- Luke says Mary laid the baby in a manger because the guest room had no space. He never names a stable, a barn, or a cave. A manger could stand inside a family home, where animals were often kept at night.
- Can I play with my family or a friend?
- Yes. When you finish a round, tap Challenge a friend. The link opens the same five questions with your score waiting, and shows who won at the end. Play again starts a round over on the same phone.
- Do I need an account?
- No. Your answers are kept on this device only, apart from the daily quiz. Nothing about your answers is sent anywhere.