When the Christmas season draws near each year, the Nativity story is revisited in churches and households around the world. In the Bible, Jesus’ birthplace is identified as Bethlehem. This article delves into the historical and biblical accounts surrounding the birthplace of Jesus, examining the significance of Bethlehem and its role in Christian tradition.
Archeologist claims that Jesus' birthplace is in a different location | DW News
This scene from the Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel in Padua by the Italian artist Giotto shows Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the Bethlehem stable.
Biblical Accounts of Jesus' Birth
The Bible chronicles Jesus Christ’s birth in Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; and 2:1-20. The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Matthew and Luke.
- Matthew: In Matthew the angel speaks to Joseph. Matthew uses quotations from Jewish scripture, scenes reminiscent of Moses' life, and a numerical pattern in his genealogy to identify Jesus as a son of David, of Abraham, and of God.
- Luke: Luke has an angel speaking to Mary. Luke, writing for a gentile audience, portrays the infant Jesus as a savior for gentiles as well as Jews.
The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, that his mother, Mary, was engaged to a man named Joseph, who was descended from King David and was not his biological father, and that his birth was caused by divine intervention.
Bethlehem: The City of David
In the Bible, the answer seems straightforward: Bethlehem. At the time of Mary’s pregnancy, a decree by Caesar Augustus went out that “all the world should be registered” (Luke 2:1). Joseph lived in Nazareth at the time but needed to travel south to the region of Judea, “to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David” (Luke 2:4). Naturally, Joseph took his betrothed, Mary, to go with him to be counted as a member of his family.
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While Bethlehem in Judea was known in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as being the birthplace of King David and the birthplace of the future messiah, the small village of Nazareth in Galilee was much lesser-known, not even warranting a mention in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud or in the writings of Josephus. The contrast between Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David, and Nazareth, a small agricultural village, is obvious.
Bethlehem lies 10 kilometres south of the city of Jerusalem, in the fertile limestone hill country of the Holy Land.
The Nativity Scene: More Than Just a Barn
Because so many had returned to Bethlehem for the census, the small city was overflowing with people. There was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn, which forced them to take refuge in the only place available-a shelter for animals. And the place where Mary and Joseph took shelter was a stable somewhere in the vicinity. Sometimes the place for animals was located on the lower level of a house, away from where the people lived. So, when Luke refers to “no room in the kataluma,” he could have meant there was no room on the upper level, which was already full of sleeping visitors or family.
Archaeological findings have also revealed homes that merely had a wall separating the front of the house from the back, where animals were kept safe. Both of these floor plans imply an indoor animal shelter connected to the house in some way.
The typical nativity scene features the holy family in a stable that looks like a barn, separate from the Inn, where there was no room. But is this accurate? Most historians and scholars say, “Not so much.” This theory is a product of contemporary Western life and is fairly easy to dismiss. Understandably, the reasoning goes like this: Jesus was placed in a manger, which was a feeding trough for livestock, so he must’ve been born in the barn with the animals. This is where farmers today keep their animals, but people in the Ancient Near East (which includes Israel) simply didn’t do this.
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Reconstruction of what homes in Bethlehem looked like.
The Traditional View: A Cave
In the 2nd century, Justin Martyr stated that Jesus had been born in a cave outside the town, while the Protoevangelium of James described a legendary birth in a cave nearby. The Early Church Fathers wrote about Jesus being born in a cave. Justin Martyr (150 A.D.), Origen (250 A.D.), Jerome (325 A.D.) each believed this was the case. In 335 A.D, Emperor Constantine approved the cave that was the traditional site of Jesus’ birth to be turned into a holy site, known as the “Church of the Nativity.” There is archaeological evidence for animals being housed in caves. The people of Bethlehem were known to keep their flocks in an adjoining cave to their homes. And yet, it is important to remember that despite the Church of the Nativity being commissioned as a holy site as early as 325 A.D., the Bible does not make definitive reference to a cave, only to a manger.
An Unlikely but Interesting Theory: Migdal Eder
There is also a theory that the shelter in which Jesus was born was a place near Bethlehem called Migdol Eder ("Tower of the Flock"). This was a watchtower used by shepherds. According to some theories, the tower would have had a place underneath used during the lambing season to shelter the newborn lambs. Other theories speculate that those lambs were designated to be sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple.
The prophet Micah, who foretold Bethlehem as the place of the Messiah’s birth, mentions Migdol Eder: “As for you, watchtower of the flock [Hebrew, Migdol Eder], stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem” (Micah 4:8). The Tower of the Flock theory is used to explain why, when the heralding angels gave the sign that the baby would be “wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger,” the shepherds seemed to know exactly where to look. And it would be apropos for the Messiah to be born in the same place where the sacrificial lambs were born.
The Church of the Nativity: A Sacred Site
Since at least the 2nd century AD people have believed that the place where the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, now stands is where Jesus was born. One particular cave, over which the first Church was built, is traditionally believed to be the Birthplace itself. In locating the Nativity, the place both marks the beginnings of Christianity and is one of the holiest spots in Christendom.
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The original basilica church of 339 AD (St Helena), parts of which survive below ground, was arranged so that its octagonal eastern end surrounded, and provided a view of, the cave. This church is overlaid by the present Church of the Nativity, essentially of the mid-6th century AD (Justinian), though with later alterations. It is the oldest Christian church in daily use. Since early medieval times the Church has been increasingly incorporated into a complex of other ecclesiastical buildings, mainly monastic.
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem.
The eastern end of the traditional route from Jerusalem to the Church, known as the Pilgrimage route, marks the road that connects the traditional entrance of Bethlehem, near King David’s Wells with the Church of the Nativity, and extends along the Star Street through the Damascus Gate, or Qos Al-Zarara, the historical gate of the town, towards the Manger Square.
Located on the spot believed to be the Birthplace of Jesus Christ for some 2000 years, the Church of the Nativity is one of the most sacred Christian sites in the world since at least the 4th century AD up to the present. The sanctity of the site is maintained by the three churches occupying it.
Theological Significance
Paul the Apostle viewed the birth of Jesus as an event of cosmic significance which brought forth a "new man" who undid the damage caused by the fall of the first man, Adam. Just as the Johannine view of Jesus as the incarnate Logos proclaims the universal relevance of his birth, the Pauline perspective emphasizes the birth of a new man and a new world in the birth of Jesus.
Irenaeus was also one of the early theologians to use the analogy of "second Adam and second Eve". He suggested the Virgin Mary as the "second Eve" and wrote that the Mary had "untied the knot of sin bound up by the virgin Eve" and that just as Eve had tempted Adam to disobey God, Mary had set a path of obedience for the second Adam (i.e. Jesus).
The Nativity of Jesus impacted the Christological issues about the Person of Christ from the earliest days of Christianity. The belief in the divinity of Jesus leads to the question: "was Jesus a man to be born of a woman or was he God born of a woman?"
Christian Churches celebrate the Nativity of Jesus on Christmas, which is marked on December 25 by the Western Christian Churches, while many Eastern Christian Churches celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord on January 7.
Conclusion
The question “Where was Jesus born?” is surprisingly tricky. In the midst of the uncertain details and whichever theory you believe is most likely, don’t lose sight of the wonder: that a simple manger became God’s throne. This is the point of the story, let’s not overlook it because we’re stuck in the details God didn’t believe were important enough to preserve.
The location of Jesus' birth, whether in a stable, a cave, or Migdal Eder, is less important than the profound theological implications of the event. The Nativity signifies the beginning of a new era, the incarnation of God in human form, and the promise of salvation for all. Bethlehem, the "House of Bread," remains a symbol of hope and redemption, forever linked to the birth of Jesus Christ.
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