<p><span>2:19&nbsp;</span><em>But when Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying</em><span>- Literally, &quot;appears&quot;, not 'appeared'. The inconsistent use of tenses isn't the grammatical mistake of an uneducated, uninspired writer. This device is common in the Gospels. It focuses attention upon the Angel appearing, and encourages us to re-live the moment, as if to say, 'And wow, lo and behold- an Angel appears!'. The Gospels were initially intended for public reading, even performance on street corners, as the majority of people in the first century world were illiterate. So this kind of device is just what we would expect.&nbsp;</span></p>