Bear Grylls is labelled ’embarrassing’ after his Christmas message to fans called Jesus ‘a refugee’ and Mary ‘a Palestinian’ – sparking accusations he is ‘eradicating her Jewish identity’

Bear Grylls has been branded ‘shameful’ after saying Mary was a Palestinian refugee in a Christmas message to his followers.

The 50-year-old explorer shared ‘a brief historical note’ about ‘Maryam (Mary)’ on social media.

He wrote of

‘I’ll tell you some of his story. This is just a short excerpt from the beginning of the adventure.

‘When Maryam, a young, poor and undoubtedly terrified Palestinian girl, gives birth in a dilapidated animal cage to a baby that had been foretold for hundreds of years.

‘Yet she wasn’t the only one. And she never would be. Because this was the moment when Almighty God personally entered our fallen world… For many of us, it is undoubtedly: the greatest story ever told.”

His message sparked a series of angry reactions from people on social media, with some saying it was ‘disappointing’

One person wrote: “In what sense – historical, archaeological, political, religious, geographical, ethnic, literally any sense – would Mary have considered herself Palestinian?”

Many angry people took to social media to share their views, while a community note was posted below what Grylls wrote

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said at the time: ‘A brief historical note: ‘Maryam’ (Mary) was a Jewish woman from Judea, under Roman rule.

‘The region was not called ‘Palestine’ until 100 years later, when the Judeans (Jews) were exiled and Emperor Hadrian renamed Syria Palaestina after the Bar Kokhba revolt in an attempt to sever Jewish ties to the country.

‘Many people have believed his propaganda over the millennia. While Mary’s family fled to Egypt to escape King Herod’s persecution, her being a “Palestinian refugee” not only imposes modern terminology on ancient history, but also completely eradicates her Jewish identity. It’s historical nonsense, with an agenda. If you want to honor her story, tell it well.”

Another person added: ‘This is so very disappointing. How could she be Palestinian if Palestine didn’t exist? Mary was a Jew.”

A third person commented: ‘They weren’t refugees. Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken. Joseph and Mary traveled to Judea, to the city of Bethlehem (the city of David), because Joseph belonged to the house and line of David.”

To add to this, a community note about X was added below the post, which reads: ‘They were not refugees. Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken. Joseph and Mary traveled to Judea, to the city of Bethlehem (the city of David), because Joseph belonged to the house and line of David.”

This comes after Grylls previously said doctors told him he had the ‘heart of a warrior’ – after revealing his wife was so concerned about his daily diet of ‘six eggs and a steak’ that she asked him to a full coronary MOT.

The 50-year-old took to social media to share ‘a brief historical note’ about ‘Maryam (Mary)’

The 50-year-old explorer, who once preached the vegan diet and even wrote a cookbook of his favorite plant-based recipes, follows a “butter and beef” diet where he enjoys red meat daily.

He then told his 8 million followers on Instagram that he had decided to undergo a full health check.

He wrote: ‘I recently had a full coronary CT scan because Shara was concerned that my cholesterol was so high and that I must have calcified arteries because I eat so much grass-fed salted butter and saturated beef fat.

The former scout leader and father of three continued: ‘The result was shocking and good (a relief!): zero inflammation and zero calcium score and the doctor told me I had the heart of a warrior. So relieved, but also so happy.’

After turning his back on his former plant-based diet, Grylls has since admitted that he now feels ’embarrassed’ that he was ever promoted to his fans.

Inspired by the way our ancestors survived for millennia, he now eats red meat, blood, bone marrow, as well as salted butter, eggs, fruit and honey. In addition to vegetables, he avoids processed foods, bread and pasta.