FOR such a key moment in the Bible, it is perhaps surprising that the story of Christ’s Nativity is described in only two of the Gospels. The birth does not appear in Mark and John’s accounts and those of Luke and Matthew differ in numerous particulars. Luke alone includes such key details as the Annunciation to the shepherds in the fields and their Adoration around the manger, whereas it is Matthew who describes the Magi following the star and the Massacre of the Innocents.
‘Rembrandt found something to test his abilities in every emotional register, dramatic to tender’
Nevertheless, the Nativity is one of the Bible’s great set-piece scenes, with every episode—the journey to Bethlehem, the stable, the Virgin birth, the gathering of shepherds, Wise Men and animals—an invitation to artists. From Giotto and Bruegel to Caravaggio and Gauguin, some of the world’s greatest painters have
