Narratives of the Baptist and Jesus basically parallel each other, with some trait of superiority being assigned to Jesus at each stage of the symmetrical narrative.18 But it is by no means clear how this symmetry was achieved. We could suppose that a fairly full narrative of John’s birth existed first and then a story of Jesus’ birth was fashioned on the model John supplied; but the reverse process is also conceivable, with John being assimilated to Jesus.19 Actually, it is highly likely that, whatever