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Another Bethlehem? And what does it mean?
Yes another Bethlehem. Recent archaeological discoveries seem to confirm what the Bible spoke of in Joshua 19:15, that there were at least 2 Bethlehems. The well known Bethlehem in the picture above, and another Bethlehem not far from Nazareth.
What is perhaps predictable and typical of skeptics and critics of the Bible and critics of Christianity is the recent discussion that, "Perhaps the writers of the New Testament, knowing that Mary and Joseph really went to the Bethlehem near Nazareth, changed the story to mean Bethlehem Ephrathah (the one south of Jerusalem) so that Jesus would have fulfilled the prophecy about where the Messiah would come from."
Interesting the machinations critics will go through to try to discredit Christianity and Christ. Since as believers we are not afraid of the truth or of investigation or of questions, lets examine this issue for a moment.
First, if the critics suggest that New Testament writers may have changed the so-called real story of Christ being born in the northern Bethlehem near Nazareth, to a fabricated story having him born in the city of David south of Jerusalem, also known as Bethlehem, they acknowledge something that perhaps they would prefer not to have acknowledged: that there is a prophecy about the Messiah being born in Bethlehem!
So it isn't just those who are believers who acknowledge the meaning of that prophecy from Micah 5:2-4 (NASB) that says,
2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.
3 Therefore, He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth.
Bethlehem Ephrathah, not Bethlehem in the north near Nazareth, would be birth place of a ruler of Israel, a ruler out of eternity, a ruler who would be great to the ends of the earth.
Thank you skeptics for acknowledging the meaning of this passage, matching what we as believers also believe is referred to in this passage.
Second, lets think about the story as told by Matthew and Luke to see if it were to fit with the view of the skeptics.
Joseph was of the line of David.
The reason that Mary and Joseph went to the well known Bethlehem south of Jerusalem and not the one near Nazareth, is because it was the "city of David." That was where they had to go to be counted by family lineage.
Clever these tricky New Testament writers to have thought to have invented not only the town that Joseph and Mary went to, to validate the prophecy but also to have fabricated Joseph's family background.
The skeptics also suggest that Mary and Joseph must have gone to the northern Bethlehem rather than the southern one, because it was so close by. Makes more sense to them.
Ok, if that is true, then how in the world did Mary and Joseph show up in Jerusalem, some 70 miles away, so they could dedicate Christ at the Temple and only 8 days after his birth!?
Luke 2:21-23 (NASB)
21 And when eight days were completed before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "EVERY first-born MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD")...
Oops, the writers of the New Testament didn't think about the issue of distance here.
Imagine a conversation between Matthew and Luke:
"If skeptics were to discover later that Mary and Joseph had to have gone to the close by to Nazareth northern Bethlehem instead of the one near Jerusalem, how will we explain the travel of a mother and new born baby some 70 miles to Jerusalem in just 8 says?"
"8 Days? What are you talking about Luke? You are thinking like the Gentile you are. It has to be only 7 days, because one day would have had to have been a Sabbath on which we Jews would not travel far."
"Houston we have a problem! What do we do Matthew?"
"What's this Houston stuff? Never heard of it. Anyway, I don't think there is any way around this but to hope that the northern city of Bethlehem somehow disappears, never to be found again. It's a thriving city now, but maybe it will die out and no one will know."
"Matthew, what about the reference in the book of Joshua? Chapter 19 verse 15. People are going to know that there was another Bethlehem even if the town itself disappears."
"We'll just have to risk it Luke. What else can we do? Mary and Joseph would have to take Jesus to the Temple to fulfill all righteousness. So we can't leave that out. We do have a problem, but lets just hope that no one ever figures out that Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem North instead of Bethlehem South.
If they don't figure that out, we don't have to worry about the other lie, the one about them showing up at the Temple 8 days later. That would be a problem wouldn't it."
"You're not kidding there Matthew. And I hope people in the centuries to come forget that we walk everywhere."
"Whattaya mean by that Luke?"
"What I mean is that Bethlehem North is only about 11 kilometers from Nazareth. For those in the future who aren't used to the metric system, that's a little over 6.8 miles. Maybe they won't think about the fact that we can comfortably walk that distance in a little over 2 hours, no problem."
"What's your point Luke?"
"The Inn doofus. The Inn! Why would Mary and Joseph have needed to stay at the Inn if they could walk to Bethlehem North and back in one day? Of course they might suggest that since Mary was pregnant that she couldn't go back from Bethlehem north in one day, but that blows holes in the way we have written the story. If she couldn't travel 6.8 miles back to Nazareth, how did she and Joseph travel 70 miles down to Bethlehem south?!"
"Yikes! I hadn't thought of that. But it's such a good part of the story, Luke. We can't leave it out. Houston, we do have a problem or whatever town you said."
"Ok Matthew, here's what we do. Lets just leave the story as we have written it and hope that no one ever finds Bethlehem north."
"Luke, we have another problem."
"What's that?"
"The trip to Egypt. The trip to Egypt! That only makes sense if Mary and Joseph are in Bethlehem south for the birth of Christ!"
"Matt, you are talking like an accountant. Speak to me in English. Sorry, in Hebrew. What language do we speak? Ok, in Greek. But get on with it."
"The way we have written the story so that the other prophecy could also come true, about God calling his son from Egypt, has an Angel warning Joseph and Mary not to return to Nazareth but to head out for Egypt."
"Why is that a problem my tax collecting friend? I thought it was a clever twist in order to make both prophecies come true?"
"It's a problem because if they went to Bethlehem North instead of Bethlehem South, then in order to get to Egypt they would have to head south right toward Herod, the very guy who was wanting to kill their baby. That doesn't make sense!"
"Crud. Hadn't thought of that Matt. You know what else that brings to mind?"
"Spit it out Lukie my boy, spit it out. This is getting complicated."
"The Magi."
"Whattaya mean the Magi?"
"Matt, we have the Magi not returning the way they came. And they came from Jerusalem! So if they were warned...rats, why did we have to put that in there...if they were warned not to return to Herod and went home a different way to avoid him, we have just goofed up and have Mary and Joseph heading south from Bethlehem North, going exactly where the Magi were told not to go!"
"Luke, you think too much. You are right of course, but you think too much. No way would Mary and Joseph be headed off in the same direction the Magi had come from if the Magi had been told not to go back that way. We got problems bro, we got problems."
"Our only hope is that people never find out about Bethlehem North."
"Matthew, let me remind you again that Bethlehem North is mentioned in Joshua 19. There is no way we can go out and find all the copies of the Scriptures and tear that page out.
Hmmm, maybe we'll get lucky and one day the Scriptures will be called the Old Testament and people won't read it, thinking that they only need this New Testament that we are making up on the fly."
"Luke, you are a dreamer on two counts. Bethlehem North is a thriving city today and there is no chance that the book of Joshua is going to fade into oblivion. Our only hope is that people are stupid. Man, we really goofed up here in the things we invented to go into this story."
"You are correct Sir Matthew, you are correct. The only way this is going to work...no it can't work. Sooner or later we are going to be found out, when people realize that Bethlehem North is where Mary and Joseph really went."
"Oh well, it is a good story we have made up, don't you think Matt?"
"I do, but there is another problem."
"You are a serious downer dude. What's the other problem?"
"Luke, the other problem is that right now people are being killed for believing the story about Jesus. Chances are that if we write this stuff down, even though it is a lie, that not only will others be killed by the Romans, but we will be killed. How's that for a problem?"
"Matt, I don't see a problem at all. If we are ever confronted, we'll just cough up the truth like a hair ball and denounce the whole thing as being a lie. I'm not dumb enough be knocked off for a fabricated story! No way on that score."
"Right Luke. I'm with you. Lets see how far this can go before we get found out. If I'm caught, I'll spill the beans. I'm not going to put my life on the line for this goofed up story that we made up!"
The "only" problem dear reader is that Luke and Matthew did give their lives for this story.
Foxes Book of Martyrs records this about Luke:
The evangelist, was the author of the book which goes under his name. He travelled with Paul through various countries, and is supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree, by the idolatrous priests of Greece.
And about Matthew it says:
Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.
(A halberd is an axe head that has a spike or a hook opposite the blade of the axe. Not a pretty way to go.)
So they made up the story? Is that right critics? They switched cities in the story so the prophecy could come true? I don't think so. They died for their belief in the truth of what they wrote. Stupid people they must have been to have done that for a lie.
"Houston" (i.e. critics) you have a problem with your version of the story. Actually quite a few of them.
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