Tag: Census

• ‘O little town of Bethlehem’

  This is my favourite Christmas carol, though I’m no longer ‘traditionally’ religious, and believe Jesus was born in Nazareth, not Bethlehem. Why, some might ask, do I find this carol moving and meaningful? The reason is that its words and music symbolise and energise deep-seated archetypal contents in my psyche, which have profound meaning irrespective…

  calgacus83

  14th Dec 2022

  Christianity, Christmas, Jesus of Nazareth, Literature, New Testament, Old Testament, Poetry, Religion

  Bethlehem, Carol, Census, Gospels, Jesus, Luke, Matthew, Nativity, Nazareth, Rome

• 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…

  calgacus83

  16th Dec 2021

  Christmas, Jesus of Nazareth, Literature, Mythology, New Testament, Poetry

  Bethlehem, Census, Christmas, Gospels, Nativity, Star