Bethlehem: Step into the Story
Have you sung “O Little Town of Bethlehem” yet this year? Or attended a live nativity complete with Mary, Joseph, shepherds and sheep? At Christmastime, Believers’ thoughts always drift to the manger scene. But for those who have traveled to the Holy Land, reflecting on our Savior’s birth evokes memories of a place we have seen with our own eyes. This makes the miracle of Christ’s birth all the more meaningful.
A beloved city, then and now
Located six miles south of Jerusalem’s Old City, Bethlehem has a population of 32,000, including one of the Middle East’s largest communities of Arab Christians. It’s home to the famous Church of the Nativity, which dates back to the 4th century, and yes, Bethlehem’s tourism does peak every December.
Like many locations mentioned in the Bible, archaeology continues to confirm the historical existence of Bethlehem. In 2012, at an archaeological dig in the City of David—a site thought to have once been the urban center of ancient Jerusalem—Israel’s Antiquities Authority excavated a dried clay “token” known as a bulla. Before communication on parchment or papyrus became widespread, these were used to identify transactions in the ancient world.
This bulla was inscribed with an ancient Hebrew script reading, “From the town of Bethlehem to the King.” Most likely, it accompanied a tax payment shipped to Jerusalem dating to the 8th or 7th century B.C. That makes it the earliest-known identification of Bethlehem by name outside of the Bible! We now have physical evidence that Bethlehem was a real place more than two thousand years ago.
If you visit Bethlehem’s old town today, you’ll discover it has embraced its biblical fame. The small city’s main street names include Star Street and Manger Street. It features other important biblical sites including Rachel’s Tomb (see Genesis 48:7), the wells of King David (2 Samuel 23:15) and Herodium, believed to be the burial place of King Herod (Matthew 2).
History becomes personal
Travel to Israel immerses our passengers in Scripture in a way that reading can’t. With a sense of Israel’s geography, it’s easier to picture Mary’s journey on the donkey, Joseph’s conversation with the innkeeper and the awestruck shepherds beholding a sky full of angels. What a treasure a place like Bethlehem is! It reminds us that the Nativity isn’t just a story, but an actual event, experienced by real participants, that changed the course of human history. And now, you are invited to experience that same place, and allow it to change you.
Do you find yourself recalling powerful experiences and memories made in Israel? Please share them with your Christian travel community! And don’t forget, as we look forward to a new year and new travel opportunities, Bethlehem and other places brimming with biblical history are waiting for you to discover.