Perhaps the story of Christ's birth has become almost too familiar. 

We've heard the story so many times that it fails to shock us: the appearances of the angel, a virgin giving birth, a child placed in a manger, the arrival of shepherds and magi. "But what if we had never heard the story before?" Edward Sri asks. "What if we were first-century Jews hearing this plot for the first time?" Only two Gospels give any details about the birth of the Messiah, but these chapters are packed with allusions to Old Testament stories and prophecies that any contemporary Jew would have recognized. 

Today's reader, unfamiliar with the ancient Jewish world, misses the significance of many details in these accounts. This book bridges that gap, explaining the original context of every line and detail in the biblical stories. Sri not only helps us understand an earlier and pivotal time and place, he also brings us to a deeper understanding of the great mystery of God's entry into the world as one of us.