Was the Birth of Jesus According to Scripture?

by Steve Moyise

Each Christmas, the birth of Jesus is celebrated through carols, Bible readings, and nativity plays. The angelic announcements to Mary and Elizabeth, Jesus' birth in a manger, and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh are some of the best-known stories in the Bible. But did they really happen? And were they predicted by Israel's prophets, as the Bible claims? Steve Moyise suggests that the clue to answering these questions is to understand how Israel's Scriptures were being interpreted in Jesus' day. Was Isaiah thinking of a virgin birth when he uttered his famous prophecy (Isa 7:14), or is that a later Christian interpretation? Was there a star that led the magi to Bethlehem or should the story be taken symbolically? These and other questions are fully explored and the results are sometimes surprising.

Genres: Theology

Paperback

First published June 12, 2013

About the author

Steve Moyise (PhD, University of Birmingham) is professor of New Testament at the University of Chichester in Chichester, England. He is the author of Paul and Scripture and Jesus and Scripture. His other books include The Old Testament in the Book of Revelation, The Old Testament in the New, and Evoking Scripture: Seeing the Old Testament in the New.

Reviews

[Sanjuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The infancy narratives are among the most controversial in the Jesus story. Moyise tackles the narratives from Matthew and Luke, providing concise explanations of the debates and offers a brief analysis of the possible solutions to the difficulties. Moyise discusses Jesus' birthplace, his genealogy, his identity as Son of David, Mary's virgin conception, and more. The greatest strength of this work is his willingness to engage fairly with conservative and critical scholars alike, and show no prejudice either way, allowing the voices and evidence to speak for itself. A very readable, effective treatment of an important subject.