The Nativity Stories were hidden gems in antiquity, and they remain largely unexplored today. Though they appear first in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, they were among the last pieces of the puzzle of Christ’s life to be revealed to the public. The evidence shows that during the three-year ministry of Jesus none of his followers knew about the extraordinary events related in the birth narratives. The claim of his virginal conception, the most highly charged and hardest to substantiate o...

The Nativity Stories from Matthew and Lukes gospels have endured through the centuries, but the way Christmas is celebrated has been dramatically reshaped. In the modern era the story of Christs birth has been overshadowed by fanciful tales of Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph. Holiday customs designed to enhance the enjoyment of Christmas have often come to obscure the message of the Saviors birth. The Christmas season now exists primarily to foster the urge to shop rather than a desire to pause...