3 Things A Lot of People Don’t Know About the Christmas Story

A familiar tale with some new contours.

We all generally know the Christmas story. The Gospels of Luke and Matthew give us the familiar version: Many years ago in Judea, everyone is commanded to return to their hometown for a census, meaning Joseph has to return to Bethlehem with his fiancée, Mary. The Virgin Mary gives birth in a manger. An angel frightens some Shepherds to tell them about it. Later, three wisemen come bearing gifts.

But one thing about the Bible is that we often hear stories so many times that we take certain details for granted, or we fail to see them in an interesting new light. The Christmas story is probably the most famous of all, but behind it is a lesson in Imperial politics, revolution, and magic.

The Three Wisemen Are Probably Wizards

This one gets us into the sticky world of language right away. See, the word used for the wisemen in Matthew in the Greek is “magi,” which is sometimes used in English as an alternative or poetic name for them. It shouldn’t be too surprising that the words “Magic” and “Magi” are connected…