The Associated Press (AP) made an error while recounting the biblical Christmas story and Pope Francis’ Christmas Eve homily Sunday.
The piece described how Jesus was born during a census to “reinforce King David’s power,” though David lived fourteen generations before Jesus’ birth. Jesus was born under the reign of King Herod, and Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree demanding all those living in Roman territory return to their city of birth for a census.
“Recalling that Jesus was born during a census meant to reinforce King David’s power, Francis warned against ‘the quest for worldly power and might, fame and glory, which measures everything in terms of success, results, numbers and figures, a world obsessed with achievement,'” The AP piece titled, “Pope says ‘our hearts are in Bethlehem’ as he presides over the Christmas Eve mass in St. Peters,” read.
OK, this is a continuity error that would embarrass even the Marvel Cinematic Universe pic.twitter.com/ybXWlS0919
— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) December 26, 2023
Pope Francis made a comparison between the “negative associations” of a census under King David’s reign and the new meaning at the time of Jesus’ birth. In the service’s homily, the pope said King David “sinned gravely” by conducting a census under the temptation of knowing how powerful he was. Pope Francis compared this census to that taken during the time of Jesus’ birth, in which the people did not suffer and the Lord “humbly” allowed himself to be recorded as “one among many.”
“The census speaks of something else. In the Scriptures, the taking of a census has negative associations. King David, tempted by large numbers and an unhealthy sense of self-sufficiency, sinned gravely by ordering a census of the people,” the pope said in his homily. “He wanted to know how powerful he was. After some nine months, he knew how many men could wield a sword (cf. 2 Sam 24:1-9). The Lord was angered and the people suffered. On this night, however, Jesus, the “Son of David”, after nine months in Mary’s womb, is born in Bethlehem, the city of David. He does not impose punishment for the census, but humbly allows himself to be registered as one among many. Here we see, not a god of wrath and chastisement, but the God of mercy, who takes flesh and enters the world in weakness, heralded by the announcement: ‘on earth peace among those whom he favours’ (Lk 2:14).”
The article recounted Pope Francis’ Christmas Eve service at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and said peace could not be achieved amid the Israel-Hamas War. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Calls Jesus A ‘Refugee’ Baby In Christmas Tweet)
“Our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once more rejected by the futile logic of war, by the clash of arms that even today prevents him from finding room in the world (cf. Lk 2:7),” the pope said, referring to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, according to The AP.
King David lived circa 1040-970 BCE, several centuries before Jesus, according to the Jewish Virtual Library. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke say Jesus’ adoptive father, Joseph, is of direct lineage of David.