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The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke is unavailable, but you can change that!

In some ways the narratives of Jesus’ birth and infancy are the last frontiers to be crossed in the critical approach to the Gospels. For some, the stories of Jesus’ birth are given dubious historical value. For others, the popular character of these narratives—the exotic magi, birth star, angelic messengers, and so on—renders them as legends unworthy to be a vehicle of the pure Gospel message....

are variations of an ancient theory; for ca. 110 Ignatius, Ephesians xix 3, argued that by means of the star which manifested Jesus to the world “all magic [mageia] was dissolved.” Justin, Dialogue lxxviii 9, followed by Augustine, thought of the magi as formerly having been loaded down with sin, but now being turned from superstition to the adoration of the true God. My own opinion is that such references reflect a Christian use of Matthew in an apologetic against magic rather than a true exegesis
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