Tag: Bethlehem
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The Milk Grotto in Bethlehem, and the Flight into Egypt
The cave/grotto under the church has been venerated since the fifth century AD. According to tradition, the holy family stopped here during their flight into Egypt just prior to the slaughter of the innocents. This site is only 383 yards (350 meters) from the Church of the Nativity, so they had not gotten very far… Read more
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The Birth of Christ at Bethlehem
The birth of Jesus Christ took place in a stable at Bethlehem. Anciently caves were often used as secure stables and this was the case at Bethlehem. The Church of the Nativity was built over a series of cave stables. It is the oldest continuously used church in Christendom. The original church was build by… Read more
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The Wisemen’s Gift of Frankincense and Myrrh
According to the Gospels, the Wisemen, or Magi, brought three gifts to the Baby Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Everyone knows what gold is and looks like, but what about the other two? Above is pictured frankincense on the left and myrrh on the right. “And when they [the Wisemen] were come into the house,… Read more
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Shepherds in the Field Were the First to be Told the Glad Tidings
Christians have wanted to celebrate the annunciation to the shepherds for millennia at the site of the event. “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round… Read more
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Where Did the Wisemen Visit King Herod? The Herodium
There are two possible locations of where the wisemen (Magi) visited King Herod the Great, seeking for the newborn King of the Jews: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is… Read more