CHC Episode 2
Christ-Myths
with host Nick Walters
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This installment of the Christian History Chronicles examines two of the most enduring misconceptions in the story of Christianity: the widespread belief that Jesus was born on December 25 and the equally familiar idea that only three magi visited the Christ child. These assumptions have taken deep root across centuries of devotion, liturgical celebration, art, music, and cultural tradition. Yet each of them developed long after the earliest Christian communities recorded the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Understanding how these ideas arose, why they became so dominant, and how they have shaped Christian imagination offers a meaningful window into the ways tradition, history, and interpretation intersect in the life of the church.
The Christian History Chronicles series is designed to explore precisely these kinds of historical turns. Rather than rehearse familiar narratives, the series looks closely at how Christians across time understood the biblical story, how interpretations evolved, and how assumptions became embedded into the shared memory of the faith. This episode focuses on two central aspects of the Nativity story that are nearly universal in popular culture but historically far more complex. The development of December 25 as a commemorative date and the tradition of “three kings” both illustrate how Christian communities drew from Scripture, historical context, symbolism, artistic representation, and theological reflection in shaping their understanding of Jesus’s birth.
In this long-form conversation, Nick Walters, founder of the Center for Christian History and the host of the Christian History Chronicles, serves as the SME for this episode. While he provides historical framing for these topics, the purpose of the Chronicles format is not to center the interviewer but to provide a structured exploration of how these traditions formed. The significance lies not in commentary on the interview but in tracing how Christians across regions and centuries adopted, adapted, and transmitted these ideas. The episode underscores the importance of distinguishing between biblical text and later tradition, while also acknowledging how these traditions came to play a central role in the celebration of Christmas around the world.
The Chronicles series presents the broader mission of the Center for Christian History: to offer clear, historically grounded explanations of major themes, patterns, and misconceptions that shape Christian understanding. Episodes are crafted to invite viewers into a deeper appreciation of how Christian history actually developed, why certain ideas remained influential, and how Christians today can benefit from understanding the origins of long-held assumptions. By examining the Nativity traditions in this episode, the series demonstrates how scholarly awareness and faithful interpretation can work together to enrich the study of Christian history.
This episode continues the work of building an accessible library that explains how Christian practices and beliefs have taken form over time. Whether exploring dates, texts, traditions, or assumptions, the Chronicles series encourages viewers to see history as a living conversation—one where early Christian communities, later interpreters, and modern believers all contribute to the ongoing understanding of Christianity’s foundational story. Episode 2 stands as an invitation to reconsider familiar images surrounding Jesus’s birth and to appreciate the deeper historical processes that shaped them.
