A careful reading of the birth narratives of Matthew and of Luke will reveal that each evangelist presents his material from a different perspective, making the accounts supplementary but not contradictory. Both give clear witness to the virgin birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, but it appears that Matthew does so from the perspective of Joseph, and Luke does so from the perspective of Mary. In Luke's narrative Mary's inmost thoughts are revealed, and the whole narrative seems to be presented from her point of view, which would not be unexpected for Luke because of his high regard for women evidenced throughout his book. It appears that Luke obtained his information concerning the birth of Jesus directly from Mary, the mother of Jesus. "The womanly touch in the narrative is perhaps adequately explained by the supposition that the information came ultimately from Mary, whether or not it passed through other lips before it was finally put into literary form. What really stands firm is that the narrative is written from Mary's point of view, and therefore in some sort claims to come from her." - J. Gresham Machen, The Virgin Birth of Christ, pg. 201.