The idea of wise men being right there at the manger is something that's not really supported by a close reading of the text,

because in scripture it appears that when the wise men actually arrive, Jesus is no longer called an infant.

He's called a child. And at that time, it says that Mary and Joseph and Jesus live in a house, no longer in a room

in the back of a stable, if you will.

Welcome to the Crossway podcast, a show where we sit down with authors each week for thoughtful

interviews about the

Bible, theology, church history, and the Christian life.

I'm Matt Tully, and today I'm talking with Andreas Kostenberger.

Andreas serves as the director of the Center for Biblical Studies and Research Professor

of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He's also the author of numerous books, including The First Days of Jesus, the Story of the Incarnation,

which he co-authored with Alexander Stewart for Crossway.

Today, Andreas and I discuss how to distinguish fact from fiction when it comes to the Christmas story.

He shares his thoughts on the real date of Jesus' birth,

talks about what was really going

on with the wise men and the star, and explains some of the key Old Testament illusions and prophecies

related to the coming of Israel's Messiah and how Jesus fulfilled every one of them. Let's get started.

Andreas, thank you so much for joining us today on the Crossway podcast.

You're welcome. Thanks so much for having me.

So Christmas is just a couple days away, and I think many Christians often wonder whether

or not Jesus was really born on December 25th. So what would you say to that?

Well, I think the honest truth is that we are not able to

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