Christmas stories
Occam’s Razor and the Birth of Christ
Or, myths exploded about the story of the birth of Jesus
The classic Christmas play would have us believe Mary and Joseph showed up in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve with her in labor. They were turned away by a local hotel that didn’t have a room and Jesus was born in a manger. Then shepherds and magicians showed up before the curtain fell.
A careful reading of the Biblical stories gives a much different picture.
Occam’s Razor is an old idea that essentially means, the simplest available explanation is often the best. When we take what the Bible says, combine the two accounts, and add what we know of the culture of the times, a very plausible and simple story emerges.
In my last installment, I wrote about Mary’s travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a 120-mile trip that was not easy. I believe I made the case that she gave birth to Jesus while she was visiting her cousin Elizabeth, who had recently given birth to John the Baptist. It’s a bit humorous to imagine toddlers Jesus and John the Baptist hanging out together, but they probably did.
The Gospel of Luke says Jesus was born while Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem. They were likely settled in Elizabeth’s house and waiting for Mary’s baby to be born.
One thing to realize too, is that in biblical times, there was not any difference between a house and a barn. There were usually two or three rooms in a house, and there was a dirt floor in all of them. Animals were brought in for the night and put in one room. There was probably a manger there, which made a great crib for a newborn baby.
The Bible story says Jesus was born and laid in a manger because there was no room at the Inn. This is an unfortunate translation of the Greek.
The word translated Inn, is only used three times in the New Testament. The other two times it is used (Mark 14:14 and Luke 22:11) is when Jesus asked his disciples to go and prepare the Upper Room for the last supper. The word for “Upper Room” is the same word as “Inn” in this verse in Greek. It just means an extra room or guest room. It can also simply mean “another” room.
There was no room there and there could have been several reasons. A lot of people were in town, so maybe other relatives were there as well.
Since the extra room had no space, Mary gave birth in the “main room.” This was where animals were brought for the night, and likely there would be a manger there. A manger is a natural crib for a baby, so it was probably the normal thing to do when you had a baby.
Another interesting note is that when Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan, who put up a wounded Jew at an inn and paid the Innkeeper, the word for Inn is a different word in Greek. This is in Luke 10:34 and it is the only time the word is used in the New Testament. That it is the same author, Luke, so I would guess that if Luke had meant a hotel, he would have said so.
After Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph hung around Bethlehem for a while. Luke 2:21 says Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, according to Jewish law, and was given the name Jesus. This was likely done at the temple in Jerusalem, which was only two miles away.
Luke 2:23 says when the “time of purification according to the law of Moses had been completed,” they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. This would have been at the temple in Jerusalem and was about 40 days after Jesus was born. Those were two things that good Jews would have done for their babies.
Luke 2:39 says they returned to Galilee and Jesus grew up. It was a year or two later before they returned.
At some point, they fled to Egypt for a time and returned when it was safe. They likely returned to their home in Galilee.
Also at some point in this story, Shepherds heard the story and came running to see the baby Jesus. It’s hard to say when this was. It could have been any time before they left Bethlehem.
That leaves the Magi who game bearing gifts from the East. We will get into that in the next installment. Thanks for reading.
