Christmas Story Flashcards
Where did Joseph and Mary live?
Galilee, a town in Nazareth
Where did Joseph and Mary travel for Jesus’s birth?
Bethlehem
What is a common misconception about Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem?
That it was done by donkey
What was the annunciation and where did it take place?
This was where the angel Gabriel announced Jesus’s birth. It took place in Galilee, which is in Nazareth
Where did Jesus’s childhood take place?
Nazareth
Where did jesus circumcision and presentation occur?
At the temple in Jerusalem
Which was the one gospel that actually gave contextual backing to the story of jesus birth?
Luke
Who were the righteous couple who had not had a child, and why had they not been able to?
Zechariah and Elizabeth. They did not have a child because Elizabeth had been barren, and they were now both extremely old
Summarise what the angel of the lord came and said to Zechariah while he was burning incense
Elizabeth will bear a son, who should be named John. He must never drink wine or strong drink and he will be filled with the holy spirit even before his birth. He will turn many people of Israel to god. He will prepare the way for god’s arrival
Zechariah did not believe what Gabriel told him at first. What was his punishment for this?
He will be unable to speak until the day these events take place
Describe the annunciation
The angel Gabriel came to visit Mary in Nazareth in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Mary was a virgin and was engaged to a descendant of David, called Joseph. Gabriel told Mary that she would become pregnant with a son who she was to call Jesus. He will be son of the most high and the lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end. The holy spirit will come upon Mary, so Jesus will be born holy, and can be called the son of god
Summarise Mary’s visit to Elizabeth
Mary express gratitude that God has been merciful enough to make her his servant. She exclaims her joy and stays with Elizabeth for a further three months
Describe the birth of John the Baptist
Their neighbours came to rejoice. Those there wanted to name the child Zechariah after his father, but Elizabeth insisted that he must be called John. Zechariah wrote on a tablet that he agreed with Elizabeth, and his name must be John. After this, god allowed Zechariah to speak again
The genealogy of jesus is the beginning of which gospel?
Matthew, but like writes about it too
What are the two main differences between Matthew and Luke’s genealogy?
Matthew only goes as far back as Abraham, whereas Luke goes all the way to Adam. They are also in reverse order
What does tracing Jesus genealogy back to Abraham show about Matthews gospel?
Because Abraham was the father of the Jewish faith, it shows Matthew must have been writing for early Jewish-christian converts
What does Luke tracing Jesus genealogy all the way back to Adam show about his gospel
Adam is often seen as the father of human kind. This shows that Luke was writing more for the gentiles and all of mankind
Why does Matthew steer clear of presenting Jesus birth as being lowly and into poverty?
Because he wants to make clear to the Jewish Christian converts that Jesus is the kingly Messiah god promised to rise up from David’s line. Jesus being born in a stable would not seem like a birth fit for a messianic king
Why two things does Matthew include in his account of jesus birth that would have appealed to Jewish Christian converts?
Joseph was very much in control in the relationship when he said he wished to privately divorce Mary, which would have appealed to the chauvinist Jewish ideas of the time. Also, Joseph communicated with an angel of God in a dream, which would have been a reference to old testament Jewish prophets, like Joseph, who did the same
What does Emmanuel mean?
God with us (isa 8:8)
In what way does matthew make reference to the old testament and why is this significant?
‘look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel’ (Isaiah 7:14). This is significant as Matthew wants to make clear to Jewish Christian converts that Jesus is the Messiah who is here to fulfil all the old testament prophecies
What is particularly radical about likes gospel considering the time it was written?
Mary, a female, acted as a quasi main character, in a male dominated world
Why does Matthew emphasise the fact that there was a star leading the way to jesus?
There was a star that heralded king davids birth aswell. this meant that to the Jewish Christian converts for whom Matthew was writing, the star will have indicated the birth of a great king. This will have underlined the fact that Jesus was an important king, just like David had been
Explain the symbolism behind each of the three gifts jesus received
Gold - showed Jesus was a king
Frankincense - often used to mask the smell of animal sacrifice when worship was taking place in the temple. This therefore showed that Jesus was worthy of worship
Myrrh - often used as an embankment. Symbolises that fact that his death will be important
What was significant about the way the the wise men were informed not to return to Herod in Matthews gospel?
They were told in a dream, which relates to the old testament
What is significant about the fact that Luke makes shepherds part of his account of the adoration of jesus?
The shepherds come from normal, humble backgrounds,, which shows that the gospel is for everyone and the teachings of Jesus are not exclusiive
Which gospel writer writes about the flight to Egypt?
Matthew
What is the significance of the fact that Jesus had to flee to Egypt to escape a king that would have killed him?
Links Jesus to the old testament figure of Moses, as he had to do this too. This would have been an important part of the replacement theology that night have appealed to the early Jewish Christian converts
What can be seen as replacing Moses’s 10 commandments in Matthews gospel?
The sermon on the mount
Why do some people believe the sermon on the mount is more psychologically suitable than the 10 commandments?
Because the sermon on the mount positively sets out who you should be and what you should do, whereas the 10 commandments negatively instruct you on who you should be and what you should do. It is believed that positively enshrining a goal or rule will lead to a greater likelihood that it is adhered to
What prophecy did Matthew make up?
That the Messiah would be a Nazarene - there seems to be no reference to this anywhere in the old testament
What was Matthews first prophecy?
1:23 ‘the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (Isaiah 7:14)
This shows that he will be the son of god
What was Matthews second prophecy?
2:6 ‘born in Bethlehem’ (Micah 5:2)
This is David’s royal city
What was Matthews third prophecy?
2:17 ‘mary and Joseph will go to Egypt’ (Hos 11:1)
Shows that Jesus is here to replace the old testament figure of Moses
