The Birth Narratives
Almost like a seasonal sport we are treated annually to debunkings of Christmas story ‘myths’ and misunderstandings: “the Bible doesn’t say there were three wise men, or that Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem, or that the baby Jesus never cried.” The debunking popularity seems to have increased over the years as daily reading and general knowledge of the Bible diminishes.
The annual debunking by pastors and teachers is intended to encourage people to be careful readers of Scripture so they have a more accurate picture of the events Christian faith is rooted in. If artistic license and public opinion get the details wrong about the most popular story in history, it’s possible they have also erred about salvation and other fundamental doctrines.
But when the so-called critical scholars of the Bible join in the “fun,” it becomes clear that they are not seeking to strengthen Christian faith, but subvert it. They don’t focus so much on donkeys and camels, but on bigger prizes: “the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke irreconcilably contradict one another,” “Christians invented the virgin birth due to a mistranslation of Isaiah,” or “Luke’s description of the famous Bethlehem census is historical bunk.”
Take for example this jolly tweet by Dr. Bart Ehrman, part of his 2024 “Twelve Days of Christmas” series:
How is a Christian to respond to academic scrooges?
First of all, ignoring them is a wise and valid approach…during the holidays at least. Just enjoy the season of love, family, friendship, and worshipping God and Christ over the miraculous birth of God-incarnate!
“Long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appeared and the soul felt its worth!”
Why bother to respond or even allow yourself to be bothered by those who, regardless of their honest opinion about the texts, seek to subvert your faith in God and Christ. “Answer not a fool according to his folly” (Prov 26.3).
In the above tweet, for example, not a single point has any serious warrant in the narratives, so far as I’m concerned. No details cited are actually “at odds.” Ehrman is presuming too much, and all of us are inclined to such presumptions when we enjoy their fruits. We Christians make similar errors.
Still, there is more serious warrant to other challenges Ehrman and others (including Christian scholars) raise about a few details in the birth narratives. Christians shouldn’t ignore honest questions and challenges that arise naturally from the content and details of Scripture itself, regardless of the source of such questions.
In these cases I might recommend the following response over the long term:
1. Read, ponder, and study the birth narratives a lot more closely than you have until now. They are, after all, the beginning of two gospels and extra weight always resides in the beginning of any book. Pay very close attention to the details of the stories and what each writer is aiming at in relating them. Try to understand each acccount on its own terms.
2. Where the evangelists quote or clearly allude to the Old Testament reflect on and study their source passages and books. Try to grasp the meaning of these sources on their own terms as well and why the evangelist may have seen an application to Jesus Messiah in these passages.
3. Consult a couple of commentaries by reputable Christian scholars regarding historical questions surrounding the birth narratives. They can introduce you to relevant historical issues and primary sources, and also provide you with models of how they, as professional historians, think through these issues. You don’t have to agree with them to learn from them.
4. Take seriously the possibility that there may be substantive questions about the birth narratives that we simply cannot answer (given our evidence). Ignorance should not be a speed bump to faith.
5. At some point, it may prove important to a Christian’s faith to dig deeper into how the two birth narratives cohere. You may want to cut and paste the full accounts in parallel columns and ponder what precisely they say and don’t say, keeping in mind that the inspired writers did not aim at precision in every detail, though clearly they sought to present reliable accounts. Maybe a writer didn’t know information another writer knew (they weren’t omniscient!) or perhaps they knew it and simply chose to focus on other aspects, details, or themes.
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Here are three videos addressing questions about the birth narratives: