THE YOUNG JESUS
by Charlene & Friedhelm Dohmann

Cave or Stable

Before Luke talks about the birth of Jesus, he mentions the census and the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Nothing is written about the details. Presumably - they traveled during the day and rested at night. They probably looked for accommodations with friends and relatives, it was custom in those days, to take travelers in.

Bethlehem is located at 777m (2549 feet) on a saddle in the highland of Juda south of Jerusalem. The city is surrounded with fields and olive trees. A fruitful country with the desert Juda in the East separating it from the Dead Sea. Because it is on the trade route from Jerusalem to Egypt, it had since the days of David a caravan shelter or lodge nearby.

When Mary and Joseph arrived, there was no place in the lodge. Luke does not write why on this particular night nobody would take them in. They ultimately settled in Bethlehem or in the outskirts. The place is not exactly known. Luke gives a single reference writing about a manger or a trough for the cattle. Luke leaves open whether the manger was found in a stable or a cave. Only centuries later was suggested Jesus was born in a cave which was used as a stable. Habitable caves are found everywhere in the mountains around Bethlehem and it is known that they served as stables in older times. It was not uncommon in those days being close to animals and sharing the night with them in a cave. Also, most houses were built so that the people inhabited a higher level or the upper floor, and animals had a fixed and secure place below on ground level.

Luke only mentions about this night that Jesus was born: " . . . she brought forth a son into the world, her First-born, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and put him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

In the first six months of life, according to an old custom, cloth bands were wound firmly around the body of a child. Like in most countries of the Orient, the Jews believed a child would get strong and even limbs.

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