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.
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.
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.
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.
would have been nice if we has a pix of both sites.
OK....which Bethlehem is also called Ephrath or Ephratha, or similar spellings?
‘Cos that’s the one, right there.
Well then, I'm out.
In Pennsylvania?
I should know the answer to this, since when my grandson was 3 and learning why we celebrate Christmas he became convinced that the donkey we owned was the very one that carried Mary to Bethlehem. Grandson told everyone that would listen that our donkey was THE donkey in spite of us trying to correct him. I would ask the donkey which Bethlehem they went to, but the donkey has since died. That itself should not be a surprise considering the age the donkey would have to have been.
Every thing points to them being in the Bethlehem of Judea when Jesus was born,
I do have a problem with a man taking the chance even in those times of traveling 80 miles on foot or a donkey with a woman even 6 or 7 months on the way. but I don`t know.
The gospel of Mathew indicate that Joseph and Mary never went to Nazareth until after they left Egypt to return back to Israel.
And I also believe it shows that Jesus was born in a house, not that it would be strange for him to be born in a stable but there are the two accounts and I can understand the one in Mathew a little better.
-——How would a woman who is nine months pregnant travel 175 kilometers on a donkey all the way to Bethlehem of Judea?——
That question makes very much sense. Especially in light of the apparent fact that there was a second Bethlehem.
It brings up the dreaded uncertainty
I always enjoy this account of the nativity:
“In the month of March, 8 B.C. (the month Joseph and Mary were married), Caesar Augustus decreed that all inhabitants of the Roman Empire should be numbered, that a census should be made which could be used for effecting better taxation. The Jews had always been greatly prejudiced against any attempt to “number the people,” and this, in connection with the serious domestic difficulties of Herod, King of Judea, had conspired to cause the postponement of the taking of this census in the Jewish kingdom for one year. Throughout all the Roman Empire this census was registered in the year 8 B.C., except in the Palestinian kingdom of Herod, where it was taken in 7 B.C., one year later.”
“It was not necessary that Mary should go to Bethlehem for enrollment — Joseph was authorized to register for his family — but Mary, being an adventurous and aggressive person, insisted on accompanying him. She feared being left alone lest the child be born while Joseph was away, and again, Bethlehem being not far from the City of Judah, Mary foresaw a possible pleasurable visit with her kinswoman Elizabeth.”
“Joseph virtually forbade Mary to accompany him, but it was of no avail; when the food was packed for the trip of three or four days, she prepared double rations and made ready for the journey. But before they actually set forth, Joseph was reconciled to Mary’s going along, and they cheerfully departed from Nazareth at the break of day.”
“Joseph and Mary were poor, and since they had only one beast of burden, Mary, being large with child, rode on the animal with the provisions while Joseph walked, leading the beast...”
68 miles is 109 kilometers, not 175.