The Births of John the Baptist and Jesus Foretold: One of the problems in comparing the Synoptic Gospels is accounting for the distinctive features of the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. On the one hand, Matthew mentions an angelic announcement to Joseph (1:20), the Magi (2:1), a star (2:2), the flight to Egypt (2:13–14), and the slaughter of the infants (2:16). Luke’s account contains none of these items. Moreover, only Matthew cites Isa. 7:14 (see 1:23), Mic. 5:2 (see 2:6), Hos. 11:1 (see 2:15), and Jer. 31:15 (see 2:18) as fulfilled in Jesus’ birth. On the other hand, only Luke mentions the announcement and birth of John the Baptist (1:13, 57), an angelic announcement to Mary (1:26–33), a meeting between Mary and Elizabeth (1:39–40), a census of Caesar Augustus requiring every mal…