The Pope has gone on record as stating that donkeys and cattle did not attend Christ’s birth, according to The Daily Express.
Although many people believe Jesus was surrounded by all sorts of animals at the time of his birth, Pope Benedict XVI has stated that no critters of any sort attended the event. Thankfully, it isn’t too late to remove any offending creatures from your own Nativity scene.
“There is no mention of animals in the Gospels,” he wrote in his upcoming book.
The Pope’s third and final installment of Jesus’ life, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, went on sale Wednesday. The book reportedly follows Christ’s life up until the age of 12.
So who came up with the idea that donkeys and cattle surrounded Jesus during his birth? According to The Telegraph, the idea of animals at the Nativity may have been inspired by pre-Christian traditions. Pope Benedict XVI wrote that such inspirations could have come from the Book of Habakkuk, a chapter of the Hebrew Bible.
Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives also addresses a number of different myths and misconceptions involving Jesus’ life. For instance, Pope Benedict XVI believes that the virgin birth should be taken at face value.
“The accounts of Matthew and Luke are not myths taken a stage further. They are firmly rooted, in terms of their basic conception, in the biblical tradition of God the Creator and Redeemer,” he wrote in a chapter entitled “Virgin Birth – Myth or Historical Truth?”
As for those who are a little saddened by the lack of donkeys and cattle at the Nativity, the Pope explained such traditions will likely outlive his views on the subject.
“No one will give up the oxen and the donkey in their Nativity scenes,” he wrote.
Will you remove donkeys, cattle, and other animals from your Nativity scene?