think of. they weren't written according to our standards of biographical accuracy. they were meant to proclaim the good news of jesus' life, death and resurrection. >> one of the stories that historians are debating is the christmas card scene of his humble birth in a manger heralded by a star in the east and attended by three wise men. it's only mentioned by matthew and luke, and they don't always agree. so is any of it true? scholars say yes. to a degree. >> when we look at the gospel of matthew and the gospel of luke, we can see that there are about 12 pieces of information, 12 facts that they share in common, that they both know about jesus' early years. they both know that his mother is mary, that the father or stepfather is joseph, that they're from the family of david, that the birth took place in bethlehem. so they have this string, a