BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Where Was Jesus Born?

Jesus’ birthplace and hometown

Giotto_adoration-of-the-magi

Where was Jesus born? In the Bible, Jesus’ birthplace is identified as Bethlehem. This scene from the Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel in Padua by the Italian artist Giotto shows Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the Bethlehem stable. The three wise men, along with their caravan, and angels gather around the child. Above the stable, Haley’s comet streaks across the sky. Haley’s comet was sighted in 1301, three years before Giotto painted this scene.

When the Christmas season draws near each year, the Nativity story is revisited in churches and households around the world. Passages from Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2, the infancy narratives in the Gospels, are read and sung—and even acted out in Christmas pageants.

Where was Jesus born? In the Bible, the answer seems straightforward: Bethlehem. Both Matthew 2 and Luke 2 state that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea.

However, Biblical scholarship has called the identification of Bethlehem as Jesus’ birthplace into question: If Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem, why is he called a Nazorean and a Galilean throughout the New Testament, and why is Bethlehem not mentioned as Jesus’ birthplace outside of the infancy narratives in the Gospels? This has caused some to wonder if Jesus was actually born in Nazareth.

In the November/December 2014 issue of BAR, Philip J. King addresses this question—where was Jesus born—in his Biblical Views column “Jesus’ Birthplace and Jesus’ Home.” He takes a close look at what the Bible says about the towns of Bethlehem, traditionally Jesus’ birthplace, and Nazareth, Jesus’ home.


Interested in learning about the birth of Jesus? Learn more about the history of Christmas and the date of Jesus’ birth in the free eBook The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus’ Birth in History and Tradition.


While Bethlehem in Judea was known in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as being the birthplace of King David and the birthplace of the future messiah, the small village of Nazareth in Galilee was much lesser-known, not even warranting a mention in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud or in the writings of Josephus. King explains, “Nazareth derives its importance entirely from its relationship to the life and teaching of Jesus.”

The contrast between Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David, and Nazareth, a small agricultural village, is obvious. Yet both sites were significant in the life of Jesus.

So if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, as the Gospels of Matthew and Luke attest, why was he called a Nazorean? To see what Philip J. King thinks—and for more information about the Biblical towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth—read the full column “Jesus’ Birthplace and Jesus’ Home” in the November/December 2014 issue of BAR.

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Subscribers: Read the full column “Jesus’ Birthplace and Jesus’ Home,” by Philip J. King in the November/December 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.

Interested in learning about the birth of Jesus? Learn more about the history of Christmas and the date of Jesus’ birth in the free eBook The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus’ Birth in History and Tradition.


 

Related reading in Bible History Daily:

Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible

How December 25 Became Christmas

Christmas Stories in Christian Apocrypha

Herod’s Death, Jesus’ Birth and a Lunar Eclipse

Who Was Jesus’ Biological Father?

Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?

Has the Childhood Home of Jesus Been Found?


This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on November 17, 2014.


 

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57 Responses

  1. Brianroy says:

    Justin, in his Apology, 1.34, says: “And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah” etc. ‘Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, 35 stadia [4.1 miles] from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can [still] ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judea.”

  2. Carl M Doolin says:

    This is another heretical teaching of Biblical Archeology. And you want to know why I don’t accept your offer of receiving the magazine. Now to the important matter at hand, WHERE WAS JESUS BORN? Let me start by saying my brother was born in Champaign-Urbana, IL in 1984 although in 1986 we moved back to Louisville, KY, so when the Bible says Jesus was born in Bethlehem I don’t question it. Now to the other question you raised, WHY WAS JESUS CALLED A NAZARENE? Well again if Biblical Archeology would search for the truth instead of taking people’s word for it, Scripture teaches that after Joseph and Mary returned from Egypt they settled in Nazareth and was where Jesus grew up (Matthew 2:19-23, Luke 2:4 & verse 39). So the implication for me is and a lot of other Christians is that because when Scripture says this was to fulfill prophecy (Matthew 2:23 cross reference the Old Testament references of Ps. 22:6, 13; 69:10, Isaiah 49:7 & 53:3 and Micah 5:1) we see this was to fulfill prophecy. PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE PUBLISHING THINGS LIKE THIS.

  3. Dr. Eric Rice says:

    You lost me at: “Biblical scholarship.” Who? What scholarship? What are their degrees? Where did they study? Maybe this “Biblical scholarship” only incudes the author? Supposed biblical scholars who don’t believe in the Bible? Lots of those in BAR. People who call themselves scholars, but their sole intention is to destroy the Bible as truth? Lots of the those in BAR too!

  4. […] I failed to see the complication in the birth place of Jesus, he was born in Bethlehem to fulfill th… […]

  5. Robert James says:

    The author of the article takes John 7:42 completely out of context. It is an argument AGAINST Jesus having been born in Bethlehem. I doubt it was an accidental oversight.

  6. mike says:

    I love this its very true

  7. Paul says:

    Hi there, I noticed the latest tourist info on Bing. Church groups are plugging Bethlehem and the church of the nativity, claiming that this is the genuine spot where Jesus was born.
    Bu-t, the Ebionites, (a “Jewish” group/sect, and his first followers) have something quite different to say about where Jesus was born. As I remember from there writings, Jesus was born in Jerusalem.

  8. alans73 says:

    And, yes, Joshua (=real name of Christ*; Heb. Yehoshu’a/Ara. Yeshua/Gr. ‘Iesous) was certainly born in Bet Lechem (Bethlehem), the ancestral city of Dauid (David), during the first census of Quirinius; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_of_Quirinius. This was what the “wise men of the east” of Yerushalyim (Jerusalem) — 15 miles as the crow flies — in the desert wilderness of Qumran on Shavu’ot (Feast of Weeks) saw on the first day of the week in 6 CE; see http://tinyurl.com/mhbba3l. This was confirmed with our local planetarium in Baton Rouge. The “wandering stars” of Jupiter (representative of the Most High/Father) and Venus (representative of the virgin mother) as well as the conjunction with possible occultation of Uranus (representative of the Holy Spirit) and Mars (representative of the Suffering Servant Messiah of Isaiah 53) rose in the east in the constellation Pisces (representative of Israel). After the wise men of the “sect” called The Way (Heb. HaDerech) in Acts and the Dead Sea Scrolls met with Herod Archelaus, this “star” naturally moved from east to south towards Bet Lechem as the evening progressed — just as the Scriptures state.

    After eight days, Yehoshu’a was circumcised and the appropriate sacrifices were made for a first-born son breaking the womb in accordance with Torah (=instruction/Law; five Books of Moses). After Yosef’s (Joseph’s) vision, the family departed for Egypt. Herod Archelaus was deposed after the “slaughter of innocents” later that year and died in exile in 18 CE; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Archelaus. The family returned to Israel when Joshua was 12 years old (18 CE – 6 CE = 12 years) and settled in the city of Nazareth in the region of Galilee. Again, this was as prophesied and as the Scriptures state.

    False traditions such as Herod the Great being part of this narrative when he died in 4 BCE and the precepts of men creating the fanciful machinations of the three kings of Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SCRIPTURAL BASIS! Who doesn’t think that the wise men of The Way in Qumran didn’t have the means to gift Joshua the Messiah (Yehoshu’a HaMachiach) with gold, frankincense, and myrrh after the discovery of the Copper Scroll? See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Scroll. We have been deceived by the “early church fathers” and “Biblical scholars!”

    It’s well past time to set the record straight…

    *Note: “Jesus” incorrectly originates from the transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT the translation. See the second footnote from Matthew 1:1 in Aramaic (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 1:1).

  9. alans73 says:

    False church traditions, the “precepts of men” (manufactured theology), and “doctrines of demons” (assimilated paganism) cloud the truth. For example, most “Biblical scholars” simply discount Christ’s birth narrative from the Book of Luke. But when placed within the context of the Qumran calendar from the Dead Sea Scrolls, not only can one know with GREAT CERTAINTY the month, day, year, and day of the week when Joshua (Yehoshu’a) was born but when John (Yochanan) and He were conceived.

    For starters, one needs to review the program entitled “Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas” from when The History Channel actually presented history: https://youtu.be/XSQYX-OB1Rs. Mithraism and Saturnalia were assimilated from pagan Rome; that’s where December 25th falsely originated; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus, and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia.

    Arguably, the most important quote of “Christmas Unwrapped” occurs at the 7:31 mark: “So if you’re gonna sort through the runes of the Scriptures, Jesus was probably born in the Spring. If the shepherds were out in the fields watching their flocks by night, we’re probably not talking about one of the cold spells at the heart of winter.” — Forrest Church, Minister, All Souls Church

    Note: I have no affiliation with this minister or church.

    The FACTS unfold as follows, and NO CHURCH currently teaches the truth:

    Fact #1: Elisheba (Elizabeth) was six months pregnant in the sixth month; concentrate on vv26 and 36. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 1:26-38&version=NASB

    Fact #2: Tsekharya (Zecharias) was a Levite of the order/division of Abijah; concentrate on v5. https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Luke 1:5-7&qs_version=NASB

    Fact #3: The mute and shaken Tsekharya returned home immediately after his weekly course was completed, and Elisheba conceived a son. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 1:8-25&version=NASB

    Fact #4: This is the calendar documented in the Dead Sea Scrolls; see http://www.haderech.info/DSS/Calendar/QumranCalendar.pdf.

    Fact #5: For Elisheba to be six months pregnant in the sixth month, Tsekharya (of the course of Abijah) had to have served in the 12th month. The only time this occurs is from the 14th-20th; see Cycle of Priestly Courses… > Course Year 3 of 6 in the Qumran calendar above.

    Fact #6: As Tsekharya (and Elisheba) were righteous and walked in ALL requirements and commandments of the Lord (Luke 1:6), he could not have traveled more than a Sabbath day’s journey (2,000 cubits) on the 21st of the 12th month, which was a weekly Sabbath. http://biblehub.com/topical/s/sabbath_day's_journey.htm

    Fact #7: The first day that Tsekharya could have returned home (likely Kiriath Arba — aka Hebron — in the hill country of Judah) was the 22nd of the 12th month on the first day of the week. This was the day that Yochanan (John) was conceived.

    Fact #8: After Miryam’s (Mary’s) visitation from the archangel Gavri’el (Gabriel) in the sixth month (Luke 1:26), she left IN A HURRY to visit Elisheba. At the moment of arrival, Elisheba was overcome by the Holy Spirit and knew that Miryam had conceived a child. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 1:39-55&version=NASB

    Fact #9: Exactly six months after Yochanan was conceived, Yehoshu’a was conceived. According to the Qumran calendar, that would have occurred on the 22nd of the sixth month on the first day of the week, which is the Feast of New Oil! Sidebar: The Feast of New Oil was also the fourth of four agricultural feasts each occurring 49 days apart, exclusive (i.e., barley, wheat, grapes/wine, and olive oil).

    Fact #10: The gestation period for women is 38 weeks from CONCEPTION (not to be confused with LMP) to birth; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy. EXACTLY 38 weeks after Miryam conceived, Yeshoshu’a was born on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) on the 15th day of the third month on the first day of the week.

    So, now we know the month, day, and day of the week of John’s conception and Christ’s conception and birth. Now, for the years.

    Fact #11: Yehoshu’a was born in 6 CE during the census of Quirinius; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_of_Quirinius. For the Scriptural reference, concentrate on v2; see https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 2:1-20&version=NASB. “Herod” was a dynastic title like Caesar and Pharaoh. The “Herod” at the time of Christ’s birth was Herod Archelaus; he was deposed that same year (after the “slaughter of the innocents” in Bet Lechem) and died in exile in 18 CE. When did the “holy family” return from Egypt? When Yehoshu’a was 12 years old (18 CE – 6 CE = 12 years) after Archelaus died.

    Sidebar: The only verse in the Gospels that contradicts this account is Matthew 2:22. The earliest extant manuscript containing that verse was from Papyrus 70 from the late third century CE (which is “a fairly reliable text, though it was carelessly written”); see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_70. The “early church fathers” were already at work destroying the truth!

    In summation:

    * Yochanan was conceived on the 22nd day of the twelfth month on the first day of the week in 4 CE.

    * Yehoshu’a was conceived on the 22nd day of the sixth month on the first day of the week on the Feast of New Oil in 5 CE — exactly six months from Yochanan’s conception.

    * Yehoshu’a was born during the census of Quirinius on the 15th day of the third month on the first day of the week on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) in 6 CE — exactly 38 weeks from His conception. Sidebar: This is when the “sect” called The Way (HaDerech) in Acts and the DSS made new covenants. Christ’s birth ushered in the ultimate New Covenant! Josephus, a self-described Pharisee (and we know what Christ thought of them in the Eight Woes of Matthew 23), coined the derogatory term “Essenes” (=pious ones).

    The truth is out there if one seeks it. Shema, Yisrael!

    2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (NASB)

  10. Floyd Satterwhite says:

    Jesus was born on or near Trumpets, not in December as the world believes.
    December was the time the sun god was worshiped. Luke 2:8 says there were shepherds in the fields with their sheep. This doesn’t happen in December in Israel
    As He came the first time at Trumpets , so will He come the second time at Trumpets 1Cor. 15:52 ,1Thess. 4:15-16.

  11. Andrew Cissell says:

    Boy i tell you people try to nit pick too much I am far from a scholar but it clearly says the romans was doing a Census, everybody had to go back to their place of birth for it, Now it says he was born there but nothing about being raised there,, common sense people my sister was born in New York but raised in Kentucky and in 47 years I’ve never herd her say she was a new yorker..

  12. freds64 says:

    I failed to see the complication in the birth place of Jesus, he was born in Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecies in Micah 5:2, Isa. 9:6, Ge. 49:10 and Lu. 2:4. Because King Herod was out to kill the young boy Jesus, under divine warning Joseph took Mary and Jesus into Egypt. Hosea 11:1 and Mat. 2: 1-15
    When King Herod died Joseph moved to Israel ,settle in the province of Galilee in the town of Nazareth…so for Jesus to be called The Nazarene or Jesus of Galilee was the same thing

  13. Dennis B. Swaney says:

    What is also interesting is that Luke was a poor researcher of dates. Herod the Great died in 4 BC but Quirinius only became Legate (“governor”) of Syria in 6 AD, ie, 10 years later. In addition, Rome usually carried out their censuses every five years which would mean Joseph would have to go to Bethlehem every five years. This makes it more reasonable that it was the Bethlehem near Nazareth that was the actual census site. The village in Judea was substituted because the writers wanted to “prove” a link to King David and to an Old Testament prophecy. However, the bottomline is the actual PHYSICAL location does NOT matter: you either believe Jesus was divine or you don’t.

    1. Joe says:

      Nothing in the Scriptures says that the census that carried Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem was the census of Quirinius. It’s foolish to accept speculation as Truth and conclude that Luke’s Gospel is erroneous. Not every detail is provided for every event recorded in Scripture. The census recorded in the Gospel’s was not Qurinius’s; it was another. No problem whatsoever.

      1. Dennis says:

        NIV Bible: Luke 2:2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

  14. Ede says:

    Did anyone read the Bible? Joseph did not live in Bethlehem, he WENT there for the census and to be taxed! His home was Nazareth. Why is that so hard to understand? Stop trying to tinker with Scripture – don’t add to it or take away from it. And the locals in Bethlehem didn’t know Joseph or his wife and baby and did not make a shrine of that stable. It was lost to time. Jesus would not WANT a shrine made of a cave anyway. HE IS THE FOCUS of our faith, not “things”!!!!

  15. C.L.(Chuck)Troupe says:

    I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, being that time after time, the spade of true, scientific archeology has unearthed and confirmed one Biblical fact after another. For example, for many, many years “the scholars” ridiculed the Bible’s reference to King Sargon. “No such person in all of history,” they said. But the remains of Sargon’s palace were finally found. So, again, for me it works like this. If a thousand scholars … all of equal intelligence, education and credentials … say the Bible is wrong about something, I will put my money on the Bible every time. That goes for the creation account, the rib story and Noah’s ark too. Proof? Sorry you skeptics and scoffers, you don’t get proof. God reveals Himself and confirms His Truth to ALL those who truly seek Him. Had any of them actually done that, they would have had their proof a long time ago.

  16. Griffin Salima says:

    CB: indeed there is no issue here, then Bible is very clear and here is a quote from the Gospel of Matthew:
    But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
    Mat 2:20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.
    Mat 2:21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
    Mat 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
    Mat 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

  17. tapani annila says:

    Questions are possible, why Betlehem, Nazaret and Galilea are used. New Testament however supposes that Jesus was unknown mostly. There were many dwelling-places on inform. Parents were from Nazaret but Jesus was born in errand way. Mary may been also family of David? In Galilea Jesus perhaps helped his father in building of Roman town. In some maps there is Bethlehem near Nazaret. Young Jesus remowed to Cabernaum of Galilea!Matthew 4:13, John 2:12.

  18. ari says:

    https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=Gilgul37

    According to a famous rabbi arizal in tzfat (galilee) jesus was buried in galilee. Clearly we see he was buried in jerusalem according to nt. Maybe jerusalem isnt where we think it is?

  19. MSawyer says:

    “Biblical scholarship has recently called the identification of Bethlehem as Jesus’ birthplace into question…”

    All I have to say to those scholars… 1 Corinthians 1:27 (KJV) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty

  20. Shoshana says:

    Yeshua (“Ioseus, Jesus”) was born in a separate room or temporary dwelling as per ancient Jewish tradition. Birthing women, the same as menstruating ones, went to a separate tent or area till the period of their confinement was over. In this case is quite possible that if Yeshua was born in a skéné, Strong’s 4633, or succa (temporary dwelling) during Succot or the Feast of Tabernacles, Miriam (“Mary”) would have been confined to the succa for 7 days then on the 8th day have Yeshua circumcised and through her purification rites as per instructed in Lev 12. We should also keep in mind that birthing woman had midwives to assist her, not her husband. All this would not take away from placing Yeshua in a watering trough made from a carved stone. He would not have been born in close proximity to animals that is just not kosher at all.

  21. Francesca Bansbach says:

    According to Matthew’s infancy narrative, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not because of a census (which is Luke) but because Mary and Joseph lived there. And after the angel informed him of Herod’s death, Joseph settled in Galilee rather than returning to his home in Bethlehem in Judea.

  22. Why We Can’t Know Jesus – Probability in Historical Criticism | Chance Bonar says:

    […] Jesus might fit into the cultural context of Nazarean social, political, and economic life. (Recent scholarly work question the veracity of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus.) Jesus also should fit into the […]

  23. Son of man says:

    Hello sons and daughters of the one true living God, please pray always that you shall be accounted worthy to escape the hour of temptation that is going to come upon the whole world. And pray always that you shall also be accounted worthy to stand in the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

  24. Jean-Raymond Audet says:

    I believe that the story of Bethlehem in Judea is the Story of John the Baptist and that it was taken from him like other stories in the New Testament. Jesus was born in the Galilee at least ten years after the Birth of John, and was his Disciple until the Beheading of John the Baptist for being a Treat to Roman Rule and Jewish Religious Order. Jesus only followed on the Destiny of John the Baptist and was Crucified six months after his Beheading during the Jewish Passover and Survive the Crucifixion and died on the Day of Ascension 40 days later! What we believe is the Story of Saul of Tarsus who saw the Spirit on the Way to Damascus but not the Real Jesus! It could have been the Spirit of John the Baptist?

  25. kenc42 says:

    So many `mysteries` are blown out of all proportion, presumably as the `bread and butter` of authors and writers who wish to make a name for themselves, inflate their ego, keep an organisation afloat etc.
    This is surely one of those – anyone with half a brain can give a reason for this `stupendous, staggering, faith destroying` puzzle that may well tear the Church apart.
    Sorry, naughty me!
    If one is void of Spirit quickened faith then these `hurdles` will be constantly looming and no amount of education and `insight` will clear them – but constantly crash them.

  26. Timothy S says:

    We ALL love GOD and his son who died for our sins. Doesn’t matter where he was born, who’s right, who’s wrong. We can all agree he came to earth, died and rose again to be seated at the right hand of OUR father! Love you my brother’s and sister’s.

  27. Coy says:

    Nazareth is where Jesus was brought up, raised as a child. Therefore, where he was raised, not born, why he is called a Nazarene.

  28. Joe Yudin says:

    Bethlehem in Hebrew means “Bakery”. There where many towns in ancient Israel given this title: Bethlehem of Judea, Bethlehem of Samaria and Bethlehem of Galilee…just a few of miles from Nazareth. This is probably the Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

  29. Michael Ledo says:

    The birth narrative in Matthew is a cosmic myth and cannot be taken seriously. It centers around Orion, Cancer, Virgo and Sirius (Star of the East). It wanted to show Jesus was born during the reign of Herod among other things. Luke is a more convincing tale, having Jesus born in 7 AD. It uses a vision to connect to Herod instead. Probably both narratives are false. If Jesus was historical, most likely he was born in Jerusalem. In order to deify him, his birth narrative had to connect him to a birth in Cancer with Virgo as his mother. This was common of that age for most great men. Virgo is also the sign for bread or “house of bread” which would place his earthly birth in Bethlehem.

  30. lsstorm says:

    Psalms 119:165  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. I agree with tfm above, we walk by faith and not by sight. We know that in the end, many will be deceived by lying signs and wonders. I know in my heart and mind that Jesus is the Son of God, that He lived, died and was resurrected and now ministers in the heavens as my high priest. Study is good…but be sure what you are studying is God’s revealed knowledge and not that of man.

  31. ralph Ellis says:

    It has nothing to do with a town called Nazareth.

    Jesus was called the Nazarene, in Math 2:23, because he was of the Nazarene sect. Saul was also identified as a Nazarene, in Acts 24:5. And if Saul was an aspiring apostle, then you can be sure he was a (lowly) member of the same sect as Jesus.

    And do remember that Queen helena of Adiabene was also a Nazarene, according to the Talmud. And it was Helena who saved Jerusalem from famine, and furnished the Temple of Jerusalem. These Nazarenes were very wealthy, and closely linked to the Judaean establishment. See the book ‘King Jesus’.

    R

  32. tfm says:

    To me it does not matter where Jesus was born, only that he was and died for our sins.

  33. Paul Ballotta says:

    It’s interesting that Nicholas mentioned the year 6 B.C.E. as the year of Jesus’ birth, that’s in sync with someone’s dating of a census imposed on the population by the Romans under the procurator Coponious:
    :”Under his [Coponious’] administration, a Galilean, named Judas, incited his countrymen to revolt, upbraiding them as cowards for consenting to pay tribute to the Romans and tolerating mortal masters, after having God for their Lord. This man was a sophist [that is, a teacher] who founded a sect [that is, a school of thought] of his own, having nothing in common with the others. Jewish philosophy, in fact, takes three forms. The followers of the first school are called Pharisees, of the second Sadducees, of the third Essenes. (Josephus, Jewish War 2.117-118)” (“The Historical Jesus” by John Dominic Crossan, p. 112).
    This was the same Judas the Galilean mentioned in Acts 5:37, whose revolt was put down by the Romans and so here is the backdrop of violence at the time of Jesus’ birth that is attributed to Herod nearly a century later in the gospel of Matthew. Notice how the reference to Rachel is made in connection with Bethlehem in Matthew 2:16-18 that is based on Jeremiah 31:15 and that Rachel is the matriarch who died while giving birth on the way to Ephrath that was Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19). In the non-canonical “Protoevangelium of James,” Mary gives birth to Jesus in a cave near Bethlehem, being alone while Joseph searched for a midwife. The dark cave is symbolic of Rachel naming her son Ben-oni (son of my sorrow, trouble or vigor) and according to the book of Zohar (1:175a), “she named him Ben Oni, for the harshness of judgement decreed against her” (“The Zohar” by Daniel Matt, vol. 3, p.58). The naming of the child by his father as Ben Yamin (son of the right hand, or son of the south) was interpreted by the Jewish mystics to mean the attribute of loving-kindness since the right hand symbolizes mercy while the left hand symbolizes the attribute of judgement. To mitigate the severity of judgement a third attribute combines judgement with mercy and this is known as “rahamin” or compassion. This term is also used in the Koran as “Al Rahamu” or “(God) Most Gracious,” and in the Muslim version of the Jesus birth narrative, Mary gave birth beneath a palm tree under which was a rivulet flowing (Koran 19:23-25) and the source for this tradition is likely Christian since there was a structure known as a martryrium that was later converted to a mosque at the site where Mary was believed to have rested on the way to Bethlehem:
    “In about 456, according to Cyril of Scythopolis, a church was built to mark the spot where Mary dismounted and sat down outside of Bethlehem. It is called the Kathisma, ‘seat’ or ‘chair’ in Greek” (“Where Mary Rested” by Hershel Shanks, BAR, Nov./Dec. 2006, p. 46).
    If I remember correctly, a book called “Ra’aya Meheimnu” (The Faithful Shepherd), that like the book of Zohar, appeared in the late 13th century. It made a connection between Rachel giving birth near Ephrath and the attribute of “rahamin” by linking it to the word for womb, “rachem.” I believe this is significant in that there is an inter-faith connection that relates to the location of Ramat Rachel where there was a a royal Judahite palace in the late 8th century B.C.E. that had pillars flanking the entrances upon which proto-Aeolic capitals resembled palmettes, that is, palm fronds which have not yet opened. Perhaps this is symbolic of worldly government being in a potential state: “Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld” (Hebrews 11:1).

  34. Jolynn says:

    “If Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem, why is he called a Nazorean…?” Puzzling indeed. I’m glad “biblical scholarship” is devoting time to finding an answer to this pressing mystery. Oh wait, here it is! “21 And he [Joseph] rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:21-23. So he was called a Nazorean because his father “took the child and his mother” and went to live there. Mystery solved!

  35. Nicholas Petty says:

    As to the fleeing from Bethlehem and subsequent journey into Egypt because King Herod had ordered the killing of all male infants born in Bethlehem, there is absolutely no references of this in any Histories written of his reign by any author from that period or later, Judean or otherwise.

    All other atrocities that were ordered by, and occurred during the reign of Herod the Great were recorded in the Histories of his reign. This alone should make you ask why was the slaughtering of the male infants of Bethlehem never mentioned or recorded. The answer is, because it never occurred during the time of King Herod’s reign.

  36. Nicholas Petty says:

    The Census of Quirinius was the enrollment of the Roman provinces of Syria and Judaea for tax purposes taken in 6/7 CE. The Census was taken during the reign of Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE), when Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was appointed governor of Syria, after the banishment of Herod Archelaus from the Tetrarchy of Judea and the imposition of direct Roman rule. One account of the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), in the Gospel of Luke, connects it to this census.

    Notice the year of the Census, 6/7 CE (or AD if you prefer). This would have been 12 years AFTER the birth of Yeshua, as all now agree the the year of his birth was 6 BCE (or BC). As no Census was taken that year, there was no reason to travel to Bethlehem for any reason.

    The stories of his birth in Bethlehem were later additions to the Gospels by Christian writers in order to prove Yeshua’s identity as being the Messiah, since his birth was foretold to occur there. This has been shown to be the case by intensive research into the matter by countless Biblical Scholars.

  37. miguel fernandez ortega says:

    el Profeta Miqueas dijo; y tu Belen de Juda, de ninguna manera eres la menor entre los clanes de Juda, porque de ti saldra un caudillo que apacentara a mi pueblo Israel!, y los Santos Evangelios lo confirman!

  38. CB Ross says:

    Born in Bethlehem (Matt.2:1); taken to Egypt (Matt.2:13); raised in Nazareth (Matt.2:23). All in a single chapter! So what is the problem? Rom.3:4.

  39. El Koussa says:

    There is no doubt at all that Yāwshu (Jesus in Phoenician/Aramaic) was born in the Galilean Bet(h)-Lahm (House of Bread) possibly inside a grotto at the foot of Mt. Carmel, very close to what was later known, Nazareth (form Nazar or Nazir: consecrated to God Ēl, since he is Immanu-Ēl).
    The Judean Bethlehem did not exist at the time of Jesus in Archeological term, and relating Jesus to Bethlehem of Judea was not but an attempt to link Jesus to David by Matthew, something Jesus would have definitely refuse. Besides, there is no extra-Old Testament reference for David’s existence.
    To read more about where was Jesus born and who was he in reality, check out the Bestselling & Ground-Breaking book, «Jesus the Phoenician»

    Šalam,
    Karim El Koussa,
    Bestselling & Award Winning Lebanese Author

  40. wendys15 says:

    If they fled from Bethlehem because of Herod – if it were me as the mom at least – I would make certain is to say my baby was from anywhere but there – totally makes sense to me… Probably not the only instance of kids that age in that precise era either

  41. Wardell says:

    Jesus was born in Jerusalem as noted by his tomb in Talpiot, Jerusalem. reflecting a Jerusalem native.

  42. Kurt says:

    Micah,a prophet of God, foretold that this child would eventually become a ruler and that he would be born in “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” (Micah 5:2) At the time of Jesus’ birth, there were two towns in Israel that were named Bethlehem. One was situated near Nazareth in the northern region of the country, and the other, near Jerusalem in Judah. Bethlehem near Jerusalem was formerly called Ephrathah. Jesus was born in that town, exactly as the prophecy foretold!—Matthew 2:1.
    It was natural and not particularly unusual to speak of Jesus as the Nazarene, since from infancy (less than three years of age) he was raised as the local carpenter’s son in the city of Nazareth, a place about 100 km (60 mi) N of Jerusalem. The practice of associating persons with the places from which they came was common in those days.—2Sa 3:2, 3; 17:27; 23:25-37; Na 1:1; Ac 13:1; 21:29.
    Frequently Jesus was referred to, in widely scattered places and by all kinds of persons, as the Nazarene. (Mr 1:23, 24; 10:46, 47; 14:66-69; 16:5, 6; Lu 24:13-19; Joh 18:1-7) Jesus himself accepted and used the name. (Joh 18:5-8; Ac 22:6-8) On the sign that Pilate had placed on the torture stake he wrote in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek: “Jesus the Nazarene the King of the Jews.” (Joh 19:19, 20) From Pentecost 33 C.E. forward, the apostles as well as others often spoke of Jesus Christ as the Nazarene or as being from Nazareth.—Ac 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 10:38; 26:9.http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200274021

  43. Yz2hear says:

    Yeshua (Jesus) was Hebrew.
    Yeshua was not born at Christmas
    Christ mas was is & will always be pagan!!!
    YeHoVaH God All Mighty wants all of us to get w/ His calander celebrate his sacred feast days.
    check out truth YouTube Michael Rood /Rood awakening/119 ministry/Arthur Baily House of Israel.The truth will set you free.

  44. Phil N says:

    There are claims that there was more than one Bethlehem, and one of those towns was located in the Galilee. Those who were guiding Constantine’s mother through the area were not adverse to making things up as they went along.

  45. Karen Martin says:

    Isn’t it possible he was born in Bethlelam, and during infancy or at a very young age, they moved to Nazareth?

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57 Responses

  1. Brianroy says:

    Justin, in his Apology, 1.34, says: “And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah” etc. ‘Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, 35 stadia [4.1 miles] from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can [still] ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judea.”

  2. Carl M Doolin says:

    This is another heretical teaching of Biblical Archeology. And you want to know why I don’t accept your offer of receiving the magazine. Now to the important matter at hand, WHERE WAS JESUS BORN? Let me start by saying my brother was born in Champaign-Urbana, IL in 1984 although in 1986 we moved back to Louisville, KY, so when the Bible says Jesus was born in Bethlehem I don’t question it. Now to the other question you raised, WHY WAS JESUS CALLED A NAZARENE? Well again if Biblical Archeology would search for the truth instead of taking people’s word for it, Scripture teaches that after Joseph and Mary returned from Egypt they settled in Nazareth and was where Jesus grew up (Matthew 2:19-23, Luke 2:4 & verse 39). So the implication for me is and a lot of other Christians is that because when Scripture says this was to fulfill prophecy (Matthew 2:23 cross reference the Old Testament references of Ps. 22:6, 13; 69:10, Isaiah 49:7 & 53:3 and Micah 5:1) we see this was to fulfill prophecy. PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE PUBLISHING THINGS LIKE THIS.

  3. Dr. Eric Rice says:

    You lost me at: “Biblical scholarship.” Who? What scholarship? What are their degrees? Where did they study? Maybe this “Biblical scholarship” only incudes the author? Supposed biblical scholars who don’t believe in the Bible? Lots of those in BAR. People who call themselves scholars, but their sole intention is to destroy the Bible as truth? Lots of the those in BAR too!

  4. […] I failed to see the complication in the birth place of Jesus, he was born in Bethlehem to fulfill th… […]

  5. Robert James says:

    The author of the article takes John 7:42 completely out of context. It is an argument AGAINST Jesus having been born in Bethlehem. I doubt it was an accidental oversight.

  6. mike says:

    I love this its very true

  7. Paul says:

    Hi there, I noticed the latest tourist info on Bing. Church groups are plugging Bethlehem and the church of the nativity, claiming that this is the genuine spot where Jesus was born.
    Bu-t, the Ebionites, (a “Jewish” group/sect, and his first followers) have something quite different to say about where Jesus was born. As I remember from there writings, Jesus was born in Jerusalem.

  8. alans73 says:

    And, yes, Joshua (=real name of Christ*; Heb. Yehoshu’a/Ara. Yeshua/Gr. ‘Iesous) was certainly born in Bet Lechem (Bethlehem), the ancestral city of Dauid (David), during the first census of Quirinius; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_of_Quirinius. This was what the “wise men of the east” of Yerushalyim (Jerusalem) — 15 miles as the crow flies — in the desert wilderness of Qumran on Shavu’ot (Feast of Weeks) saw on the first day of the week in 6 CE; see http://tinyurl.com/mhbba3l. This was confirmed with our local planetarium in Baton Rouge. The “wandering stars” of Jupiter (representative of the Most High/Father) and Venus (representative of the virgin mother) as well as the conjunction with possible occultation of Uranus (representative of the Holy Spirit) and Mars (representative of the Suffering Servant Messiah of Isaiah 53) rose in the east in the constellation Pisces (representative of Israel). After the wise men of the “sect” called The Way (Heb. HaDerech) in Acts and the Dead Sea Scrolls met with Herod Archelaus, this “star” naturally moved from east to south towards Bet Lechem as the evening progressed — just as the Scriptures state.

    After eight days, Yehoshu’a was circumcised and the appropriate sacrifices were made for a first-born son breaking the womb in accordance with Torah (=instruction/Law; five Books of Moses). After Yosef’s (Joseph’s) vision, the family departed for Egypt. Herod Archelaus was deposed after the “slaughter of innocents” later that year and died in exile in 18 CE; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Archelaus. The family returned to Israel when Joshua was 12 years old (18 CE – 6 CE = 12 years) and settled in the city of Nazareth in the region of Galilee. Again, this was as prophesied and as the Scriptures state.

    False traditions such as Herod the Great being part of this narrative when he died in 4 BCE and the precepts of men creating the fanciful machinations of the three kings of Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SCRIPTURAL BASIS! Who doesn’t think that the wise men of The Way in Qumran didn’t have the means to gift Joshua the Messiah (Yehoshu’a HaMachiach) with gold, frankincense, and myrrh after the discovery of the Copper Scroll? See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Scroll. We have been deceived by the “early church fathers” and “Biblical scholars!”

    It’s well past time to set the record straight…

    *Note: “Jesus” incorrectly originates from the transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT the translation. See the second footnote from Matthew 1:1 in Aramaic (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 1:1).

  9. alans73 says:

    False church traditions, the “precepts of men” (manufactured theology), and “doctrines of demons” (assimilated paganism) cloud the truth. For example, most “Biblical scholars” simply discount Christ’s birth narrative from the Book of Luke. But when placed within the context of the Qumran calendar from the Dead Sea Scrolls, not only can one know with GREAT CERTAINTY the month, day, year, and day of the week when Joshua (Yehoshu’a) was born but when John (Yochanan) and He were conceived.

    For starters, one needs to review the program entitled “Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas” from when The History Channel actually presented history: https://youtu.be/XSQYX-OB1Rs. Mithraism and Saturnalia were assimilated from pagan Rome; that’s where December 25th falsely originated; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus, and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia.

    Arguably, the most important quote of “Christmas Unwrapped” occurs at the 7:31 mark: “So if you’re gonna sort through the runes of the Scriptures, Jesus was probably born in the Spring. If the shepherds were out in the fields watching their flocks by night, we’re probably not talking about one of the cold spells at the heart of winter.” — Forrest Church, Minister, All Souls Church

    Note: I have no affiliation with this minister or church.

    The FACTS unfold as follows, and NO CHURCH currently teaches the truth:

    Fact #1: Elisheba (Elizabeth) was six months pregnant in the sixth month; concentrate on vv26 and 36. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 1:26-38&version=NASB

    Fact #2: Tsekharya (Zecharias) was a Levite of the order/division of Abijah; concentrate on v5. https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Luke 1:5-7&qs_version=NASB

    Fact #3: The mute and shaken Tsekharya returned home immediately after his weekly course was completed, and Elisheba conceived a son. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 1:8-25&version=NASB

    Fact #4: This is the calendar documented in the Dead Sea Scrolls; see http://www.haderech.info/DSS/Calendar/QumranCalendar.pdf.

    Fact #5: For Elisheba to be six months pregnant in the sixth month, Tsekharya (of the course of Abijah) had to have served in the 12th month. The only time this occurs is from the 14th-20th; see Cycle of Priestly Courses… > Course Year 3 of 6 in the Qumran calendar above.

    Fact #6: As Tsekharya (and Elisheba) were righteous and walked in ALL requirements and commandments of the Lord (Luke 1:6), he could not have traveled more than a Sabbath day’s journey (2,000 cubits) on the 21st of the 12th month, which was a weekly Sabbath. http://biblehub.com/topical/s/sabbath_day's_journey.htm

    Fact #7: The first day that Tsekharya could have returned home (likely Kiriath Arba — aka Hebron — in the hill country of Judah) was the 22nd of the 12th month on the first day of the week. This was the day that Yochanan (John) was conceived.

    Fact #8: After Miryam’s (Mary’s) visitation from the archangel Gavri’el (Gabriel) in the sixth month (Luke 1:26), she left IN A HURRY to visit Elisheba. At the moment of arrival, Elisheba was overcome by the Holy Spirit and knew that Miryam had conceived a child. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 1:39-55&version=NASB

    Fact #9: Exactly six months after Yochanan was conceived, Yehoshu’a was conceived. According to the Qumran calendar, that would have occurred on the 22nd of the sixth month on the first day of the week, which is the Feast of New Oil! Sidebar: The Feast of New Oil was also the fourth of four agricultural feasts each occurring 49 days apart, exclusive (i.e., barley, wheat, grapes/wine, and olive oil).

    Fact #10: The gestation period for women is 38 weeks from CONCEPTION (not to be confused with LMP) to birth; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy. EXACTLY 38 weeks after Miryam conceived, Yeshoshu’a was born on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) on the 15th day of the third month on the first day of the week.

    So, now we know the month, day, and day of the week of John’s conception and Christ’s conception and birth. Now, for the years.

    Fact #11: Yehoshu’a was born in 6 CE during the census of Quirinius; see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census_of_Quirinius. For the Scriptural reference, concentrate on v2; see https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke 2:1-20&version=NASB. “Herod” was a dynastic title like Caesar and Pharaoh. The “Herod” at the time of Christ’s birth was Herod Archelaus; he was deposed that same year (after the “slaughter of the innocents” in Bet Lechem) and died in exile in 18 CE. When did the “holy family” return from Egypt? When Yehoshu’a was 12 years old (18 CE – 6 CE = 12 years) after Archelaus died.

    Sidebar: The only verse in the Gospels that contradicts this account is Matthew 2:22. The earliest extant manuscript containing that verse was from Papyrus 70 from the late third century CE (which is “a fairly reliable text, though it was carelessly written”); see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_70. The “early church fathers” were already at work destroying the truth!

    In summation:

    * Yochanan was conceived on the 22nd day of the twelfth month on the first day of the week in 4 CE.

    * Yehoshu’a was conceived on the 22nd day of the sixth month on the first day of the week on the Feast of New Oil in 5 CE — exactly six months from Yochanan’s conception.

    * Yehoshu’a was born during the census of Quirinius on the 15th day of the third month on the first day of the week on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) in 6 CE — exactly 38 weeks from His conception. Sidebar: This is when the “sect” called The Way (HaDerech) in Acts and the DSS made new covenants. Christ’s birth ushered in the ultimate New Covenant! Josephus, a self-described Pharisee (and we know what Christ thought of them in the Eight Woes of Matthew 23), coined the derogatory term “Essenes” (=pious ones).

    The truth is out there if one seeks it. Shema, Yisrael!

    2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (NASB)

  10. Floyd Satterwhite says:

    Jesus was born on or near Trumpets, not in December as the world believes.
    December was the time the sun god was worshiped. Luke 2:8 says there were shepherds in the fields with their sheep. This doesn’t happen in December in Israel
    As He came the first time at Trumpets , so will He come the second time at Trumpets 1Cor. 15:52 ,1Thess. 4:15-16.

  11. Andrew Cissell says:

    Boy i tell you people try to nit pick too much I am far from a scholar but it clearly says the romans was doing a Census, everybody had to go back to their place of birth for it, Now it says he was born there but nothing about being raised there,, common sense people my sister was born in New York but raised in Kentucky and in 47 years I’ve never herd her say she was a new yorker..

  12. freds64 says:

    I failed to see the complication in the birth place of Jesus, he was born in Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecies in Micah 5:2, Isa. 9:6, Ge. 49:10 and Lu. 2:4. Because King Herod was out to kill the young boy Jesus, under divine warning Joseph took Mary and Jesus into Egypt. Hosea 11:1 and Mat. 2: 1-15
    When King Herod died Joseph moved to Israel ,settle in the province of Galilee in the town of Nazareth…so for Jesus to be called The Nazarene or Jesus of Galilee was the same thing

  13. Dennis B. Swaney says:

    What is also interesting is that Luke was a poor researcher of dates. Herod the Great died in 4 BC but Quirinius only became Legate (“governor”) of Syria in 6 AD, ie, 10 years later. In addition, Rome usually carried out their censuses every five years which would mean Joseph would have to go to Bethlehem every five years. This makes it more reasonable that it was the Bethlehem near Nazareth that was the actual census site. The village in Judea was substituted because the writers wanted to “prove” a link to King David and to an Old Testament prophecy. However, the bottomline is the actual PHYSICAL location does NOT matter: you either believe Jesus was divine or you don’t.

    1. Joe says:

      Nothing in the Scriptures says that the census that carried Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem was the census of Quirinius. It’s foolish to accept speculation as Truth and conclude that Luke’s Gospel is erroneous. Not every detail is provided for every event recorded in Scripture. The census recorded in the Gospel’s was not Qurinius’s; it was another. No problem whatsoever.

      1. Dennis says:

        NIV Bible: Luke 2:2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

  14. Ede says:

    Did anyone read the Bible? Joseph did not live in Bethlehem, he WENT there for the census and to be taxed! His home was Nazareth. Why is that so hard to understand? Stop trying to tinker with Scripture – don’t add to it or take away from it. And the locals in Bethlehem didn’t know Joseph or his wife and baby and did not make a shrine of that stable. It was lost to time. Jesus would not WANT a shrine made of a cave anyway. HE IS THE FOCUS of our faith, not “things”!!!!

  15. C.L.(Chuck)Troupe says:

    I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, being that time after time, the spade of true, scientific archeology has unearthed and confirmed one Biblical fact after another. For example, for many, many years “the scholars” ridiculed the Bible’s reference to King Sargon. “No such person in all of history,” they said. But the remains of Sargon’s palace were finally found. So, again, for me it works like this. If a thousand scholars … all of equal intelligence, education and credentials … say the Bible is wrong about something, I will put my money on the Bible every time. That goes for the creation account, the rib story and Noah’s ark too. Proof? Sorry you skeptics and scoffers, you don’t get proof. God reveals Himself and confirms His Truth to ALL those who truly seek Him. Had any of them actually done that, they would have had their proof a long time ago.

  16. Griffin Salima says:

    CB: indeed there is no issue here, then Bible is very clear and here is a quote from the Gospel of Matthew:
    But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
    Mat 2:20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.
    Mat 2:21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
    Mat 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
    Mat 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

  17. tapani annila says:

    Questions are possible, why Betlehem, Nazaret and Galilea are used. New Testament however supposes that Jesus was unknown mostly. There were many dwelling-places on inform. Parents were from Nazaret but Jesus was born in errand way. Mary may been also family of David? In Galilea Jesus perhaps helped his father in building of Roman town. In some maps there is Bethlehem near Nazaret. Young Jesus remowed to Cabernaum of Galilea!Matthew 4:13, John 2:12.

  18. ari says:

    https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=Gilgul37

    According to a famous rabbi arizal in tzfat (galilee) jesus was buried in galilee. Clearly we see he was buried in jerusalem according to nt. Maybe jerusalem isnt where we think it is?

  19. MSawyer says:

    “Biblical scholarship has recently called the identification of Bethlehem as Jesus’ birthplace into question…”

    All I have to say to those scholars… 1 Corinthians 1:27 (KJV) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty

  20. Shoshana says:

    Yeshua (“Ioseus, Jesus”) was born in a separate room or temporary dwelling as per ancient Jewish tradition. Birthing women, the same as menstruating ones, went to a separate tent or area till the period of their confinement was over. In this case is quite possible that if Yeshua was born in a skéné, Strong’s 4633, or succa (temporary dwelling) during Succot or the Feast of Tabernacles, Miriam (“Mary”) would have been confined to the succa for 7 days then on the 8th day have Yeshua circumcised and through her purification rites as per instructed in Lev 12. We should also keep in mind that birthing woman had midwives to assist her, not her husband. All this would not take away from placing Yeshua in a watering trough made from a carved stone. He would not have been born in close proximity to animals that is just not kosher at all.

  21. Francesca Bansbach says:

    According to Matthew’s infancy narrative, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not because of a census (which is Luke) but because Mary and Joseph lived there. And after the angel informed him of Herod’s death, Joseph settled in Galilee rather than returning to his home in Bethlehem in Judea.

  22. Why We Can’t Know Jesus – Probability in Historical Criticism | Chance Bonar says:

    […] Jesus might fit into the cultural context of Nazarean social, political, and economic life. (Recent scholarly work question the veracity of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus.) Jesus also should fit into the […]

  23. Son of man says:

    Hello sons and daughters of the one true living God, please pray always that you shall be accounted worthy to escape the hour of temptation that is going to come upon the whole world. And pray always that you shall also be accounted worthy to stand in the presence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

  24. Jean-Raymond Audet says:

    I believe that the story of Bethlehem in Judea is the Story of John the Baptist and that it was taken from him like other stories in the New Testament. Jesus was born in the Galilee at least ten years after the Birth of John, and was his Disciple until the Beheading of John the Baptist for being a Treat to Roman Rule and Jewish Religious Order. Jesus only followed on the Destiny of John the Baptist and was Crucified six months after his Beheading during the Jewish Passover and Survive the Crucifixion and died on the Day of Ascension 40 days later! What we believe is the Story of Saul of Tarsus who saw the Spirit on the Way to Damascus but not the Real Jesus! It could have been the Spirit of John the Baptist?

  25. kenc42 says:

    So many `mysteries` are blown out of all proportion, presumably as the `bread and butter` of authors and writers who wish to make a name for themselves, inflate their ego, keep an organisation afloat etc.
    This is surely one of those – anyone with half a brain can give a reason for this `stupendous, staggering, faith destroying` puzzle that may well tear the Church apart.
    Sorry, naughty me!
    If one is void of Spirit quickened faith then these `hurdles` will be constantly looming and no amount of education and `insight` will clear them – but constantly crash them.

  26. Timothy S says:

    We ALL love GOD and his son who died for our sins. Doesn’t matter where he was born, who’s right, who’s wrong. We can all agree he came to earth, died and rose again to be seated at the right hand of OUR father! Love you my brother’s and sister’s.

  27. Coy says:

    Nazareth is where Jesus was brought up, raised as a child. Therefore, where he was raised, not born, why he is called a Nazarene.

  28. Joe Yudin says:

    Bethlehem in Hebrew means “Bakery”. There where many towns in ancient Israel given this title: Bethlehem of Judea, Bethlehem of Samaria and Bethlehem of Galilee…just a few of miles from Nazareth. This is probably the Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

  29. Michael Ledo says:

    The birth narrative in Matthew is a cosmic myth and cannot be taken seriously. It centers around Orion, Cancer, Virgo and Sirius (Star of the East). It wanted to show Jesus was born during the reign of Herod among other things. Luke is a more convincing tale, having Jesus born in 7 AD. It uses a vision to connect to Herod instead. Probably both narratives are false. If Jesus was historical, most likely he was born in Jerusalem. In order to deify him, his birth narrative had to connect him to a birth in Cancer with Virgo as his mother. This was common of that age for most great men. Virgo is also the sign for bread or “house of bread” which would place his earthly birth in Bethlehem.

  30. lsstorm says:

    Psalms 119:165  Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. I agree with tfm above, we walk by faith and not by sight. We know that in the end, many will be deceived by lying signs and wonders. I know in my heart and mind that Jesus is the Son of God, that He lived, died and was resurrected and now ministers in the heavens as my high priest. Study is good…but be sure what you are studying is God’s revealed knowledge and not that of man.

  31. ralph Ellis says:

    It has nothing to do with a town called Nazareth.

    Jesus was called the Nazarene, in Math 2:23, because he was of the Nazarene sect. Saul was also identified as a Nazarene, in Acts 24:5. And if Saul was an aspiring apostle, then you can be sure he was a (lowly) member of the same sect as Jesus.

    And do remember that Queen helena of Adiabene was also a Nazarene, according to the Talmud. And it was Helena who saved Jerusalem from famine, and furnished the Temple of Jerusalem. These Nazarenes were very wealthy, and closely linked to the Judaean establishment. See the book ‘King Jesus’.

    R

  32. tfm says:

    To me it does not matter where Jesus was born, only that he was and died for our sins.

  33. Paul Ballotta says:

    It’s interesting that Nicholas mentioned the year 6 B.C.E. as the year of Jesus’ birth, that’s in sync with someone’s dating of a census imposed on the population by the Romans under the procurator Coponious:
    :”Under his [Coponious’] administration, a Galilean, named Judas, incited his countrymen to revolt, upbraiding them as cowards for consenting to pay tribute to the Romans and tolerating mortal masters, after having God for their Lord. This man was a sophist [that is, a teacher] who founded a sect [that is, a school of thought] of his own, having nothing in common with the others. Jewish philosophy, in fact, takes three forms. The followers of the first school are called Pharisees, of the second Sadducees, of the third Essenes. (Josephus, Jewish War 2.117-118)” (“The Historical Jesus” by John Dominic Crossan, p. 112).
    This was the same Judas the Galilean mentioned in Acts 5:37, whose revolt was put down by the Romans and so here is the backdrop of violence at the time of Jesus’ birth that is attributed to Herod nearly a century later in the gospel of Matthew. Notice how the reference to Rachel is made in connection with Bethlehem in Matthew 2:16-18 that is based on Jeremiah 31:15 and that Rachel is the matriarch who died while giving birth on the way to Ephrath that was Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19). In the non-canonical “Protoevangelium of James,” Mary gives birth to Jesus in a cave near Bethlehem, being alone while Joseph searched for a midwife. The dark cave is symbolic of Rachel naming her son Ben-oni (son of my sorrow, trouble or vigor) and according to the book of Zohar (1:175a), “she named him Ben Oni, for the harshness of judgement decreed against her” (“The Zohar” by Daniel Matt, vol. 3, p.58). The naming of the child by his father as Ben Yamin (son of the right hand, or son of the south) was interpreted by the Jewish mystics to mean the attribute of loving-kindness since the right hand symbolizes mercy while the left hand symbolizes the attribute of judgement. To mitigate the severity of judgement a third attribute combines judgement with mercy and this is known as “rahamin” or compassion. This term is also used in the Koran as “Al Rahamu” or “(God) Most Gracious,” and in the Muslim version of the Jesus birth narrative, Mary gave birth beneath a palm tree under which was a rivulet flowing (Koran 19:23-25) and the source for this tradition is likely Christian since there was a structure known as a martryrium that was later converted to a mosque at the site where Mary was believed to have rested on the way to Bethlehem:
    “In about 456, according to Cyril of Scythopolis, a church was built to mark the spot where Mary dismounted and sat down outside of Bethlehem. It is called the Kathisma, ‘seat’ or ‘chair’ in Greek” (“Where Mary Rested” by Hershel Shanks, BAR, Nov./Dec. 2006, p. 46).
    If I remember correctly, a book called “Ra’aya Meheimnu” (The Faithful Shepherd), that like the book of Zohar, appeared in the late 13th century. It made a connection between Rachel giving birth near Ephrath and the attribute of “rahamin” by linking it to the word for womb, “rachem.” I believe this is significant in that there is an inter-faith connection that relates to the location of Ramat Rachel where there was a a royal Judahite palace in the late 8th century B.C.E. that had pillars flanking the entrances upon which proto-Aeolic capitals resembled palmettes, that is, palm fronds which have not yet opened. Perhaps this is symbolic of worldly government being in a potential state: “Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld” (Hebrews 11:1).

  34. Jolynn says:

    “If Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem, why is he called a Nazorean…?” Puzzling indeed. I’m glad “biblical scholarship” is devoting time to finding an answer to this pressing mystery. Oh wait, here it is! “21 And he [Joseph] rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:21-23. So he was called a Nazorean because his father “took the child and his mother” and went to live there. Mystery solved!

  35. Nicholas Petty says:

    As to the fleeing from Bethlehem and subsequent journey into Egypt because King Herod had ordered the killing of all male infants born in Bethlehem, there is absolutely no references of this in any Histories written of his reign by any author from that period or later, Judean or otherwise.

    All other atrocities that were ordered by, and occurred during the reign of Herod the Great were recorded in the Histories of his reign. This alone should make you ask why was the slaughtering of the male infants of Bethlehem never mentioned or recorded. The answer is, because it never occurred during the time of King Herod’s reign.

  36. Nicholas Petty says:

    The Census of Quirinius was the enrollment of the Roman provinces of Syria and Judaea for tax purposes taken in 6/7 CE. The Census was taken during the reign of Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE), when Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was appointed governor of Syria, after the banishment of Herod Archelaus from the Tetrarchy of Judea and the imposition of direct Roman rule. One account of the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), in the Gospel of Luke, connects it to this census.

    Notice the year of the Census, 6/7 CE (or AD if you prefer). This would have been 12 years AFTER the birth of Yeshua, as all now agree the the year of his birth was 6 BCE (or BC). As no Census was taken that year, there was no reason to travel to Bethlehem for any reason.

    The stories of his birth in Bethlehem were later additions to the Gospels by Christian writers in order to prove Yeshua’s identity as being the Messiah, since his birth was foretold to occur there. This has been shown to be the case by intensive research into the matter by countless Biblical Scholars.

  37. miguel fernandez ortega says:

    el Profeta Miqueas dijo; y tu Belen de Juda, de ninguna manera eres la menor entre los clanes de Juda, porque de ti saldra un caudillo que apacentara a mi pueblo Israel!, y los Santos Evangelios lo confirman!

  38. CB Ross says:

    Born in Bethlehem (Matt.2:1); taken to Egypt (Matt.2:13); raised in Nazareth (Matt.2:23). All in a single chapter! So what is the problem? Rom.3:4.

  39. El Koussa says:

    There is no doubt at all that Yāwshu (Jesus in Phoenician/Aramaic) was born in the Galilean Bet(h)-Lahm (House of Bread) possibly inside a grotto at the foot of Mt. Carmel, very close to what was later known, Nazareth (form Nazar or Nazir: consecrated to God Ēl, since he is Immanu-Ēl).
    The Judean Bethlehem did not exist at the time of Jesus in Archeological term, and relating Jesus to Bethlehem of Judea was not but an attempt to link Jesus to David by Matthew, something Jesus would have definitely refuse. Besides, there is no extra-Old Testament reference for David’s existence.
    To read more about where was Jesus born and who was he in reality, check out the Bestselling & Ground-Breaking book, «Jesus the Phoenician»

    Šalam,
    Karim El Koussa,
    Bestselling & Award Winning Lebanese Author

  40. wendys15 says:

    If they fled from Bethlehem because of Herod – if it were me as the mom at least – I would make certain is to say my baby was from anywhere but there – totally makes sense to me… Probably not the only instance of kids that age in that precise era either

  41. Wardell says:

    Jesus was born in Jerusalem as noted by his tomb in Talpiot, Jerusalem. reflecting a Jerusalem native.

  42. Kurt says:

    Micah,a prophet of God, foretold that this child would eventually become a ruler and that he would be born in “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” (Micah 5:2) At the time of Jesus’ birth, there were two towns in Israel that were named Bethlehem. One was situated near Nazareth in the northern region of the country, and the other, near Jerusalem in Judah. Bethlehem near Jerusalem was formerly called Ephrathah. Jesus was born in that town, exactly as the prophecy foretold!—Matthew 2:1.
    It was natural and not particularly unusual to speak of Jesus as the Nazarene, since from infancy (less than three years of age) he was raised as the local carpenter’s son in the city of Nazareth, a place about 100 km (60 mi) N of Jerusalem. The practice of associating persons with the places from which they came was common in those days.—2Sa 3:2, 3; 17:27; 23:25-37; Na 1:1; Ac 13:1; 21:29.
    Frequently Jesus was referred to, in widely scattered places and by all kinds of persons, as the Nazarene. (Mr 1:23, 24; 10:46, 47; 14:66-69; 16:5, 6; Lu 24:13-19; Joh 18:1-7) Jesus himself accepted and used the name. (Joh 18:5-8; Ac 22:6-8) On the sign that Pilate had placed on the torture stake he wrote in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek: “Jesus the Nazarene the King of the Jews.” (Joh 19:19, 20) From Pentecost 33 C.E. forward, the apostles as well as others often spoke of Jesus Christ as the Nazarene or as being from Nazareth.—Ac 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 10:38; 26:9.http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200274021

  43. Yz2hear says:

    Yeshua (Jesus) was Hebrew.
    Yeshua was not born at Christmas
    Christ mas was is & will always be pagan!!!
    YeHoVaH God All Mighty wants all of us to get w/ His calander celebrate his sacred feast days.
    check out truth YouTube Michael Rood /Rood awakening/119 ministry/Arthur Baily House of Israel.The truth will set you free.

  44. Phil N says:

    There are claims that there was more than one Bethlehem, and one of those towns was located in the Galilee. Those who were guiding Constantine’s mother through the area were not adverse to making things up as they went along.

  45. Karen Martin says:

    Isn’t it possible he was born in Bethlelam, and during infancy or at a very young age, they moved to Nazareth?

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