Nazareth or Bethlehem? Of the four gospels, only Matthew and Luke have infancy stories. They agree that angel announced Mary’s conception, and they agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. They disagree on a number of other things, though, among them: at the time of conception, Matthew situates Jesus’ family in Bethlehem. In Luke, they’re in Nazareth. This reflects other, more general differences between the two: Matthew is a very “Jewish” gospel; Luke less so. In this case, Matthew may be recalling his Jewish sacred texts (Hebrew Bible), specifically Micah’s prophecy from centuries earlier (late eighth century BCE): “you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (Mic 5:2). And in Matthew, it’s Joseph who receives the annunciation, Joseph through whose lineage Jesus is traced back to David (of Judah). Luke, on the other hand, focuses much more on women than do his gospel counterparts, and it is Mary who receives the annunciation. Mary, who is associated with Nazareth, in the Galilean region where Jesus would be remembered as conducting his ministry, teaching and preaching. Noting these differences needn’t be an exercise is telling how the Bible can’t be trusted, as some assert. Rather, among other things, they demonstrate the tremendous significance Jesus had for his followers in light of the richness of their traditions and theology.
