The story of the birth of Jesus appears only in two of the four Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew and Luke. They provide different details, though both say Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The exact day, month and even year of Jesus's birth are unknown, said Christine Shepardson, a professor at the University of Tennessee who studies early Christianity. The tradition of celebrating Jesus' birth on Dec. 25, she said, only emerged in the fourth century.
Archaeologists have made a stunning discovery at a biblical city where the Apostle Paul famously performed a miraculous healing of a man born lame. Teams working in the ancient city of Lystra have uncovered a 100-foot-long basilica adorned with gold-gilded mosaics and richly decorated walls, hallmarks of late antique craftsmanship. The basilica provides tangible evidence that Lystra was a thriving urban center during the earliest centuries of Christianity.
