Stories and Histories

The Nativity

The story of Christ's birth in a stable in Bethlehem during a Roman census, must be the most familiar of all the stories from his life. In fact the Bible is surprisingly brief in its descriptions of the event. Only two of the four Gospels mention Christ's birth at all. Luke gives the fullest account at 2, 1 - 20, telling us that Mary:

"brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

He goes on to describe the appearance of an angel to shepherds at night who announces that:

"unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

The shepherds then proceed to worship the child.

Matthew, 2, 1 - 12, tells us of "wise men from the east" who follow a star that leads them to "the king of the Jews." When they find Jesus, "in a house", they present him with gifts of "gold, frankincense and myrrh."

These spare accounts were elaborated early on by Christian writers and particularly expanded in the Middle Ages. In the 4th century AD, the first Christian Emperor Constantine built a magnificent church in Bethlehem to commemorate the birth of Christ, and this Church of the Holy Nativity became an important pilgrimage site. Particularly influential upon artists was an account written by St. Bridget of Sweden, who on a pilgrimage to Bethlehem in 1373, experienced a vision:

"when I was present by the manger of the Lord of Bethlehem, I beheld a virgin of extreme purity, well-wrapped in a white mantle and a delicate tunic, through which I clearly perceived her virgin body - with her was an old man of great honesty, and they bought with them an ox and an ass. These entered the cave and the man, having tied them to the manger, went outside and bought to the virgin a burning candle; having attached this to the wall he went outside, so that he might not be present at the birth. Then the virgin pulled off the shoes from her feet, drew off the white mantle that enveloped her, removed the veil from her head, laying it by her side, thus remaining in her tunic alone with her beautiful golden hair falling loosely down her shoulders. Then she produced two small linen clothes and two woollen ones, of exquisite purity and fineness, that she had brought, in which to wrap the child who was to be born, and when all this was prepared, the virgin knelt down with great veneration in an attitude of prayer, and while she was standing thus in prayer, I saw the child in her womb move and suddenly in a moment she gave birth to her son, from whom radiated such an ineffable light and splendour that the sun was not comparable to it."