IRCI Public Lecture - Joan Taylor (Jesus' Birth and Childhood Revisited: The Traumatic Historical Context Behind Matthew's Account)

Jesus lived at a time of deep social disturbance, as the Jewish people struggled to come to terms with Roman occupation in Judaea. As the Gospel of Matthew tells the story, he was born in Bethlehem to a clan of people who descended from the great king David, but he became a refugee, an outsider, an immigrant in the Galilee in which he grew up.

While scholars of the historical Jesus have often considered this account more legendary than real, this lecture explores how key aspects correlate with other evidence. As such, Jesus and his family likely witnessed atrocities carried out by the occupying Roman overlords and their client rulers. This would have a lasting impact.

Joan Taylor, Professor Emerita of Christian Origins at King's College London and Visiting Professor at Australian Catholic University, is a renowned authority on the literature and archaeology of early Christianity and Judaism. She draws both on archaeological findings and on historical works of the period.

Please note that the lecture is free to attend, but registration is requested for catering purposes. Refreshments will be available from 18:00, and the lecture will begin at 18:30

Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judaean in Turbulent Times (SPCK/ Zondervan 2025) explores what Jesus' family would have told him about the context of his birth, and what he would have experienced as a boy growing up in first-century Judaea and Galilee. All this and more is explored in this scholarly but highly accessible investigation.

https://spckpublishing.co.uk/the-boyhood-of-jesus