I’m not quite sure what this means. I find myself in unfamiliar territory. This hasn’t happened much before. I’m about to agree with our Archbishop! Not on everything. I expect that we’ll continue to differ in our views of his role, homosexual practice and facial hair. But on at least one issue, I’m with him. And hurrah for that! Let me explain.

It was with much trepidation that I reached out a hand to pick up our daily copy of the Times newspaper. The headline screamed ‘Three? Wise? Men? asks the Archbishop’. My heart sank. More liberal reinvention of the Christian faith I thought. The online version says ‘It’s all a Christmas Tall Story’. More mockery of Christian’s gullibility I assumed. It’s about time for the ritual undermining of the historical foundations of the virgin birth. But that’s not what it was. Never in a month of Sundays had I expected to find myself audibly whooping with delight as I walked along the road at the reported comments of the Archbishop. You’ll find the report here.

What he gives us is the Christmas Nativity without the legend. He replaces it with the scriptural testimony. If only all his statements were similarly shaped! Ruth Gledhill’s comment is priceless, ‘Dr Williams’s views are strictly in line with orthodox Christian teaching. The Archbishop is sticking to what the Bible actually says’. A newsworthy item all by itself! The online dictionary definition of legend is, ‘a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical’. I’m all for a nativity shorn of non historical elements. It might kill the Christmas card business but the designers will just have to work a little harder for their money! 

It’s worth saying that my agreement with the general thrust of what the Archbishop said comes with a couple of caveats. These have been added after an observation from Ruth Gledhill [see comments]

I’d assumed that what the Archbishop calls into question is not the existence of the wise men but the existence of three wise men. I’ve just re-read Matthew’s gospel and the English Standard Version says they were wise men. In the Greek, literally ‘magoi apo anatolon’, or wise men from the east (verse 1). There were more than one but we’re not told how many there were. I guess we assume there were three because of verse 11 where three types of gifts are listed. New Testament scholar Paul Barnett in his popular book, The Truth About Jesus writes,

‘The so-called ‘wise men from the east’, so easily dispensed with as legendary, are referred to by the word magi, from which our word magician is derived. These magi were probably atsrologers from Mesopotamia where there was intense study of the heavens’.

I’d assumed that when the Archbishop uses the word ’scant’ he means ‘not abundant’ or ‘limited’ rather than ‘insufficient’. I may be being over generous in my reading of the Archbishop’s words, but that would be a first! The material on the magi is found only in Matthew’s gospel.

So, let me clarify. As I understand it, Matthew teaches that there were an unspecified number of wise men, or astrologers, who came from the east to give three types of gifts to Jesus.

I do, as you might expect, have a couple of quibbles. The Archbishop’s defence of the existence of God is a little weak. But let’s cut him some slack. He must have been star struck. He was in the same room as Ricky Gervais after all. He was on live radio as well. But nevertheless you’d have thought that for a man of his inttelect ’turning over’ Santa should have been a walk in the park. Perhaps he thought the kids were listening and didn’t want to be pilloried for spoiling Christmas! He should have read my post. That would’ve helped! I don’t know about you but I don’t believe in God because he generates a moral code, art and imagination. I believe in God because there’s overwhelming evidence for his existence in the person and work of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. I don’t dispute that belief in God produces those things. But I have a four year old daughter who’s been inspired to strict moralism, great works of art and bizarre imagination by a fat man in a red suit. But that doesn’t make the myth of Father Christmas true. 

I’d also like to scratch beneath the surface of the Archbishop’s comments on the Virgin Birth. He seems a little uncommitted to the unity of a divine nature and a human nature in the person of Jesus Christ. He could do a lot worse than read my recent post. I think he’ll find that it’s strictly in line with orthodox Christian teaching because it sticks to what the Bible actually says!

You may find the following article helpful. It contains a fuller account of the interview with Simon Mayo.