Why are Matthew’s and Luke’s Nativity accounts so strikingly different?
They agree Jesus was born to a virgin in Bethlehem, and little else
![Nativity scene using figures on Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, shepherds and wise men. Nativity scene using figures on Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, shepherds and wise men.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3fb3f40-8294-4461-a5f4-ae2c528d4ef0_5631x3754.jpeg)
When we see crèches or other portrayals of the birth of Jesus, we often think of a solitary story beginning with Mary and Joseph being visited by angels and culminating in a stable where the newborn baby is visited by shepherds and magi. But it doesn’t…