Christmas is filled with joy and giving. This is only proper since God the Father gave His Son to the world on this happy day. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, people had only a promise of redemption. Through God’s mercy, a people were chosen to be the instrument to spread God’s love in the world. This people, the Jewish nation, persevered in the Faith for centuries despite their sometimes sinful disobedience which resulted in exiles and sufferings. At last in the fullness of time, God sent His only Son into the world to save us. This fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament occurred in Israel in the town of Bethlehem during a census ordered by the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. This marvelous book uses the Infancy Accounts of St. Matthew and St. Luke’s Gospels to tell this wonderful story. Additionally, the Editorial Staff and Art of World Book blend in current photographs and texts of many of the holy sites mentioned in the Gospels.
The book begins by giving sections of the Infancy Narratives of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Included with each biblical account is a classical picture of the event. St. Luke’s Annunciation is naturally the first scriptural description given. Botticelli’s beautiful rendition of this holy scene is painted next to the text. As the world held its breath, the Blessed Virgin gives her marvelous "yes" to the Archangel Gabriel. Next, we see St. Matthew’s account of St. Joseph having the angel announce to him in a dream that the Child being carried by Mary is of "the Holy Spirit" Mt 1-18-21. St. Joseph too is asked to believe and take Mary as his wife. The angel specifically tells St. Joseph that he is to name the baby, Jesus. Though St. Joseph is not the biological father of Our Lord, this command to name Jesus grants him the power of being the earthly father of Our Blessed Savior. The book continues with scene after scene from the birth of Jesus.
Blended in with the paintings of these sacred events are photographs from modern day Palestine. Readers see shepherds watching their sheep on the rocky hillsides just like 2,000 years ago. In fact, so little has changed in the dress of Palestinian shepherds that modern readers might think they were the shepherds mentioned in the Gospel Narratives. In the latter half of the book, World Book takes us into modern day Bethlehem focusing specifically on Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. The authors tell of the complicated relations that exist with various Christian denominations in Bethlehem. We see the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem leading the pilgrimage through Bethlehem which concludes with the celebration of Mass at St. Catherine’s Church in Bethlehem. The archbishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church is also shown presiding over services on Christmas Eve. The book concludes with a series of interesting classroom activities that allow children to better understand the Christmas events.
This is both a simple and a complicated book. The biblical passages will be quite familiar to readers. The blending of great works of art with the scriptural verses gives an immediacy and visual power to the Christmas event. However, the writing by the World Book staff on Bethlehem requires a great deal of attention and reading skill. Because of this I feel that this book is best shared together by two students, or an adult and a child. This is a beautifully written book with remarkable paintings and photographs. Go to the library and check out this fine title and enjoy it with your family.
