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Authors: E. G. Lewis
Tags: Non-Fiction
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doubt his powers, what they misunderstood was his Messianic mission. They wanted him to declare himself a temporal leader. This expectation remained alive among the Apostl es even after his resurrection.
The final objection to the Catholic , and Orthodox, position is found in Matt 1:2 4-25, “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son...” It can be demonstrated from other Biblical examples that the phrase firstborn son neither implies other children nor does the phrase knew her not until she had borne a son necessarily imply that he knew her afterwards.
Chapter Twelve
The Birth of the Mashia c h
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled…And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the City of David, which is called Bethlehem…” — Luke 2:1-4
T he Geography of Bethlehem
Bethlehem is located about five miles south of Jerusalem, on the east side of what was called the Patriarch's Highway that ran along the ridge between Shechem and Hebron. The city is the birthplace of one of Israel’s greatest kings, David . It was in Bethlehem that David was born and raised and tended his father's sheep.
Three miles to the southeast of Bethlehem is Herodium , an elaborate retreat, residence and fortress constructed by Herod the Great . Following Herod’s death, a procession of his servants, the Temple priests and his private guards, escorted his body from Jerusalem to Herodium for burial. Ironically, Herod was buried within sight of the spot where Jesus , who he tried to kill, was born.
Exploring Favorite Traditions
U pon research and reflection , m any of the traditions surrounding the birth of Jesus are found to have little basis in fact. For instance, Jesus was most likely not born in a stable, but in the home of a member of Mary and/or Joseph's extended family in Bethlehem. This misconception ar o se from a mis translation of a Greek word used in Luke’s Gospel . It should have been translated as guest room , rather than inn . This familiar situation often arises when the birth narrative is presented based on Western culture rather than a Middle Eastern viewpoint. This error is easily verified by comparing Luke’s use of the term kataluma in the Nativity story and his use of pandocheion , a place of public lodging, when he referred to the inn where the Samaritan brought the wounded Jewish traveler in the story of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:34).
Mary and Joseph would ha ve return ed to Bethlehem to register for the Roman census/ tax because it was the ancestral home of their families, which traced their lineage back to David and the tribe of Judah. A lthough they had settled in Galilee, their tribal roots remained in Bethlehem. Recent research indicates that a group of Judeans who returned from Babylon . F ollowing the Maccabean reclamation of the northern region s of the country, a large group of them left Judea and migrated to Galilee where they establish ed such towns as Nazareth .
Luke also tells us that when Mary went to visit Elizabeth she “went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah…” (Luke 1:39). With many relatives living in and around Bethlehem, it would have been unthinkable for Mary and Joseph to seek a public inn, if one did indeed exist. In such a small village, family members would not have expected or accepted such a rejection of their hospitality especially in view of the imminent birth of Mary’s first child.
There is also no indication that Jesus was born immediately after Mary and Joseph arrived, or that He was born at night. The text, “ …while they were there, the days were accomplished for her to give birth, ” (Luke 2:6) could just as easily be interpreted to mean that His birth took place at a later time, perhaps days or even weeks after their arriv al.
Most homes at the time of
The final objection to the Catholic , and Orthodox, position is found in Matt 1:2 4-25, “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son...” It can be demonstrated from other Biblical examples that the phrase firstborn son neither implies other children nor does the phrase knew her not until she had borne a son necessarily imply that he knew her afterwards.
Chapter Twelve
The Birth of the Mashia c h
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled…And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the City of David, which is called Bethlehem…” — Luke 2:1-4
T he Geography of Bethlehem
Bethlehem is located about five miles south of Jerusalem, on the east side of what was called the Patriarch's Highway that ran along the ridge between Shechem and Hebron. The city is the birthplace of one of Israel’s greatest kings, David . It was in Bethlehem that David was born and raised and tended his father's sheep.
Three miles to the southeast of Bethlehem is Herodium , an elaborate retreat, residence and fortress constructed by Herod the Great . Following Herod’s death, a procession of his servants, the Temple priests and his private guards, escorted his body from Jerusalem to Herodium for burial. Ironically, Herod was buried within sight of the spot where Jesus , who he tried to kill, was born.
Exploring Favorite Traditions
U pon research and reflection , m any of the traditions surrounding the birth of Jesus are found to have little basis in fact. For instance, Jesus was most likely not born in a stable, but in the home of a member of Mary and/or Joseph's extended family in Bethlehem. This misconception ar o se from a mis translation of a Greek word used in Luke’s Gospel . It should have been translated as guest room , rather than inn . This familiar situation often arises when the birth narrative is presented based on Western culture rather than a Middle Eastern viewpoint. This error is easily verified by comparing Luke’s use of the term kataluma in the Nativity story and his use of pandocheion , a place of public lodging, when he referred to the inn where the Samaritan brought the wounded Jewish traveler in the story of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:34).
Mary and Joseph would ha ve return ed to Bethlehem to register for the Roman census/ tax because it was the ancestral home of their families, which traced their lineage back to David and the tribe of Judah. A lthough they had settled in Galilee, their tribal roots remained in Bethlehem. Recent research indicates that a group of Judeans who returned from Babylon . F ollowing the Maccabean reclamation of the northern region s of the country, a large group of them left Judea and migrated to Galilee where they establish ed such towns as Nazareth .
Luke also tells us that when Mary went to visit Elizabeth she “went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah…” (Luke 1:39). With many relatives living in and around Bethlehem, it would have been unthinkable for Mary and Joseph to seek a public inn, if one did indeed exist. In such a small village, family members would not have expected or accepted such a rejection of their hospitality especially in view of the imminent birth of Mary’s first child.
There is also no indication that Jesus was born immediately after Mary and Joseph arrived, or that He was born at night. The text, “ …while they were there, the days were accomplished for her to give birth, ” (Luke 2:6) could just as easily be interpreted to mean that His birth took place at a later time, perhaps days or even weeks after their arriv al.
Most homes at the time of
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