Christmas

1
A Defense of

• Christmas

2
1 Pet. 315

• But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and
  always be ready to give a defense to everyone who
  asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,
  with meekness and fear

3
Why a Virgin Birth?

• Is Unique to Christianity
• Mohammed, Confucius, Buddha all conceived by
  natural means.
• Luke 130-35 and Matthew 118-25 both describe a
  very unique entrance into the world.

4
Why a Unique Entrance?

• Jesus was not a newly created individual but has
  pre-existed.
• Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to
  you, before Abraham was, I AM (John 858).
• For by Him all things were created that are in
  heaven and that are on earth. . . (Col. 116).

5
Why a Unique Entrance?

• Jesus was pure (sinless in nature).
• For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for
  us, that we might become the righteousness of God
  in Him (2 Cor. 521).
• was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
  sin (Heb. 415).

6
Why a Unique Entrance?

• Descendants of Adam can only beget sinners.
• Therefore, just as through one man sin entered
  the world, and death through sin, and thus death
  spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans
  512).

7
Why a Unique Entrance?

• It was prophesized
• And I will put enmityBetween you and the
  woman,And between your seed and her Seed He
  shall bruise your head,And you shall bruise His
  heel

Gen. 315
8
Why a Unique Entrance?

• It was prophesized
• Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign
  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,
  and shall call His name Immanuel

Isaiah 714
9
Criticism to the Virgin Birth Story

• The gospels of Matthew and Luke were written too
  late after the birth of Jesus to be considered
  historical.
• Luke was a bad historian.
• The Virgin Birth was adopted from pagan stories.
• The Virgin Birth breaks the laws of nature.

10
Claim The Gospels of Matthew and Luke were
written too late to be considered historically
accurate.

• An early date of only a couple of decades after
  Christs death can be arrived at by considering
  the book of Acts.

11
Was Luke a bad historian?

• 1And it came to pass in those days, that there
  went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all
  the world should be taxed.2 (And this taxing was
  first made when Cyrenius was governor of
  Syria.)3 And all went to be taxed, every one into
  his own city.

Luke 21-3
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Was Luke a bad historian?

• Critics Argue
• There is no record outside the Gospels that
  Caesar ordered a tax at the time of Christs
  birth.
• Judea did not become a Roman Province until 6
  A.D.
• There was no need for subjects of Rome to go
  into his own city to be taxed.

14
No Tax?

• While I was administering my thirteenth
  consulship the senate and the equestrian order
  and the entire Roman people gave me the title
  Father of my Country (italics mine). Augustus
  Res Gestae 35

15
Did Judea take part in the census?
The Roman Historian Tacitus reported that there
was a precedence for vassal kingdoms to submit to
Roman Censuses Tacitus Annals 6.41.
16
Did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem for the
Census?
Papyrus of census taken in 104 AD, which
indicates that the subjects needed to return to
the place of their origin.
17
Did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem for the
Census?
Papyrus from A.D. 48 indicating that the entire
family was involved in the census.
18
When was Cyrenius Governor?

• Josephus Indicates Cyrenius became Governor of
  Syria in A.D. 6.

19
Cyrenius the duumvir

• Stone found in Antioch Syria.
• Dated between 11 and 1 BC.
• Indicates that Cyrenius was jointly holding power.

20
Tivoli Stone Fragment

• Found in 1764 in Tivoli (Near Rome)
• Honors a Roman official who was twice governor of
  Syria and Phoenicia during the reign of Augustus.

21
Lukes Source

• 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set
  forth in order a declaration of those things
  which are most surely believed among us,2 Even as
  they delivered them unto us, which from the
  beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the
  word

Luke 11-2
22
Luke s Sources

• But Mary kept all these things, and pondered
  them in her heart (Luke 219).
• And he went down with them, and came to
  Nazareth, and was subject unto them but his
  mother kept all these sayings in her heart (Luke
  251).

23
Claim The Virgin Birth story was stolen from a
pagan myth.

• No Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, or Roman myth
  remotely corresponds with the literal incarnation
  of a monotheistic God in human form by way of a
  literal virgin birth.

24
Claim The Virgin Birth is impossible according
to the course of nature.

• So is the existence of the Universe.

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26
Luke 211

• For there is born to you this day in the city of
  David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.