As if The Passion were not sufficient cause to never make another film about the life of Jesus, now comes The Nativity. Having trashed Jesus’ death, apparently Hollywood now wants to trash his birth.
Introduction
There are two sources of errors in any film about Jesus: (1) not following the Gospels as written and (2) following the Gospels when it’s clear that the passages in question are myth, metaphor or symbol rather than historical events. An example of the second type of error is Matthew’s account of the crucifixion (27:51-53) when lightening strikes, earthquakes occur, the sun is blackened, and corpses rise from their graves and wander around Jerusalem. That’s the Gospel’s way of saying this was a dreadful day. But no one really believes that these things happened, because they were not reported by any of the Jewish or Roman historians who covered this period.
In addition to two sources of errors, there are two degrees of error: (1) certainty and (2) great probability. Some things we can say for certain, especially if we’re talking about deviations from the Gospels or from well-established geography and customs. Other things we can’t be certain about, but in all probability they didn’t occur. For example, The Nativity portrays Nazareth as a thriving village, yet when all the inhabitants who come from the House of David are required to go to Bethlehem, only Joseph shows up. Descendants from the House of David were all over the place. It’s like finding descendents of the House of Stewart in Scotland, or the House of Messina in Sicily. The chances that only one person in a thriving village came from the House of David is extremely small.
According to the Gospels – NOT
Here’s a list of the major deviations from the gospels, along with the gospel citations. In these cases the film is deviating from the gospels.
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The Film Says
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The Gospels Say
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There are 3 Magi
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The number is never specified (Mt 2:1)
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The Magi have names
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They are nameless (Mt 2:1)
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The Magi appear when Jesus is born
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The Magi appear when Jesus is a “young child” (Mt 2:8, 2:9, 2:11)
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Families were required to register for the census
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Only the adult male was required to register (Luke 2:3)
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Tax collectors are Romans
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Tax collectors were Jews (Mt. 9:9)
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Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin
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Elizabeth was a “relative” (Luke 1:36)
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Herod was worried about a prophesy before the Magi arrived
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Herod only learned of the prophesy when the Magi arrived (Mt 2:3)
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“Slaughter of the innocents” happens at Jesus’ birth
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The slaughter happens when Jesus is an infant and visited by the Magi (Mt 2:16)
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His name is Joseph and her name is Mary
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Their names were Yosef and Mariamme
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Joseph has a dream about Mary being stoned for adultery
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The adulterous women passage comes from Jesus’ life, not Joseph’s dreams (John 8:3)
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Gospel Errors Not Corrected
As indicated in the introduction, there were many things in the gospels which were incorrect, either because they were meant to be metaphors or symbols, or because the authors were trying to make a point (e.g., Matthew’s attempt to portray Jesus as the “new Moses”). The following errors occur in the Gospels and are not corrected in the film. Clicking on the links will take you to expanded explanations.
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The Gospels and the Film Say
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History Says
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The census occurred at the time of Jesus’ birth
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The census occurred in 6 A.D. while Jesus was born in 6 B.C.
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The census required people to register in the town where their ancestors came from
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The census required people to register where they lived.
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Jesus was born in Bethlehem
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We don’t know where Jesus was born. Placing him in Bethlehem was an attempt to conform to Old Testament prophesy. Click Here
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There was a “star”
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There is no external evidence of such a star having existed. Click Here
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Jesus was visited by wise men
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If they were so wise, why did they tell Herod about his birth? Click Here
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Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth
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At the time of Jesus’ birth, Nazareth was not a village. Click Here
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There was a “slaughter of innocents”
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There is no external evidence for the “slaughter of the innocents” despite many historical accounts of Herod’s behavior.
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Errors in the Film Based on Geography and Customs
These errors are inserted into the film without gospel reference, and are incorrect from what we know about 1st Century Israel life.
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The Film Says
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History Says
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Tax collectors taking girls to satisfy a debt
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Not in the gospels
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Tax collectors killing animals
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Not in the gospels
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Joseph is the only person in Nazareth from the House of David
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There were probably many people from the House of David in Nazareth
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The “star of Bethlehem” was a conjunction of three stars
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There is no historical record of any “super star” and the only conjunction was two stars, not three.
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Trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem took 4 days
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Such trips usually took a week
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They traveled alone
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People usually traveled in groups for protecting against robbers.
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They stop at the Sea of Galilee on the way
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The Sea is not on the road to Jerusalem
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Mary decides to go to Bethlehem against her parents’ wishes.
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In 1st Century Israel, 12 year old girls did not disobey their parents while still living under their roof.
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1st Century Roman crosses were shaped like +
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1st Century Roman crosses were shaped like a T
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Some Things They Got Right
With so many errors, we can ask the question, "Did they get anything right?" Well, yes they did, although most of the correct items tend to be minor. Here's a few of the things they got right:
· There was a strong oral tradition among the Jews, and people repeated stories and learned them by heart.
· Joseph was not a carpenter, but a builder.
· Herod was consumed with building his palace and temple.
· Joseph was older than Mary. Most scholars put her at 12 or 13 and Joseph at 20.
· Mary would have been given to Joseph, with no real concern for her wishes.
· Galilee was famous for its rebels.
· The Jews hung people from trees, while the Romans crucified them on crosses.
· Multiple types of coinage were used
· The messianic fever was in the air in First Century Israel.
· There was an uneasy truce between the Jews and the Romans
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