Answer: the Holy Spirit
The angel Gabriel (in Luke Chapter 1) appeared to Mary and explained that the loving power of the Holy Spirit (God's own Spirit) would overshadow her and she would conceive and give birth to a holy son whose name would be Jesus, and He would save His people from their sins.
From Quiz: A Biblical Family Christmas Quiz!
Answer: Matthew
Contemporary theologians generally agree that the four Gospels were written for four different audiences, leading to differences in emphasis and detail. Mark (whose Gospel was probably the first one written) wrote for a Roman audience, and used a terse style while emphasizing the power of Jesus. Matthew's Jewish audience had a tradition of expecting a Messiah; Luke wrote for Greeks, and John for those interested in the spiritual, rather than the objective, aspects of Jesus' life.
Mark and John both start their accounts with John the Baptist baptizing the adult Jesus. The first chapter of Luke is devoted to the story of the pregnancies of Elizabeth and Mary, while Matthew establishes the credentials of Jesus as the Messiah predicted in a number of Old Testament sources, including the prophets Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah. (Matthew 1:1-17)
From Quiz: The First Noel
Answer: 8
It was required by law that eight days after the birth of a son they would circumcise him and name him. They followed the law and circumcised him and named him Jesus, as the angel had told them to, eight days after his birth. This can be found in Luke 2:21.
Question by Jimmy (J-Zilch).
From Quiz: Bible Christmas 2
Answer: break off the engagement
No doubt all of these questions went through the mind of Joseph because God's plan of salvation through Mary's (and to some extent his) child, was not yet revealed to him. Matthew 1:19 states that Joseph was a just man and did not want to publicly disgrace her, so he was minded to put her away in secret. In other words, he wanted to break off the engagement and to do so as subtly as he possibly could.
From Quiz: The Biblical Account Of Christmas
Answer: To the Roman leader Theophilus, to tell him the truth about Christian teaching.
In the first four verses of his Gospel, Luke openly explains his purpose to Theophilus, who may have been a provincial governor. At the very least, Luke is trying hard to assure his "excellency" that Christians were no threat to the body politic. Later in the Gospel, Luke portrayed a Christ who recommended we "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Luke 20:22-25).
The Gospel according to Mark was the one written to comfort the Christians in Rome, who were being persecuted by Nero for burning the city. Mark is so cautious of formal authority that his Gospel would not have been good reading for Theophilus.
From Quiz: Dueling Christmas Stories
Answer: Isaiah
The prophet Isaiah prophesied that a maiden ('almah') would one day bear a son and call His name Immanuel (translated "God with us") Isaiah 7:14.
Many years later, an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream informing him of Mary's role in the nativity and this same prediction was refered to. Matthew 1:20-25
From Quiz: Jesus Is The Reason For The Season
Answer: Luke
Elizabeth was the wife of the preiest Zechariah and cousin to the Virgin Mary, and as the angel Gabriel foretold, the mother of John, whose name means "Yahweh has shown favor", and indication of John's role as the Baptist. Like Samson and Samuel, John "will drink neither wine nor strong drink" (Lk 1:15).
Elizabeth's childlessness until her senior years connects her to some of the great mothers of the Old Testament, such as Sarah (Gn 15:3 and 16:2), Rebekah (Gn 25:21), and Hannah (1 Sm 1:2).
From Quiz: Do You Know the Christmas Story in the Gospels?
Answer: God is my strength.
The Hebrew name Gabriel implies 'God(who is love via 1 John 4:8,16) is my strength'. Isaiah or the name Jesus implies 'God saves'. Malachi means 'God's messenger'. Archangel Michael's name implies 'Who is like God?' from the Hebrew name - Mikha'el.
From Quiz: A Biblical Family Christmas Quiz!
Answer: John the Baptist, by about six months
The angel Gabriel, who informed Zacharias that Elisabeth would bear a son to be named John and subsequently announced to Mary her forthcoming impregnation by The Holy Ghost, is one of the only two angels for whom the Bible gives a specific name.
According to Luke (1:36), Elisabeth had been unexpectedly (because of her advanced age and previous barrenness) pregnant for about six months when her much-younger cousin Mary arrived to visit and share their news.
The events described in the first chapter of Luke are incorporated into a number of prayers: 'Hail Mary' includes both the words used by Gabriel to Mary, and Elisabeth's greeting to Mary. 'Magnificat' is based on Mary's response.
From Quiz: The First Noel
Answer: none
While the Bible does not actually mention any animals, it would have been normal practice for the animals to be in the stable. Some animals were probably there, most likely donkeys, cattle, sheep, goats and/or camels.
Question by Rimrunner.
From Quiz: Bible Christmas 2
Answer: The Shepherds
In Luke 2, the baby was born and angels then appeared to some shepherds who were watching their sheep. They told the shepherds that the son of God had been born in Bethlehem. When the shepherds heard this news, they went to Bethlehem to see the baby. When they saw that it was as the angels had said, they went throughout the city telling everybody what had happened. Luke says that everybody who heard the news were amazed at what the shepherds had told them.
Question by Jimmy (J-Zilch).
From Quiz: Bible Christmas
Answer: an angel of the Lord
Matthew 1: 20 says that whilst Joseph was thinking about what he should do in his situation, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and soothed his troubled mind. The angel told him not to panic and explained the marvelous plan that God had for Mary and for himself.
From Quiz: The Biblical Account Of Christmas
Answer: It is the date of a pagan festival taken over by the early church.
In the absence of a biblical basis for the timing of Christmas, the church seems to have "adopted" the pagan practice of a festival around the time of the Winter Solstice. This had the double advantage of being an existing time for celebration that took place when agricultural work was at a minimum.
It is not known whether Archbishop Usher had an opinion on Christmas Day but he did calculate that the first full day of creation was October 23rd 4004 BC.
From Quiz: O Holy Night! The Stars Are Brightly Shining
Answer: To show the Jewish community in Antioch that Jesus was the One prophesied.
Antioch was where followers of Christ were first called "Christians." It contained the largest Jewish community outside of Judah, and was one of the key places where Jewish believers tried to figure out how to relate to Gentile (non-Jewish) believers.
The book instructing potential Christians is the Gospel of John. John may have been trying for a book that would transform a person the way Jesus described to Nicodemus.
If you are interested in learning more about the difference between the Gospels, I recommend Robin Griffith-Jones' "The Four Witnesses." Griffith-Jones present a strong scholarly case, but writes on a level accessible to a popular audience.
From Quiz: Dueling Christmas Stories
Answer: Eight days old
An angel of the Lord told Joseph in a dream that the Son of Mary should be called Jesus and so on the eighth day when the custom of circumcision was performed, He was given the name that was ordained for Him..
Luke 2: 21.
From Quiz: Jesus Is The Reason For The Season
Answer: Egypt
Herod gave a decree to kill all male children approximately two years and younger in Bethlehem and its vicinity, as he was worried about Jesus and the Jewish prophecy about the Messianic King. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream after the visit of the Magi, telling him to escape the coming persecution and to flee to Egypt. After Herod died, an angel of the Lord visited Joseph in a dream and the holy family returned and settled in Nazareth in Galilee. (Matthew Chapter 2)
From Quiz: A Biblical Family Christmas Quiz!
Answer: Caesar Augustus levied a tax to be paid in his ancestral home
Some translations use the term census, as the event was a combination of census and tax-levying. It may refer to the census which took place at the instruction of Publius Sulpicius Quirinus (called Cyrenius by Luke) in 6 CE, although the date is inconsistent with other references, such as the reign of Herod, who died in 4 BCE. According to Luke, the Roman census imposed when they took control of the region required everyone to register at the venue designated for their family, so Joseph, being descended from David, had to go to Bethlehem, the City of David. Most authorities do not consider this historically accurate, as the Romans did not usually impose such disruptive requirements when they took control. However, Luke used it as a way of providing an explanation of the birth in Bethlehem, as predicted by the Old Testament prophet Micah.
It is not clear why he was accompanied by Mary, since the journey would have been arduous for a woman nearing the time of the expected birth of her first child.
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." (Luke 2:1-5)
From Quiz: The First Noel
Answer: The Bible doesn't state that
Ahhh...
If you thought it was in Luke, read just a bit more carefully. The angels did not SING anything. They SAID these words. Perhaps a bit of a technicality, but in Luke 2:13-14, we can definitely be certain that they were not singing. In fact, I have never read any account of angels singing anywhere in the Bible. But, you say, what about in Revelation, on two different occasions?
Nope, that is not angels singing either. It is God's redeemed; and since angelic beings cannot be redeemed because Christ did not die for them, but only for man, they aren't the ones singing in that book, either.
Question by logcrawler.
From Quiz: Bible Christmas 2
Answer: No number is given
Tradition has it three Magi worshiped baby Jesus and then presented gifts to him. However, nowhere in the Bible does it state the number of Magi. Their visit is recorded in Matthew 2:1-12. The reason that people believe there were three Magi is the fact that they presented three gifts to baby Jesus. According to the NIV, the gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. (The Magi are also referred to as Kings and Wise Men.) Scripture states they came from the east and followed a star that guided them to Jesus.
Question by Cowrofl.
From Quiz: Bible Christmas
Answer: Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit
In his dream, an angel of the Lord revealed unto Joseph that Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Spirit, thus making the child in her womb Holy.
From Quiz: The Biblical Account Of Christmas
Answer: The Apocrypha
The idea comes from the book of Wisdom, found in the Apocrypha: "For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne" (Wisdom 18 v. 14-15).
From Quiz: O Holy Night! The Stars Are Brightly Shining
Answer: 1. Genealogy; 2. an angel helps Joseph accept Mary's pregnancy; 3. magi visit King Herod.
In Matthew's gospel, the geneology fulfills prophetic requirements, Joseph accepts guidance to react differently than the law seemed to indicate, the magi who were the first to worship were not only royal but Gentiles, and King Herod was the corrupt leader.
Such were the center of Matthew's drama. Only Luke gave attention to Mary and the Christ Child, so central to us two millenia later.
From Quiz: Dueling Christmas Stories
Answer: Judea
Judea was located in the south of Israel (later called Palestine), a region that was later known as Canaan, and it was said that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Matthew 2:1.
From Quiz: Jesus Is The Reason For The Season
Answer: Luke
The Virgin Mary, pregnant with the infant Christ Jesus, visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is carrying John the Baptist. At Mary's greeting, John "leapt in the womb", which has come to be interpreted by many Christians that he was cleansed of original sin, and also that he recognized the Lord. Mary then sang a song that begins with "My soul magnifies the Lord" (Lk 1:46-55 NRSV). It has come to be known as the Canticle of Mary or the Magnificat (after the first word in the Latin Vulgate) or the Ode of the Theotokos.
Up to the 12th century in Greek art, the greeting of the two women was very subdued and formal, but in Syrian art they would warmly embrace. After the 12th century, the more sisterly form of the Visitation predominated in Europe for the next three hundred years.
From Quiz: Do You Know the Christmas Story in the Gospels?
Answer: In a manger
According to Luke, there was no room at the inn, so Joseph and Mary took shelter in the stable, where a manger provided a useful place to lay a newborn child. It is interesting to note that the Greek word translated as 'inn' can also mean guestroom. Some scholars speculate that Joseph and Mary may have intended to stay with members of his family, but found their house to be overcrowded.
Several non-canonical writings refer to the birth of Jesus as having taken place in a cave, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was built in the 4th Century over a cave that was held to be the site of the birth.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)
From Quiz: The First Noel
Answer: because the name means "saviour"
The angel of the Lord told Joseph, that Mary would give birth to a son and that he Joseph shall call His name Jesus. He was given this name to signify
His calling as an adult and that was to save mankind from sin.
From Quiz: The Biblical Account Of Christmas
Answer: 1. Dedication; 2. John the Baptist's and Jesus' births foretold; 3. Mary visits Elizabeth and praises God.
Theophilus would have been familiar with the "exemplum," a classic genre, and Luke dedicated the book to him and showed Mary to be an ideal mother for the Lord. Luke gave such a full account of the Christmas story that he spent 80 verses (Chapter 1) preparing dramatic characters and great literary passages. Yet with all his detail, Luke barely mentioned Joseph and dared know nothing of the magi's struggle with Herod.
From Quiz: Dueling Christmas Stories
Answer: The name of the angel is not recorded
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, but there is no record of which angel appeared to Joseph! (Luke 1. verse 26 - 27 and Matthew 1. verse 20)
From Quiz: The Christmas Story
Answer: Matthew
As described in Matthew 1:18-15, Joseph discovered that the Virgin Mary was pregnant, while they were betrothed but not yet living together. "Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame"-- or death, the penalty for adultery-- "decided to divorce her quietly" (Mt 1:19). An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, and told him not be afraid, that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit. "She will bear a son," said the angel, "and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (1:21). Matthew does not identify the angel, but tradition has assumed him to be the archangel Gabriel, the same messenger who announced the coming birth of Jesus to His mother, the Virgin Mary, in the Gospel according to Luke.
From Quiz: Do You Know the Christmas Story in the Gospels?
Answer: Shepherds in the fields
Luke Chapter 2:6-12 - "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David(a former shepherd himself!) a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"
A great company of heavenly Host appeared in the fields to the shepherds praising God and speaking blessings of peace and favor to people, with the glory of God shining all round them. The shepherds then hurried to see Jesus and after that they spread the good news of what they had heard about the child.
From Quiz: A Biblical Family Christmas Quiz!
Answer: both groups stank
Fishermen and shepherds are two smelly occupational groups.
The shepherds slept in the fields with their sheep in order to keep warm, so they smelled just like their sheep, and if you have ever done much fishing, you know that the smell of fish is very hard to get rid of. Jesus deliberately chose his first disciples from among the smelly fishermen, from a despised tax collector, and from other occupations that would be considered "less than desirable," and perhaps might even be considered as social outcasts.
(The notable exception was Judas - ish -(from) Kerioth or (Iscariot), whose father was a member of the religious/legal/social body called the Sanhedrin.)
Jesus' first visitors, the shepherds, didn't smell too hot, either, but throughout the course of his ministry Jesus stressed that He didn't come to call the righteous to repentance, but the sinners. He had many issues with the religious leaders of his day, mainly because He largely ignored them or was at odds with their interpretation of God's law, and instead, reached out to those who KNEW that they needed His help.
Question by logcrawler.
From Quiz: Bible Christmas
Answer: Mary wrapped the child in cloth and put him in a cattle trough.
Maybe Luke scarcely knew Joseph and knew the magi not at all, but he knew lots of other stuff. Those grade school Christmas pageants you remember? Except for the magi, the details came from Luke chapter 2 (or the kindergarten teacher's imagination). Whether or not the cattle trough (manger) was empty of feed, however, Luke doesn't say.
From Quiz: Dueling Christmas Stories
Answer: He would save His people from their sins
An angel appeared unto Joseph in a dream and told him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that he should call His name Jesus because He would one day save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:20-21
From Quiz: Jesus Is The Reason For The Season
Answer: Luke
Gabriel tells the shepherds not to be afraid, "For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord". He tells them to look for a baby "wrapped in swaddllng clothes and lying in a manger". And then a host of angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (2:14). Luke makes a point of mentioning the Virgin Mary, who observed the shepherds spreading what the angel had told them: "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart" (2:19).
Of the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), only Luke uses the specific title "savior" for Jesus, both in his Gospel and in the subsequent Acts of the Apostles.
From Quiz: Do You Know the Christmas Story in the Gospels?
Answer: the day of His Circumcision
As per Jewish customs, law and tradition (Genesis 17:10-14) the child is circumcised (usually performed by a Mohel or Circumciser) and named on the eighth day (officially the day starts from dusk or sunset of the previous day). Usually the Mohel visits the home of the person to be circumcised.
From Quiz: A Biblical Family Christmas Quiz!
Answer: Eight days
The Brit milah (or, as may be familiar to many, what is called in Yiddish the Bris) is a ceremony that includes circumcision (as a token of the covenant established with Abraham in Genesis 7:13) and naming of the infant. This ceremony commonly takes place on the eighth day of the infant's life, as prescribed in Leviticus 12:3. In many Anglican churches, the Feast of the Circumcision is celebrated on January 1; in the Eastern Orthodox church, it is on January 1 of the Julian calendar, which is January 14 on the Gregorian calendar; the Roman Catholic church, however, celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3, having moved the date from January 1 (which is now celebrated as the Feast of the Holy Mother of God).
"And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb." (Luke 2:21)
From Quiz: The First Noel
Answer: Census
Luke 2:1-5 (New International Version) reads as follows:
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child."
I find it fascinating that Caesar Augustus is connected to Christ's place of birth!
Question by star_gazer.
From Quiz: Bible Christmas
Answer: Get married
According to Matthew 1:24, Joseph took Mary as his wife. (ie they got married!)
He however, did not consummate the marriage until Mary had given birth to her first born son Jesus, also called Immanuel. Thus the virgin conception, resulted in the virgin birth.
From Quiz: The Biblical Account Of Christmas
Answer: Strangely, he didn't.
Unlike Luke, Matthew described essentially nothing about the birth other than that it happened. The second half of one sentence states that "[Mary] gave birth to a son, and he [Joseph] called His name Jesus" (1:25); the first half of the next sentence tells us "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king" (2:1). That's it. Instead, Matthew showed his readers more of the contrasted responses of the Gentile magi and the Jewish king.
From Quiz: Dueling Christmas Stories
Answer: Matthew
In Matthew's Gospel, the number of Magi are not specified or where they are from, other than the East (2:1-3, including the quote in the question). They followed a bright star until it stopped "over the place where the child was", and "on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage." (2:9-11).
In later retellings of the story, there are three Magi (or Kings or Wise Men), and they have been given names and a background: Melchior from Persia, Gaspar (or "Caspar") from India, and Balthazar from Arabia. Their gifts have been given significance: gold for Jesus' royalty ("King of the Jews"), frankincense for His divinity, and myrrh for His suffering and death. But none of those glosses appear in Matthew's account.
In Nativity scenes, stained-glass windows, etc. the Christmas story is compressed to make it seem that Magi arrived at the same time as the shepherds, and shortly after Christ's birth. But traditionally, they arrived almost a fortnight later. The day that the Three Magi arrived to see Jesus is called the Epiphany ("manifestation, conspicuous appearance") or the Theophany ("an appearance of God to humanity"). It is also called Three Kings Day or Día de Los Reyes especially in Latin America, where they have historically been more prominent. In Western traditions, if December 25 is the Nativity, then Epiphany is 12 days later, on January 6 (and that's how we get the Twelve Days of Christmas).
From Quiz: Do You Know the Christmas Story in the Gospels?
