The Jewish Origins of the Christmas Story

Josephus describes him as follows (Feldman trans., Loeb ed.):

^{Ant. 18:117–118} [He] was a good man, and exhorted the Jews to lead righteous lives, to practice justice towards their fellows and piety towards God, and so doing to join in baptism. In his view, this was a necessary preliminary if baptism was to be acceptable to God. They must not employ it to gain pardon for whatever sins they committed but as a consecration of the body implying that the soul was already thoroughly cleansed by right behavior.

^{Κατά Μάρκον 1¨3} φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ.

The story appears with sight variants in all three synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) and in a substantially different form in John.

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 1:16} Ιακὼβ δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἄνδρα Μαρίας, ἐξ ἧς ἐγεννήθη Ἰησοῦς

For more on Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, see Amy-Jill Levine, Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent, Abingdon Study Guides (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2019).

The Latin Ave Maria derives from this scene.

^{Κατά Λουκάν 1:26} …ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς πόλιν τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ᾗ ὄνομα Ναζαρέτ, ^1:27 πρὸς παρθένον μεμνηστευμένην ἀνδρί, ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰωσήφ, ἐξ οἴκου Δαυίδ· καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς παρθένου Μαριάμ. ^1:28 Καὶ εἰσελθὼν ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπεν, Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη· ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ, εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν. ^1:29 Ἡ δὲ ἰδοῦσα διεταράχθη ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ διελογίζετο ποταπὸς εἴη ὁ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος. ^1:30 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἄγγελος αὐτῇ, Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ· εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ. ^1:31 Καὶ ἰδού, συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρί, καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. ^1:32 Οὗτος ἔσται μέγας, καὶ υἱὸς ὑψίστου κληθήσεται· καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὸν θρόνον Δαυὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ^1:33 καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος.

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 1:1} Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ, υἱοῦ Δαυίδ, υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ.

In this opening verse, υἱοῦ, “son,” is used in the sense of “descendent.” This common Greek usage is much like Hebrew בֵּן.

On divine conceptions in antiquity, see Charles H. Talbert, “Miraculous Conceptions and Births in Mediterranean Antiquity,” in Amy-Jill Levine et al. (eds.), The Historical Jesus in Context (Princeton Readings in Religion; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006), 79-86.

See Marc Zvi Brettler, "Who Was Samson's Real Father?" TheTorah (2017); Naphtali Meshel, "Samson the Demigod," TheTorah (2019).

See discussion in Samuel Z. Glaser, "Isaac's Divine Conception," TheTorah (2018).

For more on Jewish and Christian interpretation of Melchizedek, see Joshua Garroway, "Who Assumed Melchizedek's Priesthood?" TheTorah (2016).

Literally, she says “for I know not a man” (ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω) using the biblical idiom for intercourse.

^{Κατά Λουκάν 1:34} εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον· πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω; ^1:35 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῇ· πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ δύναμις ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι· διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον κληθήσεται υἱὸς θεοῦ.

There is no indication that she would have been stoned. Joseph’s decision may echo a midrash, wherein Amram, the father of Moses, suggested that Israelite men divorce their wives, lest they have sons who would be, by Pharaoh’s order, drowned. Miriam decries this plan, which would have doomed the people. Then, a miracle occurs, and the Hebrew women look as beautiful as they did on their wedding days, that is, like virgins. See e.g., Roger Aus, Matthew 1-2 and the Virginal Conception: In Light of Palestinian and Hellenistic Judaic Traditions on the Birth of Israel’s First Redeemer, Moses, Studies in Judaism (University Press of America, 2003), 84. See discussion of this midrash in Jacob L. Wright, “The Birth of Moses: Between Bible and Midrash,” TheTorah (2013), and Tamar Kadari, “Jochebed: Midrash and Aggadah,” in Jewish Women’s Archive: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Women (20 March 2009; accessed December 17, 2019).

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 1:18} Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ γένεσις οὕτως ἦν. μνηστευθείσης τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ἰωσήφ, πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου. ^1:19 Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, δίκαιος ὢν καὶ μὴ θέλων αὐτὴν δειγματίσαι, ἐβουλήθη λάθρᾳ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν. ^1:20 ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμηθέντος ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου κατ᾽ ὄναρ ἐφάνη αὐτῷ λέγων· Ἰωσὴφ υἱὸς Δαυίδ, μὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαρίαν τὴν γυναῖκά σου· τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου. ^1:21 τέξεται δὲ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν· αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν.22 τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ^1:23 ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ὁ θεός. ^1:24 ἐγερθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου ἐποίησεν ὡς προσέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου καὶ παρέλαβεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, ^1:25 καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἔτεκεν υἱόν· καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν.

διὰ τοῦτο δώσει κύριος αὐτὸς ὑμῖν σημεῖον ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Εμμανουηλ.

This is a standard name for Jesus in the Talmud; scholars have long debated why. For example, Pandera may be a play on parthenos, “virgin.”

מגדלא נשיא means “the madame.” This is a (mean-spirited) play on the name Mary of Magdala, whom the rabbis confuse with Mary the mother of Jesus. For more on Jewish mockery of the Jesus story, see Shai Alleson-Gerberg, “Nittel Nacht: An Inverted Christmas with Toledot Yeshu,” TheTorah (2016).

This is a pun: he is called “son of Stada” because his mother is “one who strayed” (satatda) from her husband.

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 2:1} Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλέεμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ^2:2 λέγοντες· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ.

This is codified in Maimonides Mishneh Torah (Shofetim, “Kings and War” 11.1):

דרך כוכב מיעקב זה דוד, וקם שבט מישראל זה מלך המשיח,

“A star will come from Jacob"—that's David. "And a scepter-bearer will arise out of Israel"—that's the King Messiah.

This is one of many stories about Nimrod’s antagonism to Abraham. For a discussion of another such story, see Yishai Kiel, "Why the Midrash Has Abraham Thrown into Nimrod's Fiery Furnace," TheTorah (2015). Another story about Nimrod’s attacking Abraham as a baby, but minus the astrological explanation, appears in the 9^th century C.E. midrash, Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer (ch. 26). This text lists ten trials Abraham endured, the first being:

כְּשֶׁנּוֹלַד אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ בִּקְשׁוּ כָּל גְּדוֹלֵי הַמַּלְכוּת [נ"א: נמרוד] לְהָרְגוֹ, וְנֶחְבָּא מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה לֹא שֶׁמֶשׁ וְלֹא יָרֵחַ.

When Abraham was born, the great ones of the kingdom [or: Nimrod] wished to kill him, and he was hidden underground for thirteen years, during which he never saw the sun or the moon.

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 2:3} ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης ἐταράχθη καὶ πᾶσα Ἱεροσόλυμα μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ^2:4 καὶ συναγαγὼν πάντας τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπυνθάνετο παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ποῦ ὁ χριστὸς γεννᾶται. ^2:5 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ἐν Βηθλέεμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας· οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· ^2:6 καὶ σὺ Βηθλέεμ, γῆ Ἰούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα· ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος, ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ.

The MT reads “of Ephrathah” instead of “in the land of Judah.” The LXX has “house of Ephratha” and so is closer to the MT than to the NT.

^{Κατά Λουκάν 2:1} Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐξῆλθεν δόγμα παρὰ Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου ἀπογράφεσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. ^2:2 αὕτη ἀπογραφὴ πρώτη ἐγένετο ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς Συρίας Κυρηνίου. ^2:3 καὶ ἐπορεύοντο πάντες ἀπογράφεσθαι, ἕκαστος εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν. ^2:4 Ἀνέβη δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐκ πόλεως Ναζαρὲθ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν εἰς πόλιν Δαυὶδ ἥτις καλεῖται Βηθλέεμ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς Δαυίδ, ^2:5 ἀπογράψασθαι σὺν Μαριὰμ τῇ ἐμνηστευμένῃ αὐτῷ, οὔσῃ ἐγκύῳ.

^{Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων 5:37} μετὰ τοῦτον ἀνέστη Ἰούδας ὁ Γαλιλαῖος ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς ἀπογραφῆς καὶ ἀπέστησεν λαὸν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· κἀκεῖνος ἀπώλετο καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπείθοντο αὐτῷ διεσκορπίσθησαν.

^{Κατά Λουκάν 2:6} Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτήν, ^2:7 καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.

ἐπὰν δὲ εὕρητε, ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι, ὅπως κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ.

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 2:13} Ἀναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου φαίνεται κατ᾽ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ λέγων· ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοι· μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό. ^2:14 ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβεν τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ^2:15 καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ἡρῴδου· ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου.

On fulfillment citations, see Ruth Sheridan, “Scripture Fulfillment,” in The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 2^nd edition, ed. Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017), 727–730.

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 2:16} Τότε Ἡρῴδης ἰδὼν ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπὸ τῶν μάγων ἐθυμώθη λίαν, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἀνεῖλεν πάντας τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐν Βηθλέεμ καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω, κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσεν παρὰ τῶν μάγων. ^2:17 τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἰερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ^2:18 φωνὴ ἐν Ῥαμὰ ἠκούσθη, κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς· Ῥαχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν παρακληθῆναι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσίν.

Dale C. Allison, Jr., The New Moses: A Matthean Typology (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1993).

^{Κατά Μαθθαίον 2:17} τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἰερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ^2:18 φωνὴ ἐν Ῥαμὰ ἠκούσθη, κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς· Ῥαχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν παρακληθῆναι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσίν.

Editor’s note: See discussion of this prophecy in Marvin Sweeney, “For Whom Does Rachel Weep?” TheTorah (2016). For how rabbinic midrash deals with this verse, see Hagith Sivan, “Rachel Weeps in Ramah: Of All the Patriarchs, God Listens Only to Her,” TheTorah (2018).