Dec 31 2008
The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story, a film that came out in December 2006, depicts mainly the conception and nativity of Jesus Christ. While some have criticized it for some of the liberties it takes in projecting and surmising things that are not detailed in the Gospels, I think it does a great job of making Mary and Joseph come alive. When hearing the story in church, or reading the Bible at home, it is easy to gloss over the period of time between when Joseph found out about Mary’s pregnancy, and when the angel came. It was a time of great pain for him as he struggled with feeling betrayed by his betrothed. Nor was it any easier for Mary, as she faced public scrutiny that bordered on disgust that, with a simple accusation from Joseph, could have turned deadly for her.
In researching this film, I’ve discovered a few new interesting tidbits that I’ll share with you throughout the next couple of days…
Massacre of the Innocents: The movie starts out detailing this event. Herod, King of Judea, orders a mass infanticide of Bethlehem because he believes that by killing the prophesized King of the Jews, he can ensure his reign. However, most historians of the Biblical King Herod believe this event to be more of a creative story, possibly inspired by the massacre he inflicted on his own sons for the same power hungry reasons. The Massacre of the Innocents is absent in most of the gospels, aside from Matthew, and not mentioned again until the gospel of James.
Stay tuned for more!
