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<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4>Nick, et al,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4>Perhaps, Nick left for us to infer the
obvious:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4>Jesus was not born in Bethlehem, but in
Nazareth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4>I have not taken a poll, but previous
reading indicates that for a large number of reasons almost all modern biblical
scholars have reached this opinion.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4>Perhaps, Nick or someone else could recap
or present some of these arguments.</FONT></DIV><FONT face="Verdana Ref" size=4>
<DIV><BR>Wayne</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Art Deco (Wayne Fox)<BR><A
href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=ngier@uidaho.edu href="mailto:ngier@uidaho.edu">Nick Gier</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, December 08, 2004 9:15
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] The Wise Men were
going the wrong way!</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Greetings:<BR><BR>If the Wise Men (<I>magoi</I>) were from
Persia, which is where the Zoroastrian magicians did in fact hang out, and if
they were following a start in the East, then they would not have witnessed
the birth of Christ but more probably the birth of Krishna, whose home does
lie in India, east of Persia. Yes, Pat Kraut, they did have directions,
but not to Bethlehem.<BR><BR>But they would not have found Jesus in Bethlehem
either, because a Roman census would have required all the people stay at home
and be counted there. Jesus' home was Nazareth and that is where Joseph
would have been assessed for the census. Some apologists have suggested
that Joseph owned property in Bethlehem, but seems most unlikely because
Joseph was a poor man. Besides he certainly would not have taken Mary on
the trip: her OBGYN would have strenously objected! Donkey rides are
sure recipes for miscarriage.<BR><BR>For more details about problems with the
Christmas Story see <A href="http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/census.htm"
eudora="autourl">www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/census.htm</A>.<BR><BR>Happy
Holidays,<BR><BR>Nick Gier<BR>
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