Jesus was not born “once upon a time” as in a fable, but in a historically verifiable place and moment that were detailed accurately in the Gospel of Luke, Pope Benedict writes in the third volume of his work, Jesus of Nazareth.

Two short excerpts from the pope’s book, which is scheduled to be released before Christmas, were distributed by the Italian publisher Rizzoli Oct. 9.

The first volume, published in 2007, covered the period from Jesus’ baptism to his Transfiguration; while the second, regarding his passion and death, came out in 2011.

The pope’s latest literary effort uses the Gospels to explore the infancy and childhood of Jesus.