
The Christmas story:Was Jesus born in a home, stable, or cave?

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Was he born in a house, inn, stable or cave?The familiar Christmas story describes an innkeeper who turned Mary and
Joseph away from the village inn because of lack of room. They took refuge in a
barn or stable where Yeshua of Nazareth (a.k.a. Jesus) was born. He was laid in a
manger in the presence of domesticated animals. This is a beautiful story retold
countless times at Christmas time. However, there are a number of alternate possibilities of
the location of Yeshua's birth:  |
He might have been born in a stable near an inn, as the popular story
states:
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The Greek word "kataluma" is traditionally translated in Luke 2:7 as
"inn" by Bible translators. In the original Greek, it had a number
of meanings, including an inn or
caravansary.
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If a census were underway, the town of Bethlehem would be very crowded
with visitors and the inn would have been probably full. However it is difficult to
understand how a woman about to give birth would be cruelly turned
away by an innkeeper. He would have had to have a heart of stone.
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Inside a room at an inn would have probably been the best location for
Mary to give birth. There would probably have been female midwives in the
vicinity. A nearby stable might have been the next best location for Mary to give birth.
It would not be the most sanitary or sweet smelling place. However, the stable would be warmed
by the heat radiated by the domesticated animals there.
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He might have been born in a cave:
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Early Christian tradition says that Jesus was born in a cave:
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Justin Martyr wrote in the second century CE that Jesus was born in a
cave. 1
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The Gospel of James, a.k.a. Infancy Gospel of James and
the Protoevangelium of James, written circa 150 CE described the
birth as being in a cave.
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Origen of Alexandria wrote during the second century CE in his book "Against
Celsus" that:
"...there is shown at Bethlehem the cave where He was born and the manger
in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling-clothes. And this sight is
greatly talked of in surrounding places, even among the enemies of the
faith, it being said that in this cave was born that Jesus who is
worshipped and reverenced by the Christians." 2
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"Many early Renaissance Sienese and Florentine paintings of the
Nativity, as well as Byzantine, Greek and Russian icons of the Nativity,
show such a setting." 3
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The Church of the Nativity
in Bethlehem was built by Constantine the Great, circa 330 CE,
on the recommendation of Helena, his mother.
It seems to have been built over a cave, that many Christians and Muslims
believe is the
location of Jesus' birth. [Muslims respect Jesus as a great prophet , second
only in stature to Muhammad.] The exact spot of Jesus' birth is identified
beneath the church and right under the high altar by a hole
in a 14 point star.
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There was a firm tradition that Mithras (a.k.a. Mitra, Meitros, Mihr,
Mehr, and Meher) was born in a cave. and later as an adult resurrected from
a different cave. He was
worshipped throughout the Roman Empire as a Persian god born of a different
virgin and a member of a different Holy Trinity. He was believed to have lived many centuries before
Yeshua. 6 Many life events and stories concerning Jesus and Mithras,
religious sacraments, and other items appear to have been exchanged between the two
religions of Christianity and Mithraism. Theologians and religious
historians disagree in which direction(s) the swapping occurred.
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Alternately, the early Christian belief that Yeshua was born in a cave
may well be a myth without historical foundation. It may have been a
traditional belief imported from Mithraism. A cave was a common female
fertility symbol found in many religions worldwide.
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He may have been born in a house:
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He may have been born in a part of a house that was also a cave:
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Chris Mitchell of CBN News writes:
"The customary way of building in those days included building around a
courtyard, with rooms attached for family members. ... Downstairs, the
courtyard led to a room in the basement, which was really a 'cave' dug out
of soft limestone. That room was used for storage. ... The families kept
large jars of olive oil and wine in the cave. There were stacks of wheat and
grain, too."
"Sheep and donkeys were outdoors; boys often acted as
shepherds, and the sheepfold (and pen for goats, donkeys etc.) would often
be in or near that basement cave area. The family would bring their prized
animals inside for protection and lead them into the basement cave where
they would eat from the feeding trough -- a manger."
"Jesus could have been born in a room like the basement
'cave', then wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in the manger, as is
written in the gospel of Luke. The animals would have been moved out, and
clean hay laid down. Some of the women, midwives who were experienced in
delivering babies would have come down here to help Mary." 5
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Which story is correct? A challenge:The Gospel of Luke does not mention an innkeeper, a barn, or a cave.
So, which one is the correct story? The historical evidence
seems to result in a stalemate. One solution might be to pray to God and ask for
the true location. Unfortunately, a pilot study that we
have conducted showed that attempting to assess the will of God through
prayer is unlikely to work. Trying to get at a historical truth through prayer
may be similarly unsuccessful. It would be interesting to find out. And so, we
are offering the following challenge: We would greatly appreciate it if people willing to pray to God
to find out where Jesus was born -- a home, a stable, a cave, or some other
location -- would pray to God to find out the answer and then to
Email
us with two pieces of data:
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The location.
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How certain do you feel that you have received the correct
answer from God (0 to 100%)
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If we receive sufficient responses, we will report the results
here at a later time. 
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- Joan E. Taylor, (1993). Christians and the Holy Places: The Myth of
Jewish-Christian Origins. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 99?102. ISBN
0-19-814785-6.
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Origen, "Against Celsius," Volume 1, at:
http://books.google.com/
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"Gospel of James," Wikipedia, as of 2009-DEC-20, at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
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"Was Jesus born in a stable?," Christian Answers Network, 1995, at:
http://www.christiananswers.net/
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Chris Mitchell, "Nazareth Village, Re-Creating Jesus' Birth," CBN News,
2008-DEC-24, at:
http://www.cbn.com/
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"History: Mithras," Iranian Culture & Information Center, at:
http://www.iranvision.com/
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Copyright © 1997 to 2009, by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Last updated 2009-DEC-20
Author: B.A. Robinson

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