Micah 5:2-5a

2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; 5 and he shall be the one of peace.

Bethlehem - Some geography, history, and Christmas with local Christians

When you leave Jerusalem, 10 km to the south, on your way to Hebron, via small villages, 100 meters higher than Jerusalem, on the watershed, and along the road of spies and Patriarchs is Bethlehem.

On your right hand are green hills and deep, terraced valleys. Lots of watchtowers, vineyards, fields of grain, wheat and barley take you back to Biblical times. In every valley and each corner, there is a story to tell from the Bible or from the traditions of the local people.

Your left hand takes you to the desert and down to the Dead sea. Because of poor soil, since ancient times and until now, the locals used the area for sheep and shepherds. It contains lots of caves.

Those caves in the solid rock are strong and were used as houses or areas for merchants, travelers and Bedouins. Part of the caves were used for sheep with a little wall built to separate livestock from the people.

When you travel, you will be surprised at the many cisterns of water dug by the locals to both the east and the west. Many legends were spoken around those springs. Some about David, Abraham, Mary, Jesus, Ruth and others. According to local traditions, the story of Ruth and Boaz took place in those fields around Bethlehem. We believe that King David was born there and that he was crowned in Hebron.

Bethlehem (also called Ephrathah) is in the land of Judah. If King David was born there, his father Jesse would also have inhabited it. Isaiah 11:1-2, “A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the spirit of wisdom and understanding,….” St. Joseph was their descendant so also from there.

Bethlehem is mentioned many times in the books of history, but what makes Bethlehem special is that Jesus Christ was born there. Without the story of the birth of our Savior, it is just history and literature.

The Canaanites possibly worshipped the God of bread there. (Bethlehem means House of Bread.) They built temples to their gods on the same site where Jesus was born, and where the first Christians suggested that cave that millions of people visit today!

We came to know with no doubt that it is His birthplace because, in the second century, Emperor Hadrian built a Temple for Adonis above it. (Pagan leaders often built over revered places to sway the public.) In the fourth century, Emperor Constantine‘s mother Helena sought the true locations of Jesus’s lifetime and built many churches in the Holy Land. One of them was the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that stands above the birthplace.

A star marks the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the Grotto of the Nativity at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Wikimedia Commons/Dirk D.)

The church was never distorted, but was improved. Sometimes the roof was damaged and restored. The original Hellenic church had eight sides. After the destruction in 529 by the Samaritan riots, Byzantine Emperor Justinian enlarged and richly decorated the church. The entrance to the church is from the west via a small door that we call “the eye of the needle”. The original gate was so high that a big horse could enter. The Ottomans made it smaller so animals and armies can't go through. It is called “the door of humility” today.

To the right side of the gate there was a fresco of life-sized men dressed like those in the east. The figures looked Persian. This was the reason why the Persians did not destroy the building in their conquest of 614 AD. They thought it was a temple for them!

Like many churches in the Holy Land, different denominations control and care for different areas. The main property in the building is Greek Orthodox. It was given to them by Sultan Murad IV. The Roman Catholics built their basilica next door and call it St. Catharine’s. They took the manger place on the side of the Cave of the Nativity. The Armenians took a little corner in the Church of the Nativity. The little piece of the place where Jesus was born is Greek Orthodox most of the time, but Roman Catholics and Armenian priests have the right to celebrate masses in the cave.

On our visit to Bethlehem, I take groups to the Milk Grotto nearby. This is where a tradition says that Mary, Joseph and Jesus stopped on their way to Egypt. They hid in that cave and Mary nursed Jesus there. Drops of her milk fell and made a soft, white, chalky formation. Lots of miracles have happened for those that use the powder.

We also go to the caves in the Shepherds’ Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds. Sometimes we go to the Fields of Boaz to remind us of the genealogy of Jesus. Nearby are the monasteries of St. Saba and Theodosius, the Herodion palace and tomb of Herod the Great. We invite you to visit us in this area that is very attractive for those who love to study and worship.

Our Maronite family begins Christmas celebrations on December 16, nine days before the 25th. We have a beautiful, daily liturgy at church. Celebrations culminate Christmas night when about 25 members of our family gather in our home after mass.

We have a big family. Four of our sons and one daughter live in Israel. We gather with their spouses and children, and start by singing Christmas hymns in many languages. We have at least seven spoken languages in our family. Most of the children study music and two of them are well trained. Young grandson Anton is eight years old. He also plays and sings.

It’s a very joyful meeting where we often invite guests who live alone and an orphan from the Golan Heights. We enjoy some drinks, fish, and barbecue. The fathers usually cook while the mothers arrange and serve the meal.

After the meal come the sweets that are made by my daughters-in-law and include Arab, Russian, Armenian, German, English and Jewish delicacies. They are all really different and make everyone happy, especially the grandparents when they see everyone working and doing things together.

The young ones wait to open gifts from under the Christmas tree. One of the mothers distributes the gifts that were sent from baby Jesus and mailed by Santa Claus known here as Papa Noel. Those who are not tired continue to play music and sing, and those who are tired go to bed.

Merry Christmas from your native Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land!