Witnesses of the Birth of Christ

by Joseph Fielding McConkie

Joseph Fielding McConkie takes a moving and in-depth look at the birth of the Savior in Witnesses of the Birth of Christ, a book he says he wrote to "put Christ back into Christmas and to increase our faith in this sacred event upon which the verity of the Christian message must rest." The events of the birth of Christ are surrounded by the testimonies of those great and small, of men and women, of those young and old, and of the learned and unlearned. Brother McConkie uses their witnesses of Jesus Christ to demonstrate that we cannot increase our knowledge of these events without increasing our love for the Son of God. "Witnesses of the Birth of Christ brings us to the understanding," he writes, "that every principle of the gospel and every principle that brings faith and hope, that ennobles or gives purpose to suffering or sorrow-is but an appendage to the Father of God and divine Sonship of Christ. These are heaven's gifts to us."

Genres: Lds

133 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Joseph Fielding McConkie received a Doctorate of Education from Brigham Young University in 1973, following which he became the director of the LDS Institute of Religion at the University of Washington in Seattle. Four years later he joined the faculty at BYU where he is now a Professor of Ancient Scripture. He is the author or co-author of 25 books, the most recent being a 1200 page work titled Revelations of the Restoration. His scholarly interests center in scripture and doctrine. Other experiences include being an LDS Chaplain in Vietnam, a mission president in Scotland, and a Stake President at BYU.

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Reviews

[Katie Eldredge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had lots of great gems, and it is short, but it was a bit wordy and formal. Of course I love reading about my Savior’s birth but it read a bit like a text book.

[Jessica Gunderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this pretty wordy and repetitive. I didn’t like some of the assumptions that were made. It does have some gems in it though.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight-forward, easy to read in one sitting, good reference for use in teaching the story of the birth of the Christ.

Perhaps the idea I most liked was that there were twelve witnesses to the birth of Jesus as Savior (Though it could be thought that McConkie stretched himself for sake of his own argument - he needed twelve spots to fill and found a way to fill them. Hmn. Or not.). They are:

The Angel Gabriel
Zacharias
Elisabeth
John the Baptist
Mary
Joseph
The Shepherds
The Heavenly Choir
Simeon
Anna
The Wise Men
King Herod

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how he helped me understand the importance of every person we relate to the birth of our Savior. Those who witnessed his birth weren't there by luck, they specifically chosen for very important reasons. Very enlightening.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good reminder of what Christmas is about.