What could be more familiar than the Christmas story -- and yet what could be more extraordinary? The cast of characters is strange and exotic: shepherds and magicians, an emperor and a despot, angels, and a baby who is Almighty God. The strangeness calls for an explanation, and this book provides it by examining the characters and the story in light of the biblical and historical context. Bestselling author Scott Hahn who has written extensively on Scripture and the early Church, brings evidence to light, dispelling some of the mystery of the story. Yet Christmas is made familiar all over again by showing it to be a family story. Christmas, as it appears in the New Testament, is the story of a father, a mother, and a child -- their relationships, their interactions, their principles, their individual lives, and their common life. To see the life of this "earthly trinity" is to gaze into heaven.
This book begins with a trip to the Holy Land with his family and how the trip affected his daughter Hannah. She was particularly taken with an orphanage they visited. Fitting as they had just left the cave where Jesus was born.
The book is presented in chapters about different views. The differences between the Gospels tellings of the story. The magi, the angels, Mary and Joseph. The killing of the babies by Herod. He discusses genealogy and the different people involved in the story.
Very well written, in depth information that brings the Joy of it all to the celebration.
Jody
My copy of this book was provided by Blogging for Books for my honest review.
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