Matthew Joefs News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> where have all of the christians gone? >> they are afraid to come. >> they are afraid of all of the turmoil and fighting that has plagued this area. >> this bethlehem used to be 100 percent christian. now it stands only above 35. >> i talked with people who used to wait in line for hours to get into the church of the nativity. now it looks like you can walk right in. >> absolutely. the door we will be going through. >> so this is the traditional birth place of jesus? >> this is the traditional birth place. there is very little doubt about the city and for us the probability about 85 percent...

Apocryphal gospels. professor of religious studies california state university. >> they believe just like christians do jesus was born to mary who was a virgin. mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the koran. is mentioned more by name in the koran than in the new testament. >> of the four new testament gospels only two feature the nativity story. the gospel according to luke tells the roman emperor augustus caesar journey from nazareth to bethlehem wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. in the gospel according to matthew joefs and mary are already living in bethlehem. some d...

>> by the end of the story he has power and wisdom under control and he's ready to use it only for good. >> so why are the everyday lives of mary and joseph shoulded in mystery. joseph disappears after the christmas story early christians depicting him as they please. >> joseph is portrayed as an elderly gentlemen. >> a former jesuit priest teaches to christians muslims and jews. >> joseph is written out of the stories to preserve his virginity, not only virgin conception of jesus but mary continued to be the virgin after the birth of jesus which means you can't have brothers and sisters. >> t...

The door we will be going through. >> so this is the traditional birth place of jesus? >> this is the traditional birth place. there is very little doubt about the city and for us the probability about 85 percent that the church is actually built over the right place. we have two different versions one in luke where mary and joseph start from nazareth and matthew where mary and joseph are native of bethlehem. that's why jesus is born here. i say most scholars matthew's account is preferable. >> didn't luke give the more detailed account. >> more detailed more vivid more dramatic but the benefi...

Through. >> so this is the traditional birth place of jesus? >> this is the traditional birth place. there is very little doubt about the city and for us the probability about 85 percent that the church is actually built over the right place. we have two different versions one in luke where mary and joseph start from nazareth and matthew where mary and joseph are native of bethlehem. that's why jesus is born here. i say most scholars matthew's account is preferable. >> didn't luke give the more detailed account. >> more detailed more vivid more dramatic but the benefit accounts for the census ...