"First Christmas"

I have been doing a lot of reading about Christmas lately. One of the books I turned to was Paul Maier's book, "First Christmas: The True and Unfamiliar Story." For those wanting to better understand the Nativity Story as revealed in Scripture and the historical background to it, this is a great place to begin.

Maier is a noted historian who is well respected and writes with simplicity and an acute knowledge. In his book on Christmas, this is made obvious. The author discusses all of the major issues surrounding the Nativity including the shepherds, the magi, the star they followed (he didcated an entire chapter on the subject), Mary, Joseph, Nazareth, and many more subjects.

Though I didn't agree with Maier on everything, I felt that he presents a good summary with great depth for the average reader. Maier writes with simplicity and depth that gives the reader a lot of new insights. He challenges common traditional misconceptions surrounding the infamous story (like there being 3 Wise Men) and presents a compelling argument. For those wanting to know more about the real story of Christmas, this is a good place to start.