Episode description
Listen as John Dominic Crossan dissects the agreements between Jesus’ Infancy Story in Matthew and Luke! In this episode, David and Debo talk to Dr. John Dominic Crossan about “The First Christmas,” the book by Crossan and the late Marcus Borg.
Although our traditional nativity crib scene has the Shepherds and the Magi there together, each actually belongs to a different story. The Magi are from Matthew alone and the Shepherds from Luke alone. That difference draws attention to the fact that the two stories of Jesus’s Infancy are rather completely different in mood and content.
Despite being divergent parabolic overtures to two different Gospels, Matthew and Luke agree on the Virginal conception and Bethlehem birthplace of Jesus. As common data, are those claims historical facts or theological interpretations? What is the meaning and intention of each claim in its original context?