Bible Quiz: The Wise Men: True or False? (10 Questions and Answers)

Category: Family · 10 questions

True or false: what the Bible really says about the wise men from the East, and what comes from tradition.

1. Wise men from the East arrive in Jerusalem and ask where the king of the Jews is.
   Answer: True
   Wise men from the East arrive in Jerusalem asking where the newborn king of the Jews is (Matthew 2:1-2).
2. The Bible calls these visitors "kings".
   Answer: False
   Matthew speaks of wise men from the East, not kings (Matthew 2:1). The word kings comes from tradition.
3. The names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar are written in the Bible.
   Answer: False
   Matthew gives no names to the wise men (Matthew 2:1). These names come from tradition, not from the biblical text.
4. The wise men bow down before the child and offer him gold, frankincense and myrrh.
   Answer: True
   They bow down, worship the child and offer him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11).
5. The Bible says the wise men wore crowns.
   Answer: False
   Matthew mentions no crowns. He says they bowed down and worshiped (Matthew 2:11). The crowns come from tradition.
6. King Herod is troubled to learn of the birth of the king, and all Jerusalem with him.
   Answer: True
   King Herod was troubled when he heard this, and all Jerusalem with him (Matthew 2:3).
7. On seeing the star again, the wise men are filled with great joy.
   Answer: True
   When they saw the star, they were filled with very great joy (Matthew 2:10).
8. The chief priests and the scribes say that the Christ must be born in Nazareth.
   Answer: False
   They tell Herod: in Bethlehem in Judea, because that is what the prophet wrote (Matthew 2:4-6).
9. The wise men go back to Herod to tell him where the child is.
   Answer: False
   Warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they go back to their country by another road (Matthew 2:12).
10. Herod has children two years old and under killed, based on the date learned from the wise men.
    Answer: True
    Herod sent to kill the children two years old and under in Bethlehem, according to the time he had learned from the wise men (Matthew 2:16).