Page 147 - New English Book L

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digestion, or puzzle, of some Kurdish herdsmen!

The appearance of an angel to the humble shepherds
of Bethlehem and the annunciation of the birth of a great
Prophet that very night, and the hearing of the angelic
Hallelujah (Allilujah) by them alone and not by the
haughty priests and the scribes, is one of the innumerable
miracles recorded in the history of the people of Israel.
There is nothing in the story, which might be considered
to be such a contradictory nature as to expose the narrative
to incredibility. An angel can appear to a prophet or a
holy servant of God and communicate to him a message
from Allah in the presence of other people, yet be quite
imperceptible to them. The good shepherds had good
hearts and good faith, therefore they were worthy of the
divine favour. So from a religious point of view there
is nothing incompatible or incredible in this wonderful
event as recorded by St. Luke. The author of this narrative
exhibits precision of diction, he is discreet and cautious
in his statements, and throughout his Gospel, he uses a
very good Greek style. Considering the fact that he wrote
his book long after the death of all the Apostles, and
that he had “very carefully” examined numerous works
concerning Jesus (pbuh) and his Gospel, it seems very
probable that he was aware of the legend of the Magi and
abstained altogether from including it in his own book.
[1] It is precisely stated in the first four verse with which
the third Gospel opens that the Apostles, whom he calls
“the eyewitnesses and the ministers of the Word,” had not
written themselves and account about the Master and his
teachings, but only by way of tradition had delivered them
orally to their followers or successors. It is also clearly
stated that the sources to which St. Luke had recourse
for the composition of his Gospel were various “stories”

[1] Readers are advised to very carefully read the preface, or the introductory
passage, at the beginning of St. Luke’s Gospel.