'Some of best-known parts of the Christmas story aren't in the Bible at all,' he wrote in an article for The Conversation. 'Although Christmas is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Bible offers scant information on when Mary gave birth.'
'According to the gospel of Luke, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should take place, and each person would need to go to their own town to register,' he explained. 'If it was census time, and there were no guest rooms available, it's unlikely the night of Jesus' birth was silent.'
'The traditional silent, holy night of Christmas Eve in carols and films would more likely have been a bustling, busy night in Bethlehem.'
'In fact, there's very little about Jesus' birth and infancy in the gospel accounts as a whole - his early life only became of interest later because of his ministry.'
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