Only Matthew and Luke contain birth narratives of Jesus. This assignment is a hi
Only Matthew and Luke contain birth narratives of Jesus. This assignment is a historical-critical analysis of the birth stories.
Context: Below is a picture of Dr. Low’s “nativity scene” that her grandmother made. The typical elements include a modern form of an angel (usually a woman), a barn, manger, baby, barnyard animals, shepherd, the parents, and the magi. This is a conflation of both stories in Matthew and Luke, along with a euro-centric view of wooden barns for animals and light skin tone of those involved. No description of clothing or skin color is provided in Matthew and Luke.
As you know, this scene is a “mash up” of only two gospels that describe the birth of Jesus (Luke 1-3; Matthew 1-4). As you also know, Matthew includes unique elements to the birth story that Luke does not have, and vice versa.
Look up these articles on Bible Odyssey and follow your interests.
“The Magi” by Brent Landau
“The Nativity” by Helen K. Bond
“Shepherds in the Bible and in Art” by Steve Werlin
“Virgin Birth and What it Means” by Mary Foskett
“Was There Really a Virgin Birth in the Bible” by Joel Hoffman
“The Political Significance of Luke’s Christmas Story” by Marcus Borg
“Joseph, Husband of Mary” by Amy Peeler
“Herod Antipas” by Morten Hørning Jensen
“Luke’s Nativity and the Battle Over Christmas” by Stephen Nissenbaum
Another option:
“The Star: Empire, Animals, and Biblical Nativity” by Katherine Low: https://soundcloud.com/user-355077572/the-star-empire-animals-and-biblical-nativityLinks to an external site.
Assignment: In a PowerPoint presentation, list at least three differences between Dr. Low’s standard nativity scene and the actual biblical sources. Pay attention to cultural and historical details. Pay attention to the unique things only in Matthew and only in Luke. Cite a scholarly note in NOAB at least once in the presentation. Cite a Bible Odyssey article at least once in the presentation. The presentation should include at least 4 slides. You could provide three main points about how the biblical birth stories differ from the traditional nativity scene. Then, you can provide evidence from the text and from the expert sources to back up those three main points. You are not narrating or explaining the slides, so the presentation needs to be very clear. Pretend like you are creating this presentation for a general audience and explain everything as thoroughly as possible. Everything needs to be in your own words. Remember, you MUST cite the biblical text even when you think it’s “common knowledge.” Even if you mention “shepherds,” for instance, you need to tell your audience where those “shepherds” appear in the text.
RUBRIC
Assignment submitted on time and followed directions, with at least 4 slides, and good grammar and spelling.
Assignment includes at least one citation from a Bible Odyssey article. =
Assignment cites the biblical text when it refers to what happens in the biblical text.