   the nativity of jesus, also the nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of jesus, primarily based on the two accounts in the gospels of luke and matthew, and secondarily on some apocryphal texts. the canonical gospels of luke and matthew both describe jesus as born in bethlehem in judea, to a virgin mother. in the gospel of luke account, joseph and mary travel from nazareth to bethlehem for the census, and jesus is born there and laid in a manger."biblical literature." encyclopÃ¦dia britannica. encyclopÃ¦dia britannica online. encyclopÃ¦dia britannica, 2011. web. 22 january 2011. . angels proclaim him a savior for all people, and shepherds come to adore him. in the matthew account, astronomers follow a star to bethlehem to bring gifts to jesus, born the king of the jews. king herod orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in bethlehem, but the family flees to egypt and later settles in nazareth. many scholars view the two narratives as non-historical and contradictory.the gospel of matthew by daniel j. harrington 1991 isbn 0-8146-5803-2 p. 47jeremy corley new perspectives on the nativity continuum international publishing group, 2009 p. 22. other traditional christian scholars maintain that the two accounts do not contradict each other, pointing to the similarities between them.mark d. roberts can we trust the gospels?: investigating the reliability of matthew, mark, luke and john  good news publishers, 2007 p. 102 some scholars view the discussion of historicity as secondary, given that gospels were primarily written as theological documents rather than chronological timelines.interpreting gospel narratives: scenes, people, and theology by timothy wiarda 2010 isbn 0-8054-4843-8 pp. 75â78jesus, the christ: contemporary perspectives by brennan r. hill 2004 isbn 1-58595-303-2 p. 89the gospel of luke by timothy johnson 1992 isbn 0-8146-5805-9 p. 72recovering jesus: the witness of the new testament thomas r. yoder neufeld 2007 isbn 1-58743-202-1 p. 111 the main religious celebration among members of the catholic church and other christian groups is the church service on christmas eve or on the morning of christmas day. during the forty days leading up to christmas, the eastern orthodox church practices the nativity fast, while the majority of christian congregations (including the catholic church, the anglican communion, many mainline churches, and baptists) begin observing the liturgical season of [[
Biblical_criticism Gospel_episodes Gospel_of_Luke Gospel_of_Matthew Joyful_Mysteries Nativity_of_Jesus_in_art Religious_Christmas