Christmas: Myth, Magic and Legend - Paperback

by John Queripel (Author)

A woman, both virgin and mother, a star moving at walking pace relative to the earth, turning, then moving in the contrary direction to all other astronomical objects before stopping over a particular town, a census called by an empire in such fashion that it would throw its normal efficiency into chaos, multitudes of angels declaring a saviour's birth to shepherds with their flocks in the fields during the dead of winter, a pogrom carried out by a tyrannical leader to rid himself of a peasant child perceived as threat. Does any of this make sense to us in a modern world? Are these things believable as literal historical events? If not, do they still have meaning? In Christmas: Myth, Magic and Legend, John Queripel digs in and behind the stories to find their essential truth while disregarding the literalisms which get in the way of most people's search. Deep and profound truths behind the stories come to life and a whole new and more transformative meaning begins to reveal itself.

Author Biography

John Queripel is a Uniting Church minister who has ministered in a wide range of contexts: city centre, urban and rural congregations, initiated community-based ministries, and worked in university and prison chaplaincies. He has always had a concern of speaking and living faith in authentic dialogue with scholarship and the modern context. John has a strong interest in the arts and literature being a published author and playwright, has organised numerous cultural events and festivals, is a recorded singer-songwriter and performer, and has even dabbled in the visual arts.