Traditional Nativity Story Challenged

Luke records that Christ was laid in the animals' manger, strongly suggesting that He was born in a stable.  From King David's time about until sixty years ago, most Israelite village homes had two rooms - a family room and a guest room. The family room had an area, usually four feet lower than the living room; here the family donkey, cow and two or three sheep stayed at night. Last thing at night the animals were brought into the house and taken outside again first thing in the morning.  They ate from mangers dug out of the stone floor of the raised family living area. 

The katalyma was the room reserved for guests and visitors, the quest chamber. Again, and contrary to  traditional views, Mary was not at the point of birth when she and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem. It was while they were in Bethlehem that "the days were completed for her to be delivered,” Luke 2:6. It was while they were there, that the time came for her to give birth.  There was a time lapse between the couple arriving in Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus.  So it is very strange how we could ever have concluded from Luke's Gospel that Mary was actually in labour when she and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem looking for accommodation.  The idea may have its origin in an apocryphal work of fiction from the second-century AD where Mary is said to have asked Joseph to take her down from the donkey because she was about to give birth. 

But this is purely apocryphal, pure conjecture, and not an authentic part of the Gospel record.  Wouldn't it be great to see a change in this regard?  However, ministers tend to stay in a safe place where they will not come into any criticism, either from church members or church authorities.  Its the same as the situation with the atonement issue where ministers keep to the philosophy that determines what they believe theologically, namely, that the atonement was limited in intention to the elect.  So traditional beliefs exercise an inordinate influence on what people choose to believe, so the tendency is for believers to believe what is safe rather than what is true.

The Nativity must be re-examined in the cold light of sound exegetical principles, and the light/truth followed wherever it leads.