Jesus born in a cave & other interesting related facts surrounding His birth

[Vine Abider]

A brother just gave me a big coffee table book for Christmas titled,  "Christmas - The Rest of the Story" by Rick Renner.  I'm not a big Christmasy guy as the holiday itself is such a mixed bag of stuff.  But in reading just a few pages of this book I've been impressed by things I didn't know, surrounding the birth of our Lord.

For instance, did you know He was born in a cave?  I certainly didn't! Bethlehem has numerous caves around it and for millennia the town folks have kept their livestock in these caves.  Typically they carve feeding troughs right into the rock.  And back 2000 years ago it was not uncommon that if all the nearby rooms were taken, people would go to one of these caves to shelter for the night.  (also confirmed by historians including Josephus, Justin Martyr and theologian Origen)

So right off the bat this has blown my concept of a nice, wooden stable where Jesus was born!  "When the son of Man came down from heaven, He came all the way down!"

[ladypeartree]

When I was teaching older children I often used this as a lesson on thinking and linking ,,, he was born in a cave and his body was placed in a cave after his crucifixion He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and swaddled in grave clothes .., made the teens really start to think and move away from the stylised idea of a nice clean purpose built stable depicted in cards etc 

[Vine Abider]

14 minutes ago, ladypeartree said:

When I was teaching older children I often used this as a lesson on thinking and linking ,,, he was born in a cave and his body was placed in a cave after his crucifixion He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and swaddled in grave clothes .., made the teens really start to think and move away from the stylised idea of a nice clean purpose built stable depicted in cards etc 

Yes, that's a great link . . . cave to cave!

[Vine Abider]

Reading now about Mary's parents and how they brought her up knowing the scriptures.  And about the influence of the town of Sepphoris where they lived, which was four miles from Nazareth and where the HQ of the Sanhedrin was located.  It had the biggest depository of Jewish scrolls and scripture.

[NickyLouse]

I guess you have probably heard this before. There is nothing new under the sun. But I have heard a teaching that He may have been born in a sukkah. A sukkah would have been semi-private for a delivery. Inns were akin to bunkhouses - not very private at all. During Sukkot the surrounding areas around Jerusalem including Bethlehem would have been overflowing with pilgrims. It is also interesting that the one who came to "dwell" among us would begin in a tabernacle. The timing of His birth would also have put it in September; given that Zechariah of the 8th priestly division served in June (or December) and going with June means that Mary conceived in December during Elizabeth's sixth month of gestation. It was also suggested and I have not confirmed this that the census was not demanded at a specific time of year and it would have been peculiar to choose winter. There was something else taught me about the word "winter" equated to being "after the fall harvest" that escapes me now. Additionally, Jesus was presumed to be 33 and a half years old when He was crucified at Passover.

[Vine Abider]

11 minutes ago, NickyLouse said:

I guess you have probably heard this before. There is nothing new under the sun. But I have heard a teaching that He may have been born in a sukkah. A sukkah would have been semi-private for a delivery. Inns were akin to bunkhouses - not very private at all. During Sukkot the surrounding areas around Jerusalem including Bethlehem would have been overflowing with pilgrims. It is also interesting that the one who came to "dwell" among us would begin in a tabernacle. The timing of His birth would also have put it in September; given that Zechariah of the 8th priestly division served in June (or December) and going with June means that Mary conceived in December during Elizabeth's sixth month of gestation. It was also suggested and I have not confirmed this that the census was not demanded at a specific time of year and it would have been peculiar to choose winter. There was something else taught me about the word "winter" equated to being "after the fall harvest" that escapes me now. Additionally, Jesus was presumed to be 33 and a half years old when He was crucified at Passover.

According to the book I cited at least three historians of the day, in interviewing contemporaries of that time, said it was in one of the caves used as a stable. 

[Vine Abider]

What I'm reading now talks about how Mary was enrolled in a girls' school that taught the scriptures.  I'm getting the picture that she was more than what I often think - basically an uneducated peasant girl of sorts.  The written word appears to have been all around her as she grew up in this city of 30,000, steeped in God's word and Jewish religious knowledge. 

[Waggles]

Rev 12:1  And a great sign was seen in the heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;

This configuration in the night sky with the constellation Virgo and Leo above her occurred on 11th September 3BC

Virgo = the woman and Leo = Judah

Edited December 24, 2022 by Waggles

[creativemechanic]

Also- Joseph never speaks  by himself throughout the whole bible. Check and see

[Vine Abider]

12 hours ago, creativemechanic said:

Also- Joseph never speaks  by himself throughout the whole bible. Check and see

I think that is correct - I certainly am not aware of his speaking being recorded in the bible any where . . .