Luke 2 Footnotes

2:7 Some argue that Bethlehem would not have had an inn since it was not on any major road, and that this story is therefore fictitious. But attempting to claim the nonexistence of an inn in Bethlehem is mere conjecture, and besides, the Greek term translated “guest room” (kataluma) simply means “lodging” and can refer to a guest room in a private home. Animal stalls, with their mangers, were normally located inside the one-room residence of peasant families. Animals were sometimes kept in caves, and an early Christian tradition places the birth of Jesus in a cave.

2:39 It is difficult to reconcile the birth narratives in Luke and Matthew, each of which seems to know nothing of the events of the other. They agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and later moved to Nazareth with his parents. In order to integrate the two accounts, the record in Matthew of the flight to Egypt must be placed between Lk 2:38-39. The visit of the wise men may also have occurred here. If it occurred before Jesus’s temple dedication, Herod took at least a month from his encounter with the wise men to realize he had been tricked, which is not unreasonable. Both birth narratives highlight themes important to their respective authors. Matthew highlighted both Joseph’s role as a righteous, adoptive father through whom Jesus obtained Davidic lineage, and the recognition of Jesus as the true King of the Jews in opposition to Herod. Luke highlighted both the role of marginalized characters, women and shepherds, in the joyful recognition of the messianic Savior, and the significance of Jesus for Gentiles as well as Jews.