Duvduv

Ken Humphreys asks why on Earth a gospel story would say that Joseph would return to his ancestral town with a highly pregnant "wife" and not find a single relative who would accomodate them, or anyone else for that matter. The story did not suggest that the people of the town would be ashamed more than an inn to take him in with his pregnant betrothed. Only that no room was available. It doesn't say that an order went out not to accomodate them, which would have made more sense given the circumstances.And why would Joseph even want to put himself into a position of ridicule and persecution in his own hometown?
Certainly the betrothed could have remained at her parents in hiding during the census.
One has to wonder why the author was so confused.

ApostateAbe

I can't speak for whoever came up with that story, but I imagine that a plausible answer could be that Joseph did not want to inform his relatives that Mary was pregnant. He wasn't married to Mary at the time, but only engaged, according to the gospel of Luke. That would be a shameful thing in a Jewish society, regardless of whether or not they agree to accommodate them.

aa5874

You should tell the whole story. Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Why do people want the story to make sense historically? The author of gMatthew and gMark did NOT state they were writing history.

The story of Jesus FATHERED by the Holy Ghost was PUBLICLY circulated and there is no evidence that the author of the Holy Ghost Jesus story was confused.

See Matthew 1.18-20 and Luke 1.26-35 there is ZERO evidence of confusion. The Holy Ghost Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

There are people who are confusing themselves when they believe that blatant fiction should somehow be history

Minimalist

Ken asks much more than that in his two latest articles. Why would a citizen of the independent kingdom of Galilee and Perea even bother making a journey to "Bethlehem" in order to participate in a census being held in the newly minted Roman prefecture of Judaea.

Looks like whoever wrote this story 'forgot' that these were separate political entities at the very time he set his story.

sotto voce

Because family records were kept in Bethlehem? Because Joseph owned property there?

Tommy

Bethlehem today is basically one main road on a ridge (nearby Israeli settlements not included). Back then it can't have been more than a few dozen dwellings so no surprise no room at the inn. However, given it barely ever rains in Palestine the family could as well have camped out.

sotto voce

One with 30 hotels.

rizdek

This is what happens when someone fabricates stories decades after the supposed event AND to make it coincide with some ancient prophecies. It's mistakes like these that help us distinguish myth from attempts at writing actual history. That and, oh I forgot, a woman having a child without having sex with a man.

It's very likely the whole birth thing is fabricated. That's the best light I can put on it. If not...if there is some truth to it, then Jesus is a bastard son of a promiscuous young woman, and Joseph is a cuckolded spouse.

Duvduv

There was never a public announcement in the story, "Guess what guys? My fiancee is pregnant, and it ain't from me! It's from God!"
Alot of discomfort was involved, and HAD it been publicized as a miracle the story would have certainly found her welcome anywhere in Bethlehem, including at the home of Joseph's family members!

Diogenes the Cynic

Luke uses the Census of Quirinius as a plot device to get Jesus born in Bethlehem. Whether the author was aware or not of the multiplicity of factual errors and gaps of plausibility this choice engendered was of secondary importance to him. His primary goal was to get Jesus born in Bethlehem.