Where can I find information about shepherds, particularly the shepherds that announced the birth of Christ?
In the Bible, the imagery of sheep and shepherd is almost always positive, referring to God, Jesus, and political leaders as the leaders of the people. The prophets sometimes describe the leaders as shepherds who are more concerned with their own welfare (particularly in Ezekiel 34), who will be replaced by a new shepherd, loyal to God. In reality, however, shepherds were not the most respected people in the ancient world. The main reason was that they tended to sneak their flocks of sheep, goats, and cattle onto other people’s land to graze. (That might be why Jesus found it necessary to state that he was the “good” shepherd, not just the shepherd.) So the fact that the angel announced Jesus’ birth to a group of shepherds would have raised some eyebrows in Bethlehem, since shepherds were not the most trustworthy witnesses! I’m not sure where you can find information specifically about the shepherds mentioned in Luke. The best place to find information about shepherds in ancient times
Related Questions
- The birth of Jesus was announced to shepherds in the fields with their flocks. Does this fix the announcement to a certain season of the year?
- Where can I find information about shepherds, particularly the shepherds that announced the birth of Christ?
- was the birth of Christ announced to Mary, or was it announced to Joseph in Mt 1:20?
