Most Christians know the nativity story very well. Mary is pregnant with Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit and she and Joseph travel to Bethlehem for the census. When they get to Bethlehem it is night time, there is no room for them in the inn, but the inn-keeper has a stable where they can stay. Jesus is born in a stable along with all the other animals and placed in a manger. An angel appears to some shepherds in the field and tells them that a savior is born. They go into Bethlehem and find the baby lying in a manger. Three wise men followed a star that marked the location of Jesus’ birth and brought baby Jesus gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. What we are left with is the romantic image of the nativity scene with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, the shepherds, the ox and ass all huddled in a stable at night with the star above.
What is remarkable to me is how this story has come to exist in the first place. If you grew up with the nativity story, it is easy to blaze through the birth narratives in Mathew and Luke and imagine the traditional nativity story and read into the text all these little details that are not actually there. Around Christmas 2009, the pastor at our church in Arizona revealed that there is very little of the nativity story as we know it that is actually written in the Bible. Since then I have heard this a few more times and this Christmas decided to look into it for myself.
The only information about Jesus’ birth is contained in the gospels Luke and Mathew. Mathew focuses on the tale of the wise men or magi or astrologers. They were not kings. It does not mention how many there were. Western tradition has held to 3 magi while eastern traditions have held that there were 12 [1]. Neither number can be quantified by the text. When they find the child, the only information we get from Mathew is from Mathew 2:11 where it says,
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Here the wise men meet Jesus in a house not a stable, barn or cave.
The other more significant portion of text about the nativity story comes from Luke 2:1-21
1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.4Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (NASB translation)
At no point in the text does it say that Mary gave birth immediately upon arriving in Bethlehem. It simply says that while they were in Bethlehem the time came for the baby to be born. There is no mention of where she gave birth, but simply that he was placed in a manger after birth. Jesus’ birth in a stable or barn is simply implied because he was laid in a feeding trough and there was no room for them in the inn [2]. The greek word for inn used in this passiage is kataluma, which is better translated as guest room [3] as it is in the NIV. The idea that Mary and Joseph went to an inn and met an inn-keeper that had no room for them is implied through a poor translation of the text.
Bible archeology experts believe that Jesus was most likely born in the house of Joseph’s relatives, but not under the normal living quarters of the main house [3]. In those days as well as in primitive modern cultures, it is normal to find mangers within houses, which is more consistent with the previous text in Mathew [4].
Luke then goes on in verses 8-21 to tell the story of the shepherds. It does not say that it was night time even though that is what we typically imagine. All we learn is that an angel appeared to a group of shepherds and told them that a savior has been born and can be found in a manger wrapped with cloths. It does not say it was at night and there is no mention of the wise men. It is unlikely that the shepherds and the wise men were there at the same time.
We also celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but this is also not likely when Jesus was actually born. It is more likely that he was born in the summer or early fall [3]. December 25th was chosen to be Christ’s Mass by the Roman Catholic Church in order to replace a pagan festival that celebrated the elongation of days after the winter solstice on the 21st [3]. The idea was that it is better to replace a tradition with another one than to simply take one away.
Although the nativity story as we know it today originates from the Bible, it is highly romanticized and unrealistic. It serves its purpose more as a cultural reminder of an event of unprecedented proportion over 2000 years ago. The nativity scene is a summary and reminder of the individual events even though many of the details are implied or fictional.
References
[1] Misunderstanding the Bible, Common misbeliefs about the Bible – Was Jesus born in a stable?, 1/2/2011,
http://www.abarim-publications.com/Misunderstanding_Bible/Jesus_Born_In_Stable.html
[2] Mark Goodacre, NT Pod 46: Was Jesus Born in a Stable?, 12/15/2010, http://podacre.blogspot.com/2010/12/nt-pod-46-was-jesus-born-in-stable.html
[3] Myths about Christmas, 1/2/2011, http://www.christiananswers.net/christmas/mythsaboutchristmas.html
[4] Was Jesus Born in a Stable, 1/2/2011, http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a012.html
