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{"id":6371,"date":"2012-12-23T18:53:37","date_gmt":"2012-12-23T23:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/unequallyyoked\/?p=6371"},"modified":"2012-12-23T18:53:37","modified_gmt":"2012-12-23T23:53:37","slug":"everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-birth-of-christ-but-were-afraid-to-tweet-pontifex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/unequallyyoked\/2012\/12\/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-birth-of-christ-but-were-afraid-to-tweet-pontifex.html","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Wanted to Know About the Birth of Christ (but were afraid to tweet @Pontifex)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

I read\u00a0Jesus of Nazareth:\u00a0 From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration<\/a><\/em> earlier this year, as part of the two-person book club I set up with the Dominican friar who sponsored me at my baptism. \u00a0Although\u00a0 Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives<\/em><\/a> is part of the same project, the two books felt very different tonally to me, and I\u2019d recommend them for different audiences. \u00a0The Pope\u2019s first book, covering the early part of Jesus\u2019s public life, read a lot more like a narrative, and his treatment of the infancy narratives feels a lot more like a reference book.<\/p>\n

I was reading the first book to learn more about Jesus-the-Person, instead of Jesus-the-Metaphysical-Claim, and I found it wonderfully discursive. \u00a0The Pope drew from Orthodox tradition to draw parallels between Jesus\u2019s baptism and his Passion (some Orthodox icons show a tomb-shaped pool), and to remind us that baptism is our participation in Jesus\u2019s death so we can die to sin. \u00a0He speaks to a rabbi friend about what in Jesus\u2019s teachings is an affront to Mosaic law. \u00a0There\u2019s a lovely convergence as all these different traditions, scholars, and works of art support the central theme: Jesus instituting the Sacraments throughout his life and ministry.<\/p>\n

The new book is a bit more tightly focuses and much briefer.\u00a0Ultimately, I wouldn\u2019t expect to read\u00a0The Infancy Narratives\u00a0<\/em>straight through, or even as a part of my preparations for Christmas. \u00a0I\u2019d keep it nearby to refer to as other readings in Advent and the Christmas season made me wonder \u201cBut why does the Church believe\u2026\u201d \u00a0\u201cWhat exactly does the Bible mean by\u2026\u201d etc. \u00a0The Pope has put together a thorough and well-footnoted body of research on the nuances and historical controversies of the infancy narratives, helpfully grouped thematically. \u00a0It\u2019s useful to take along on a theological jaunt.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"