Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem?

+ why we love Christmas movies US Edition - Today's top story: Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Why the Gospels disagree over the circumstances of Christ's birth [View in browser]( US Edition | 25 December 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Even though Christmas festivities are muted this year, Nativity scenes common in Christian households continue to recreate a familiar biblical story: The three wise men, a guiding star and Joseph and Mary surround the baby Jesus. In the backdrop is Bethlehem, a small town in the Palestinian West Bank, considered, in popular lore, to be the place where he was born. The story was part of my childhood, and I too associated Jesus with Bethlehem. But was he really born there? Fuller Theological Seminary’s Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III [explores the Gospels’ varying and contradictory descriptions of Jesus’ birth]( and explains how Bethlehem became so important to the story told and sung every year at Christmas. Also today: - [Virgin births happen more often than you think]( - [Why the Puritans declared war on Christmas]( - [Got a crummy gift? Here’s what to do]( Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor A doll representing the infant Jesus in St. Catherine’s, the Franciscan church in the town of Bethlehem. David Silverman/Getty Images [Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Why the Gospels disagree over the circumstances of Christ’s birth]( Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, Fuller Theological Seminary The differences in the Gospels are hard to reconcile. That's because, says a scholar, they offer an important insight into the Greco-Roman views of ethnic identity. Politics/Election '20 - [Oppression in the kitchen, delight in the dining room: The story of Caesar, an enslaved chef and chocolatier in Colonial Virginia]( Kelley Fanto Deetz, University of California, Berkeley There's a bittersweet history to chocolate in America. At one plantation museum in Virginia, the story of enslaved chocolatier Caesar shows the oppression that lay behind the elite's culinary treat. Economy + Business - [Many painful returns: Coping with crummy gifts]( Deborah Y. Cohn, New York Institute of Technology The problems from a disappointing gift don't end once you've awkwardly thanked the giver and tossed the wrapping paper. Science + Technology - [Virgin births from parthenogenesis: How females from some species can reproduce without males]( Mercedes Burns, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction in which an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by sperm, might be more common than you realized. Arts + Culture - [How holiday cards help us cope with a not-so-merry year, according to a professor of comedy]( Matthew McMahan, Emerson College A professor of comedy examines holiday cards in times of struggles. They aren't all sad. - [Why the Puritans cracked down on celebrating Christmas]( Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences It was less about their asceticism and more about rejecting the world they had fled. Ethics + Religion - [Here’s why Christmas movies are so appealing this holiday season]( S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate, Hamilton College Holiday movies have been an essential part of the American winter celebrations. They offer a glimpse into how the world is could be, often in sharp contrast to reality. - [How St. Francis created the Nativity scene, with a miraculous event in 1223]( Vanessa Corcoran, Georgetown University Nativity scenes showing the birth of baby Jesus first originated in the small Italian town of Greccio. - [How parenthood has changed the way I read ancient stories of Joseph and Mary’s relationship with Jesus]( Christopher A. Frilingos, Michigan State University Family is not a clearly defined structure in the story: It isn’t biological or reflective of some 'norm.' It is instead a choice to stick together, come what may. Health - [How Charles Dickens redeemed the spirit of Christmas]( Richard Gunderman, Indiana University In attempting to capture a new spirit of Christmas, Dickens reminds us of the power of the past and the future to change the way we see the present. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451