Following
are almost all of the (translated) original sources of the “Nativity
Story” chapters, as related in Matthew and Luke (minus table of
ancestors, headings and some punctuation). I have somewhat
arbitrarily inserted the text from Matthew 2 in Luke. In some places
today “Nativity
Scenes” are popular; they also appear on some Christmas cards. Those
scenes
reflect ideas common in parts of the culture. (I have not tried to
establish how these scenes and popular traditions came to be.) I will
add notes
to point out the common extraneous guesses or wishful thinking or
errors. I am also
repeating these notes of mine at the end in larger font. (The Bible text
is available in these versions, and others, through biblegateway.com
and through blueletterbible.org. )
Luke 1: 1-25 Many
people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us.
They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the
beginning and saw what happened. So I made a careful study
[a]
of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took
place. Honorable Theophilus, I have done this to let you know the truth
about what you have heard.
When Herod was king of
Judea, there was a priest by the name of Zechariah from the priestly
group of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was from the family of Aaron.
[b]
Both of them were good people and pleased the Lord God by obeying all
that he had commanded. But they did not have children.
