Most of us are familiar with the Nativity scene. A stable with Joseph and Mary, three kings bearing gifts, some animals and a number of shepherds. But just how accurate is this image of the birth of Christ? Here are 4 common misconceptions about the Christmas Story.
1. It wasn’t in December.
There is no historical evidence that says Jesus was born in December. (Note: some atheists will say that there is no historical evidence that Jesus was born.) Christianity adopted December 25th because it coincides with the Roman celebration of the Winter Solstice. If you were a Roman who was used to throwing a big party in December, but converted to Christianity, you still wanted to celebrate in December. Thus, December 25th was made into a Christian Holiday.
2. There were probably a lot more than three wise men.
Traditional nativity scenes show three wise men, sometimes known as Magi. At some point in history, these three men were even given names, though none appear in the Bible: Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar. The number of Magi is not specified in the Bible and most people think there are three because they brought three gifts. In reality, the would have had to travel for weeks, if not months, across bandit infested desert carrying expensive gifts. In all likelihood, they would have had a caravan including several bodyguards.Â
3. Gold is nice, but what good are frankincense and myrrh?
Most modern people don’t know just how significant the gifts given by the probably-more-than-three wise men were. Gold is fairly obvious: it was as valuable back then as it is today. But frankincense and myrrh?
Frankincense was incredibly valuable. It was a perfume used in religious rites and also used to make medicines. It would have made sense of the wise men to bring something used for religious anointing to the birth of the alleged Son of God.
Myrrh was also very expensive. If you thought the most valuable gift given to Jesus was gold, you were wrong. At certain times in history, myrrh was worth more than its weight in gold. Like frankincense, it was used as an anointing oil in religious rituals. It was also used in funerals. This gift makes sense because it was used in anointing kings and Jesus was prophesied to be the ‘King of the Jews’.
4. The stable where Jesus was born probably wasn’t how you imagined it.
Most depictions of the Nativity scene show the building as a free-standing structure, built out of wood and covered with hay. This was probably not what the place was actually like. Farmers of that time commonly used caves for storing animals. Early representations of the Nativity actually do show Christ being born in a cave.Â
