Apparently there is some scholarly debate over whether Jesus was really born in a stable. Close textual analysis, and careful study of the expectations and practices of Jews in 1st-century Palestine, allegedly suggest that rather than the draughty lean-to or chilly cave of the traditional imagination, Our Lady in fact gave birth in the more comfortable surroundings of a relative’s home. I have seen this interpretation offered not by the usual atheist bores who churn out endless tendentious volumes purporting to debunk the New Testament narratives, but by observant orthodox Christians who are admirably keen to get the historical detail absolutely right.