Palestine was situated on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in southwestern Asia. Palestine is now divided between Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories, parts of which are self-administered by Palestinians. At the time of Jesus’ birth it was a small. It lay between two of the great cultural centers of Egypt and Mesopotamia.
During the time of Jesus the land was ruled by Romans, the Romans where known for there brutal and vicious ways they would make the Jewish people feel cheap and shameful as the Roman’s thought of them self’s as superior.
The English word “gospel” is copied from the Old English godspel meaning ‘good tidings’, which is a rendering of the Greek evangel ion ‘good news’. During the time of Jesus’ there where 4 main gospels but the two gospels who wrote about what happened to Jesus where Matthew and Luke. Below shows what both Matthew and Luke said when they where with Jesus.
Matthew
The ancestors of Jesus traced to Abraham.
Joseph is engaged to Mary, she is pregnant and he plans a divorce.
The angel announces to Joseph the birth of a son by the Holy Spirit.
Wise men from the east ask Herod about the birth of a ‘King of the Jews’.
Jesus is born and visited by the wise men who were led by a star.
Joseph is warned to take the child to safety in Egypt.
Herod orders the massacre of all the children.
Herod dies and Joseph and his family return from Egypt.
LUKE
The birth of Jesus is announced to Mary, and his name revealed.
Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and her song of praise.
Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem from Nazareth for the census.
Jesus is born in a stable.
Shepherds are visited by angels and go to see the newborn baby.
Circumcision and naming of the child.
Return to Nazareth.
The ancestors of Jesus traced back to Adam.
As you can see they both said different things about what had happened in the past but both Matthew and Luke wrote that Jesus Christ the son of god was born from virgin Mary.
The sense of all these stories are that Christians can build up an image in their minds about what happened during the time of Jesus Christ and why he was the son of god? And what it was like to live in Palestine at the time of the cruel Roman’s? These stories have played a big role in the religion Christianity because at Christmas priest all around the world tell stories from the bible about what happened to Jesus.
