A fifth of Britons don't know Christmas celebrates birth of Christ

One in five Britons did not know that Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, according to a recent poll commissioned by The History Channel.

A survey conducted by Onepoll.com has found that 20 percent of Britons did not know Jesus' birth was remembered on Dec. 25, and nearly one in 20 thought Jesus was born over Easter, which actually marks his death and subsequent resurrection.

Despite the prevalence of nativity plays and Christian teaching in schools, 10 percent are still unaware that Jesus was born in a stable, and around one in 10 could not name Bethlehem as the town considered to be His place of birth.

The survey of 2,000 British adults was commissioned by The History Channel to mark the launch of its new show titled "The Real Jesus of Nazareth," featuring actor Robert Powell.

"For many of us, Christmas is a festivity we all look forward to celebrating with our loved ones," a spokesman for History told The Independent.

"But over time, it seems people are becoming more and more unaware about the real reason we mark the day and the story of Jesus. Experts are still discovering more about Jesus and his life story and our new documentary explores exactly what happened," he continued.

Other findings of the poll revealed that one in 20 Britons couldn't name Mary and Joseph as Jesus' parents. Three in 10 did not know that He had worked either as a carpenter or a stonemason, and 16 percent thought that He was jobless.

Eight in 10 respondents knew that the story of Jesus' birth featured a shepherd, star and donkey, but others believed that the tale involves a Christmas Tree, a turkey dinner and even Father Christmas.

One in 20 Britons thought that the gifts presented by the Three Wise Men after Jesus' birth included a donkey, and another five percent believed that they named a star after Him.

The poll also showed that some were also confused about Jesus' later years, as 20 percent were unaware that He had 12 disciples.

One in five did not know that four of the disciples were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Over one in 10 had difficulty naming Judas as the one who betrayed Jesus, with nearly one in 100 believing that it was his mother Mary.

While 85 percent believed that Jesus spoke Hebrew, only three percent knew that He is also said to have spoken Greek.

The survey results further revealed that only three in 10 learned their knowledge about the story of Jesus from the Bible. Sixty-four percent learned what they know from school and one in 10 learned the story by watching TV shows.

"The Jesus of Nazareth drama series, starring Robert, was watched by over 500 million people worldwide. Who better to introduce us to the very latest historical evidence about the life and times of the most famous man who ever lived," the spokesman for History added.