Posted on 12/23/2014 7:51:22 PM PST by Squawk 8888
The New Testament says Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, but one rogue Israeli archaeologist says it is far more likely the Christian savior was born in Bethlehem of the Galilee, more than 60 miles from Jerusalem.
Aviram Oshri spent nearly eleven years excavating artifacts in Bethlehem of the Galilee — an ancient biblical village near Nazareth that was later settled by German Templers — which he believes show that the traditional account of Jesus’s birthplace may be wrong.
But when he produced his findings for his employer, the Israel Antiquities Authority, he found his proposal dismissed and called “worse than a joke.”
Oshri disagrees.
The town of Bethlehem of Judea, about six miles south of Jerusalem, has always been considered the birthplace of Jesus. According to the New Testament, Joseph and Mary were living in Bethlehem of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth and later moved to Nazareth up north. In another account, Joseph and Mary, who was then nine months pregnant, traveled more than 175 kilometers (68 miles) from Nazareth to Bethlehem of Judea, Joseph’s hometown, in order to be counted in a Roman census.
That never made sense to Oshri.
“How would a woman who is nine months pregnant travel 175 kilometers on a donkey all the way to Bethlehem of Judea?” he asked. “It makes much more sense that she would have traveled seven kilometers,” the distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem of the Galilee.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...
Over to you, professor :)
Pennsylvania?
Oh boy; here we go again.
The Bible plainly says that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem in Judah, where David was born. This is just another misguided attempt to discredit Jesus.
They’re both wrong; our daughter in law texted us tonight from Mobile to say our 5 year old grandson said Jesus was born in Birmingham.
LOL — That’s funny, thanks for sharing it.
I hear he just left Chicago.
England?
You mean Jesus and Black Sabbath came from the same place?
First, where did you get the idea that she was traveling nine months pregnant?
The Bible does not say how far along she was only that she came to term while they were there.
The night they arrived or three months later. It does not say.
Next where did you get the idea that she went on a donkey? Once again, the Bible does not say.
When people try to disprove something and do not bother to read the original source documents which are freely available you should not toss their work aside lightly.
You should throw it, with great force. Preferable at their head.
I would not be surprised if some LIV thought Jesus was born in Bethlehem, PA. Yea, he or she would say that Joseph worked in the steel mill and Mary worked at a diner off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Without looking at text, I think Matthew says that everyone had to return to their place of origin - rather than their place of livelihood - to be taxed. That seems to me at least to present a huge logistical problem, and frankly, does not seem plausible at all.
Sounds like the inspiration for Bon Jovi's 'Livin' On a Prayer.'....."Mary works the Diner all day...."
Wait-I`ll ask the Magi which one they went to.
It was spelled out in scripture, as it was not a secret which Bethlehem (there were two) that was required to fulfill the prophecy, even Herod’s ‘wise men’ knew were to look,
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2
There is also a tie in to the Book of Ruth and with Boaz, a love story and its culmination,
He is not considering the traffic, I have heard that road was a real bear, back in the day, with all the goat stops and such.
And the disciples were Mexicans.
They were all in one Accord...
No. They went to the place of their family name. Joseph was from the line of David so he took his family to the city of David, Bethlehem of Judea.
would have been nice if we has a pix of both sites.
Are you a traveler?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.