Bible Myths

Looking at the headline, you have two CHOICES. You either see this as a possible vindication of what you have always believed: That the bible is a book of myths OR you want to read this because you just thrive in wanting to know more about the Holy book.

Well, this article is probably not quite what you may have thought!

Truth is, the Bible is a great source of inspiration for me....but I am not blind to the possible differences in opinions and interpretations that make up the events and beliefs of the Bible. In addition, I believe that people have in many instances CREATED myths about events in the Bible to suit their thinking and interpretations of this great Book. Let's start by looking at a straightforward event to illustrate what I am talking about.... the birth of Christ.

The overriding image in the minds of most people when it comes to the birth of Baby Jesus is that of a baby in a crib in a manger and in a stable. Millions have seen this picture and have heard the hymns/songs that go with this image. And inevitably, the images include the three wise men kneeling next to the crib, holding up the gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold....and with the animals standing around watching the miracle unfolding.... Right?

Yes, right....but so wrong!

First of all, the bible never mentions THREE wise men. It just refers to the wise men... no quantity, no number. The picture we have become used to never happened, never took place! The reason for the picture of THREE wise men, is probably because there were THREE gifts mentioned. But there could have been TWO or TWENTY wise men bringing these gifts!

Secondly....by the time the wise men came to pay tribute to the Baby Jesus, the census which had created the lack of accommodation in Jerusalem, had been done and all those who had come to the city for this event had returned home! [Historical Note: When a Census took place, the law was for everyone in the state to return to their place of origin. Thus all those who were away from Jerusalem had returned for the sake of the Census. As a result Mary and Joseph could not find a place to stay at the time. However, this was a temporary state of affairs that lasted for a day or two. As soon as it was over, people started returning to the places they had come from. And therefore Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus had moved back to the town by the time the wise men arrived. It states clearly in Matthew that the wise men visited Baby Jesus in a HOUSE!]

'Matthew 2:1, 11 shows that the young child Jesus was already in a house by the time the wise men visited and offered their gifts. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. … And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

In the next articles I will continue to examine the myths created by man....