[Faith-talk] Where Jesus Was Born

Wed Dec 24 01:45:01 UTC 2014

Hi all,

This is interesting, and I thought you'd enjoy it. Merry Christmas!

Where Jesus Was Born

December 23, 2014

__________

The following is excerpted from "Bethlehem - The Manger and the Inn" 
by Leen Ritmeyer, Dec. 14, 2014, 
<http://www.ritmeyer.com>http://www.ritmeyer.com. Dr. Ritmeyer 
combines the skills of an architect and a keen investigator of 
archaeological sites to create beautiful reconstructions of ancient 
sites in Israel and elsewhere. His Ph.D. thesis for the University of 
Manchester was "The Architectural Development of the Temple Mount in 
Jerusalem." We have licensed several of his reconstructions for 
PowerPoint presentations. One of his many projects is a fascinating 
reconstruction of the Temple Mount in different eras from the time of 
Abraham to the time of the Byzantines.

________________

BETHLEHEM - THE MANGER AND THE INN

By Leen Ritmeyer

<http://www.ritmeyer.com>www.ritmeyer.com

People have asked me where I think Jesus was born. I reply that 
Scripture and archaeology show that the place was not a randomly 
chosen cave in Bethlehem, but a location that was prepared centuries 
earlier for this purpose.

The Cave in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, with the silver 
star indicating the place where, according to Byzantine tradition, 
Jesus was born.

According to Luke 2.1-5, Mary and Joseph had to travel to their own 
city. It must have been an uncomfortable journey when Mary was almost 
9 months pregnant and had to travel, probably on the back of a 
donkey, from Nazareth to Bethlehem--a 100 mile long journey through 
the Jordan Valley! On arriving in Bethlehem, they couldn't find a 
place to stay. The only available place for the Son of God to be born 
was a dirty stable, which had to be shared with animals. It wasn't a 
romantic Christmas postcard stable with smiling camels and donkeys, 
probably drawn by artists who don't know how bad camels can smell and 
how loud the braying of donkeys can be!

What actually did a stable look like in the time of Christ? From 
archaeology we know that stables looked like rooms with a fenestrated 
wall, i.e. an interior or exterior wall with several low windows. 
Animals were placed behind this wall and fodder was put in wooden 
boxes or baskets and placed in the windows. Sacks of provender were 
stored in the other half of the room. It was probably in this part of 
the stable that Mary and Joseph were allowed to stay and where Jesus 
was born. Fenestrated walls that were part of stables have been found 
in many places, such as Capernaum and Chorazin that are illustrated 
<http://www.ritmeyer.com/2014/12/14/bethlehem-the-inn-and-the-manger/>HERE.

A reconstruction drawing of a typical house in Capernaum from the 
time of Christ. The rooms of the house were located round a central 
courtyard, which had a water cistern. The main living quarters were 
upstairs, while other rooms were used for storage and work. Animals 
were kept overnight behind a fenestrated wall (portrayed on the left).

But, what is the importance of Bethlehem and which inn was chosen by 
God as the place for His son to be born in?

When Joshua conquered Jericho, he cursed the city, so that it became 
a city of death. Rahab was the only person, with her family, that was 
saved. She married Salmon and their son was called Boaz, who must 
have settled in Bethlehem when Judah captured its inheritance. Boaz 
married Ruth in Bethlehem and she became the great-grandmother of 
David (Ruth 4.10). Gentile Ruth was, of course, one of these amazing 
few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew Ch. 1. King 
David was born in Bethlehem and anointed king there by Samuel the Prophet.

Near the end of his life, David had to flee from his son Absalom, 
when he rebelled against him. He stayed with the aged Barzilai the 
Gileadite, whose son Chimham returned with David to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 
19.37-40). To provide him with a source of income, it appears that 
David may have given him part of his own inheritance in Bethlehem to 
build an inn (mentioned in the early Jewish source, Targum 
Yerushalmi, Jer. 41.17a), and called 'Geruth Chimham' 'Habitation of 
Chimham' (Jer. 41.17). As small towns like Bethlehem usually had only 
one inn, it is reasonable to suggest that Jesus may have been born in 
this inn. Through the generosity of David to Barzilai and his son 
Chimham, a birthplace for Jesus was prepared.

The previous is from "Bethlehem - The Manger and the Inn" by Leen 
Ritmeyer, Dec. 14, 2014, <http://www.ritmeyer.com>http://www.ritmeyer.com.
___

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