The Jesus story has details that is most definitely made up i just realized!!!

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Immaterial, as the point is to find an historic figure that corresponds to the Gospel narratives.  And, according to the Gospel narrative, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Boru

Corresponding, sure, but not to the bits that aren't accepted as historical by secular scholars. Secular scholars searching for a historical Jesus don't expect him to have been born in Bethlehem; they expect him to have come from Nazareth because outside of the nativity accounts (which were each an attempt to force fulfillment of the Micah prophecy) not one mention of Bethlehem exists in the New Testament.

But there are (if I recall correctly), NO verses that claim Jesus was born in Nazareth. Why would historians look for his birth there?   He was called 'Jesus of Nazareth' because the family moved back to Nazareth after his birth.

Boru