Why The Infancy Stories?

 

Why The Infancy Stories?

Brett A. Todd

Where would we be at Christmas without the infancy stories found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke?  Remember, Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (2:1-20) are the only books in the Bible that tell the story of Jesus’ birth.  More than likely, for churches and Christians around the world, there would be no Advent season, Christmas Eve Candlelight celebrations, and sadly, no Christmas day.

It seems all too odd that neither Mark nor John nor even the Apostle Paul, mention the birth of Jesus.  One would think if the birth story of Jesus was so important, the Gospel of Mark would have at least mentioned something about it, but he didn’t.  He didn’t say one peep, not one word!  This is especially significant since it is Mark that both Matthew and Luke used as a source to write their gospels.  So what is the significance and purpose of the infancy stories of Jesus?

As noted in previous articles, there were several gospels other than the four Gospels found in the Bible competing to make it on the ancient best sellers list (the Bible).  Some made it, while others were lost in the sands of history.  So, I’m not surprised when people look at me in a daze when I tell them that early Christians were not the only ones who told infancy stories of divine births.  Truth be told, there are many more infancy stories among the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians than for early Christians. And interestingly, some of these ancient infant stories sound familiar to the Christian reader.  

Let me give you one example: Dionysus, the Greek god of grapes, fertility, and ritual madness was born of a virgin on December 25th and as an infant, he was laid in a manger. Who were his parents?  They were none other than the Greek god Zeus and his earthly mother Semele. The parallel between Jesus and Dionysus does not end with the infancy story.  Like Jesus, Dionysus traveled the countryside gathering disciples who followed and worshipped him.  He turned water into wine and he even rode in a triumphal procession on a donkey. More significantly, Dionysus died, descended into hell, and was reborn or made alive again. 

Granted, there are major differences between Jesus and Dionysus.  The point I am making here is that there are many other infancy stories told not only by early Christians, but also by Greek, Roman, and Egyptian writers.

So, why then the infancy stories?  The infancy stories helped explain to ancient people the extraordinary and unique life of certain individuals, whether it was Asclepius (son of Apollo and the human woman, Coronis), Hercules (son of Zeus and the human woman, Alcmene), Perseus (the son of Zeus and the human woman, Danae), or Dionysus.  This also seems to be the case with Matthew’s and Luke’s infancy stories.  Why was Jesus so special?  He was born of a virgin and he is the Son of God.

If early Christians hoped to compete and sell their gospel stories of Jesus to the Jews and Gentiles alike, they had to tell their stories in such a way that it would draw the attention of their readers by reminding them of the many heroic stories they had heard before.  And don’t forget, a great story sells.