This is a false assertion which is not supported by the textual evidence.
Quote"The earliest Christians, viz., the Ebionites, Nazarenes, Corinthians, &c., excluded as forgeries the two first chapters of Matthew, containing the miraculous conception and birth, declaring them to be spurious, and not to be found in the genuine copies of Matthew. Both Saint Jerome and Epiphanius allow that this is true."See link "Matthew 2 Solar Mythology" for full text..
False. The nativity accounts of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are not considered later insertions and are found in some of the earliest manuscripts of the New Testament. These narratives have been part of the Christian tradition since the early years of the church.
The Lindisfarne Gospels are currently housed in the British Library in London, United Kingdom. They are considered a masterpiece of medieval manuscript illumination and are a significant example of Insular art.
Actually, the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus is not recorded in Luke's gospel but in the Gospel of Matthew. The story can be found in Matthew 2:1-12. Luke's gospel includes the nativity story, but it focuses more on the shepherds who visited Jesus after his birth.
James was the first Book of the New Testament. Being the half-brother of Jesus, and later a leader of the Christian Jews, James was led to understand a certain truth that he had to address the local faithful about. That certain truth in found in the words of the book of James.
Matthew's gospel focuses on the visit of the Magi, who were seen as wise men from the East, rather than the shepherds. This narrative choice reflects a symbolic theme in Matthew's gospel, emphasizing Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and a universal savior for both Jews and Gentiles. The emphasis on the Magi also highlights Jesus' role as a king, as they come to pay homage to him as the newborn king of the Jews.
Matthew's passion story portrays Jesus as a more stoic figure who willingly accepts his fate, emphasizing his kingship and fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Luke's passion story, on the other hand, presents Jesus as a compassionate and forgiving figure, highlighting themes of mercy and salvation for all people, not just the chosen.
Matthew new testament
The 'Nativity' Play - 'nativity' means 'birth'.
The Nativity sories in Matthew and Luke , we see the prophet Issiah fortelling the birth of Jesus, and a virgin will give birth to a son named Jesus who will save the earth.
The nativity scenes that are seen in various forms during December come primarily for the stories in Matthew's gospel in the New Testament. They are about the birth of Jesus.
Events relating to the birth of Christ are found in the opening chapters of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.
The nativity accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are entirely different from each other, and John Shelby Spong (Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Birth of Jesus), says that neither of the nativity stories contains any historical truth. Matthew's Gospel was written before that of Luke, so its author could have known nothing of what would be written in Luke as few years later.
The Lindisfarne Gospels are currently housed in the British Library in London, United Kingdom. They are considered a masterpiece of medieval manuscript illumination and are a significant example of Insular art.
It is true that there is disagreement on whether v21 of Matthew 17 was part of the original manuscript. There are various means of analyzing the assorted existing manuscripts, and the particular theory one subscribes to will lead to including or not including it.
The original, Greek manuscript of Matthew's Gospel has long been lost. However, enough early manuscripts have been discovered that scholars can establish some of the changes made to the gospel since that original was written.
The authors of both Matthew and Luke relied on Mark and 'Q' as their main source documents, but both authors then elaborated the Marcan material and added material of their own or from otherwise unknown sources.Material that is unique to Luke includes the birth of John the Baptist and his supposed relationship to Jesus; the entire nativity story of Jesus (the nativity story in Matthew is entirely different and incompatible); the genealogy of Jesus back through Joseph (again, Matthew has a genealogy of Jesus back through Joseph, but it is entirely different and incompatible); the story of Jesus in the temple at the age of twelve; the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan are parables unique to Luke; the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (the story in John is entirely different to the parable in Luke); Jesus telling the disciples to cast their nets on the other side, and they caught many fish (this story is in John, but not until after the resurrection of Jesus); the ascension of Jesus to heaven is not in Matthew nor the earliest manuscripts of Mark, but a somewhat similar story is in the "Long ending"* to Mark.Footnote*The Long Ending does not exist in the earliest manuscripts of Mark's Gospel, but was added much later, to more or less harmonise Mark with Matthew and Luke. There was also, at one stage, a "Short Ending".
Since Matthew's Gospel was written up to twenty years before Luke's Gospel, Matthew's account would have been first. However, we know that the author of Luke's Gospel knew nothing of Matthew's Gospel, and so could not harmonise his account with that of Matthew. This is why the two accounts are so completely different.
The Slaughter of the Innocents is in the nativity account in Matthew's Gospel. This somewhat contradicts the story in Luke's Gospel, and John Shelby Spong (Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Birth of Jesus) says that Matthew was clearly writing Christian midrash.