Part A = Jesus’ Birth
Consistency and credibility of the birth narratives
The birth narratives of Jesus appear in two of the four Gospels of the New Testament,
Matthew and Luke:
Matthew 1:18 – 2:23 Luke 1:26 – 2:40
Mary gets married to Joseph and An angel named Gabriel appears to
they live separately in Bethlehem Mary, who is a virgin married to
Mary becomes pregnant through Joseph who tells her about the
the Holy Spirit even though she is pregnancy
a virgin Mary visits Elizabeth to tell her
In a dream, an angel reminds about the pregnancy and the baby
Joseph of a prophecy of a virgin leaps in her womb
birth (Isaiah 7:14) and tells him to Mary sings the Magnificat (My Soul
name his son ‘Immanuel’ (God with Magnifies the Lord) (song of Mary)
us) Elizabeth gives birth to John the
The angel also speaks to Mary both Baptist
before and after Jesus’ birth John’s father, Zachariah sings the
A star appears in the night sky, Benedictus (Blessed be the Lord
and the wise men follow it (Micah God of Israel) (song of Zachariah)
5:2) searching for Jesus and they Gives details of a census called by
visit Herod as well Caesar Augustus, which made it
Jesus is born at a house necessary for Joseph and Mary to
The wise men bring gifts to the travel to Bethlehem to be
house of the holy family registered – this happened under
An angel visits Joseph in a dream, the leadership of Quirinius’
warning him to flee to Egypt governance of Syria
because Herod will kill every child - Mary delivers the child and lays
this fulfils another prophecy: “Out him in a manger as all the inns are
of Egypt I have called my son” full
(Hosea 11:1) Angels inform shepherds who visit
Herod is angry and kills all children Jesus
under two years old around Jesus is circumcised and presented
Bethlehem which fulfils another at the Temple 8 days after his birth
prophecy of Rachel weeping for Simeon sings the Nunc Dimitus
her children (Jeremiah 31:15) (Now You Dismiss) (song of
An angel appears to Joseph in a Simeon)
dream telling him that Herod has Jesus is mysteriously recognised as
died and they can safely return to the Messiah by Simeon and Anna
Israel The family returns to Nazareth
Mary, Joseph and Jesus make their after the temple presentation
home in Nazareth
People doubt the historicity and credibility of these accounts because they do have
differences, but the main messages are consistent and identical between the two:
Similarities
Both Matthew and Luke agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem when
Herod was king of Judea
The name of his mother was Mary
She was engaged to Joseph
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Mary was a virgin
There were visits to see Jesus
Visits were guided in some way
Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
Jesus’ role was to bring salvation not only to the Jews but all humankind
Differences
, Matthew puts significant emphasis on Joseph’s role in that he receives all
the revelations from the angel – Luke emphasizes Mary’s role and she
receives all revelations
In Matthew, the wise men follow a star to visit Jesus – in Luke, the
shepherds are informed by angels of Jesus’ birth and immediately go to
Bethlehem to visit him
Matthew says Jesus was born in a house – Luke says Jesus was born and
placed in a ‘manger’
In Matthew, an unnamed angel speaks to Mary before and after birth – in
Luke, Gabriel announces Mary’s pregnancy
Matthew alone records Joseph and Mary’s marriage, the appearance of the
star, the visit of the Wise Men, the details about Herod and the slaughter
of the infants and the subsequent flight to Egypt
Luke alone records Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, the birth of John the Baptist,
the visit of the shepherds, the presentation of Christ in the Temple, and
the three hymns (the Magnificat, the Benedictus and the Nunc Dimittis)
Luke alone has the story about there being no room in the inn
Luke gives details of a census called by Caesar Augustus, which made it
necessary for Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem to be registered
In Luke eight days after the birth, Jesus is presented in the Temple in
Jerusalem - he is mysteriously recognised as the Messiah by Simeon and
Anna, and Simeon speaks a hymn known as the Nunc Dimittis
Matthew alone makes references to scriptural prophecies instead of
hymns
The fact that there are differences in the stories cast doubt over the accounts’
reliability and there are a number of points of contention for their reliability:
The two accounts tell different stories
Luke’s historicity is questionable – Quirinius was not governor of Syria in the
days of Herod
There is no other clear evidence of Quirinius holding a first enrolment for his
census
The three hymns from Luke predate his account, so they may be a literary device
The massacre of the innocents is an unverified story
The miraculous events are questioned today due to the advancements of science
Harmonisation and redaction
Harmonisation
The similarities suggest a common tradition and message to people, not source
They can be seen to highlight significant Christian belief, and their significance is
emphasized by both including these in their stories
Some argue it is therefore possible to harmonise the two birth narratives and construct
one version of them, because while they may have differences, they do not directly
contradict each other:
Both stories support the doctrine of Incarnation
The holy family could have been visited by both the Wise Men and the shepherds
The flight to Egypt in Matthew may not have happened immediately, it could
have been up to two years after Jesus’ presentation at the temple (since Herod
killed children that were up to the age of 2)
Both agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and they lived in Nazareth
Both agree on Mary’s virginity and engagement to Joseph and conception by the
Holy Spirit
Both agree that Jesus will bring salvation to the world
Both agree that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
However, challenges arise with harmonisation when we see that there are differences
and points of question on reliability:
Consistency and credibility of the birth narratives
The birth narratives of Jesus appear in two of the four Gospels of the New Testament,
Matthew and Luke:
Matthew 1:18 – 2:23 Luke 1:26 – 2:40
Mary gets married to Joseph and An angel named Gabriel appears to
they live separately in Bethlehem Mary, who is a virgin married to
Mary becomes pregnant through Joseph who tells her about the
the Holy Spirit even though she is pregnancy
a virgin Mary visits Elizabeth to tell her
In a dream, an angel reminds about the pregnancy and the baby
Joseph of a prophecy of a virgin leaps in her womb
birth (Isaiah 7:14) and tells him to Mary sings the Magnificat (My Soul
name his son ‘Immanuel’ (God with Magnifies the Lord) (song of Mary)
us) Elizabeth gives birth to John the
The angel also speaks to Mary both Baptist
before and after Jesus’ birth John’s father, Zachariah sings the
A star appears in the night sky, Benedictus (Blessed be the Lord
and the wise men follow it (Micah God of Israel) (song of Zachariah)
5:2) searching for Jesus and they Gives details of a census called by
visit Herod as well Caesar Augustus, which made it
Jesus is born at a house necessary for Joseph and Mary to
The wise men bring gifts to the travel to Bethlehem to be
house of the holy family registered – this happened under
An angel visits Joseph in a dream, the leadership of Quirinius’
warning him to flee to Egypt governance of Syria
because Herod will kill every child - Mary delivers the child and lays
this fulfils another prophecy: “Out him in a manger as all the inns are
of Egypt I have called my son” full
(Hosea 11:1) Angels inform shepherds who visit
Herod is angry and kills all children Jesus
under two years old around Jesus is circumcised and presented
Bethlehem which fulfils another at the Temple 8 days after his birth
prophecy of Rachel weeping for Simeon sings the Nunc Dimitus
her children (Jeremiah 31:15) (Now You Dismiss) (song of
An angel appears to Joseph in a Simeon)
dream telling him that Herod has Jesus is mysteriously recognised as
died and they can safely return to the Messiah by Simeon and Anna
Israel The family returns to Nazareth
Mary, Joseph and Jesus make their after the temple presentation
home in Nazareth
People doubt the historicity and credibility of these accounts because they do have
differences, but the main messages are consistent and identical between the two:
Similarities
Both Matthew and Luke agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem when
Herod was king of Judea
The name of his mother was Mary
She was engaged to Joseph
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Mary was a virgin
There were visits to see Jesus
Visits were guided in some way
Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
Jesus’ role was to bring salvation not only to the Jews but all humankind
Differences
, Matthew puts significant emphasis on Joseph’s role in that he receives all
the revelations from the angel – Luke emphasizes Mary’s role and she
receives all revelations
In Matthew, the wise men follow a star to visit Jesus – in Luke, the
shepherds are informed by angels of Jesus’ birth and immediately go to
Bethlehem to visit him
Matthew says Jesus was born in a house – Luke says Jesus was born and
placed in a ‘manger’
In Matthew, an unnamed angel speaks to Mary before and after birth – in
Luke, Gabriel announces Mary’s pregnancy
Matthew alone records Joseph and Mary’s marriage, the appearance of the
star, the visit of the Wise Men, the details about Herod and the slaughter
of the infants and the subsequent flight to Egypt
Luke alone records Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, the birth of John the Baptist,
the visit of the shepherds, the presentation of Christ in the Temple, and
the three hymns (the Magnificat, the Benedictus and the Nunc Dimittis)
Luke alone has the story about there being no room in the inn
Luke gives details of a census called by Caesar Augustus, which made it
necessary for Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem to be registered
In Luke eight days after the birth, Jesus is presented in the Temple in
Jerusalem - he is mysteriously recognised as the Messiah by Simeon and
Anna, and Simeon speaks a hymn known as the Nunc Dimittis
Matthew alone makes references to scriptural prophecies instead of
hymns
The fact that there are differences in the stories cast doubt over the accounts’
reliability and there are a number of points of contention for their reliability:
The two accounts tell different stories
Luke’s historicity is questionable – Quirinius was not governor of Syria in the
days of Herod
There is no other clear evidence of Quirinius holding a first enrolment for his
census
The three hymns from Luke predate his account, so they may be a literary device
The massacre of the innocents is an unverified story
The miraculous events are questioned today due to the advancements of science
Harmonisation and redaction
Harmonisation
The similarities suggest a common tradition and message to people, not source
They can be seen to highlight significant Christian belief, and their significance is
emphasized by both including these in their stories
Some argue it is therefore possible to harmonise the two birth narratives and construct
one version of them, because while they may have differences, they do not directly
contradict each other:
Both stories support the doctrine of Incarnation
The holy family could have been visited by both the Wise Men and the shepherds
The flight to Egypt in Matthew may not have happened immediately, it could
have been up to two years after Jesus’ presentation at the temple (since Herod
killed children that were up to the age of 2)
Both agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and they lived in Nazareth
Both agree on Mary’s virginity and engagement to Joseph and conception by the
Holy Spirit
Both agree that Jesus will bring salvation to the world
Both agree that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
However, challenges arise with harmonisation when we see that there are differences
and points of question on reliability:
