Bible Review

Origen, Contra Celsum 1.51.

Protoevangelium of James 17–21, quoted in Wilhelm Schneemelcher, ed., New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 1, Gospels and Related Writings, rev. ed., English trans. ed. by R. McWilson (Tübingen: Mohr, 1990; Cambridge, UK: James Clark & Co. and Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1991), pp. 433–435.

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 78.6.

The term apologist refers to early Christian writers who tried to defend and promote their faith in their writings. In his Dialogue with Trypho, Justin Martyr explains why he believes Jesus should be understood as the Messiah of the Old Testament.

Most striking is the absence of Bethlehem from Acts. There the author of Luke takes every opportunity to use Old Testament scriptures to prove to Jewish audiences that Jesus was the Messiah (e.g., Acts 2:22–36, 4:8–30, 7:2–53, 13:16–43). Micah 5:2 would have been an obvious choice.

The classic discussion of the well-known historical issues related to the census is in Emil Schürer, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ, ed. Geza Vermes et al., 3 vol. in 4 (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1973–1987), vol. 1, pp. 399–427.

Josephus, The Jewish War 2.117–118; Antiquities of the Jews 18.1–11.

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14–17.

On the various patterns, see Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977), pp. 48–54, 96–121. The powerful Matthean literary themes of scriptural continuity and the coming of foreigners into salvation (the Magi; cf. Matthew 8:11–13, 28:16–20) can hardly be missed.