Joseph hailed from Bethlehem in Judea, and the decree required citizens to register at their birthplaces. Israeli citizens are barred from entering Bethlehem and the nearby biblical Solomon's Pools. [59] Bethlehem is situated on the southern portion[clarification needed] in the Judean Mountains. We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. It is now encircled and encroached upon by dozens of Israeli settlements and the Israeli West Bank barrier, which separates both Muslim and Christian communities from their land and livelihoods, and sees a steady exodus from both communities. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. Taylor, 1993, pp. It was no big deal other than the fact that King David was born there. The fulfillment of Jesus being born in Bethlehem is in Matthew 2:1a, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king… Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth (70 miles north of Jerusalem) to Bethlehem (10 miles south … "And David's Bethlehem quite specifically is in Judea… ", It is thought that the similarity of this name to its modern forms indicates that it was originally a settlement of Canaanites who shared a Semitic cultural and linguistic heritage with the later arrivals. [7], The Bethlehem branch of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music has about 500 students. It also says he was “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) We could fill volumes proving the case for a Jewish Jesus, and most of us know this well. It is also known as Beit-Lahm, i.e., “house of flesh.” It is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above the sea, thus 100 feet higher than Jerusalem.. Bethlehem still bears its name today. Its total revenue amounted to 30,000 akce. The Hebrew Bible, which says that the city of Bethlehem was built up as a fortified city by Rehoboam,[8] identifies it as the city David was from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel. 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi # 2:1 Traditionally wise men from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? Judah some fourteen hundred years before Jesus was born. "the Galilean Bethlehem") is a moshav in northern Israel. Politically Galilee had been under separate administration from Judea during almost all its history since the tenth century B.C. [22], Writing in the 4th century, the Pilgrim of Bordeaux reported that the sepulchers of David, Ezekiel, Asaph, Job, Jesse, and Solomon were located near Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. bethlehem in judea. This Bethlehem is also known in modern times as Beit Lahm, Arabic for "house of meat" or "house of 1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? [127], Bethlehem is home to Bethlehem University, a Catholic Christian co-educational institution of higher learning founded in 1973 in the Lasallian tradition, open to students of all faiths. There are also two car rental departments: Murad and 'Orabi. [9] An American missionary in the 1850s reported a population of under 4,000, nearly all of whom belonged to the Greek Church. [43], Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that Bethlehem had a population of 179 Muslims in 59 houses, 979 "Latins" in 256 houses, 824 "Greeks" in 213 houses, and 41 Armenians in 11 houses, a total of 539 houses. The Muslims and Christians were organized into separate communities, each having its own leader. [109] In a 2005 article in Archaeology magazine, archaeologist Aviram Oshri points to an absence of evidence for the settlement of Bethlehem near Jerusalem at the time when Jesus was born, and postulates that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Galilee. In the New Testament The Latin clergy returned to Bethlehem the following century, establishing themselves in the monastery adjoining the Basilica of the Nativity. The Magi Visit the Messiah - After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? [84][85] In 2006, the Palestinian Centre for Research and Cultural Dialogue conducted a poll among the city's Christians according to which 90% said they had had Muslim friends, 73.3% agreed that the PNA treated Christian heritage in the city with respect and 78% attributed the exodus of Christians to the Israeli blockade. [93], Cremisan Wine, founded in 1885, is a winery run by monks in the Monastery of Cremisan. A Persian geographer recorded in the mid-9th century that a well preserved and much venerated church existed in the town. A town in the West Bank south of Jerusalem. Netofa is a valley in the Lower Galilee region of Yisreel, midway between Tiberias and Haifa. [93] Bethlehem factories also produce paints, plastics, synthetic rubber, pharmaceuticals, construction materials and food products, mainly pasta and confectionery. [44] Hartmann found that Bethlehem had 520 houses. Martyr probably learned about the cave from local traditions that had been passed down from the time of Jesus' birth. chose to enter humanity through a bakery. The Philistines later established a garrison there. 2001. de Sivry, L: "Dictionnaire de Geographie Ecclesiastique", p. 375., 1852 ed, from ecclesiastical record of letters between the Bishops of Bethlehem 'in partibus' to the bishops of Auxerre. The reason Bethlehem – which is really in a desert – does have cold weather is because it is on a range of hills and at an elevation of 2,400 meters above sea level it. Why was the town where Jesus will be born named Bethlehem in Judea, the famous one, is located 5 miles (8 km) south of Jerusalem, near the ancient main road to Hebron (and even Egypt, if one was going further). Quotations designated (NIV) are … Bethlehem is sacred to all three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It stands in the center of the city — a part of the Manger Square — over a grotto or cave called the Holy Crypt, where Jesus is believed to have been born. [10] Land seizures for Israeli settlements have also prevented construction of a new hospital for the inhabitants of Bethlehem, as well as the barrier separating dozens of Palestinian families from their farmland and Christian communities from their places of worship.[10]. During the winter in Bethlehem humidity rises and in January – the coldest month in Bethlehem – humidity reaches an average of 73%. Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, Matthew 2:4 And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. the capital of Israel. [29] Joan E. 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