Christmas Day Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:1-14(15-20)
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

I like this version because it uses Messiah instead of Christ in verse 11.

" to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."

I think it helps to convey the significance of the Christ to modern ears, so used to reading Jesus Christ as if Christ were his last name. Lately when I see Jesus Christ, I try to read it as Jesus the Messiah. For me it emphasizes how powerfully different Jesus' actions as Messiah were from the contemporary expectations for the Jewish Messiah.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are offered as support for the reading of "peace among men of his good will." In the OP it reads "among those whom he favors".

The KJV translation is for many the more familiar: "on earth peace, goodwill toward men"

The difference is a single letter in the Greek, a final sigma. The KJV is based on Greek versions that have ευδοκια. Most textual critics prefer versions that have ευδοκιας.

The reading of "men of his good will" in the Greek actually lacks the pronoun "his". As far as I know the interpretation of "his good will" is based on the Dead Sea Scrolls use of similar phrasing.

I have not been able to find that phrase in my copies of the DSS. I have Vermes, Wise, Abegg & Cook, and Marinez, but I still cannot find that wording in those translations. If you have found it please post a comment, and if possible information to help me locate the phrase.

Without the DSS support, I would think the preferred Greek text would read, "peace among men of good will."

So there are three different interpretations of that angellic doxology in the Lukan story of the shepherds.

Which do you prefer?

Then I think you will also like the Holman version:

today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.