Christmas: The Original Story

In Christmas the Original Story Margaret Barker explores the nature of the Christmas stories and the nature and use of Old Testament prophecy.

Beginning with John’s account, it then goes on to include Luke and Matthew, the apocryphal gospels, and the traditions of the Coptic Church, to throw light upon wise men and their gifts, the character of Herod, Matthew’s use of prophecy, the holy family in Egypt.

This book also discusses the stories we get from the Infancy Gospel of Jesus and the development of the Orthodox Christmas icon, as well as the Christmas story and the Mary material in the Koran.

This is an accessible book based on scholarly work.

Margaret Barker is a well-known and high-selling author and former president of the Society for Old Testament study. She is a member of the ecumenical Patriarch’s Symposium on Religion, Science and the Environment and a Methodist Local Preacher. She is the author of major and influential works such as The Great High Priest (2003), The Revelation of Jesus Christ (2000) and The Risen Lord (1996). Her Temple Theology (2004) was short listed for the Michael Ramsey Prize, and she was awarded the honour of a Lambeth degree in 2008.