THE FIRST CHRISTMAS: The True Yet Unfamiliar Story of Christ's Birth

This informative gift book is much better than its introduction might lead readers to suspect; Maier lays out a traditional Christian apologetic approach, using tools such as archaeology and history to prove the trustworthiness of the Bible. In the chapters that follow, he analyzes the Nativity through the lenses of economics, law, literature, geography and even meteorology, claiming that this composite reveals the "unfamiliar story" of Christ's birth. Some readers may quibble that Maier bases his claims on a rather selective reading of the evidence, but most will enjoy the rich detail he offers about daily life in Palestine around the year 5 B.C. (Sept.)