Nativity of Jesus For other uses, see Nativity of Jesus (disambiguation). will of God, undoing the damage caused by the fall of The nativity of Jesus or birth of Jesus is described the first man, Adam. The artistic depiction of the na- tivity has been an important subject for Christian artists since the 4th century. Since the 13th century, the nativity scene has emphasized the humility of Jesus and promoted a more tender image of him, as a major turning point from the early “Lord and Master” image, which has had an effect on the basic approaches of Christian pastoral ministry.[2][3][4] The nativity plays a major role in the Christian liturgical year. Christian congregations of the Western tradition (including the Catholic Church, the Anglican Commu- nion, and many Protestants) begin observing the season of Advent four Sundays before Christmas, the traditional feast-day of his birth, which falls on December 25. Chris- tians of the Eastern Orthodox Church observe a similar season called the "Nativity Fast" during the forty days leading up to Christmas, which for them falls on January Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622 7 as a result of Orthodox churches continuing to follow the Julian calendar, rather than the modern day Gregorian calendar.[5] 1 Date of birth See also: Date of birth of Jesus of Nazareth and Chronology of Jesus § Historical_birth_date_of_Jesus The date of birth for Jesus of Nazareth is not stated in the gospels or in any secular text, but most scholars assume a date of birth between 6 BC and 4 BC.[6] The historical evidence is too ambiguous to allow a definitive dating,[7] but the date is estimated through two different approaches - one by analyzing references to known historical events mentioned in the Nativity accounts in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and the second by working backwards from the estimation of the start of the ministry of Jesus.[8][9] Medieval miniature painting of the Nativity by the Master of 2 Place of birth Vyšší Brod, c. 1350 The Gospels of both Matthew and Luke place the birth in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two accounts of Jesus in Bethlehem.[10][11] Although Matthew does not agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the time of explicitly state Joseph’s place of origin or where he lived Herod the Great to a betrothed virgin whose name was [12][13] [1] prior to the birth of Jesus, the account implies that Mary. the family lived in Bethlehem, and explains that they later In Christian theology the nativity marks the incarnation settled in Nazareth.[14] However, Luke 1:26–27 clearly of Jesus as the second Adam, in fulfillment of the divine states that Mary lived in Nazareth before the birth of Je- 1 2 3 NEW TESTAMENT NARRATIVES Altar in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem sus, at the time of the Annunciation.[13] The Gospel of Luke states that Mary gave birth to Jesus and placed him in a manger “because there was no place for them in the inn”, but does not say exactly where Jesus was born.[15] The Greek word kataluma may be trans- Nativity of Jesus, by Botticelli lated as either “inn” or “guestroom”, and some scholars have speculated that Joseph and Mary may have sought to stay with relatives, rather than at an inn, only to find the house full, whereupon they resorted to the shelter of a room with a manger. This could be a place to keep the sheep within the Bethlehem area, called "Migdal Eder" (“tower of flock”) as prophesied by prophet Micah in Micah 4:8.[16] In the 2nd century, Justin Martyr stated that Jesus had been born in a cave outside the town, while the Protoevangelium of James described a legendary birth in a cave nearby.[17][18] The Church of the Nativity inside the town, built by St. Helena, contains the cave-manger site traditionally venerated as the birthplace of Jesus, which may have originally been a site of the cult of the god Tammuz.[19] In Contra Celsum 1.51, Origen, who from around 215 travelled throughout Palestine, wrote of the “manger of Jesus”.[20] The Quranic birth of Jesus, like the Gospels, places the virgin birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.[21][22][23] (The Quran code of Rashad Khalifa sees numerological significance in the birth of Muhammad (ca 570) occurring 570 years after the traditional birthdate of Jesus.[24]) A page from an 11th-century Gospel of Matthew showing 3 New Testament narratives Matthew 1:21 3.1 Gospel of Matthew child Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins. Joseph awoke and did all that the angel commanded. “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about": Chapter 1 of Matthew’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ birth and Mary, the mother of Jesus, was betrothed to Joseph, but naming [25] and the beginning of chapter 2 reveals that Je- was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph sus was born in Bethlehem during the time of Herod the intended to divorce her quietly, but an angel told him in a Great. Magi from the east came to Herod and asked him dream that he should take Mary as his wife and name the where they would find the King of the Jews, because they 3 had seen his star. Advised by the chief priests and teach- to God who had sent his salvation. Joseph and Mary then ers, Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem, where they wor- returned to Nazareth. There “the child grew and became shiped the child and gave him gifts. When they had de- strong, and was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God parted an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned was on him.” Each year his parents went to Jerusalem to him to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, for celebrate the Passover, and when Jesus was twelve years Herod intended to kill him. The Holy Family remained old they found him in the Temple listening to the teach- in Egypt until Herod died, when Joseph took them to ers and asking questions so that all who heard him were Nazareth in Galilee for fear of Herod’s son who now ruled amazed. His mother rebuked him for causing them anxi- in Jerusalem. “So was fulfilled what was said through the ety, because they had not known where he was, but he an- prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” swered that he was in his Father’s house. “Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them, but his mother treasured all these things in her heart, and 3.2 Gospel of Luke Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” See also: Visitation of Mary In the days when Herod was king of Judea, God sent 4 Themes and analogies 4.1 Thematic analysis Angel Gabriel's Annunciation to Mary, by Murillo, c. 1655 Gospel of Matthew, 1700. the angel Gabriel to Nazareth in Galilee to announce to a Helmut Koester writes that while Matthew’s narrative was virgin named Mary, who was betrothed to a man named formed in a Jewish environment, Luke’s was modeled to Joseph, that a child would be born to her and she was appeal to the Greco-Roman world.[26] In particular, ac- to name him Jesus, for he would be the son of God and cording to Koester, while shepherds were regarded neg- rule over Israel forever. When the time of the birth drew atively by Jews in Jesus’ time, they were seen in Greco- near the Roman Emperor commanded a census of all the Roman culture as “symbols of a golden age when gods and world, and Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem, the city of humans lived in peace and nature was at harmony”.[26] C. David, as he was of the House of David. So it came to T. Ruddick, Jr. writes that Luke’s birth narratives of Je- pass that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and as there was sus and John were modeled on passages from Genesis: no room in the town the infant was laid in a manger while 27–43.[27] Regardless, Luke’s nativity depicts Jesus as a angels announced his birth and shepherds worshiped him savior for all people. His genealogy goes back to Adam, as Messiah and Lord. demonstrating his common humanity, as do the lowly cir- In accordance with the Jewish law his parents presented cumstances of his birth. Luke, writing for a gentile au- the infant Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem, where the dience, portrays the infant Jesus as a savior for gentiles righteous Simeon and Anna the Prophetess gave thanks as well as Jews.[28] Matthew uses quotations from Jewish 4 5 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY scripture, scenes reminiscent of Moses’ life, and a numer- ical pattern in his genealogy to identify Jesus as a son of David, of God, and of Abraham. Luke’s prelude is much longer, emphasizing the age of the Holy Spirit and the arrival of a savior for all people, Jew and Gentile.[29] Mainstream scholars interpret Matthew’s nativity as de- picting Jesus as a new Moses with a genealogy going back to Abraham,[30][31] while Ulrich Luz views Matthew’s de- piction of Jesus at once as the new Moses and the in- verse of Moses, and not simply a retelling of the Moses story.[32] Luz also points out that in the massacre narra- tive, once again, a fulfilment quotation is given – Rachel, the ancestral mother of Israel, weeping for her dead chil- dren (2:18)[33] Scholars who see Matthew as casting Jesus in the role of being a second Moses argue that, like Moses, the infant Jesus is saved from a murderous tyrant; and he flees the country of his birth until his persecutor is dead and it is safe to return as the savior of his people.[34] In this view, the account in Matthew is based on an earlier narrative A page from the Codex Sinaiticus.