What would Christmas be like without the Nativity stories in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke? Jesus' birth is rich with imagery. For example, countless works of art through the centuries show angels announcing the virgin birth to Joseph and Mary. And Christians around the world imagine the young and pregnant Mary journeying some 80 miles to Bethlehem on the back of a donkey. The couple then searched for a warm, cozy room at an inn, but they were left to bring forth the baby Jesus in a rustic and humble stable. On a hillside, a chorus of angels sang, announcing his birth to shepherds who traveled to get the first glimpse of the newborn babe. Later, "Wise men" brought precious gifts to Jesus.
Christians have always loved and celebrated these stories of Jesus' birth. Nevertheless, a question has lingered since the 17th century's Age of Enlightenment over the authenticity of these Nativity stories, a cloud of doubt that continues today.
Are these Nativity accounts factual or fictional? In their book The First Christmas, authors Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan address whether or not the veracity of these stories is really the central question. They pose another possibility—that these stories are parables or allegories intended to be taken metaphorically, not literally. So, if we view the Nativity stories in Matthew and Luke as parables, filled with deeper meaning than just the specific details, then the real question is not whether the stories are fact or fiction, but rather, what is their significance to us—what do they actually mean? What if there is another Nativity story?
