#49 Christmas Special with Bart Ehrman - Did Christmas Really Happen?
Dec 23, 2023
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New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman explores the history and contradictions surrounding Jesus' birth in the New Testament. They discuss the pagan roots of Christmas and its connection to Saturnalia. The chapter explores the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke, highlighting differences and shared themes. The prophetic perfect tense and prophecy fulfillment are explored, as well as contradictions in the birth narratives and a historical contradiction in the gospel. The concept and significance of the virgin birth are discussed, including the possibility of Joseph being Jesus' father.
Christmas began to be celebrated in the fourth century with the conversion of Gentiles to Christianity.
The two accounts of Jesus' birth in the New Testament differ in their details, but were written as biographical works.
There are discrepancies and historical challenges surrounding the virgin birth of Jesus.
Deep dives
Christmas as a Historical Event
The podcast episode discusses the historical origins of Christmas. While some argue that Christmas was influenced by the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, the episode explains that early Christians did not initially celebrate Jesus' birth, but rather focused on the death and resurrection during Easter. It was in the fourth century, with the conversion of Gentiles to Christianity, that Christmas began to be celebrated. The specific date of December 25th is not written in the Bible, but it is close to the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which involved gift-giving and role reversals. The podcast highlights that the celebration of Christmas as we know it today is largely influenced by 19th century England.
The Two Different Birth Narratives
The episode explores the two accounts of Jesus' birth found in the New Testament, as presented in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. While both narratives agree that Jesus was born to Mary in Bethlehem and is of divine origin, they differ in their details. Matthew focuses on the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, including Jesus being born of a virgin, while Luke emphasizes that Jesus is the Son of God, conceived through the Holy Spirit. Despite some contradictions between the two accounts, the episode explains that they were written as biographical works, similar to how ancient biography writers often included remarkable birth stories for important figures. It is noted that the historical accuracy of these narratives is subject to debate among scholars.
The Virgin Birth and Historical Challenges
The podcast delves into the topic of the virgin birth of Jesus and the historical challenges it poses. It discusses how Matthew and Luke provide different explanations for Jesus being born of a virgin. Matthew presents the birth as fulfilling a prophecy from Isaiah, while Luke focuses on the conception by the Holy Spirit to highlight Jesus' divine nature. The episode acknowledges discrepancies in interpreting Isaiah's prophecy and the Hebrew word for virgin. It also touches upon historical contradictions found in the Bible, such as the mention of a census during the time of Corinius, a governor of Syria, which does not align with the timeline of Herod the Great's reign. The episode recognizes that these inconsistencies do not necessarily negate the broader theological message of Jesus' birth and salvation.
Contradiction in Birth Narratives
There is a contradiction between the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke regarding the flight to Egypt. In Matthew's account, King Herod discovers the child has been born in Bethlehem and sends troops to kill the children. Joseph is warned in a dream and takes Jesus and his mother to Egypt until Herod's death. In Luke's account, Mary gives birth in Bethlehem and they return to Nazareth after fulfilling purification rituals and circumcising Jesus. This contradiction has been widely recognized among historical critics and is not simply a fringe criticism.
Joseph as the Father of Jesus
There is evidence from the New Testament that suggests Joseph was considered the actual father of Jesus. While the virgin birth story is mentioned in Matthew and Luke, other books in the New Testament say nothing about it. Additionally, in Mark's gospel, Jesus' family, including his mother, question his sanity, which seems odd if they were aware of his miraculous birth. Furthermore, John's gospel and Acts refer to Joseph as Jesus' father, and Luke himself has contradictory statements about when Jesus becomes the Son of God. Some scholars also argue that the virgin birth story in Luke was added later, and there are peculiarities in Luke's gospel that support this view.
In this Christmas special of Within Reason, New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman explores the history and narrative of Jesus' birthday, and demonstrates where the accounts seem to contradict.
