The Birth of Christ

Joseph sits at bottom left, head downward, talking to donkey. Scene at bottom right reflects Joseph’s mystical moment when he was looking for a midwife and the earth stood still, as recounted in the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James. Over Joseph’s head is the Greek Ho Dikaios Ioseph, meaning “Joseph, the just” as stated in Matthew 1:19. The central top inscription is He Christou Genesis, “The Birth of Christ” from Matthew 1:18.