Careful interpretation is needed. These slides discuss some of the issues involved. For instance, both Matthew and Luke date Jesus’ birth toward the end of the reign of King Herod the Great, who we ...

In Matthew’s narrative, Jesus’ birth is detected by foreign priests, the magi; in Luke it is lowly Jewish shepherds who first learn the news. In Matthew’s narrative, King Herod in Jerusalem hunts ...

Joseph took Mary as his wife, but he did not have any sexual relations with her until after Jesus was born in order to fulfil Isaiah’s prophesy of a virgin birth. Isaiah had said, “A virgin ...

How does this relate to the birth of Jesus? Fast forward a few hundred years to the writers of the Gospels in the New Testament. To confirm that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God, they referred ...

Atheist Richard Dawkins recently asked psychologist Jordan Peterson if he believes Jesus was born of a virgin: "Did a man have intercourse with Mary and produce Jesus? That's a factual question." ...

As a careful historian, Luke sets the scene of Jesus' birth in its political context by mentioning various rulers and places at the time (2:1-4). Luke's gospel begins with dramatic appearances of ...

These common terms divide time before and after the birth of Jesus Christ, though they may also be swapped out for the more-secular "C.E" and "B.C.E." But what do "A.D" and "B.C." actually mean ...

the Resurrection of Jesus. The Feast of the Birth of Jesus is also known as the "Incarnation of Christ." This means that Jesus became a man and came into the world to save us. We also refer to this ...

There is no story of the annunciation, the virgin birth or the appearance of the angels to the shepherds. The resurrection is not even mentioned. Jefferson discovered a Jesus who was a great ...