The Christmas Story Unwrapped: Clarifying popular myths about the birth of Jesus

The tale of Jesus' birth, central to Christmas lore, is recounted annually from our earliest memories. This narrative, depicted in nativity scenes across public venues, television specials, and school performances, features iconic elements such as the guiding star, the three wise men, and the stable's menagerie. However, the question arises: how historically faithful are these depictions?

Previously, December 25th (approximately the winter solstice) was the day used to celebrate the sun god, Mithras. So some historians believe that the Christian church chose this date to compete with that particular pagan holiday, according to the website The Gospel Coalition.

However, most say that it seems early Christians may have reasoned from the supposed date of his conception, which was thought to be March 25, the same day of Jesus’ death, since, according to Jewish Talmudic tradition, all righteous men died on the same day they were conceived.

The Christmas story usually starts with pregnant Mary riding a donkey while Joseph walks alongside her for miles and miles. But while a popular scene in the story, this particular detail is not mentioned in the Bible.

Photo: YouTube/‘The nativity story’

Could they have ridden on a donkey? Maybe, as the form of transportation isn’t really specified. The passage merely says the couple “traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem” (Luke 2:4, 5), but some historians say, given Mary’s state and the length of the journey, she might have ridden in some sort of wagon.

The popular scene goes like this: Joseph and Mary, who is on the verge of giving birth, are cruelly turned away by the innkeeper who shows them no compassion. However, the Bible never mentions an innkeeper, and there was probably not even an inn to begin with, historians note.

A recent study by Stephen Carlson, PhD in New Testament, makes the case that the Greek word normally translated as “inn” (καταλύματι) in Luke 2:7 is best translated as “place to stay.”

So the passage isn’t saying there was no room in the inn, but rather there was no room for baby Jesus in the place where they stayed, which, Carlson argues, was probably the home of Joseph’s family in Bethlehem since it was his hometown, according to Matthew’s gospel.

In the same storyline, because there was no room for them where the in-laws slept, they probably had to stay in the kitchen, so to speak, where animals were customary brought inside at night for heat and protection, Carlson states.

For this reason, it makes sense that there were animals in the room and that it had a manger, which is all the Bible actually says. It never mentions a stable; it only says that Mary laid baby Jesus down in a manger (a box from where horses and cattle eat), according to Luke 2:7.

The wise men were not kings. The word used to describe them in the Bible by Matthew is “Magi”, which according to historians were wise men who knew about astrology and magic.

Moreover, the Bible does not specify how many “Magi” there were. The passage just says “‘magi’ from the east came to Jerusalem” (Matt. 2:1) The idea that there were three of them comes from the fact that they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Additionally, despite being pictured in all the nativity scenes, the wise men weren’t there the day of the birth and first arrived in Jerusalem asking: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star and have come to worship him.” (Matt. 2:9-12)

However, Matthew expresses that the wise men visited the family at their house in Egypt, where Joseph and Mary fled to escape King Herod, who had ordered the killing of all babies ages 0 to 2. This is also why it likely took place at least one year after the birth, maybe even two, historians think.

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