A Manger Misunderstanding: Exploring Luke’s Narrative of Jesus’s Birth
A Manger Misunderstanding
What were 1st-century Jews really expecting from a Messiah? And why does the rest of the New Testament stay so quiet about this pivotal moment?
Join Pete Enns as we tackle these questions and more, diving into the Gospel birth narratives to uncover their distinct messages, historical context, and theological purposes. Together, we’ll explore how much of the birth stories reflect historical events versus symbolic storytelling, peeling back the layers of these familiar texts to discover the deeper meanings behind the nativity stories we thought we knew.
This class includes:
Class recording
Q&A session recording
Downloadable class slides
Cost: $25
Topics we’ll cover:
What were Jews in the first century expecting a coming Messiah to do?
Why doesn’t the rest of the New Testament even mention Jesus’s birth?
How historical are the birth stories?
Which stories about the birth of Jesus are more cultural than biblical?
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Peter Enns (Ph.D., Harvard University) is co-host of The Bible for Normal People and Faith for Normal people podcasts as well as Abram S. Clemens professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He has written numerous books, including The Bible Tells Me So, The Sin of Certainty, and Curveball.
