'Raymond E. Brown's Birth of the Messiah was a milestone and indeed a touchstone in Catholic research on the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke. However, Father Brown never intended his book to be a barrier to further research and reflection, but rather a springboard.  It is in that spirit that these essays offer new paths of research and reflection to continue and carry forward our appreciation and appropriation of the message of the Infancy Narratives.' - John Meier, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

John Meier

'This engaging collection of essays offers an excellent showcase of literary, theological and political readings of the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke, including studies in the history of reception.  It ably demonstrates that when historical questions grow old, the texts prove fertile in ever new ways.  A great resource for many Christmases to come!' - John M.G. Barclay, Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University, UK

John M.G. Barclay

'Jeremy Corley and his team are to be congratulated. New Perspectives on the Nativity is the unrivalled complement to and extension of Raymond E. Brown's magisterial study, The Birth of the Messiah.  Sharing Brown's conviction as to the priority of theological over purely historical analyses of the infancy narratives, the contributors pursue this intent through a refreshing range of literary, cultural, socio-political, feminist, inter-religious and liturgical readings.  Together, the essays witness to the remarkable vitality of contemporary biblical scholarship and proliferation of approaches, contributing insights extending well beyond those available in Brown's rather more constrained approach, yet evincing a similar concern to place the best of scholarship at the service of as broad a readership as possible.' - Paul D. Murray, Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Centre for Catholic Studies, Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University, UK.

Paul D. Murray

"Pouring through the breach in convention that Raymond Brown opened with The Birth of the Messiah (2d. ed. 1993), theologians and biblical scholars explore the Christmas stories in fresh light, both for teachers and preachers, and for believers and scholars. Their topics include a narrative reading of Luke's nativity story, a new look at the familiar text of Zechariah's Benedictus in Luke 1:68-79, making sense of the genealogy in Matthew 1:17 and the theology of history, A Bakhtinian reading of the Magi story through the eyes of Pasolini, the nativity in recent British poetry, the Muslim Mary, and losing mystery in history." -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.

"After Corley's three-page introduction, this volume presents essays by H. Wansbrough on the infancy stories of the Gospels since R.E. Brown; I Boxall on Luke's nativity story--a narrative reading; B.E. Reid on the prophetic voices of Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna in Luke 1-2; L.J. Maluf on Zechariah's Benedictus (Lk 1:68-79)--a new look at familiar text; N. King on the significance of the inn for Luke's infancy narrative; W. Carter on Matthew 1-2 and Roman political power; B.T. Viviano on making sense of the Matthean genealogy--Mt 1:17 and the theology of history; B.P. Robinson on Matthew's nativity stories--historical and theological questions for today's readers; C. Fuller on the Magi story through the eyes of P. Pasolini--a Bakhtinian reading; A. Loades on the nativity in recent British poetry; J. Kaltner on the Muslim Mary; and T. O'Loughlin on losing mystery in history--the challenge of recalling the nativity.  Also included are an appendix by O.M. McDonald on resemblances between Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2; a dictionary of technical terms, significant persons, and ancient texts; and a bibliography of studies on the nativity from 1990 and 2009." -New Testament Abstracts, Vol. 54

Reviewed in Religious Studies Review, Vol 36, No. 3, September 2010 (UK) 'A welcome summary of recent scholarship on the birth narratives'