Category: Christmas
-
2022
THIS would be a good “fingerprint” for all of us to ‘make our mark’ with on the year ahead – whether religious or non-religious …..
-
The Nativity Stories (v) Unconditional Love
I’ve been suggesting that the nativity stories in Matthew and Luke are two different stories that invite us, while enjoying what’s on the surface, to think a little more deeply. Some people might imagine that because I don’t regard these stories as historical, their meaningfulness for me must be sadly impoverished, but not so ! […]
-
The Nativity Stories (iv) More Thoughts
I’ve been suggesting that the nativity stories in the gospels of Matthew and Luke are two different stories, and that we do them a disservice if we try to prove, with far-fetched and ingenious rationalisations, that they’re historical accounts. They invite us, while enjoying what’s on the surface, to look a little bit more deeply. […]
-
The Nativity Stories (iii) Some Thoughts
I’ve been suggesting that the Bible’s nativity ‘stories’ are just that – two different stories. We do them a disservice by trying to prove, with far-fetched and ingenious rationalisations, that they’re entirely historical accounts. In other contexts, stories present us with no such problem, even so-called ‘historical dramas’ (like Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’) and we rightly focus […]
-
The Nativity Stories (ii) More Questions
The chief supporting actors in Matthew’s story are the “wise men from the east”. “Magi” weren’t kings, but practitioners of oriental magical arts, which would have included astrology. In Acts 8:9 there is a ‘Magus’ called Simon who “astounded the Samaritans with his magic”. Predictably, he gets a bad press in Acts, but this is […]
-
The Nativity Stories (i) Asking Questions
Now that December has come, it’s time to revisit the endlessly enchanting nativity stories found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. I use the word “stories”, firstly because these are not historical accounts and, secondly, because there are two of them, even though the yearly ‘nativity plays’ join them up, and present them as […]
-
Jesus and his Virgin Birth
THE idea that Jesus of Nazareth was ‘born of a virgin’ appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Nowhere else in the New Testament, however, is it considered important enough to be mentioned or even hinted at. Matthew bases his claim on the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 7, verse 14. In the […]
-
“Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all People”
THIS, we’re told, was the message from that gang of angels who’d booked the best seats in the house for the spectacular Christmas Show at Bethlehem. It reminds me of one of today’s often heard phrases – ‘a religion of peace’. I have a nagging feeling that this is a claim that can’t possibly be, […]
-
A Jewish Jesus and his God
I’m exploring the possible implications of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth wasn’t a 21st century Western Christian, but a deeply committed 1st century Palestinian Jew. As such, he’d have recited the ‘Shema’, from Deuteronomy 6. In English Bibles this is usually translated as ‘Hear, O Israel. The LORD is God. The LORD is one.” […]
-
A Christmas Poem with a Difference
This impressive poem is capable of suggesting a variety of meanings, none of which will be “it”, and this makes it worthy of ongoing revisits. This brief post is in no way an ‘analysis’, but only a sharing of some thoughts which have arisen. Historically, the poem was written just after World War I, which […]
RAY'S VIEWS ONLINE 