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just imagined those
figures’ presence.
We do know that
later
scenes
began incorpo-
rating dioramas
and life actors,
and the cast
of characters
gradually ex-
panded be-
y o n d
M a r y ,
J o s e p h
a n d
s w e e t
baby Je-
sus,
to
s o m e -
times in-
clude an
e n t i r e
village.
Nativity buffs will know, howev-
er, that the familiar cast of char-
acters relied upon today—the
three wise men and the shep-
herds—is not biblically accurate.
Of the New Testament’s four
gospels, only Matthew and Luke
describe Jesus’ birth. Matthew
mentions wise men, while Luke
comments on shepherds. But
nowhere in the Bible do shep-
herds and wise men appear to-
gether. What’s worse, no one
mentions donkeys, oxen, cattle
or other farmyard friends in con-
junction with Jesus’ birth. But
what would a nativity scene
be without those staples?
Luckily for all the kids
cast as King #2 or
random shepherd,
some artistic inter-
pretation is permit-
ted.